Serving those in need in the Dominican Republic
This summer, twenty-three high school teens, youth leaders and family members and friends were sent out from Sanibel Community Church’s H2O Youth Ministry to minister and serve in Santiago, Dominican Republic for 10 days. They joined with Mission Twenty-Five 35, a local ministry there.
Mission Twenty-Five 35 gets its name from Matthew 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Their goal is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to all they come into contact with. This mission is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination, a denomination whose goal is to spread the gospel of Christ to the whole world.
While there, the team from SCC ministered in a local prison, a boys detention center, an old folks home, a cancer hospital, a home for the mentally handicapped, assisted a medical team, held two Vacation Bible Schools for local children, helped with a baseball ministry, and worked in the local ministry’s farm (a ministry to provide work and food to the local people).
Pastor Kevin Schafer stated, “(We) felt called to serve in the Dominican Republic since their country was hit by two major hurricanes last season.” He said, “After our major hurricane hit last year, we wanted to continue to help others who had experience what we had experienced. Their country was hit much harder than our area was and we wanted to serve the people there and share the love of Jesus with them.”
For many who participated in the trip, this was their first time on an international mission trip outside of the United States. The team was joined by other groups from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Canada.
Almost everyone from the trip took the opportunity to memorize Isaiah 58:5-11, another passage that encourages working with the homeless and needy among us. They were able to receive scholarships to assist them in paying for the trip. Many of those who went were encouraged to go on another mission trip, but they also were challenged and excited to come home and serve those in need who live around us. One leader mentioned how she thought this would be her last trip. However while on the trip, she could hear the Lord encourage her that this is only the beginning, and by the end of the trip her prayer was, “Where next?”
H2O Student Ministries is a youth ministry program for 6th grade through 12th grade young men and women. H2O meets on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. for middle school students and 6 to 8 p.m. for high school students, and on Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. in the Youth Center at Sanibel Community Church. All students on the island and surrounding communities are welcome to attend.
Sanibel Community Church is an evangelical, non-denominational congregation with the church campus at 1740 Periwinkle Way (next to Jerry’s Market). For more information about H20, contact Pastor Kevin Schafer at Kevin@sanibelchurch.com, or call 239-472-2684.