In Dominican Republic a New School Is Poised to Become an Evangelistic Center

A Different School

The school, with capacity for at least 200 students, follows similar blueprint plans of buildings Maranatha has constructed in other countries. As a way of honoring Hardy’s memory, however, the facilities include special details in facade, floors, and equipment. Also, taking into account that the country is affected by occasional hurricanes, Maranatha board members with architecture and structural engineering knowledge introduced some improvements to the roof structure. “Roof reinforcements make it hurricane-resistant now, as it should be ready to withstand up to 180-mile [290-kilometer] winds,” one of them reported.

Another special feature is a brand-new kindergarten, which is separated from the grade-school building. The facilities behind the Ciudad del Cielo church on the same campus, include special classrooms equipped for 4- and 5-year-olds, restrooms exclusively prepared for that age group, and a colorful playground. “It is a top-notch facility, with includes the best materials and furniture,” Maranatha leaders reported. The school also includes an adjustable basketball court and enough space to spend recess time in the open.

A Show of Support

As a donor-based ministry, Maranatha relies heavily on supporters to move initiatives from the drawing board to completion. The ministry also resorts to volunteer-based mission trips to complete projects.

On July 26 dozens of supporters attended the inauguration festivities in Ciudad del Cielo. Among them was Greg Hatch, an Adventist technology consultant based in Houston who has been involved in mission projects since he was a child. Now retired, he has moved full time to organize and facilitate volunteers’ trips and lead construction projects to support Maranatha mission initiatives.“Darrell was a very special person,” Hatch said about his involvement in the Ciudad del Cielo project. “Before I would start leading a project, we would always touch base, and I knew I could count on him to answer any question or provide advice. When I was told that he had died and that Maranatha planned to honor Darrell with this campus, I said, ‘I’m going to bring as many volunteer groups as I can.’ ”

Among the groups Hatch took to the Dominican Republic, one worked specifically in the school building. Others worked on the church and the perimeter. “Every opportunity I had, I came down here as a leader of a group or in any other capacity to build this in his memory, because he did so much.”

Inauguration Day

The official inauguration ceremony took place in the early afternoon of July 26, at the end of the nearby Adventist church inauguration earlier that morning. Besides regional church leaders and members of the Maranatha board, Betty Gerónimo Santana, the mayor of Santo Domingo Norte, attended the event. Addressing those present, Gerónimo shared that the the Ciudad del Cielo project had the full support of the town. “We worked around the campus, paving the streets around the complex to improve access,” she reported. “And for anything you need [in the future], we’ll be there to support you, because Santo Domingo Norte loves working with this church.”

As part of the ceremony, a children’s choir, led by Adventist teacher Natali Cáceres, performed a special musical item. The choir, which includes members as little as 3 years old, is made up mostly of students who had been attending either other Adventist schools far from the area or public schools, in the hopes of having an Adventist school nearby one day. Now many of their parents are ready to transfer them to the new school, Cáceres reported.According to regional church leaders, by the end of July there were 120 families who had already enrolled and paid the fees for the full year. Classes are set to start on August 20, they reported. Among them is José Alberto Santana, a local construction worker that worked for Maranatha on the Ciudad del Cielo project. “Some of my children are too old to attend this school,” he said. “But I hope that my 7-year-old daughter, Tiffany, can study here at Ciudad del Cielo. It’s what we have been waiting for.”