Church Trips

Dominican Republic
June 9th - June 16, 2012 

$100 Deposit due February 15th

Country Info:
The country of the Dominican Republic is on the island of Hispaniola in the Carribean Sea.  The island is split between the DR to the east and Haiti to the west.  We will fly into Santa Domingo (the capitol) and drive to Barahona where we will stay for the duration of the trip.  Barahona is a southern region with a population of around 90,000.  Spanish and English are the two official languages, although some people speak French or Creole, which is a form of French and Spanish.  The average high temperature for the month of June is 86 degrees.

 Living Arraignments
We will stay on the beautiful southern coast of the Dominican in a guest house that has regular beds, bunk beds, fans, (lukewarm) showers, and plenty of room.  The guest house has an open air top floor with couches that is great to hang out, have devotions, play cards, or relax.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served at the guest house.  They are prepared for us "Westerners", but still have some tasty traditional meals.  We will eat dinner one night at a restaurant in town, as well as go get ice cream. 

What will we do?
We will be working with the Evangelical Church of the Dominican.  Pedro, the local pastor will serve as a guide for the week.  There will be lots to do in Barahona.  This region is located close to Haiti, and there are several Batey's, villages of Hatian workers, nearby.  Our trip will be composed of two groups, a medical team and construction/support team.  Our medical team will consist of medical professionals and others who will set up medical clinics in villages.  If you are not a medical professional or interested in helping on the medical side then there are odd construction jobs to be completed, children to play with, and people to talk to.  There is also the possibility of running a VBS program or worship service in the afternoon and evenings.

 Do I need to have any shots before I go?
In the case of the DR, the CDC advises:
-         All routine vaccinations be current
-         Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)
-         Hepatitis B
-         Typhoid
-         Although the risk of malaria in Barahona is not high, you have the option to bring the anti-malaria drug chloroquine with you.  Malaria can be easily avoided by wearing long sleeve clothing and bug spray with DEET.  More information can be found by visiting www.cdc.gov/travel and selecting the Dominican Republic.

Cost and travel info:
The cost for our week is $500, with a $100 deposit due February 15th.  If this may be difficult for you, please contact Dan so that we can make some other arraignment!  Please do not NOT come because of money matters!  We will be traveling from the Huntsville airport.  

Other Information:
Because this is a mission trip, not a getaway vacation, we ask that we would be as little burden as possible on our hosts. This means that we need to take care of ourselves, such as making sure everyone on our team is properly hydrated and nourished.  It can get very hot during the day with a high amount of humidity.  It is important to take frequent water breaks while working and to stay out of the sun as much as possible especially in mid-day. Remember also that we are there not only to be a blessing, but to allow our Dominican brothers and sisters to be a blessing to us!  There is much to learn from their faith and their culture!

To sign up for the Dominican Republic 2012, please contact Dan Kish at dan@centralpresb.org or (256) 534-8446. 

Mission Trip Registration Application