Mission Trip Report Day One:

We all arrived safely. I met the group from the First Baptist Church of Orlando in Miami and we flew to Puerto Plata, at Sosua, Dominican Republic on THE daily flight.

We put all of our bags (over 100) on three vehicles that look like safari trucks, with bench seats down the back and canvas tops, then piled people in to them as well. Everyone fit save for seven of u...s and about twenty pieces of luggage, so we hired a taxi van and crammed the rest into it for the ride to the clinic where we will be doing medical mission work. We off-loaded several dozen bags of supplies and with the added room were able to dismiss the taxi. After a brief greeting and overview we were dismissed to the hotel that will be our home for the next week. We will have a deep orientation in the AM. After dinner tonight, a large contingent from our group went to a church service held under a tent adjacent to the clinic. Of the nearly sixty mission volunteers, at least a third, if not half of them are fluent in Spanish. Another third are like me and know enough to get into, or out of trouble.

Accommodations are better that you'd find at a church camp, and are roughly equivalent to some of the La Quinta, Fairfield Inn, and Best Western hotels that I've stayed at in the Southeast US. The food is buffet style with an open bar (note to my Methodist friends: yes, that includes beer and spirits).

Once we were checked in and before it was dinner time, we walked a few blocks to a general store and bought drinks, snacks and water, water, water. Along the way we stopped and at a shop that was an Internet Cafe and money changer. The exchange rate was 37.50 Peso for a dollar. At the Hotel it is 36,and at the airport it was 34. I'm still wrapping my head around the dollar-to-peso equivalency, but as an example, to supplement my stick deodorant, I bought a can of AXE spray deodorant (and while no one applauded I'm sure they are very glad). The can was 105 pesos (or so) which was less than US$ 3.00. (37.50x3=112.50). By the end of the week I'll have gaters on my sleeves and be wearing a green shaded visor...

Pray for:
Good Weather - it is hot, like upper 80's to low 90's, but a sea breeze is often easily found. Storms would not bode well for the outdoor construction efforts.

Good Health - the food here is safe if it is "peeled, boiled, or fried" and the water is safe for bathing, but like anywhere, even the US, there are microbial components present in the in the tap water for which we are not immune. In time our bodies would adjust and build up resistance, but the initial result of introducing foreign
critters and chemicals elements is a forceful rejection and ejection. I'll let your imagination take it from here.

Plenty of evangelistic opportunities - Did you know that the Dominican Flag is one of few, if not the only national banner with a book of scriptures on it (in this case, it is La Biblia), yet less than 5% of the population profess Christianity or any religious convictions (Thank you Sr. Felipe Bullington). We will be doing medical clinics, construction, street evangelism, casual evangelism, and Backyard Bible Clubs. We won't win the entire island to Christ (this trip), but maybe we can get a good start.

Feel free to copy and paste this, and e-mail it to your friends. If you are not one who prays, but you know someone who does, please send it to them with the note, "friend, I'm not into this whole 'praying for folks' thing, would you do it for me?" I promise that they will understand and gladly intercede on your behalf (and maybe for you as well...).

Blessings from the White-Unto-Harvest fields,

Scott Straw