Dominican Republic Mission Trip

As I sit here on the first flight back home, I’m reflecting on the last week in the Dominican Republic, serving on a mission trip with the Paradigm Foundation. I am full of emotions - happy to have helped impoverished communities a little bit, sad I couldn’t do more, blessed to go back to my home in Charleston, but also worried about the people in the communities we served because of how much they don’t have. From food, to showers, clean water, and more, but I also know that God did not send me on this trip just to have me worry about everyone I met while serving. Instead, I will continue to pray for the Dominican people in the communities we served. I will continue to pray for the Paradigm Foundation as they move throughout the community to build more homes.

If you follow me on Instagram then you saw a recap of what we did on each day Thursday - Sunday. I saved everything I shared to a highlight labeled ‘ DR Mission Trip,’ if you’d like to check it out! On this trip, we were able to see homes the foundation had built in years past, visit impoverished communities, work on a home that should be done in the next couple of weeks for a woman who lost her daughter while giving birth and was left with a special needs granddaughter, and attend a home dedication for a recently widowed woman. We also enjoyed time with another mission trip group, attend a Dominican church service, and we enjoyed many Dominican meals.
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It’s hard to pinpoint just one part of this trip to call my ‘favorite.’ I’ll talk about two things that stick out most. The first being the day we got to work on the home build site. We mixed and poured concrete to help create the floors of the home, and built the roof rafters. It was hard work. We were covered in sweat, sunscreen and bug spray, but I would do it all over again. While I know the woman who is receiving this home will feel blessed, I also felt blessed getting to help with the build. As a Christian, it is our job to lead others to Christ, and to give back to those in need.

​A mission trip is an incredible experience, and an incredible way to reset and feel close to God. I highly recommend going on a mission trip if you haven’t already! I was put in charge of children’s games for this trip, and while we worked on the home build, we also took the time to play with the kids. We drew with chalk, made salvation bead necklaces, played hopscotch, and lots more. We probably had around 30 children in the community out playing and hanging out with us, but two little girls named Gracie and Danielle, became extra special to me. We created a bond, and I was truly heartbroken leaving, not knowing if I will ever see them again. The second thing that sticks out is the home dedication. We must have had 25+ people in this tiny new home. We crammed in to sing worship songs, pray and give the new homeowner the keys to her new home. I had to fight back tears as I listened to the women sing ‘How Great is Our God’ in Spanish. It was beautiful, and all I could think about was the fact that these people hardly have anything and they are singing praise and worship songs as loud as they could to God.

The Paradigm Foundation is a home building ministry. The foundation works with a local church to build homes for people in impoverished communities that need it the most. The church goes out into the community to find candidates for a home, and then Paradigm steps in to completely fund the project from the home to the furniture in it. The Paradigm Foundation goal is to get the family off the ground and into a home that is safe and will comfortably fit each family member to avoid overcrowding, which is a symbol of poverty. So - story time. On Sunday, our last day, the founders of the foundation met with church leaders, who told them that supplies cost has gone up, and they did not have the money to put furniture in the home that had been dedicated earlier that day. Of course, the founders are feeling defeated and upset that they were unable to provide, but they decided to stop and pray about it. In less that one hour, someone made a $2,500 donation, which will completely cover the cost of furniture for the home! Is that not amazing?!

If you would like to get involved with the Paradigm Foundation you can visit their website  and make a one time donation of any amount, or you can set up a monthly gifting. You can donated money for a home, bathroom, floor, and more. Thinking about going on a mission trip? There is also information on their website about how to get involved on a trip, but I suggest following their social platforms where each trip is announced and marketed. I had a few of you reach out about a ministry I shared, called Lily House, which helps rescue women from prostitution and sex trafficking. You can visit their website  to donated and learn more.

Please don’t hesitate to send me an email to [email protected] if you have any questions about the Paradigm Foundation, the mission trip, or Dominican Republic. I will do my best to answer your questions, but if I don’t know the answer, I will find out for you. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post, God Bless.