Dominican Republic Missions Trip 2022
On February 9-13, 2022, my husband Frank, deaf friend Natoshia, Katie, Allie, Jade and myself traveled to the Dominican Republic (DR) to host the country’s first Night to Shine Prom (NTS). The ministries that supported the event were The Banquet Network, Proyecto Samy (Latino Special Needs Ministry), Iglesia de Convertidios a Christo (ICC), Colegio Bautista Cristiano (CBC), Iglesia Bautista Cristiana (IBC), Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware (BCMD) and Colonial Baptist Church. We had a team of eight volunteers which included six from Maryland and two from New York.
Tim Tebow Foundation
The Tim Tebow Foundation has been sponsoring the NTS every Friday before Valentine’s Day since 2018. It is an evangelistic event for individuals who have disabilities 14 and over. NTS helps connect families with loved ones who have special needs to local churches in the community. This was the DR’s first NTS Prom and it was a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honored Guests
In Romans 12:9a-10 it states, “Let love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” The goal of the DR’s NTS and the overall theme of our mission's trip was to “Outdo one another in showing honor”.
Special Deliveries
We visited two schools for children who have disabilities in the DR. The first school was in Santiago. Our team was greeted warmly by the staff at the school when we arrived to the grounds. We gave NTS registered parents large boxes full of gifts that included a Spanish Bible, headphones, fidget toys, candy, arts & crafts, bubbles, crowns/tiaras and much more. We also donated several beautiful gowns, dresses, a men’s suit, shoes, skirts, suspenders and other clothing items to help make each honored guest “shine” during the event.
Little Princess
The second school we delivered NTS boxes to is located in Mao. The director of the school gave us a tour of the building and grounds and shared about the excellent programs they offer to engage and educate the students. We met an adorable young girl in the school who tried on one of the skirts we brought for the NTS prom. The skirt fit her perfectly! We watched as she joyfully danced around the courtyard like a little princess wearing her tiara.
Virtual NTS
On the third day of the mission's trip, we met a Pastor, his wife and Sunday school teacher at Iglesia Baptisto Internacional (IBI) in Santo Domingo. The church leaders shared their excitement to start a Special Needs Ministry in their church with training through The Banquet Network. They prayed fervently that God would help them minister effectively to their church and community members who have disabilities. Later that evening, we held the NTS event in Santo Domingo at Colegio Bautista Cristiana (CBC), who is a part of Iglesia Bautista Cristiana (IBC). Our team enthusiastically prayed that the event would go well, and God abundantly answered our prayers! We had so much fun engaging the honored guests during the event!! We had a virtual red carpet, games, prayer, dancing, bubbles and most importantly the gospel message presented in Spanish and Sign language. There were a total of 53 guests who joined us online and 17 of them were students from a Deaf school in the DR.
Haitian Church
On Saturday, we met with two Pastors, a doctor, and two church leaders that minister to the Haitian population in the DR. We had a Spirit filled time meeting each other and discussing how the Banquet Network and the Greater Grace World Outreach Special Needs Ministry could partner with the Haitian churches. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will use these new partnerships!
Deaf Church
On Sunday morning, we worshipped at ICC and toured the facility to learn how The Banquet Network and Proyecto Samy could support their ministry to people with disabilities in the church and community They also have a Deaf church at ICC led by Pastor Erik Quinlan. Erik and his wife Juana both teach full-time at local Deaf schools in the DR.
Gracias Senor
In conclusion, I was overwhelmed with joy during the entire Dominican Republic Missions trip and thank God for allowing us to join Him in missions to the global Specials Needs Community! Thank you for your prayers and support!
Alisha Williams serves as a dedicated volunteer for The Banquet Network. Alisha works at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and in her spare time, leads a special needs ministry at Greater Grace World Outreach Church and volunteers with the Baer School’s Good News Club in Baltimore, MD. For more stories like this one, go to our blog page, or click to connect, learn or donate to the mission of The Banquet Network.