Nothing Is Insignificant

Dominican Republic 2025

My First Mission Trip

Hi, my name is Leo. I am eight years old, and this year I went on my very first mission trip.

I traveled with my dad and a team from Gospel Hope Church to the Dominican Republic. I was so excited to fly on an airplane. I packed lots of things to keep me busy, and I even brought my duck Avery so he could see a new country too.

How I Came to Trust Jesus

Before the trip, I wasn’t sure how I was going to help. There were doctors and nurses on the team. Some people spoke Spanish. Others had been Christians way longer than me. I had just trusted Christ as my Savior this year.

All my life my parents told me about God, but sometimes it felt impossible to do all the right things. One day my mom read some Bible verses to me. After each one, she asked if I believed it was true. I said yes to every verse. Then she looked at me and said, “Leo, that’s all you need to do.”

With a big sigh of relief I said, “Wait… that’s it?”

In that moment, my mom said she saw a light in my eyes. I believed—and Jesus became my Savior.

Finding My Role

I love Jesus, and I want others to love Him too. I still didn’t know what I could do on the trip, but I decided I would be as helpful as possible. It turns out there was a lot I could do.

I stuck stickers on medication bottles. I helped put gift bags together. I passed out food and toys. And even though I couldn’t speak the kids’ language, I could still play with them. So I colored and played games with the kids while they waited to see the doctor.

Seeing the Need

Some of the people we met were very sick. I asked my dad why they didn’t just go to the doctor. He explained that many of them couldn’t get medical care, and some were afraid of being sent back to Haiti, where they would be in even more danger. Dad told me that sometimes people get stuck in the middle just trying to survive.

But he also reminded me why we came: to help people in need no matter where they are from—because Jesus’ love is for everyone.

It made me really sad to see people so sick, but I’m glad we were able to help some of them. Dad told me that when Jesus was on earth, His teaching always went along with meeting people’s needs. Jesus cares about the whole person. I loved watching my dad and the other adults care so deeply for the people who came through the clinic.

After seeing the doctors and nurses, patients would wait for their medication and then spend time in the evangelism room. There, they heard about Jesus and were prayed for. It was really special to watch.

Back to Santo Domingo

When the clinic days were finished, we traveled back to the big city of Santo Domingo. That’s where our church planters, Pastor Carlos and Pastor Manuel, live. I was especially excited to play with the pastors’ kids.

A Church Sending Moment

On Sunday we went to church at Ciudad de Gracia. That day they celebrated Pastor Manuel’s time there and sent him and his family to Punta Cana to start a new church. I could tell people were sad to see him go, but also happy that he was following what the Lord asked him to do.

Ciudad de Gracia has only been a church for three years, but the building was completely full. My dad said there are strong leaders in place to keep the church growing.

What I Learned

I’m so glad I got to go on this trip. And now I know something important:

Nothing we do for Jesus is insignificant.