So you're thinking about a mission trip? Love kids? Called to help others? TLLM is a great team to join up with. I had done quite a few other mission trips, mostly disaster relief, when Jeff and Amy asked me to consider the DR trip. I hesitated at first, but prayed and believed I needed to go. Wow I'm so glad I did. I fell in love with the children there and have returned time and time again. I've lost count, maybe 10 I believe. I have been blessed to be part of sponsoring 4 students there. I dearly love our host family, the Mercedes, who follow God's leading whole-heartedly, and run the schools and church there by the Lord's grace and provisional blessings. If you go, you just might find yourself falling in love with the beautiful people and beautiful country of the DR! Please DO pray about going or joining with your support!

Traveling to the Dominican Republic with This Little Light ministries was my first ever mission trip. It was also the first time ever out of the country. This trip definitely took me out of my comfort zone and humbled me. Realizing how much we take for granted. Besides falling in love with the kids, what got me the most was the way God moved me. I have always wondered what people felt when you see them closing their eyes or raising hands during worship. I never had that feeling until this trip. Standing in an unfinished church and worshipping without all the bells and whistles, I finally felt that. It was amazingly wonderful, humbling and and life changing.

As a result of the two mission trips I have taken, I saw firsthand the poverty and squalid living conditions that are not only in the Dominican Republic but I’m sure are also a large percentage of the world’s population. Seeing this has made me much more thankful for the abundant blessings God has allowed me to have. On my second trip my wife to be was a member of the team. It broke our hearts to see how starved for attention and love the children at CIMIV are. We came to understand that if these children did not have this school, they would probably never hear about Jesus and the love of God. We’ve been told that many of these students go to a home environment where voodoo is still practiced. We pray that the continued influence of this school will work towards converting many of the people from this voodoo practice to accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. My wife and I both feel called to return to the Dominican Republic and at this time are planning to be part of the team making the trip in November.