Tal Como Soy Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic

Faith Covenant Church, Farmington Hills, MI

Twenty people affiliated with Faith Covenant Church, in Farmington Hills, MI, arrived in the Dominican Republic at the end of September to partner in ministry with local church Tal Como Soy. One portion of the group consisted of medical and dental professionals plus support personnel who set up both a medical and dental clinic. The other portion of the group was made up of individuals who worked on a construction project. Donations made to the mission work resulted in the group traveling with eighteen- 50lb bags of medical and dental equipment!

The construction crew took the floor of a couple’s home from dirt and dreams to cement and reality.  They spent the week measuring, cutting, and fitting rebar in each room. They installed the conduit and trace wires for electrical wiring and cable and helped get the cement poured for the floor. When they were finished, a rough cement floor for the entire house was complete.

The Medical team provided wellness checks, testing, and addressed medical concerns. The doctors and nurses provided treatments, prescribed medications, and made referrals to a local low-cost clinic two communities away as appropriate. The medical team saw 159 patients. Many of these people received a diagnosis and clarity about their medical issues for the first time. All of them were offered hope as the team prayed with them and invited them to Tal Como Soy.

The Dental team evaluated and served 136 patients.  They provided cleanings, fillings, repairs to chipped or missing teeth, extractions, and sealants.  Literally tens of thousands of dollars of dental care was provided that week at no cost to the recipients.  Again, every patient was prayed with and invited to Tal Como Soy.

Tammi and Jochy Hernandez, ECC missionaries and the pastors of Tal Como Soy, told the team that their community had never experienced such an outpouring of compassion. It was a regular occurrence over the course of the week to see a recipient of the care provided shedding tears of gratitude over the help they received. It was especially exciting for everyone to see individuals from the community begin to connect with the church through the teams’ efforts that week. There were some community members with no connection to the church attend some of the evening workshops provided by Pastor Mike Rice of Faith Covenant Church. Tal Como Soy saw three new families from the community join them at church on the first Sunday after the trip. What a magnificent testament to the Goodness of God to that community!

Tal Como Soy has many ministry expenses that the members of the church are struggling to meet. We, the churches of the Great Lakes Conference, can make a difference by sending monthly support. Some of the things they need help with are:

• Rent: $465
• Lights and water: $75
• Internet: $50
• Food ministry: $925
• Discipleship: $200

If your church would like to help support Tal Como Soy, go to the following link to give:

https://giving.covchurch.org/priorities-detail/Urban-Church-Planting-in-Dominican-Republic

If you’d like more information about this mission trip, about Tal Como Soy, or about the possibility of sending a team from your church to serve on a short term mission project, please contact the GLC office at [email protected].