|
Donate Now |
HANDS IN SERVICE, MEDICAL TEAM TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,
October 13TH THROUGH October 20TH, 2018
Who: Participants from the HIS Network. No participants under age 16. If we have not travelled
with you before, an interview and reference checks will be required. We will be working with a
Dominican Pastor named Isidro Mejia who pastors a church called Ministerio Casa de
Restauracion and a Domincan doctor named Dr. Gerald Montas Inirio.
Doing What: Participating in mobile medical clinics in the sugar cane Batayes in La Romana,
DR, playing with children and participating in child evangelism programs, encouraging the
already established ministries in La Romana, showing the love of Christ to as many people as
possible. Doctors, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists, Ultra
sound technicians, Medical Assistants Pastors, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists teachers
and anyone with a heart to serve the Lord are all welcome. (The May team is working on water
testing to set us up to do water filtration systems, but obviously, we don’t have the results of the
testing yet: water projects may be possible in October)
Where: We will stay in a secure mission house located at Calle Frente a los Rieles (detras del
estadio Francisco Michelly), Barrio George, La Romana., Rep. Dom., and travel by bus to the
nearby Sugar Cane Batayes during the day. On Friday, October 25th, we will get to spend a few
hours at a nearby beach, relaxing in the Caribbean.
Why: Mathew 25:40 “The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the one of the
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We are serving Christ by serving
those in need.
Description of the people we will be serving:
The people who work in the Sugar Cane Batays are some of the poorest people in the world.
They are almost exclusively undocumented Haitians who believe that by going to the Dominican
Republic they have the potential for a higher standard of living than is offered in Haiti. However,
they wind up trapped in a cycle of virtual slavery once they reach the Batayes. The men are
paid the equivalent of $2 per ton to harvest the sugar cane by hand with a machete. A ton of
sugar cane is enough to fill a railway car and a young, strong, experienced man at his peak
performance can harvest about 1 ton in 12 hours. Out of his pay, he must buy his machete and
his shoes from the company store. Since the Batays are located in very rural settings, it is very
difficult for the workers or their families to get to any other stores, so they end up getting almost
all of their provisions from the company store on credit; they are rarely out of debt to the
plantation owners. Birth certificates, citizenship papers, passports or any type of identification
are rare. Without documentation, these people have even fewer options in the Dominican than
they did in Haiti.
Some Batays are better than others; we try to go to the poorest of the poor. None of them have
indoor plumbing and few have electricity. We are testing water quality, but from the diseases we
have seen in the past, we are fairly certain the water is contaminated. We are working on ways
to change that. In case you were wondering, the word “batay” means “battlefield” in Haitian
Creole; they are fighting for their very lives.
Our ultimate goal is to come along side the strong, faithful people in the churches in the
Dominican Republic so that, through Christ, they can be the catalyst for real change for the
people of the Batayes. The Dominican Church needs some help, the people of the Batays need
some hope. Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we can be a part of that
How: Each person will contribute to the funding of the mission, either through personal
contribution or fundraising. The cost per person will be approximately $1950 and includes the
following:
• Pre-trip planning and logistics
• Ground transportation to and from HIS headquarters to Newark International Airport
• Airfare from Newark International Airport to the DR and back
• Dominican Republic Federal entrance tax,
• Transportation and equipment in the DR,
• Travel insurance,
• All meals and housing
• Medications and supplies for the clinics
• Evangelism supplies
• Salaries for the DR Doctors and Interpreters.
Costs NOT INCLUDED: Passport fees, optional immunizations and travel medications, optional
Infectious Disease Consult.
If you are committed to join this team, we will need to receive the
following from you by May 15th, 2018: Completed Trip Application,
Waiver form and $250 Registration/ Administrative Fee
Checks can be made out to Hands in Service and mailed to
Hands in Service,
PO Box 725
Sellersville, PA 18960
If you use our site donation button, we will ask you to cover the additional administrative processing
fee of 4.9%, making your registration fee $262.25
Our First Team Meeting will be held on June 16th, 2018, from 9AM to 11AM at the HIS
headquarters at 216 Old Mill Road, Sellersville, PA . If we do not have 10 applications by this
point, we will need to cancel the team.
Team meetings are mandatory and we will ask you to clear your schedule on meeting
days so that you can attend each meeting. We will be understanding with work
schedules and family obligations, but the meetings convey important information and
attendance not only verifies your commitment to participating in this outreach on behalf
of Jesus, it helps to build a cohesive team who can work together to serve well. Please
see the attached meeting timeline.
October 13TH THROUGH October 20TH, 2018
Who: Participants from the HIS Network. No participants under age 16. If we have not travelled
with you before, an interview and reference checks will be required. We will be working with a
Dominican Pastor named Isidro Mejia who pastors a church called Ministerio Casa de
Restauracion and a Domincan doctor named Dr. Gerald Montas Inirio.
Doing What: Participating in mobile medical clinics in the sugar cane Batayes in La Romana,
DR, playing with children and participating in child evangelism programs, encouraging the
already established ministries in La Romana, showing the love of Christ to as many people as
possible. Doctors, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists, Ultra
sound technicians, Medical Assistants Pastors, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists teachers
and anyone with a heart to serve the Lord are all welcome. (The May team is working on water
testing to set us up to do water filtration systems, but obviously, we don’t have the results of the
testing yet: water projects may be possible in October)
Where: We will stay in a secure mission house located at Calle Frente a los Rieles (detras del
estadio Francisco Michelly), Barrio George, La Romana., Rep. Dom., and travel by bus to the
nearby Sugar Cane Batayes during the day. On Friday, October 25th, we will get to spend a few
hours at a nearby beach, relaxing in the Caribbean.
Why: Mathew 25:40 “The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the one of the
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We are serving Christ by serving
those in need.
Description of the people we will be serving:
The people who work in the Sugar Cane Batays are some of the poorest people in the world.
They are almost exclusively undocumented Haitians who believe that by going to the Dominican
Republic they have the potential for a higher standard of living than is offered in Haiti. However,
they wind up trapped in a cycle of virtual slavery once they reach the Batayes. The men are
paid the equivalent of $2 per ton to harvest the sugar cane by hand with a machete. A ton of
sugar cane is enough to fill a railway car and a young, strong, experienced man at his peak
performance can harvest about 1 ton in 12 hours. Out of his pay, he must buy his machete and
his shoes from the company store. Since the Batays are located in very rural settings, it is very
difficult for the workers or their families to get to any other stores, so they end up getting almost
all of their provisions from the company store on credit; they are rarely out of debt to the
plantation owners. Birth certificates, citizenship papers, passports or any type of identification
are rare. Without documentation, these people have even fewer options in the Dominican than
they did in Haiti.
Some Batays are better than others; we try to go to the poorest of the poor. None of them have
indoor plumbing and few have electricity. We are testing water quality, but from the diseases we
have seen in the past, we are fairly certain the water is contaminated. We are working on ways
to change that. In case you were wondering, the word “batay” means “battlefield” in Haitian
Creole; they are fighting for their very lives.
Our ultimate goal is to come along side the strong, faithful people in the churches in the
Dominican Republic so that, through Christ, they can be the catalyst for real change for the
people of the Batayes. The Dominican Church needs some help, the people of the Batays need
some hope. Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we can be a part of that
How: Each person will contribute to the funding of the mission, either through personal
contribution or fundraising. The cost per person will be approximately $1950 and includes the
following:
• Pre-trip planning and logistics
• Ground transportation to and from HIS headquarters to Newark International Airport
• Airfare from Newark International Airport to the DR and back
• Dominican Republic Federal entrance tax,
• Transportation and equipment in the DR,
• Travel insurance,
• All meals and housing
• Medications and supplies for the clinics
• Evangelism supplies
• Salaries for the DR Doctors and Interpreters.
Costs NOT INCLUDED: Passport fees, optional immunizations and travel medications, optional
Infectious Disease Consult.
If you are committed to join this team, we will need to receive the
following from you by May 15th, 2018: Completed Trip Application,
Waiver form and $250 Registration/ Administrative Fee
Checks can be made out to Hands in Service and mailed to
Hands in Service,
PO Box 725
Sellersville, PA 18960
If you use our site donation button, we will ask you to cover the additional administrative processing
fee of 4.9%, making your registration fee $262.25
Our First Team Meeting will be held on June 16th, 2018, from 9AM to 11AM at the HIS
headquarters at 216 Old Mill Road, Sellersville, PA . If we do not have 10 applications by this
point, we will need to cancel the team.
Team meetings are mandatory and we will ask you to clear your schedule on meeting
days so that you can attend each meeting. We will be understanding with work
schedules and family obligations, but the meetings convey important information and
attendance not only verifies your commitment to participating in this outreach on behalf
of Jesus, it helps to build a cohesive team who can work together to serve well. Please
see the attached meeting timeline.
| hands_in_service_waiver_form.pdf |
| hands_in_service_international_trip_application.docx |
| time_line.pdf |
Getting Involved:
The idea of getting involved in the lives of others, serving them out of compassion and an understanding of our mutual need for God's grace, without expectation of a return benefit, was the message we believe Jesus sent in Mathew 25: 35 - 45. The great commission (Matthew 28: 16 - 20) calls us out into the world to make disciples, to teach and serve using Jesus' life of servanthood and sacrifice as our model. If you're looking for a way to serve and would like to join us in this ministry, below you will see a few ways you can get involved. We look forward to serving with you.
Stay Informed:
If you would like us to include you on our newsletter distribution list, please send us an email at [email protected] We will gladly add you to our list.
Financial Support:
Hands In Service is primarily funded by personal donations, made by those who feel called to financially support this ministry. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to this ministry, you may use one of two simple methods.
Check or money order:
Hands In Service, Inc.
PO Box 725
Sellersville, PA 18960
Using Online Donation:
You may also Donate by clicking the button below to use your debit or credit card for your donation.
Check or money order:
Hands In Service, Inc.
PO Box 725
Sellersville, PA 18960
Using Online Donation:
You may also Donate by clicking the button below to use your debit or credit card for your donation.
Donate Now
Suggest an Event:
If you have an idea on how a HIS team could serve someone you know, or join an organization in service, please send us your ideas. We will prayerfully consider your suggestions.
Partnering In Service:
Upon request Hands In Service offers presentations to local church leadership that focus on planning and organizing mission based service opportunities for your congregation. Please send us an email if we may be of service to you in this capacity.