DR Mission Trip '24: Update #6

And…we’re back home from the Dominican Republic!

What a week. Over the course of our trip, the MHCC team was able to lead a 4-day discipleship camp for 5 to 18-year-old Dominican girls. The camp was packed full of fun and games, Biblical teaching, and very personal small group time. The games were a massive hit and we won’t soon forget the plethora of gleeful cheers and screams from games like trash ball, bottle flip, head/shoulders/knees/cup, a 3-3 basketball tournament, pick-up-marshallows-with-two-cups-as-your-hands, and many more.

The teaching was done in a large group format twice each day. We walked through key topics such as why Jesus died for us and our need for a savior (Day 1), what it means to be a child of God and the concept of adoption into God’s family (Day 2), understanding that we are a new creation in Christ and how God sanctifies us on our journey (Day 3), and taking up the missionary call that all of us who have accepted Christ are called to (Day 4). It was extremely special to us that a number of the girls’ parents came to our event and sat in on the teaching.

In the small groups, we took the large group teaching and peeled back the layers of what these truths meant to each girl personally. While the first day was a bit surprising, in that the girls seemed to have technically correct answers for most of our questions, the second day revealed the reality of the girls’ situation. While Dominican Republic culture is extremely familiar with basics of the Bible, we discovered that many in the community struggle significantly with topics such as legalism, judgment, works-based salvation, and more. Through the small group discussions, we were able to dive much deeper with the girls and talk to them about the challenges they have encountered in their faith journey. We were even able to bring some of the learnings through our small groups back into the large group teachings for the last few days, addressing some of the incorrect Biblical understandings in their local community head on.

On our last day, we had a final debrief, walked through the local community, visited the construction team, spent time at a local beach, and enjoyed one last dinner together. Overall, I would absolutely label this trip valuable and successful. Of course, the growth comes from the Lord, so we all need to be in prayer that the seeds and the subsequent watering bring growth that only He can provide. “So neither he who plants no he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:7

Thanks to all of you who contributed through a variety of means. It is greatly appreciated and made a difference. The short-term mission is complete, but the long-term mission continues. —Phil Weinmeister