Thoughts on Five Years of Mission Work

How do you describe a mission trip for those that don't go? Not an easy thing to do. This is unfortunate because there are so many people that stay behind that are absolutely vital to the success of any mission. People who pray for the success of the trip and the people on it, people who donate money, people who give items that we take with us to give to the poor, and people who offer their moral support and friendship. So where to begin???

A DR mission trip for those who go is primarily an experience. It is sights, sounds, smells, feelings, friendships, accomplishment, frustrations, rebar injuries, dirt, sweat, heat and exhaustion, incredible worship services that go for two to three hours, fun, and a sense of sadness when you leave. You come back from it a better person than you where and you leave behind something better than it was. But I think it takes the gift of time to put into perspective how a mission trip changes the lives of the people you visited. I say this because it takes years to see the value of a church in a community that has not had one. The transformation can be astounding. More importantly it gives you the perspective of what mission work can actually do. I just posted on this website a video that shows the before and after for Calvary’s first mission project. I hope it does a better job than talking in conveying what the results of mission work can do and give all those who supported us, who did not go, a sense of the acomplishment of which they were a part.

2005 - Church Under Construction

It has been five years now since Calvary's first mission trip to the Dominican Republic. On the first trip in 2005 we helped in the construction of the church in the town of Chiahone (yes I know this probably isn't spelled right so if anyone knows the proper spelling please send it to me). The word "town" here may be a bit of a misnomer. This place is not even a swelling of the tiny dirt road that it's on. The "downtown" area consists of two concrete buildings across the road from the church construction site. We named these buildings The Gentleman's Club and Wal-Mart (more on this later). The town was really nothing more than a series of run down cardboard or corrugated aluminum shacks along the side of the road dispersed amongst the sugarcane fields. Occasionally you would see a concrete and cinderblock home, but not often.

Churches in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic are far more than just places of worship. In many cases they are the best constructed building in the area. They are built out of cinderblock, concrete, and oh yes a lot of rebar. They are usually the only source of refuge for tropical storms and hurricanes and as such are the primary source of shelter when weather happens. They make quite good storm shelters (however since neither concrete nor cinderblocks are very elastic they don't hold up well in earthquakes, it's not a perfect world). Church buildings also become the center for community activities. They are used for meals, social gatherings, play, education, worship, shelter, and as a source of cohesion in the community. A church in the Dominican Republic can single-handedly transform a community and give it a sense of purpose.

2009 - Finished Church

More now about those two buildings across from the church that I mentioned earlier. One was a small yellow store that we jokingly dubbed "Wal-Mart". The second blue and orange building we called “The Gentleman's Club”. This was because all the unemployed adult males would congregate there to watch us build the church. There was always a crowd watching us do our thing from across the street. But every single day we were at the construction site, Nardo the local Pentecostal minister and our host, would go over to the club and witness with his Bible. By the end of the week many of these young men were helping out at the worksite, not all but some. Quite a transformation for five days. We certainly noticed the difference on our return in 2009 when we visited the finished church. The town seemed cleaner, almost no one was loitering around, and in general the town seemed to have a sense of purpose. It's something I noticed even more when I edited the video that I just posted.

Wal-Mart and The Gentleman's Club

Many people have asked us when we return from a mission trip about why we send people to work in other countries. Why not just send the money. After all it costs a lot to fly and support people overseas, so why not keep the people at home and take all that money and just send it instead. Surely more money can do more good, right?

Now you can quote the Great Commission from the Bible for all you're worth, but for many people that's still not a good answer. I mean, after all, you can substitute money for people. Well, money can do a lot of good and it is certainly a vital component of any mission trip; however, no matter how much you improve an individual's physical circumstances through the gift of money, there is something that money lacks.

Hope!
No matter how much you improve a person's physical living conditions if you don't give them hope you accomplish very little other than keeping them alive. Hope and the spiritual message that only people can bring is absolutely vital. Jesus understood this better than anyone. Look in the Gospels, Jesus never threw money at a problem, he threw lots of people at a problem.

The Six 2005 Missionaries Who Returned in 2009

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A Tradition of Youth in Calvary Missions

From the very start Calvary has had an outstanding tradition of youth participation in international mission trips. On the first mission trip to the Dominican Republic five of the fifteen participants where in their teens. Calvary has been blessed with outstanding youth participation in all of the international mission trips since then. From the Dominican Republic to Namibia in Africa, our teams have consisted of at least one third to as much as half of youth under the age of twenty.

In looking for photos to post on this page I came across the one below.

The above photo was taken by Sarah Dorrance in 2005 as the first DR mission team were packing their bags in the church for the trip. In the photo are Kaitlin Murphy (center) and her two sisters Emily (right) and Meagan (left). They were hanging out after church watching us pack. So now lets flash forward five years to today and Calvary's fourth DR mission team. On this years team are Kaitlin Murphy and her father Pat. It seams somehow we have come full circle. Kaitlin is now in high school and carrying on Calvary's youthful tradition of missionaries. She is one of three members of this years team who are in high school and five out of a total of our ten team members are under twenty five. The picture below shows Kaitlin as she is today (front row, third from left in pink coat). Also in the picture are the team's other teenage missionaries, Taylor Byrd (front row second from left by Kaitlin) and Chad Byrd (back row third from right, red hair).

GO YOUTH

Missionaries to Return to Village in Dominican Republic to Build Church

Originally published May 16, 2010


By Nicholas C. Stern
News-Post Staff

Members of the Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy will soon be taking a mission trip to the Dominican Republic to help build a church. Planning their trip at the church recently are, from left, Kaitlin Murphy, Chad Byrd, Jeff Taylor, Taylor Byrd, Terri King, Debra Taylor, Ed Koch and Pat Murphy. Not shown are Michelle Taylor and Jessica King.

Mount Airy -- Above her bed, Jessica King keeps a picture of the verdant landscape surrounding Yaguate, in south-central Dominican Republic, to remind her of a place that has grown dear to her heart.
The image of the region's lush green mountains, taken by her mother, Terri King, helps connect her to a village of people she has grown to love as she's helped them rebuild their Pentecostal church step by step. It's drawn her closer to the spiritual side of her life.

"It brings so much joy to my heart," Jessica King said.

Since 2005, the Kings and others from Mount Airy 's Calvary United Methodist Church have visited Yaguate as missionaries.

They've dug ditches to a water table 6 feet down, pounded nails and hauled buckets of cement to rebuild a church torn down during the construction of a highway. At night, they've gathered in the street for spontaneous worship services, sung their hearts out, danced, jumped in ecstasy and prayed with the faithful they visit.

In June, Jessica and Terri King, Ed Koch and seven others will return again to Yaguate to help finish what they've started.

The trip begins with two packed bags; one filled with personal effects, the other with supplies for the villagers, including food, eyeglasses and coloring books for the children.

Terri King, a graphic designer, takes her camera along. She has snapped award-winning pictures and sent the proceeds back to the village.

"It really has changed my life," she said. "Spiritually, I'm happier and more satisfied."

Koch, a retired firefighter, has experience in construction. When he and others with similar experience prepared to travel to the Dominican Republic, the idea was impart the wisdom of their experience, to lead the villagers through the project.

"We turned out to be their helpers," he said. "You do what everyone else does."

The building materials were mostly cinder block, concrete and steel rebar, he said. Nothing was wasted. Builders used wood pieces recycled from older buildings for concrete forms. They collected rusty, bent nails and then hammered them straight to be used again. Everyone pitched in, including the children.

"They're very happy people, even though they have very little," he said.

The missionaries stay with the pastor in Yaguate, and locals feed them and do their laundry every day.

Jessica King, a substitute teacher in Frederick and Washington county schools, said since she has visited Yaguate, she's noticed a lot of changes for the good.

More people have work, so the living conditions have improved, she said. Schools are being built, the lights stay on for longer periods of time, people are dressing better, local elections seem to be rooting out corrupt officials.

Still, many of the modern conveniences and gadgets that Americans take for granted are absent from the villagers' day-to-day existence, King said. Instead, people gather together, and they talk.

King remembered helping prepare dinner one evening with some of the children when they all began to dance together in the kitchen.

"It makes you realize that time you spend with people is such a blessing," she said.