A group of members from Fort Myers, Fla., Church recently took a Maranatha Volunteers International mission trip to the Dominican Republic. During the day, the group of 31 built a major portion of a retaining wall for a new school/church campus.
In addition to the building project, the team also coordinated a Vacation Bible School (VBS) outreach program at a local public school for more than 600 children. This event took a lot of coordination and effort, but the volunteers tackled the challenge with great enthusiasm and found creative ways to bond with the kids and share Jesus.
Fort Myers members spent evenings holding meetings as part of an evangelistic campaign. During the week, 10 people were baptized, including two individuals from the tour group. Many other decisions were made, too, as a result of the evening evangelistic meetings.
This ongoing school/church project will require the help of many additional volunteer groups over the next couple of years before everything is completed. The campus itself will be the realization of a 50-year dream the church members in North Santo Domingo have had for an Adventist school where they could send their kids.
Team members were able to donate funds to fix one of the churches in the area. The group donated a guitar to the local host pastor who had taken time to help build the retaining wall. The pastor also gave the team members a short tour of old town Santo Domingo. Both the beauty and poverty of the country were viewed, but most of all, the love of Jesus was experienced.
Both young and older members of the group experienced transformative and spiritual-life change. A full report of the trip, along with the participants’ testimonies, was shared during a Sabbath service at the Fort Myers Church upon the group’s return.
“I can’t believe the Maranatha Volunteers International mission trip to the Dominican Republic has come to an end,” says Travis Walker, pastor. “Thank you for all the prayers and donations that made this trip possible! God is good!”
Florida | July 2023
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