Our University President, Dr. White, encourages every student to go on at least one overseas missions trip before they graduate. I did not realize how one week could be so impactful, not just for me, but for our entire team.
The Where and the Why
In March of 2023, our missions team traveled to Juan Dolio in the Dominican Republic (DR). Juan Dolio is located along the southern coast of the DR, only an hour east of the capital, Santo Domingo. Our goal of the trip was to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” by providing medical and dental care to nearby sugar cane villages. Patients were prayed over and had an opportunity to hear the Gospel from local missionaries. Aside from the medical team, there was a smaller team dedicated to working on small construction projects. We had the privilege to travel to three remote villages. Each village had a SCORE International missionary who we were able to support. Our team, led by nursing professor Nancy Stell, was composed of nursing majors, pre-medical students, pre-dental students, and even a finance major (shoutout to Colin). Along the way, we were joined by Dr. Mike and Linda Fourman, who organized and planned most of our trip. We were also joined by other pharmacists, physicians, and dentists from Ohio.
Typical Day
The average day meant getting up around 7 a.m. for breakfast and loading up the supplies needed for the day. We were grateful to have SCORE staff travel with us to help unload equipment from our cargo truck. We would leave our housing complex by 8 a.m. to travel about an hour to each village. Once we landed at the village we unloaded, set up our respective medical and dental space, and treated patients until 4 in the afternoon. After loading back up, returning to our complex, and eating dinner we had nightly devotions led by “Dr. Bob,” a retired emergency room nurse on fire for the Lord and missions. Our free time in the evening meant playing lots of games, swimming, and walking to a nearby café for coffee and desserts.
The Impact
This trip had a personal impact on me and opened my eyes and heart to the possibility of serving on more short-term missions trips. Something I tried to keep in mind while serving was the long-term impact of short-term missions. It is hard to quantify the impact we had on the over 500 patients we treated. But at the end of the day, it is the Holy Spirit who softens hearts and opens minds to receiving the gospel. On our very last night, we compiled the charts of all our patients and had a sweet time of prayer over them. It was emotional for our entire team as well as a reminder to continue to lift up the lost in prayer even after we have left the country. Traveling to the Dominican Republic was an incredible experience, opportunity, and chance to carry the love of God beyond the campus of Cedarville.
Major & Year: Molecular Biology, Class of 2024
Favorite Bible: 1 Corinthians 10:31
Job on Campus: President of the Student Alumni Association
Tags: #globaloutreach, #medical, #trip
Posted in: Global Outreach