So on May 3, 2019 at 9:00am the team landed in the Dominican Republic for our mission trip. Stepping out of the airport into the hot 80 degree air was like a wall of heat but we were excited to be there and looking forward to see what the Lord was going to do on this trip. From Santo Domingo we travel inland about 90 minutes to Sabana Grande De Boya where we stay. This was our 4th trip to minister in the small village of Batey Piraco since starting the “Village of HOPE” project in 2015. Every trip so far gave us a greater glimpse of God’s Hope rising up in the people there and this trip proved to be beyond our expectations. Our first day consisted of settling into the house and unpacking, followed by an outdoor service at a church in Sabana Grande De Boya. That evening Pastor Caleb preached and Candace shared her testimony. There was opportunity to pray with those who were there and many came for prayer. The next morning we prepared 70 meals and gathered everything to take to the village with us. When we arrived the children were so happy to see us. They took great delight in showing us what they were learning and sang a few songs for us. There were about 50 kids and many adults came out as well, and it was so good to see the Pastor join us also. After feeding them, we passed out bright colored t-shirts and took out the giant parachute which was so much fun with lots of smiles and laughter. It made our hearts leap to see the Joy on everyone’s faces. We went back on Sunday morning for a Good New Crusade. My 60th birthday was a few days away so my only prayer was that the Lord would let 60 souls be ministered to. The head count for church that morning was exactly 60 without counting our team and at the end of service everyone came up for prayer. Best birthday present ever! Sunday night we preached another service at the church again in Sabana Grande. On Monday we went back to the village and visited the school and went to the houses blessing them and praying with people. We could see the growth in people since our last trip and it was such a blessing to see the village becoming rejuvenated in both body and spirit. All the Glory goes to God!
Our next trips will be Nov. 1-4, 2019 and May 1-6, 2020. If you are interested in joining us, contact us for details and costs.
