Day 2: 2026 Dominican Republic
We have arrived!
We arrived safely at our hotel in Santo Domingo at 2 a.m. Saturday night and awoke to blue skies and sunshine! After a hearty Dominican breakfast and strong coffee, we loaded the buses and made our way to the Mission.
Driving through the bustling city of Santo Domingo, a narrow, windy street takes us to the top of a hill in Cielo where the Mission now sits. We pulled in as the Evangelical Church of Cielo started their Sunday worship service. Their praise and worship band led with music (all in Spanish) and Pastor John preached a powerful sermon from Matthew 20:1-18.
After the church service, we toured of the Mission facility with Carlos, the director of operations for Mission Emanuel. He shared his story: he was a kid from the neighborhood who got a job as a doorkeeper at the school when he was 18. In God’s kindness, he has been employed there for almost 20 years and worked his way up to Director of Operations. He explained how God has been at work in and through the Mission, the medical clinic, and the water treatment center for the last 25 years. These facilities provide dental, obstetrics and women’s health care, nutrition, and other specialized medical care. The clinic sees 5,000 patients a year from the surrounding area, providing necessary and critical care for those in need.
Carlos told us that when he was a boy, he was not allowed to come into Cielo because it was too dangerous. Now, due to the impact of God’s work in Cielo through the elementary school that educates over 400 children a year, the water treatment system, and the medical clinic, people are moving into Cielo!
After lunch, we walked to neighboring homes and visited families alongside the Women’s Co-Op, another outreach through the Mission focused on teaching women practical skills to earn an income for their families. These women are deeply connected to the families in Cielo. Even thought we were complete strangers, we were recognized as friends of the Co-Op and were graciously invited into people’s homes to deliver rice, eggs, canned food, and milk.
Some of the living conditions we witnssed caused us to pause and ask ourselves, “How do people live like this? What happens when they’re older and cannot work or get food?” etc, etc. As these questions were asked, we were told, “If someone is hungry, they go to a neighbor’s house and are fed. If we know of someone who cannot leave their house, we bring food to them.”
As we reflected on the events of the day, that message resonated with us. We realized that what we see on the surface does not come close to how people experience their lives, especially when kindness, compassion, and love flow throughout their community. Despite their poverty, they share all that they have so that none are in need. This may not be what we see or experience at a glance (in fact, we often assume the worst) and yet, God provides and cares for them and reveals this to us through deeper relationship.
Tomorrow, we begin our labor of bucket passing, cement laying, and wall building. We’re grateful to be here together, working as the hands and feet of Jesus. This week, we are open to receive whatever else the Lord has for us!
HOw we saw god at work today:
Worshiping, singing, and hearing the Word preached alongside the Evangelical Church of Cielo, and being reminded that the Church is truly global
Hearing Carlos’s story of growing up in the neighborhood and how God has used Mission Emanuel to transform lives in Cielo for over 25 years
Seeing firsthand the impact of the medical clinic, school, and water treatment center that serve thousands of people in the community each year
Being humbled by the deep sense of community in Cielo, where neighbors care for one another so that no one goes hungry
prayer requests:
Mission Emanuel, its staff, and leaders like Carlos as they continue serving through the clinic, school, and community programs
The women involved in the Women’s Co-Op as they learn skills and work to provide for their families
That our team would remain open to what God wants to teach us through the people and experiences we encounter this week
That the Lord would use our work to bless the community and that we would faithfully serve as the hands and feet of Jesus