One of the main reasons we loved being in the Dominican Republic was because of the wonderful people there. They were so sweet and openhearted, and no one ever said they didn't have time or didn't want to talk to us. By the time we left, we had really grown to love them. One of the five goals AIM had for our trip was for us to build meaningful relationships. I'd like to share one of my favorite examples of how God fulfilled that goal.  On our second day of ministry, we did door-to-door evangelism. My little group went to a few houses, and a lady named Kathy accepted Christ. Then we went to the park, and I'll always think of our time there as one of my most special memories of the trip. The guys in our group went over to talk to two teenage boys. Because of the culture in the DR, it wouldn't have been wise for us girls to talk to young men, so we just sat on a bench and waited. I noticed several ladies and a little boy sitting near us, and I started playing with the little boy. I would toss a ball and he would run and get it or try to catch it. His mother was thrilled to see us playing together, and she and I started trying to communicate. I know very little Spanish, but it was amazing how well we were able to understand and enjoy each other. Soon it was not only the little boy (Julio) and I playing ball-his mother and a teenage girl who was with them joined in too! We sat in a circle tossing the ball back and forth. Soon the other girls in my group came over; and we were all smiling, talking (trying to), and just having a good time. The Dominican ladies were fascinated with us, and we had a lot of fun getting to know them. The neat thing was that by the time we were ready to share with them about the Lord, they were comfortable with us and we had already established special relationships with them. With the help of a translator, we shared the gospel with these ladies, and two of them-Julio's mother and the teenage girl- prayed to accept Christ! It was so exciting to watch God work as we made friends with these people and then led them to Him. Two days later, we did an evening outreach at that same park. Julio's mother (Adelina) and her children were already there when we arrived! We were thrilled to see her again; and when we mentioned the Bible we had given her, she went into her house to get it, and we showed her some verses. Later, when the outreach was over and we were getting ready to leave, the teenage girl who had accepted Christ came up to me and seemed genuinely excited to be there. It was great to be able to talk to these new friends one more time before leaving the DR. I'm thankful to the Lord for giving us the privilege of building meaningful relationships with these people-relationships that led to their salvation!

                                                                 -Mallory Wilhelm

This trip was by far the most life changing experience that I've ever had.
It showed me what's really important in life. When my group first arrived in
Hato Major, I was totally overwhelmed by everything. In fact, I didn't even
want to be there. I figured that I would eventually get used to things and I
would be okay, but I didn't  expect to actually enjoy myself while I was
there. But after spending the first day with the kids in VBS and witnessing
to people I totally fell in love with everything. I don't remember ever
being as happy and content as I was while I was there. A lot of the things I
had to do really put me out of my comfort zone though. There were some
things that I thought I absolutely could not do. But God helped me to trust
Him like I'd never been able to before, and He gave me the courage to do
things that I never would have thought I could do. Before I went to the DR I
felt completely useless. I didn't think that God could use me for anything.
But this trip taught me that God can use anybody. Even me. One of my
favorite verses is in 2 Cor. 12:9, and it says,"My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Everything I learned in the
DR made this verse so real to me. I'm so thankful that God can use me, and
that He showed me that He really can when I was in the DR. This trip means
so much to me, and I know I'll never forget the way I felt and the things I
learned while I was there.                          -Andrea Lackey

Never in a million years could I have been prepared or imagine how much I would learn and change from this trip.  I came into it thinking it would be just like the mission trips I had been on before but I was affected 10 times as much.  The night of our evening outreach in the park seemed like it was going to be total blast being a clown and all.  But I became so frustrated when none of the people came forward with the altar call.  I was sitting on the curb in full clown attire bawling my eyes out.  But I soon realized with the help of my friends, and the Lord, that the people didn't necessarily need to come forward to accept Christ into their hearts.  Many seeds had been planted that night, and God had actually used me to minister to the children that entire week and that night.  He really gave me a feeling of purpose and contentment.  I never been on such a high as I was that week, feeling so close to God.  It was amazing how God worked through me to touch lives, and worked through others to touch my life as well!  I was so blessed by the trip and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  The Lord renewed my commitment to Him, and I will never be the same!                 -Katie Hunt