Mission Trips
When the mission bus pulls up outside Hogar Immanuel, a family’s warm welcome begins before the doors open.
Renalson, a resident who waved goodbye to the team a year ago, is already waving hello. The smell of vegetables, grown right here on the property, drifts from the kitchen. For the 19 volunteers stepping off the bus, the feeling is unmistakable: they’re home.
Why a mission trip to MSC Dominican Republic?
More than 1,000 mission volunteers come to Mustard Seed Communities every year to see everyday loving care up close. Mission trips are offered in both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and each country has its own way of welcoming volunteers into its culture. What they share is a spirit of love that treats every volunteer and resident like family.
Mustard Seed Communities Dominican Republic opened its first home, Hogar Immanuel, in 2000. It follows the model of MSC’s homes in Jamaica: small, close-knit communities where children and adults with disabilities thrive.
In 2024, MSC DR opened its second home, Hogar Niños de Dios, in Santiago, with new cottages, farmland, a health clinic, and mission housing.
Today, 64 residents call MSC DR home across the two properties.
Volunteers arrive to Hogar Immanuel from the airport by bus, greeted by warm coastal air and the bright blues and yellows of the home’s buildings. Often the first welcome is a wave from Renalson or a hug from Franchesca, and for many, that moment is the start of a transformative week.
A Glimpse into Mission Trip Life
In July, a team of 19 mission volunteers from Atlanta, Georgia, set out ready to try their Spanish and make new friends. Most came from two Atlanta parishes, Immaculate Heart of Mary and Christ the King, and they spanned a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
For some, it was their first time at MSC. For others, it was a twelfth consecutive year.
We invite you along with this special team that embraced the mission trip experience in MSC DR with open hearts.
A typical MSC mission week blends work projects, games, time for reflection, and plenty of open time with residents.
Rise and Shine!
Bunk beds have a way of shaking volunteers out of their usual routine from back home. The team stays together on the property and starts each day with breakfast on the mission home’s porch. This morning’s menu: fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, toast, jam, and coffee.
A Productive Morning
After breakfast, volunteers split into groups to tackle the day’s projects. One crew raked and weeded the grounds.
Other teammates gave the chapel a fresh coat of paint.
Lunch with the Residents
On most mission days, volunteers help residents at mealtime.
Caregivers teach the team how to feed residents safely and comfortably, since many eat soft foods with a spoon. It’s an opportunity to spend time one-on-one with a resident, and it’s surprising how much meaning can be found in comfortable silence.
Learning from the Experts: MSC Caregivers
Caregivers are at the heart of MSC’s daily work. This team led a CPR refresher course at Hogar Immanuel, a way to support the people who support the residents every day.
A Day at Hogar Niños de Dios
One day out of the week, the team travels to Santiago to visit the residents of Hogar Niños de Dios. Story time with Diego, a resident with an unending curiosity for learning, is a must.
Mass with Milagros, Oliver, and other residents also made the itinerary.
The Moments in Between
Never forget a core pillar of MSC is simplicity: a reminder that life is about love, and everything else comes after. Between projects and meals, there’s plenty of open time to connect with the residents.
Some volunteers find meaningful realizations in quiet moments, holding hands or singing with a friend. Others find relatability in fun, universal activities like tee ball (where Moises hit a home run for the ages), soccer, or arts and crafts.
Why do mission trips matter?
By the end of the week, the team of 19 is more like a family than a team of visitors.
They have eaten at the same tables, lifted each other up to paint chapel walls, cheered for the same home runs, and been welcomed, again and again, by people who made room for them without hesitation.
Above all, love is the changemaker on an MSC mission trip. Volunteers may arrive thinking about what they will do or accomplish, but the real impact is the lasting connection they form with the residents. The residents are the heroes of this story. Their open, welcoming joy shows everyone who walks through the gate what it looks like to love one another.
The hope of a MSC mission trip is that volunteers leave MSC Dominican Republic energized and reminded that love is what matters most. Many carry that reminder home to their families, parishes, and workplaces; many can’t wait to return.
Our mission program is vital to Mustard Seed Communities, and we are deeply grateful to every volunteer who gives a week of their year to be part of our family.
Ready to experience a mission trip for yourself?
Learn more about mission trips to MSC Jamaica and Dominican Republic >>>
To the team from Atlanta’s Immaculate Heart of Mary and Christ the King: thank you for your grace and gentle spirits in sharing your experience, and for offering wisdom in our upcoming video spotlighting MSC DR’s mission program.