The Skagit Adventist Academy (SAA) mission trip to the Dominican Republic in March was a direct answer to prayer — in two ways.
When plans for a mission trip to Honduras fell through two months before departure, trip planners met for earnest prayer. During the same week, Adventists members in the Dominican Republic prayed for someone to come help them build a church. Plans for SAA to answer that prayer fell into place quickly by midweek.
Twenty-seven SAA students, along with 18 teachers, parents and chaperones, left Burlington, Wash., and departed for the Dominican Republic with a motto to "Rebuild, Repair and Restore."
Mission trip participants shared their gifts in five areas: building a church; providing dental, medical and wellness care to 500 patients; fitting 2,000 pairs of glasses; removing 49 cataracts; and praising God through a nightly Vacation Bible School (VBS) program.
"It was really cool to see how much the local people appreciated what we had done," says Kelby Carambot, a student who worked on the building team.
Another student adds, "What was so incredibly special about the VBS we did was that we had a chance to use our Spanish!"
Mission trip participants went home feeling they received more blessings than they gave.
Tristen Holbrook, student, sums up his experience: "It was an amazing first 'out of the country' experience to help people and do so much good."
Read more at skagitadventist.com under the Mission Trip 2012 tab.
A dentist, a pediatrician, a family practice physician and an emergency room nurse provide basic medical services to 500 people during Skagit Adventist Academy's Dominican Republic mission trip. (Tracey Dobkins)
