Ministry helps needy in Dominican Republic
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on October 1, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Betty Evans, left, and Faye Wood reflect on their recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic with Blessed2BlessU Ministries.
Goldsboro resident Betty Evans began celebrating her 80th birthday by serving soup and sandwiches to Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic.
Mrs. Evans was part of a recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic, sponsored by Blessed2BlessU Ministries out of Goldsboro, founded by pastor Doug Johnson and his wife, Cindy, of Fremont.
"On my 80th birthday, I wanted to be able to reach out and help people in need," Mrs. Evans said. "I didn't feel like I was 80 at all on that day. It was really such a blessing and a great experience."
While in the Dominican Republic, Mrs. Evans helped make soup for refugees living in the dump.
"There were about 100 Haitian refugees living in the dump," she said. "It's an actual landfill, a dump where garbage trucks take garbage in big bags. People don't have anywhere else to live but at the dump."
Mrs. Evans said she saw no shelter for these refugees. They were living under trees, even in the extreme heat.
"They don't even have access to water unless mission teams go and take some," she said. "We gave them a 16-ounce cup of water with their meal. The people would go into the garbage bags at the dump and get out 2 liter bottles for us to put more water in."
Each morning, Mrs. Evans and the other volunteers would make soup in a huge pot, a prepackaged soup that consisted mostly of beans that had been donated.
She and Faye Wood also made peanut butter sandwiches for the refugees. Most of them came to the site where the volunteers were, but some stayed behind in the dump in case another garbage truck came by to unload its bags, giving them the chance to salvage through them for any little scrap of food they could find.
So Mrs. Evans went with some of the volunteers to the dump to give the refugees soup, sandwiches and water.
"It touched my heart when we went to the dump and saw those people in the heat with nothing to eat and no water to drink," she said.
It was Mrs. Wood's first mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and she considered it a very blessed experience.
"I really felt like I had seen pictures of hungry people, but when I was there, I saw hunger first hand," she said. "But they are a very loving people, and you felt like they really appreciated everything that we did for them."
Going over, Mrs. Wood filled her suitcases with balls of crochet thread and hooks and various snack items, so full that it didn't leave her much room for things she would need while there.
"I taught the girls how to crochet dishcloths," she said. "It was for them to sell to make money for their families and also for them to use in their homes."
This project was through the Girls Empowerment Program.
Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Wood both helped fill gift bags with personal hygiene items, crocheted dishcloths and other things and took them to about 28 homes.
"We'd go to the door and ask them if we could pray with them and they all said yes," Mrs. Evans said.
And the volunteers took 12 pillowcase dresses with them for the girls in the Dominican Republic.
Mrs. Evans is a member of the Wayne County Extension and Community Association and she has gotten the members onboard to make another 100 pillowcase dresses for the next Blessed2BlessU team to take to the Dominican Republic.
Spearheading the trip was Pastor Johnson. He and his wife founded Blessed2BlessU about three years ago and not only take frequent mission trips to the Dominican Republic, but also to Tanzania.
"Everywhere we go, we try to share the gospel," Johnson said. "We help people with our words and our hands."