DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

 

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” - Ephesians 6:19

 

 

For the second consecutive summer, Riva Trace sent a team of thirty-one members to the Dominican Republic to share God’s love and make a difference for generations to come. Men and women, teens and adults, seasoned travelers and first-time missionaries joined together to serve the Lord abroad.

 

 

While in the Dominican Republic, the mission team served in an extremely impoverished area by:

• Helping build an addition on a Christian school,
• Leading Vacation Bible School in two separate locations,
• Encouraging and supporting several local Dominican churches
• Assisting in the implementation of a volleyball ministry
• Financially enabling a pastor to feed the hungry children in his community for a week, and
• Helping train and equip local pastors and churches with encouragement, training materials and other resources.

 

The Vacation Bible Schools served about 500 children, including teens. Each day the kids sang songs, learned Bible lessons, watched dramas, made crafts and ate snacks. While conversing was difficult because much of the RTBC team did not speak Spanish, communicating Christ’s love to the kids was easy through playing games and giving hugs — two of their favorite activities!

 

Modeling Riva Trace’s own Outer Annapolis Recreation and Sports (OARS) program, the group also was able to assist a local church in starting up a volleyball ministry in order to build relationships and share Christ with members of the community.

 

A local pastor who worked closely with the mission team, expressed gratitude and set out a plan to continue harvesting from the spiritual investment of the Riva Trace team. While he intends to continue God’s work in his community and stay in contact with those whom these programs serve, he was touched by the mission team’s heart of service and desire to do more than “preach” and leave, and he looks forward to a long term relationship with Riva Trace.

 

 

 

 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: PASTOR’S CONFERENCE

 

Additionally this summer, a new opportunity arose for Riva Trace to bless and care for our Dominican brothers and sisters. Riva Trace was able to host a conference specifically for fifteen local Dominican pastors and their wives in order to better equip them, serve them, love them, and provide them an opportunity to rest and relax with their spouses.

 

Dr. Jeff Watson taught the conference on how to resolve conflict in a church and in one’s home. Additionally, Dr. Watson outlined and demonstrated practical counseling advice.

 

The Dominican pastors and wives were extraordinarily appreciative of the time away and also the new materials and techniques that they learned and promised to put into practice immediately and also to pass along to other pastors and lay leaders.

 

Riva Trace also partnered with the Dominican churches to provide clean drinking water to the city of Santiago, D.R. Unclean water is the leading cause of illness in the D.R. Pastor Gumer is working to put a water filtration in at his church in Santiago in order to improve the living conditions of his community and share Christ with them as they come to get the bottled water from his church. Riva left a $5,000 downpayment for the $25,500 project (which were funds from last year’s celebration dinner), and thus far has raised a total of over $16,500 towards the $25,500 total amount. God’s grace and provision are amazing to see!