Track and field team brings Christmas to Dominican Republic

Twenty members of the Lipscomb Track and Field team brought Christmas to the children of the Dominican Republic during their mission trip last week. The team worked with Manna Global Ministries, an organization that provides a children’s home, housing 13 orphan children in two buildings, a Christian high school, and a soon-to-be college program in Santiago. During the trip, the team had the opportunity to share gifts, play games and celebrate Christmas with children throughout the communities. For many of them, these were the only gifts they would receive all year. Through the outreach, the team set out to build lasting relationships. “After watching a pre-trip documentary, our team really wanted to do more than complete quantifiable tasks,” said sophomore Katie Bianchini. “We went to build lasting relationships that we could continue back in the states.” By learning more about the culture of the Dominican Republic, the team was able to grow closer to the people there. The team spilt into three groups to visit houses in the community, and each group got a little taste of the lifestyle during a meal prepared by the native people. While one group learned how to make rugs out of T-shirt cloth, another got to hold baby chicks and wash dishes after lunch. The team also helped the organization by painting an outreach center in Rio San Juan and spreading gravel to make a new entrance for the building. The track team made it safely back to Nashville on Thursday, Dec. 18 and plans to return to the Dominican Republic to work with Manna in the future. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Track and Field...