Dominican Republic Info.Evangelism is a big need in the Dominican Republic.  Most Dominicans are Catholic but not practicing.  Most know who Jesus is, but they do not know Him as their Lord and Savior. 

The joy of the children during Vacation Bible School was awesome!  I will most definitely do this again!                                                                                                                               --Kathy, Pittman Park (GA)  

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:The Dominican Republic covers the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The capital city is Santo Domingo, located on the south coast of the island. Spanish is the official language. Though English is widely spoken in major cities and tourist areas, it is much less common outside these areas.

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The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. It shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The country's area is reported variously as 48,442 km² (by the embassy in the United States) and 48,730 km² (by the

U.S. CIA), making it the second largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast. The country lies between latitudes 17° and 20°N, and longitudes 68° and 72°W.

Location:

TRIP LEADERS: KIM AND DAMIEN BLAND

We have been living in the Dominican Republic as Individual Volunteers from UMVIM(United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) since June 2009 to serve the Lord and the people as a host family offering adult, college age, and youth short term mission trips to the Dominican Republic.   It has been a very rewarding experience to be able to serve the people of this amazing country as well as the wonderful groups that come to serve with us!  We couldn't imagine being anywhere else!

DOMINICAN REPUBLICPLEASE COME! ISSUE NO. 1

GSU WESLEY FOUNDATION SPRING BREAK 2012

TRIP CONTACT: JASON PARKERFor any question - (912) 486-6007

How Can The Dominican Republic Use Your Gifts, Talents & Heart?

ABOUT DR

Language: Spanish

Government: Democracy

Capital: Santo Domingo

Monetary: DR Peso

Population: 9.65 million

ABOUT THE TRIP:There will be two focal points to the trip: relational and hands on work.

Relational - The relation aspect to the trip will revolve around evangelism. Wether that be a Vacation Bible

School for children and youth or door-to-door conversations, the Gospel will be proclaimed.

Hands-On - The hands on part of the trip can vary between heavy-light construction to painting a local church. Serving Jesus!

ReligionsPercentage of Claimed

Religions

Catholic: 68.9%Evangelical: 18.2%Non-Religious: 10.6%Other: 2.3%(Most are of the Roman Catholics are considered non-practicing)

TRIP INFODuration:

7daysCost:

$1000Transportation:

Air

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS:

 If  you  are  traveling  by  air  outside  of  the  United  States,  you  are  required  to  present  a  valid  PASSPORT  or  other  valid  travel  document  to  enter  or  re-­‐enter  the  United  States.

Good To Knows...

• • •

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Is the Dominican Republic safe for foreign travelers? A: It is quite safe.  Construction teams will be staying on site at Camp Bani, which is surrounded by a gated fence.  The town of Bani is home to many retired Americans. Medical/dental teams working in Manzanillo will be staying in the UMVIM house.  Evangelism teams staying at the Methodist camp will be staying behind a closed and locked gate at night.  Hotels have regular security.

Q: What do mission teams do on their day off? A: This depends on where the project is located.   There are many beautiful beaches.  Teams can also go white water rafting or catch a baseball game. 

Q: What language do they speak in the Dominican Republic? A.  Spanish is the primary language spoken in the Dominican Republic. 

Q: Can we have Bible school (VBS) for the children when we come? A: We encourage those mission teams who are interested to definitely take advantage of the opportunity.  Getting involved with the children deepens the relationships that we hope to see built between churches, and also provides an excellent way for the host church to reach out to the wider community.  Taking up

donations of school and hygeine supplies is also a good way to get the children in your home church involved in your churches missions activities as well.  Q:   How should we dress? A:  Think summer clothes.  In the winter months you may need a light jacket for the evenings.  For ministering in local churches, a dress, skirt, or pants is ok for the women, and pants for the men.  Most Dominicans dress up to go to church.  As Christians, the rule is modesty,wherever you are.

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PRE-TRIP INFORMATIONWe request that teams bring sanitation tablets. This is just an extra precaution to help keep teams healthy.

 It is unlikely to see Dominicans out and about wearing shorts.  It's ok to wear shorts to the work-site though (ladies please not too short, knee length preferably--Dominicans expect Christians to dress more modestly).

 If you see a child and want to give them a piece of candy, please don't.  That child will most likely go running off afterwards and tell it's friends about the candy and then you may be bombarded with 100 kids wanting candy.  If you would like to give someone something, please leave it with us so the pastor can take care of it for you. 

 Please don't drink the water.  Even Dominicans don't drink the water here.  The water is ok to shower and brush your teeth with but don't swallow it.  You will be provided with bottled water for drinking water.  If you are at a restaurant ice should be ok (you know it's ok if it has a whole in it). 

 Please throw toilet paper in the trash can, not the toilet.

 Don't share a bag of trail mix or other type of snack by letting everyone reach inside. Pour it in hands instead (great way to stay healthy!!).

 Expect to wait. Time takes on a new meaning in Dominican culture.

 Expect to hear lots of music, motorcycles, honking horns, car alarms, roosters crowing, dogs barking, etc. The D.R. is a noisy country.

 Expect power outages, water losses, cold showers, camp-style bunk beds, lots of bugs - mosquitoes, flies, no-see-ums, cockroaches, etc.

 Plan to guard your belongings with greater vigilance. This is not to say many people are thieves, but this a very needy country and so - Be Wise!

 Use hand sanitizer before every meal.  But please don't use it immediately after shaking someone's hand.

 When sharing snacks, please don't reach your hand into the bag.  Pour into your hand instead.  This will help lessen the amount of germs spread.

Prepare to be flexible and your mission will be a success.  Nothing goes 100% according to plan, but it does go according to God's plan.

Expect God and nothing more. 

Additional Information to Assist You with Questions and Concerns