Dominican Republic
Mission Trip
Each summer, Southside sends a team to assist the ministry of Silvia and Samuel Martinez in the Dominican Republic. Their ministry is called Sociedad Lucas, and is located in a very poor community called El Cacique. We join another mission team from Decatur, Alabama.
El Cacique is formed around a garbage dump; the main economy comes from searching the dump for plastic and metal to resell. Silvia is a physician who meets a variety of needs. In addition to her medical ministry, she started a Christian school, a food program, local Bible studies, and other community services. Samuel leads the construction aspect of the ministry. A reformed church also meets in one of their buildings.
Over the years, summer mission teams have built a hospital, three school buildings, and other structures to assist Silvia’s ministry. One day of the week-long trip involves traveling west toward the Haiti border and assisting with medical needs in impoverished communities called bateys.
The trip usually occurs the first week of June, from Tuesday to Tuesday. If you are interested in going, please contact Rob Bailey for more information, and make sure your passport is up to date. A slideshow telling more of the story can be accessed here.