Lady Lions Minister in Dominican

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic- On May 9th, eight members of the Bryan College women's basketball team set out for the trip of their lives.  Through a partnership with SCORE International, the team traveled to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic for a week of sports ministry. 

Assistant coach Corey Mullins and his wife Carrie, accompanied the team as they spent time playing against the best basketball players the country had to offer.  The team played four games, including a match up against the junior national team, and two games versus professional clubs. 

"I was very pleased with how our team handled the adversity in the Dominican," said coach Mullins. " The talent level of the local club teams is high. All the players are extremely athletic and very disciplined.  It was a great challenge for us as a team." 

But this week wasn't just about basketball.  Each day, the team had a chance to interact and share the love of Christ with the local Dominicans.  On the first day in Santo Domingo, the team visited a "sugarcane village."  This small city of about 50 people is in the center of hundreds of acres of sugarcane plants.  Most of the adults in the village work the land, and harvest the sugarcane to be processed. 

Upon entering the village, the team bus was surrounded by children eager to play with the members of the team.  From blowing bubbles, to playing an intense game of 'knockout,' the team was able to find a common ground with the children of the village.  This opened the door for members of the team to share their personal testimony, and with the aid of a translator, the gift of grace through the cross was explained. 

On Friday, the team visited a handicap orphanage in downtown Santo Domingo.  Some of the most severe disablilties both mental and physical were represented in this private facility. 

"It was a sobering experience to see some of the kids in the orphange," remarked coach Mullins. "It was heart-breaking to see some of the physical conditions, and know that most of the kids there were abandoned because they are unique, and their parents felt they could not take care of them.  I was reminded of the scripture in John 9, when the disciples asked Jesus about the boy born blind 'Rabbi, who sinned that this man is blind?'  Jesus responded, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, for this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'  What a blessing to look at these children and see the work of God in their lives."

The trip was influential for all who participated in it.  It is a blessing to see that God's word and love knows no ethnic, language, or social boundaries.  God is alive in the Dominican, and Bryan College is honored to be apart of His work in other countries.