Dominican Republic Missionaries Reaching Across the Border
Haiti’s neighbors in the Dominican Republic are taking the biblical call to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” literally; Georgia-based Adventures In Missions (AIM) is working with them to help the earthquake victims.
Miguel Shaul, base director for AIM in the Dominican Republic, has made several trips into Haiti following the country’s recent earthquakes. He is working with Americans and Dominicans who are reaching out to Haitian refugees on the border town of Jimani, about four hours from AIM’s base in San Juan, Dominican Republic.
AIM sent 10 people to distribute water, food, medicine, and other supplies such as propane tanks and cooking stoves. Supplies distributed are funded by AIM’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.
“(The Haitians) look lost and devastated. We have been buying meals and handing them out on the street. These are refugees for a time. Most all of them are looking to escape Haiti…So much grief and loss,” wrote team member Marcia Borg in her blog Jan. 24, 2010.
Miguel Shaul wrote in his blog Jan. 19, 2010, “Yesterday was a tough day, full of hard work, and drenched in pain. It is frustrating. We weep. But we choose to hope, to cling to the hope of our Savior–He is the Great Healer, may He bring healing to this land.”
“(I) worked with the united local church in Jimani to provide three meals a day, water and basic needs to victims and family members arriving there for medical attention. The church is doing the work, we are supplying the funds. So far thousands upon thousands of meals have been served through the servant hands of the Dominicans.”
More medical, relief and reconstruction teams from the United States will launch soon, and AIM is planning additional long-term work, said AIM Director Seth Barnes.
“Many (American) churches are themselves formulating a response to the earthquake. Some are preparing to organize teams to go and help rebuild. We want to partner with them in helping to ensure that their volunteers really do make a difference and return home safely,” Barnes said.
“We’ll settle in for a more sustained effort to help Haitians rebuild and find hope. We invite and need your partnership. AIM’s response is just one small part of the compassionate action of those who take Jesus at His Word.”
Donations can be made to AIM’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund by clicking on the above link, as well. All tax-deductible gifts will help AIM rush emergency assistance in the form of food, water, blankets, shelter and medical care to those in greatest need.
Adventures In Missions (AIM) is an interdenominational organization that focuses on servant leadership. The nonprofit organization emphasizes prayer and relationships in its work among the poor. Since 1989, AIM has taken more than 80,000 people on humanitarian trips–some as short as a week and others for a year or longer. With 14 bases around the world, AIM provides 24/7 humanitarian services for the poorest of the poor. AIM believes that lives are transformed by giving people opportunities to hold orphans, pray for the sick and give hope to the hopeless.
