2010 DR Mission - Day 1

 

Link to Video of Day 1

The day started early as we had to be at the church around 5 am to catch our ride to Dulles airport. We arrived at Dulles at daybreak. As you will see in the video, Chad Byrd was sporting a cane and had to be wheeled around the airport in a wheelchair due to a track and field hip injury at school. The injury occurred only a week before the trip and it came right down to the wire as to whether Chad would get to go. We had a 7 am flight from Dulles to Orlando, Florida and from there a flight to Santo Domingo in the DR.



Dulles Airport



In Orlando everyone got their “last meal” in the US. The flight from Orlando to the DR was uneventful.



Last USA Meal

In Santo Domingo airport we were met by Nardo and numerous friends and were then driven by borrowed bus to Yaguate (about a 90 minute drive).



Pat With "brother" on Bus



At the house we were greeted with songs and much excitement. After many “hellos” was the annual moving of the suitcases up the spiral staircase to our rooms on the second floor. Over half of our suitcases were filled with toiletries, health products, clothing, and eyeglasses for distribution to the poor in the town.

Bags Up the Spiral Staircase

One of the more important items the mission team brought was a new laptop computer. This will be a vital organizational tool for the church efforts in Yaguate. Jeff shot a lot of video of Calvary's buildings, worship services, and numerous members of the staff and congregation saying hello. Before supper Chad sat down with Nardo and Nieves to show them the computer as well as the videos from Calvary church.



Chad Translates Laptop Videos



After supper the mission team attended the first of the many worship services we would be a part of that week. There was a lot of singing, shouting, and happiness for our return. There was even a special program put on by a group of young dancers to welcome us back.

First Worship Service

As you can see, the Yaguate congregation worships in the streets. This is because their church building was demolished in 2006 to make way for a major road. Part of Calvary's mission efforts for the past several years has been to raise money so we can help with the new church building project.

Special Hello


Link to Video of Day 1