ODCS Missions

 Levi: This trip has contained so much action with many good memories and lots of fun. Today, all that we had done definitely started to set in. Wth only 4 people at the table by 8am, when breakfast was supposed to be, you could tell we are all starting to get tired. And even though breakfast may have been a bit quieter than usual, a bit of bacon put a little pep back in our step. After breakfast we all grabbed a towel and some extra clothes to head out to the beach. It was about a 2 hour drive, and the view on the way there was really special. Inevitably a few of us started to get carsick, but it was a very fun drive nonetheless. One thing that has been great this week has been the food, but today for lunch it was back to my roots with chicken tenders, french fries, and bbq sauce. Fire! Then off to the beach we went to all laugh and swim together. That was an absolute blast, and being able to look at the mountains while swimming in the ocean is something I'll never forget. Before ...

 Kaitlyn: Hola! We started out today with an amazing breakfast of pancakes and fruit from Ellison and Spencer. Then we headed out into the community for some street evangelism with crackers and coffee. We had the opportunity to pray for many people and spread the message of the gospel. After that we went back to the church, ate lunch, and hung out for a little while. Then we made some sandwiches to take with us to Las Brisas. When we arrived at Brisas, we set up a volleyball net and got ready for hours of fun! We made bracelets, played volleyball and baseball, and pet a super cute puppy. It started raining while we were there, but that made it all the more fun. When the rain stopped, we performed a skit we made for the kids and handed out the sandwiches. After that, we sadly had to say our goodbyes and head back to the church. We ate dinner, had debrief, and hung out for the rest of the night.  As we're nearing the end of the trip, we would love prayer for these things: - Pers...

Today we have two more students giving their perspective on the day! ___________  Jie Jie: Today was a wonderful day! We started off this morning with breakfast made by Julia, Bryn, and Kaity. It was muy delicioso and we all had fun conversation around the table. Afterward, we all finished getting ready for Sunday morning service and did our daily devotions. We wore our best clothes for the service and were well equipped with our Bibles and notebooks. We began the service with prayer. Different members of the congregation and our team prayed for one after another like a family. The worship team sang in a combination of Spanish and English and we all tried to follow along with the Spanish lyrics on the screen. Then Levi introduced the song our Missions team was singing, which was "Reckless Love." We gathered on stage together and poured out our hearts to God in worship. Mr. Zaleski preached a message about marriage and its importance to the church. The main points were this: m...

Today we have two students giving the overview. Check out what Julia and Kaity have to say! __________  Julia:  Hola! As someone who has never experienced a missions trip, these past couple days have been both influential and exciting. Coming into this missions trip I was filled with nerves and anxiety, but after I came to the DR, interacted with the people, and shared my love for Jesus with others I have been filled with joy. Today, we traveled to New Jerusalem, a rural village. We played soccer with the kids, made braclets, shared food, and sung many songs. All of these activities helped us to grow relationships and serve the community. The language barrier was something that was hard to overcome, but with the help of my group, and some members of Kefale, Joy and Cheo, I was able to communicate with the kids and grow relationships with them. My favorite moment in New Jerusalem was when one of the young girls, Darlenys, made a bracelet and gifted it to me. And this is somethi...

Welcome to Day 2! Check out the update from Byrn below: __________      Hi everyone! Today was our first full day here in the DR! We started the day with a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast prepared by Kaity and Jie Jie! After breakfast, we hung out and played "Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza"  (thanks Kaitlyn!!) which definitely got intense, but fun!       Fridays here at Kefale are cleaning days which means cleaning the church building inside and out. The boys headed outside to sweep the streets while the girls split the upstairs and downstairs to sweep and mop. My group tackled the downstairs floors; it was a job that called for us to roll our skirts and pants up! A sister of the church was instructing us on what needed to be done. We started by sweeping the floors and then we dumped buckets of water on the floor and used brooms to then sweep the water out of the door. Some of the people at the church asked me if I liked cleaning and honestl...

Welcome to the DR 2025 Winter Team blog. Here you will be able to get updates from the students on the trip and prayer requests as they move forward. The team left this morning bright and early. They made it to Santo Domingo and are ready to go. Check out what Lily Perris had to say about the day!    ___________________    Today was travel day, and it went as well as it could have! We got to the Cleveland airport at 3:30am and began our adventure to the Dominican Republic. We had a layover flight in Miami, where we got some food and prepared for the second half of the travel day. When we arrived in Santo Domingo, we had to brave customs and find our luggage.       Soon after that, we made it to Kefalé and settled in. We were welcomed with big smiles and open arms! They prepared the Dominican Flag for dinner: chicken, rice, and beans. Let me tell you, it was the best food any of us have eaten in a very long time. After dinner, we went to the store,...