As the pandemic continues and countries begin to open back up, our work in each base is looking different every week. However, we are blessed to continue finding ways to serve God in the communities to bring light and hope. Today’s story comes from our Global Bridge program in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

As we approached the 2020-2021 school year, there were many uncertainties about the Global Bridge program. Last year’s students had to return to the States early, and the Dominican Republic was under lockdown. As summer passed, Covid rates in the DR started to go down, and airports opened. Because of a summer presidential election, we postponed our students’ arrivals until September, but miraculously, we were able to start the Global Bridge program in-country.

Thankfully, our seven Global Bridge students have been very flexible and willing to do things differently because of Covid restrictions. They had a two-week quarantine upon arrival and continue to wear masks and practice social distancing at ministry sites and in the city. We have been blessed with good health among our students and staff so far, and we are so grateful for that.

Our students continue to work each day in their assigned ministry sites, helping our staff with the work in the sites and building relationships with the people in the communities of Cien Fuegos and Quinigua. They work alongside our staff, building water filters, seeing patients in the clinics, teaching Bible studies, and ministering through sports. In addition to their work in the communities, they are taking a full college course schedule and are learning Spanish.

Please pray for our students as they adapt to their freshman year of college in a foreign country. Simultaneously handling college, ministry, culture adaptation, and life, in general, is challenging, but there is so much opportunity for growth in every area of their lives. God has broken down many barriers to allow these students to serve in the DR, and He is using this time to draw them closer to Him. He has great plans in store for each of these students, and we are privileged to walk through this time of their lives with them.

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