January 15th through January 21st, 2004

Iglesia Bautista El Redil (The Fold Baptist Church), San Cristobal

Baptist Church of Brewster, MA

Bill Howard, Group Leader;

Mary Sheer, Associate Pastor

Some years ago I met Pastor Douglas Scalise in Puerto Rico and some brothers from the Baptist Church of Brewster, MA. They were in Puerto Rico doing mission work to help people whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane George.During those weeks we had the privilege of meeting them and out of all their stays the best one, according to their own testimony. They finished their work, and they went back to Brewster, but they continued traveling to other places in order to do mission work. As the plans of God are perfect, we met again! But this time in another very beautiful island: Dominican Republic. One day I received an email from Pastor Scalise, and he told me that he wanted to do mission work again, and he asked me how I could help him. It is for that reason that from January 15th through January 21st of the present year they were at Iglesia Bautista El Redil (The Flock Baptist Church), in San Cristobal, helping to finish an assembly hall that became for this church it's new assembly hall. During 4 years Iglesia Bautista El Redil (The Flock Baptist Church) has been meeting at Colegio Taller Infantil (Children's Workshop School), a place that the educator Victoria Montás has lent for the service of the church. The hall had already become too small and the school had begun building an assembly hall, but it could not be concluded due to the lack of financial resources. That it is when the Baptist Church of Brewster responded to my call to help this congregation to have an ample place of meeting and glory be to God, so it was done! In one week the hall was completed, from windows, floor, doors, painting, up to electrical energy.It was one week of extraordinary experiences and brotherhood with the brothers and sisters of Brewster. Besides finishing the building for a place of adoration to God, a friendship beyond the barrier of language was accomplished, by love, that it is the perfect bond. These people of Brewster also extended their work to two houses of brothers and sisters of the church. They worked, sang, prayed, preached, and they even ate "sancocho" and "habichuelas con dulce" ("sweet red beans"). We said farewell to them in the house of a sister with a cake that said "Thanks, brothers and sisters from Brewster!"

February 6th through February 13th, 2004.

Iglesia Bautista Emaús (Emmaus Baptist Church), Santo Domingo

Great Bethel Baptist Church, Uniontown, PA

Rev. Michael E. Hall.

February 13th through February 20th, 2004.

Monongahela Baptist Association, PA

Rev. Lawrence R. Helein

The visit of these brothers and sisters was of great joy for Iglesia Bautista Emaús (Emmaus Baptist Church), Santo Domingo, which is in the heat of the process of building a temple designed with a high architectonic criterion. It is a small structure, but it is intended to be an icon of the presence of the Baptist churches in the Dominican Republic.

A first part of the group of Great Bethel Baptist Church arrived, presided over by Pastor Mike Hall, who always stayed working arduously and taking into account the minutest detail. A part of this first group returned to their country, while a few remained to be united soon to a second group, of the Monongahela Association, that arrived the following week.

The brothers and sisters of the local church integrated themselves with a lot of enthusiasm. The children played a stellar role, joining in the work and dreaming about their church, as it is the case of the children-little brothers and sisters Armando, Raysel, Alexis, and Tyler.

Our brothers and sisters also visited Mision Bautista Judá (Judah Baptist Mission), in the community of Pedro Brand, a place of much poverty, where tens of families live in stacking, overcrowded conditions. Sister Damaris Gomez established the mission, and at the moment it is taken care of by a young teacher and medical student. His name is Juan Pablo.

They also visited Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd Baptist Church), that it is pastored by Lilian Medina, in Villa Altagracia.

March 6th through March 13th, 2004

Sugar Cane Refinery Town San José, Nizao

Montgomery Community Baptist Church

Rev. Tom Lipsey and David Gray

As a popular song says "they arrived crazy from contentment with their shipment," but not for the city, but for a sugar cane refinery town, to work in the construction of a school for the children of San José, at CAEI Sugar Cane Refinery.

Like in the previous experience at the sugar cane refinery town Las Javillas, where this group built a multipurpose hall, the emotion invaded them from the moment they arrived at the airport taking into account that we had to make a couple of trips and traveled a long distance up to arriving at the place where they were going to stay.We arrived over there around one o'clock in the morning...As you read it, at that hour in the highway. But satisfied and been thankful to God by all the beautiful things that He is doing in this ministry and in my life.

The following day we were ready for "the hands on the work" activities. Pastor Tom and the group, a very diverse and glad group, listened attentively to the instructions of this servant with a great spirit of collaboration and understanding. His leader Dave drove a van, and the "pesos" also; Mike Chapelle, drove another van, and Tulio and Rosa María -a happy Latin couple, together with all the group- were ready for the mission work. The presence of the unforgettable Bill Southerland, a simple man and ready to give everything to make somebody happy, as well as his son Billy. A great example of love and dedication!

When we arrived at the place, we began with a mini census, designed by Carmen Ogando, in charge of Social Work at CAEI Sugar Cane Refinery, which gathered pertinent data for a better immediate and mediate work. While brother Mike Chapelle, who came with his son Brian, distributed gloves, balls, and baseball bats among the children. The sisters Rosa María and the other ones were in charge of distributing clothes, food, and medicines. They also went to the sugar cane refinery town Las Javillas, and they gave teaching materials to the teacher, and Bibles were distributed in both sugar cane refinery towns.Besides that, they made an activity for the children with the collaboration of two brothers from Iglesia Bautista El Redil (The Flock Baptist Church), who committed themselves with giving follow-up attention to this community.

Finally, we began to demolish the old structure and to begin the construction of the school. Everybody putting blocks, tying up rods, loading sand, mixing cement, and so on, under a burning sun that turned us completely red. The brothers and sisters made a visit to the Baptist Church of Baní, that it is pastored by Richard González, as well as Sunday morning they were at Iglesia Bautista El Redil (The Flock Baptist Church), in San Cristobal. The school is already finished and ready to begin the new school year. There is only an iron door missing for protection of the children.These people will return in 2005... Wao! That is called real love. That is mission work.

March 6th through March 13th, 2004

Iglesia Bautista Bethel (Bethel Baptist Church), La Romana

Judson College, IL

Mike & Cindy Stein

This group from Judson College took part in mission work at Iglesia Bautista Bethel (Bethel Baptist Church), La Romana, pastored by Rev. Miguel Bonnet. It was for them a very special and great experience.They also had the opportunity to share their time with the people of this church and some of the sugar cane refinery towns. Their work was to paint Iglesia Bautista Bethel (Bethel Baptist Church) and two more churches of the sugar cane refinery towns. They had the opportunity to buy 2 electric generators for Iglesia Bautista Bethel (Bethel Baptist Church) and a sugar cane refinery town. I could not participate with them, because I was with another group, but I know that the attention that they received from the people of La Romana were exceptional.

April 17th through April 24th, 2004.

Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd Baptist Church), Villa Altagracia.

Manchester Community Baptist Church, CT.

Pastor Bruce Sandy and Jim Meek

During several years this group from Manchester has been visiting El Buen Pastor Baptist Church (The Good Shepherd Baptist Church), in Villa Altagracia, that it is pastored by Lilian Medina.As a group they have always taken part in the construction of the temple and a summer Bible school. They are a very diverse and happy group.Pastor Bruce Sandy also participates in the group. In the group there is a young woman of 80 and some more years, and she is an example of passion and love to the missions.Her name is Joan. The children are her passion and they adore her. Once again Joan came with the group and her collaboration in the summer school is always vital. They will return in 2005, not only once, but in two different

groups!

June 1st through June 8th, 2004.

Sugar cane refinery town Yabacao, San Luis.

Deliverance Evangelistic Church, PA

Rev. Larry Richardson

An exceptional group! They got to work in the reconstruction of the Baptist Church in the sugar cane refinery town Yabacao and so they did it. The women evangelized the community, children and men in the heat of work of construction. This group accomplished an incredible work, and it was a great blessing for the community.

June 9th through June 17th, 2004.

Sonador Baptist Church, Yaroa.

First Baptist Church Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Rev. Brian High

This Wyoming group with Pastor Rev. Brian High did a very beautiful and meaningful mission work. This community of Sonador is located in the North of the country in a very rural and isolated zone from the city.Over there they arrived to settle the foundations of which will be the new temple for this community and a Vacation Bible School for the children. They stayed in the humble house of a church family, and the experience was unforgettable.

July 9th through July 17th, 2004.

Mision Bautista Rivera del Caribe (Creek of the Caribbean Baptist Mission), Santo Domingo.

Iglesia Bautista Puerto Nuevo (Puerto Nuevo Baptist Church), Puerto Rico.

Rev. Jimmy Vargas and Rev. Heriberto Muñoz

A great Vacation Bible School. With the subject "An encounter with Jesus," it began what it came to be a great encounter with Jesus and the childhood of this community. The Baptist Church of Puerto Nuevo, Puerto Rico, with Rev. Heriberto Muñoz, visited this community and worked very hard in the accomplishment of this Vacation Bible School. Rev. Jimmy Vargas, Associate Minister of Stewardship and Missions for the Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico, also took part in the event as a resource in one of handcraft workshops. The house of Laura and Julio was the encountering place every day, and the children left very happy and greatly thankful. We know that we will meet them again in 2005.