When most people think of a mission trip, they envision visiting a city (either local or abroad) to serve the population and share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. In June of 2018, a group of 29 Legacy students visited the Dominican Republic to do just that: be selfless, serve, and speak the word of Christ. Most of the students had never been on a mission trip before and, for many, it was their first time out of the country.
The students were charged with facilitating a Bible Camp for children who are part of the 25 Project sponsorship program. Legacy students led all the activities from games, crafts, sports, worship, and small group Bible study. While many of our students were initially apprehensive, once they met the kids and began interacting with them, all of their nerves and fears were washed away.
The testimonials heard from our students speak for themselves. The images speak volumes as they so brilliantly captured the bond between our students and the Dominican kids in addition to the pure joy exuded by these underprivileged children.
These kids don't know when they are going to eat their next meal or get a good night's sleep, but they are the happiest kids you could ever meet in your entire life. It was such a humbling experience to see these kids so joyful even though they had so little. There was just so much joy flowing through them. It was just the most precious thing that anybody could ever experience. I got to share the gospel with these kids with the Evangecubes. It made a very big impact on me because I was helping them understand that God loved them. Every night I pray for my sweet friends and I pray that the Holy Spirit is working through them because they are the most deserving people of God's love.
The poverty in the Dominican is so much bigger than just a financial poverty. They are also impoverished from having someone love on them. They are also suffering from a lack of an intimate relationship with God. God blessed us with the wonderful opportunity to take the time to love on them and to pour into them and to speak life into them. These kids don’t really truly know who we are, yet they love us and care about us so much that they were all in tears when we told them that we had to go back home. God got me out of my comfort zone and it was very spiritually refreshing. It doesn’t matter that they know who we are. What matters is that they know Jesus Christ.
On the first day when we pulled up to the school and opened up the doors to our bus, the kids immediately started to hug us and grab our hands and take us to their seats. They didn't even know us but they immediately loved us even though they couldn't understand us. I just thought that was kind of how God is. We don't deserve his love but he still loves us.
I was super nervous. There were so many unknowns. In my mind I was going to the Dominican to introduce Jesus to these kids. What I learned is that Jesus has always been there for these kids. God touched me and I knew I was there to love on those kids for as long as I possibly could. God has never shown me pure joy like he did through these kids. It was the most rewarding experience I have ever felt.
Students from Legacy will head back to the Dominican Republic again in 2019, not once, but twice. The first trip (June 1-7) was announced and filled to capacity within twenty-four hours. As a result of the overwhelming response and demand, a second mission trip (June 22-28) to the Dominican is now open for students to participate. The second trip will be identical to the first, as we continue to partner with the 25 Project. For information on the second trip, click here.
Legacy Christian Academy is Frisco's preeminent Pre-K through 12 Christian school committed to educating students in a college preparatory environment balanced in academics, athletics, and fine arts–all within the context of a biblical worldview. For more information on Legacy, visit our admissions page.