2021 Summer Mission Trip Recap
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Christ – Community – Construction
Dear Friends,
This Handfuls of Hope mission trip to the Dominican Republic was truly a remarkable experience full of love, hard work, community, laughter, and most importantly God’s grace and power. Our goal was to share Christ’s love and gospel, foster a God-centered community and construct an awning at the Handfuls of Hope school that will be a protection from the elements throughout the school year, as well as, during church services that will be held there. In merely eight days, our team of twenty-two plus people served the Lord wholeheartedly in a manner that will not only help and change the lives of our Dominican friends but change ours as well and Handfuls of Hope as a whole, in the most positive way!
“Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.”
Isaiah 25:1
It is not a coincidence that this trip was held over an eight-day period. In the Bible, the number eight is very special and represents new beginnings, resurrection, salvation, and a bright future. On the eighth day, Christ rose and after his resurrection, He showed himself a total of eight times to many people including His disciples and Mary Magdalene. Furthermore, eight people were allowed on the Ark that God commanded Noah to build, God through Elijah performed eight miracles, and the patriarch of the Old Testament, Abraham, had eight sons. Clearly, the Lord values the number eight and uses it to portray many of His amazing feats and it is not a stretch at all to say that God used the eight days of this mission trip to perform numerous wonderful feats!
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
- Psalm 9:1
Here are Eight of the many Triumphs that God did for and during this mission trip:
1. Revealing needs in the Dominican Republic and leading the right people to tend to them. The God-centered, caring, and hardworking people who made up the team for this trip, each had a purpose that together fulfilled God’s plan. It was through each person and their necessary, specific skill sets including but not limited to planning, construction, prayer, teaching, organization, leading, preaching, etc. that God’s glory shined through while we worked diligently to tend to the needs of food, ministry, clothing, construction, and more in the Catalina area of the Dominican Republic.
2. Providing safe and healthy travel to and from the Dominican Republic. We’re all aware of the virus that consumed the majority of last year and prohibited us from many things including traveling and meeting with others, especially in large groups. Well, despite our worries and concerns, God’s grace prevailed and our team stayed covid free throughout the whole trip and primarily healthy during it!
3. Strong leadership and great teamwork. The success of this trip is attributed to diligent leadership and a dedicated team working together with servant hearts for the Lord. From before we landed in Santo Domingo, to our transportation, our housing, food preparation, Isiah 58 ministry meal, and food distribution, construction planning and preparation, and more, our committed leaders faithfully managed all of the needs of the team and ministry. In addition, our whole team which bonded together like a family pursued every task and ministry opportunity with a passion and devotion that was fueled by Christ.
4. Fostering a positive God-centered community. Although sharing God’s love and gospel with our Dominican friends is the main focus of Handfuls of Hope mission trips, on this trip it was also our intention to foster a God-centered community that fellowships together regularly in the community of Catalina even in our absence. To propel this desire, Kendy, one of the Handfuls of Hopes most recent additions to the missionary team, started a young women’s bible study in order to fellowship with the girls in the Catalina area while encouraging them to start and or grow relationships with God through reading scripture, prayer, discussion, and learning new skills such as baking, and bracelet making. During two of the days on this trip, Kendy, as well as the other female team members, spent a few hours doing said bible study with over 20 girls from the Catalina and Nizao communities!
5. Dedicated skilled laborers. Our construction/painting crew was truly incredible! The Handfuls of Hope team with the help of a local contractor and his team, planned, prepared, and built the new awning in only six days. From 9 am to sometimes midnight, this crew worked laboriously and enthusiastically each day. Each of them bringing skill sets to the table and helping each other to grow their expertise. Because of their work, there is a new location for the HOH students, their families, and the whole community of Catalina to worship the Lord regularly regardless of weather conditions.
6. Giving whole-heartedly. Each year Handfuls of Hope partners with Feed My Starving Children to distribute food packages to families in the Dominican Republic. This year, HOH has become the main partner, which is located in the Dominican, with Feed My Starving Children, and as a result, will be overseeing the majority of food package distributions in the Dominican from this year on. With that said, during this mission trip, we were able to serve four communities in the Catalina area of the Dominican through food and clothing distribution, sermons, musical worship, prayer, and games/crafts as part of a ministry called Isaiah 58. This ministry is not just about what we can give to our Dominican friends, but how God can work through all of us to spread his word, love, and lead people into a relationship with him. “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15
7. Prayer warriors. Funds, materials, and labor were definitely a necessity for this mission trip, but prayer triumphs them all. Each morning before starting our day, we met together to read from scripture, pray, and praise God for everything He has done, was doing, and will do. This fellowship time each morning really helped to set the tone for our days and kept us mindful that what we were doing was not about us but about our Lord. Furthermore, God sent prayer warriors on our team never hesitated to lift our needs, concerns, hopes, and praises to the Lord whether they were big or small, which ultimately added to the overall success of the trip.
8. Open heart and mind to God’s will. Everything that was accomplished on this trip was possible because of God and this team's intentional desire to listen and head His will. Our drive wasn’t about what we can do in the Dominican Republic but instead what God can do and how He will use us to fulfill His plan. Having this be the center of our mission made all the difference with every interaction we had during each ministry and task on this trip.
What God did during these eight days is incredible and attests to his power and promises that He has shown and given us time and time again. He is truly amazing and because of that, this mission trip was phenomenal!
Sincerely,
Sallay
2021 Summer Mission Trip Participant
