When a mother in the Dominican Republic decided to offer her children an Adventist education in her home, things started to happen. Word spread about the quality of education her children were receiving, and neighbors began to ask her if their children could attend. Soon the number of students far outnumbered the spaces available in her home, and she moved to the church basement and later to an old and inadequate building.
The resolve of this mother, Dulce de Luna, has had a far-reaching effect, and today a Seventh-day Adventist school thrives with more than 100 students. The school, Dulce de Luna, is named in honor of its devoted founder.
To help this school, Puget Sound Adventist Academy (PSAA) students raised $1,300 each to cover travel expenses, plus another $30,000 to cover building costs. The group of 57 juniors, seniors and sponsors traveled to the small island to begin work on a new three-level school. The group worked 14 days to complete the first level of the school, which includes four classrooms. Completion of the final levels by other groups will produce a school that will accommodate 300 students.
"All our hard work paid off! To be able to see what God had accomplished through our hands was the best feeling in the world," said Albert Smith, a PSAA junior.
The group also conducted a Vacation Bible School for more than 250 children each evening; distributed clothes to one of the poorest areas of the town; and spent time ministering to residents of a drug rehabilitation facility.
"There is a one-of-kind feeling that swells inside you when you give freely, and in turn you feel the appreciation of those you helped," shared Trevor Donnelly, a PSAA senior.
PSAA students level dirt inside the walls of the Dulce de Luna School in preparation for the concrete floor.
