First Baptist Church of Scottsboro Visits the Dominican Republic

Trip Date: March 2009

Friday:
The Mission Team (Team) met at First Baptist Church going to the Dominica Republic (DR) as part of the Rivers of the World (ROW). They were met by a wonderful group of well-wishers as they left for Atlanta to begin their journey to the Dominican Republic. Their flight was scheduled to leave early Saturday.  

Saturday:
Arriving in Santo Domingo, the Team was met by Drew, an employee of ROW. They were taken on a three-hour trip to Barahona, a city in the southwest corner of the DR on the west coast.  The Team stayed in a gated compound (church, school, and guest house) that was ministered by Pastor Pedro Johnson.  Pastor Johnson and Chaggy, a young man who works with Pastor Pedro and who is studying to become a minister, served as interpreters for the week. The compound did not have many of the conveniences that we, as Americans, enjoy. There was no hot water, and many times there was no water at all or any power. The second floor of the dorm building housed two dorm rooms with six beds in each room, one for the men and one for the women. Each had a bath area across the hall. The third floor had beds and a large sitting area. This was a place not only for meetings, prayer time, worshipping, but also for singing. The room only had walls half- way up. The bottom floor was the dining area. The women of Pastor Pedro’s church made the meals for the Team. They not only made breakfast and dinner but also packed a cooler of food for lunch. These women were great cooks. The Team enjoyed the main dish of rice, beans, bananas, and onions. Many other dishes were prepared that they were not sure of, but they were also enjoyed. Hot sauce was poured over everything. Yummy.  Bon Appétit

The team met two college students from England who taught at the schools in the compound and in the bateys. One piece of chalk was their only school supply.  The Team carried some school supplies from FBC giving half to the school in the compound and the other half to Batey #7 where they worked.

Sunday:
The team held a VBS class in the school on Sunday morning. Keith (Worship Pastor at FBC) gave the first gospel presentation of the week, and many were saved that morning. The churches hold their worship services in the evening, so Keith preached in two different churches that evening. Pastor Pedro and Chaggy interpreted for him. The people there were so warm and accepting of the Team.

Monday:
The day started with breakfast followed by a prayer meeting in the “upper room.” The Team went to Ahoya, a small village with dirt roads, about 30 minutes from Barahona.  The only mode of transportation for the week was an old pick-up style truck with two benches bolted to the floor and metal rods across the sides and top. The roads were rough and riding on the benches was out of the question, so the Team stood up in the truck everywhere they went.

Keith’s mission job was to teach the Pastors in the batey on this day. While the Team had several jobs in Ahoya, the women led VBS in the morning. Some of them taught in the small classroom, which doubled as a church, the others played with the children outside. After a while, they would swap duties. The outside fun included: face painting, hopscotch, jumping rope, blowing bubbles, and playing with a parachute. A simple thing like blowing bubbles entertained the children for a long time. Each child wanted to blow and catch the bubbles. During VBS, the women told Bible stories using visual felt boards and interpreters. After the Bible stories, the women presented the plan of salvation to the children. Many of them prayed the salvation prayer and were saved.

While the women taught, the men laid concrete blocks for the foundation of a new church. After VBS was concluded for the day, the women joined the men working on the foundation. Before the Team arrived, some of the Deacons and men of the village dug the footing. Building this foundation was done the “old-fashion way” - everything by hand. Carrying buckets of water to pour into the hand-cranked cement mixer, the cement was then carried to the foundation blocks with wheelbarrows and buckets. While the Team worked, several children and young men came by to “lend a helping hand.”

At the end of the day the Team returned to the compound for a “cold” shower and supper. Keith preached that night at the church. After the service, the Team went back to the compound for end-of-the day meeting. They discussed the day’s events and plans for next day.  This became their evening ritual.

Tuesday:
The Team rode in the truck for an hour to Batey #7 (pronounced bah-tay). Batey #7 was one of ten Haitian refugee camps. The dirt roads become extremely muddy when it rains making traveling very difficult. The bateys are on DR government-owned property. The men of the bateys work in the sugar cane fields for $5/day. The houses have dirt floors and thatched roofs made of straw or whatever other material is available. When it rains, the mud and waste from the surrounding area wash into the houses. The animals (pigs, dogs, etc.) wander in and out of the houses as they please which makes for a totally unhealthy environment.

During the morning hours, some of the Team led VBS at the church. As on Monday, VBS was taught with visual displays and interpreters. Most of the children from the batey attended. Many of the children attending had no clothing.

It was in this batey where the Team built two latrines and poured concrete floors in eleven of the houses. The concrete was mixed on the ground. The Team carried water to a site and mixed the sand and concrete mix with shovels and hoes. They transported by wheelbarrows to the houses and leveled it with a 2×4. The Team was told by the doctor who works in the batey one day a week that disease could be cut by one-third with addition of the new latrines and concrete floors.  FBC donated money needed to build two latrines and named them “Keith’s Capo” (donated in his honor by the choir for his birthday) and “Make a Joyful Noise.”

That night Keith preached to the women of Pastor Pedro’s church. The women, at some point during the day, decided that they needed equal time of “preaching” for them as Keith was giving to the men . . . soooooo . . .

Pastor Pedro told Keith on the way to the church, which was about two minutes away from the guesthouse that he would be preaching to the women. Keith told the Team when they arrived in Barahona to “expect the unexpected.” He was right! Imagine having a minute or two to prepare a sermon.

Wednesday:
The Team was unable to go back to the batey or Ahoya to work because it rained all night.   The monsoon-like weather made it too muddy for the truck to travel, so some of the Team members distributed rice and beans to families in another batey; however, the mud made this take almost impossible as well.

In the morning, Keith gave the Team a Bible Study assignment. The Team studied and worked in teams.

In the late morning when the rain had slacked, Chaggy took the Team to another part of Barahona to distribute solar Bibles. What a blessing that was! The Bibles were in Spanish and did not require batteries (they were sun-powered). Team members had the opportunity to explain how they worked. While standing in the mud-covered street, the Team gave away 38 Bibles to people who were begging to have one. More Bibles have been ordered and will be distributed by Pastor Pedro.

God is so good.  

In the afternoon it was still raining so the Team continued the Bible Study assignments they had earlier in the morning. The age difference (16-64) didn’t matter . . . they were one unit. It is truly amazing how close the Team had become with everyone.

Thursday:
The Team went back to Batey #7 to finish the concrete floors and the latrines. After they completed the days work, the Team went to the beach to wash off the concrete and relax for awhile before the usual evening activities began.

A few of the Team members went with Keith house to house to witness. Chaggy translated from English to Spanish and another interpreter translated from Spanish to Creole (French). Many of the people practiced Voo-doo. One older lady followed the Team for a while listening and asking them to come to her home. After witnessing to her, Keith asked her if she wanted to be saved and if she would like to pray the prayer of salvation. She said that she was afraid that her sons would make her leave their home; and that she would have nowhere to live and no one to take care of her. While pictures of demons hung on the walls of her sons’ home, seeds of hope were planted in her heart in hopes that one day fears will be gone.

Friday:
After the morning meeting, the Team went back to Ahoya. Laying all the blocks that were available to complete the foundation, the Team returned to the compound in Barahona. In the evening, the Team had VBS for sixty children of Pastor Pedro’s church. The children had a wonderful time making salvation bracelets and playing games.   

Saturday:
Everyone was up early to prepare for coming home.   John Steinbeck said that a journey has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness and that a journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. This was certainly true of this journey.

The Team wants to thank each and everyone who participated in this mission trip: the prayers, the donations of supplies, the money, the hard work of putting together the school supply bags and the salvation bracelets, and the solar Bibles made the mission trip not only possible, but also a tremendous success..

Keith has been invited by Pastor Pedro to return in the fall with the FBC Celebration Choir, to preach a revival in the new church that the Team helped to build. Pastor Pedro has now completed eleven churches in Barahona.

Our prayer is that this mission trip will become a reality so the many souls there can be saved.