Making an Impact: Team Dominican Republic, 2010

Published: April 13, 2021

Assistant Professor of Spanish and Women's Softball Coach, Dr. Brian Reinhard, is no stranger to overseas travel. With multiple stamps in his passport, including several from the Dominican Republic already, he and Assistant Softball Coach, Erica Ritter, have taken the charge to lead a group of nine students on a 13 day missions adventure January 8 - 21 in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.

Partnering with Students International (SI), an organization focused primarily on community development in countries around the world, the team of three softball players, five Spanish majors and one area high school Spanish student will put their hands and hearts in the areas of healthcare, sports and recreation, and social work. The girls will be split up into different groups each day. One group will offer a sports clinic to girls in the community to teach them softball and soccer skills and build relationships while the second group works at a medical clinic and the other at a dental clinic.

This trip is just one of the opportunities Greenville College offers for students to get involved and lend a hand abroad. Through the development of strategic international partnerships, careful research, student training, faculty sponsorship, and attention logistics and details, the World Outreach and Missions Department provides the GC community with quality, interactive opportunities to witness and participate in God's work around the globe each year. GC grad and director of this department, Erin O'Hara,says, "Taking an international trip is such a wonderful opportunity. Not only do teams get to serve, but they get to cross cultures and experience a different way of life. Trips like this really put things into perspective and challenge us tolive a life serving others.

The goal for this trip is two-fold. Team DR will lend support to an ongoing, quality work that SI established to help those living in poverty in Jarabacoa, DR. While lending a hand to the SI ministry, students will have the opportunity to build relationships outside their own cultural group, expand their Christian worldview, and catch a glimpse of Gods heart for the poor around the world. "I love to travel abroad and I love to help students grow in cultural awareness and understanding of Gods heart for the poor," says trip leader, Dr. Reinhard.

"I developed a great interest in Latin America from my Spanish classes, and I have always wanted to do a missions trip abroad. This opportunity is perfect for me and I am excited to see how God will work through this experience. Throughout my time at Greenville, I have felt called to go out and do missions work. I think this trip will help me get a better idea of what I might do in the future, but more importantly it is an awesome opportunity to go and serve God and I am so happy to be able to do it."
- Lindsey Schuberth '10, Team DR member, Computer Science Major and Spanish Minor

Follow the team at http://gcdominicanjan2010.blogspot.com/ .

For more information contact media@greenville.edu.