Living the Call Together in the Caribbean: The Dominican Republic

A Ministry of The Alliance

Missions Firsthand

Do you want to experience missions firsthand by participating in a short term missions trip? This could be the beginning of a journey that will change your life!

You should first ask yourself several important questions:

  • Why do I want to participate in a short term missions trip?
  • What type of ministry experience am I looking for — construction, medical, evangelistic, business/professionals?
  • Do I have a skill that would contribute to a particular project?

Answering these questions can assist you and/or your church in planning a short term missions trip.

A frequent question potential work team members ask is, “What’s the bottom line? What is it going to cost?” The Alliance team in the Dominican Republic offers a variety of ministry options: medical teams, construction teams, evangelistic/discipleship teams, and professional ministry teams. Expenses, depending on the ministry project, include international travel, the purchase of materials, rentals (equipment, space), food and housing during your stay, and ground transportation to and from the project sites.

Short term missions trips are eternal investments in the Kingdom of God, not only in the lives of the Dominicans who are blessed with the ministries, but also in the lives of the work team members who participate in the work projects and experience missions firsthand. They are also a tool that allows our team of international workers and the Dominican Alliance to continue leading people to Christ long after the work teams have returned home.

Check out http://www.shorttermmissions.com/articles for more helpful information regarding mission trips and projects, and how to determine the best choice for you and/or your church.

Going Prepared

“Go Prepared” is an excellent informative packet with videos and preparation materials that you can purchase at tcci.org. The series covers a wide range of subjects of interest to churches and individuals considering short term missions.

What will I do?

Your visit will be multifaceted, limited only by the amount of time you will be here. Your trip may involve some of the following:

  1. a work/construction project
  2. evangelistic outreach/VBS
  3. sports evangelism
  4. medical clinic
  5. executive breakfast, luncheon, seminar
  6. English as a Second Language – ESL
  7. prayer walk
  8. worship services Dominican style
  9. sight-seeing and beach day (we plan at least one day to enjoy the beach and shopping)
  10. shopping and eating out

*In addition to the work projects, most short term missions teams like to visit area Alliance churches to get a flavor and feel of what the C&MA is all about in the Dominican Republic. For example, on Sundays we take you to at least two different Alliance churches.

Skills

Please let us know if you have specific ministry or vocational skills. Missionaries and the Alliance churches frequently need assistance with their equipment, construction/design, etc.

I have heard of work teams leaving their clothing on the field when they return to the U.S. Is this a sensible thing to do? Are some items more needed than others?

There is no obligation to leave your clothing or any other item behind for donation. However, if you should choose to do so, everything will be fairly distributed to the National Church. All clothing items and shoes are much appreciated.

Why should I come?

Basically, a short term missions trip is as much of a blessing for you, as it is for the people to whom you will minister. In a work team experience, we ask God for three things to happen:

  1. That by the end of the trip, each team member may be yielded to God, as never before.
  2. That each team member may be broken about a world separated from God’s love, as never before.
  3. That each team member may directly participate in a key national church project. (Your participation makes this project a possibility, rather than a distant dream.)
  4. After all is said and done, we want you to have met God in missions!

How do I prepare for the short term missions trip?

  1. Pray that if God wants this to happen, that He will guide and prepare you and your church.
  2. Get your pastor’s blessing and, if possible, get him to come with the team. Maybe between all of the team members, you could pay his way.
  3. Reserve your time slot at the Guest House!
  4. Calculate a realistic total cost.
  5. Begin governing board approved fund raising.
  6. Rally interest at a men’s breakfast, women’s meeting, Sunday School class, and other church groups that would like to contribute to your trip.
  7. Find your best round trip airfare to Santo Domingo, the capital city of the DR.
  8. Reserve your tickets!
  9. Meet periodically as a group to pray.
  10. Take on a one-day project at someone’s house or at a local church to get used to working together.
  11. Have someone develop a daily devotional guide to use when you’re in the DR; or, assign various leaders a daily devotional time.
  12. Please be flexible. Trust God, the host, and logistic teams in the DR. Calm your hearts.

Getting Ready

Hopefully, this detailed list will answer most of your questions regarding your short term missions trip to the Dominican Republic. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions.

  1. Passport (REQUIRED)
  2. Bible and devotional materials
  3. Work clothes, shoes and gloves
  4. VBS materials (if that is your ministry)
  5. Hat and sunglasses
  6. Sunscreen! Not only for the beach but also for the worksite. The sun is 2-3 times more intense here than in the States.
  7. Toothbrush/paste and other necessary toiletries
  8. Camera (you may take pictures in the churches)
  9. Clothes for 4-5 days; sufficient undergarments for each day. (Wash will not be done daily, but rather only as needed.) You may bring more than one suitcase if needed.
  10. Nice Sunday clothes (no jeans or shorts at church)
  11. ladies=dresses
  12. men=dress shirt and pants; a tie, if you are going to speak
  13. nice clothes to eat out
  14. You will be staying at the Work Team Center (a guest house), which sleeps 16 people: one room accommodates 10 people, the other room accommodates 6. Please calculate your male/female ratio carefully. No need to dread dirt floors or bugs crawling in your hair.
  15. No special code is needed to call the DR as you do for other countries.
  16. BRING a beach towel and swimming suit. (Come prepared to go to the beach!)
  17. Energy bars (Some like energy bars to keep them going throughout the day)
  18. Any kind of prescription medicine you need
  19. Diarrhea pills (some may consider grapefruit-seed extract for amoebas)
  20. Shots/immunizations—although there are no requirements, review the recommendations below:
  21. You should be up to date with your Tetanus shot.
  22. Malaria is only optional. At this time, there are no malaria breakouts.
  23. For a more “jungle” experience or for an extended stay, the Peace Corps recommends immunizations for: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Diphtheria, Hepatitis B, TB.
  24. REMEMBER, your airport exit tax has already been included in your ticket price, but you will need to purchase your entrance tourist visa for US$10.
  25. It would be a great idea to have the group come with identical hats or shirts. This identifies you as a tourist/religious group, and you will whiz through customs. It also helps us on this end to identify you!
  26. We anxiously await your visit to the Dominican Republic!