Hola from the Dominican Republic!!! We had a smooth travel day on Friday after our 4am start meeting at the MSP airport. We had a quick layover in Miami with just enough time for everyone to grab a snack. We were greeted by our Filter of Hope staff, Mike & Rafael, just after customs in Santo Domingo. We also meet up with the other mission team that is a youth group from Ohio. They have about 20 participants & leaders. We loaded up our luggage and got into a school bus with water bottles and sandwiches for a 2 hour trek to the Word of Life camp in Baní. Once we made it to the camp we had dinner and an orientation with our Filter of Hope staff then went to sleep!
Sunday we had breakfast at 7:30 and loaded up to head to church. The service consisted of Spanish songs and the message was translated to English for us. After church we concluded our orientation and was served lunch by the church. We then broke up into 3 groups with a translator and member of the local church. We visited with houses in the neighborhood to meet with them, to give and teach them to use the water filter, and share the gospel. We drove back to the camp for some free time on the beach followed by dinner and debrief time as a team. We appreciate all of your prayers over our time and team!
First full day of distributing filters. We woke for breakfast and returned to the same community we were at yesterday. We broke up into the same groups to distribute filters and share the gospel until 4:30 plus taking a break for lunch. Today our 3 teams distributed 15 filters total! Students shared that they were proud of themselves for sharing the gospel even when nervous or uncomfortable. We got the chance to pray over families that have experienced loss, expecting the birth of a baby, physical health and much more! It was a warm and full day out in the sun but we trust God is continuing to give us energy. When we made it back to camp we had some free time before dinner and debriefing the days events. Then back to bed to rest up for another full day!
Two full days of work for our team! They were the same structure as our distribution day on Monday except we switched up the teams. Students enjoyed working with new people. On Wednesday we went to a new church in a new neighborhood that is the parent church as the one we were at previously. All the leaders are so proud of the way God spoke through the students. We had 5 people accept Jesus! Praise God! Each student took turns sharing the gospel and installing water filters multiple times.
We ended our last day of work at the church dancing to Spanish worship music and praying for the local church. We are enjoying our free time swimming in the pool, ocean, playing basketball and searching for exotic fruit! One of the teams favorite activities at camp is trying to catch geckos! Where they put them after they catch them will be a good question to ask when we arrive back home! Tomorrow is a fun day at the beach before we fly home!
What a great last day in the Dominican Republic! Today we got to sleep in a little extra before heading to Bocca Chica beach. It took about 2 hours to get there, then we dropped our stuff off and headed to the ocean. Some students played games, chatted, threw a football in the ocean and explored. We had a great lunch right on the beach then headed to a super market to load up on some snacks (and cake!). Back at camp we had our last dinner together, said goodbye to our wonderful Filter of Hope staff, Mike, and had some extended free time before bed. Looking forward to seeing our family tomorrow please pray for safe travels!
All families must have completed this year’s Catalyst Students waiver to allow student participation in events.
All families must have completed this year’s Catalyst Students waiver to allow student participation in events.
We believe the greatest factor in teenagers following Christ beyond high school is meaningful connections and service in the broader church community. It's our priority to give teenagers meaningful roles and help them identify and live out their passions and gifts. We invite teenagers around the table as our church plans for the future. As a church, we commit to serving alongside young people, encouraging them in their faith as we listen to their stories and questions.
Contact us: students@catalystwbl.org