Getting Ready

Commissioning of Mission Team on February 3, 2013
 

On Saturday, February 16, twenty-two adults from Westminster depart for a week-long mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic. We will serve the people of the small farming villages (called Bateys) by providing medical clinics, self-sustaining farming techniques, vision screening and construction on village churches.

A new partnership this year is with PCUSA missionary Mark Hare and the community of Batey 7 to help implement sustainable farming techniques. Jenny Bent, Mark’s wife, helps the Batey 7 health clinic and with the development of its program to train health care leaders. Jenny has helped coordinate patients for the medical team to see as well as introducing us to the doctor in the Batey 7 clinic. We are also partnering with Foundation for Peace for the additional medical clinics. Our primary contact is Pastor Wilfrido Susana Perez. Prior to his ordination, Perez served as one of Westminster’s translators when the church began working in the Dominican Republic in the mid-1990s. Having only met Wilfrido in person when he visited Westminster in 2012, I look forward to seeing him in his home country.

Lots of work has been done to prepare our team for the week. Thank you to Dave Sems for leading commissioning the team during worship on Feb. 3.  I am thankful for the pre trip help from PCUSA missionary, Jo Ella Holman, Regional Liaison for the Caribbean Region. I am also thankful for the work by the medical team to order, organize and pack seven suitcases of medicine, construction team leader - Paul O'Neal, our members who were trained by Surgeons for Sight, and especially for the leadership of Mark Kemp.

We will return Saturday evening, February 23. Please keep us in your prayers and check here for updates from different members of the team.