Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic….[IAD Staff]
For the past 25 years thousands of people in the Dominican Republic have benefitted from the Pathfinder Teen Mission Impact, a medical services group comprised of Seventh-day Adventist teens and medical staff from the Michigan Conference in the United States. On Dec. 28, 2006, during their annual 12-day trip the Mission team of was honored during the inauguration of the country's first Adventist hospital, Vista del Jardin Hospital.
“This mission endeavor has had a remarkable impact on the life of the church in this [Dominican] union,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.
“Long before the Dominican Union was established, the Michigan Conference started to take groups of pathfinders and other lay leaders to the Dominican Republic over the Christmas holidays for mission service,” commented Pastor Leito. “The Inter-American Division is very grateful to the Michigan Conference fo this outstanding mission service in one of our unions,” he added.
The teen mission program was founded in 1981 by former Pathfinder director of the Michigan Conference Merrill Fleming. He retired years later and was replaced by Pastor Terry Dodge, current pathfinder director for the Michigan Conference. Pastor Dodge has led the Teen Mission Impact for 17 years.
“The church has been established in the Dominican Republic for 99 years, and we have been here for 25 of those years.” said pastor Dodge as he spoke during the inauguration of the hospital.
Medical professionals on the team include Dr. Rick Shaffer, who has taken the trip for the past 16 years, Dr. Rich Beckermeyer, a dentist, who has made the trip for 10 years and Dr. Frank Harrell, who traveled the first six years of the program and currently trains the team.
“In the Dominican Republic, many young people have been inspired to dedicate their lives to the Lord and to His service,” said Pastor Silvestre Gonzalez, spokesperson and communication director of the church in the Dominican Republic.
“Many of them decided to study medicine, become dentists, and other medical areas to assist those in need of finding healing to their diseases. Many pastors have organized medical brigades with medical staff inspired by the dedication and commitment manifested by the pathfinders of Michigan in its 25 missionary trips to our country,” Pastor Gonzalez added.
Approximately 85,000 people have benefited from medical services in 95 towns and communities in the country. Among the services rendered by doctors, nurses and teens include medical examinations, eye examinations, dental services and the distribution of thousands of pairs of eye glasses.
The group's medical services have also helped local pastors and lay people to prepare evangelistic crusades which have resulted in hundreds of baptisms. Several churches have been organized throughout the country as a direct result of the team's medical care, according to Pastor Gonzalez.
