Yellville Members Participate in Maranatha Project
YELLVILLE, ARK. – This spring, Scott Learned and Lari Long, members of the Yellville Seventh-day Adventist Church, participated in a Maranatha project to provide medical aid and support to Bayaguana, Dominican Republic.
About two-thirds the size of West Virginia, the Dominican Republic is home to 1,620 Adventist churches and continues to grow rapidly, with 160 new Adventist churches being established last year alone.
The group’s mission involved several key initiatives: constructing a new church, offering free medical and dental services, conducting eye exams, distributing glasses and hosting a Vacation Bible School.
The medical volunteers had a significant impact, treating 855 patients and performing more than 2,000 procedures during their stay. Patients who had struggled with vision problems expressed their contagious joy upon receiving new glasses, many for the first time.
The group also hired a well driller to provide running water for the local public school, which had been relying on hauled water for more than two years. The community was thrilled with the progress.
Learned and Long oversaw the construction of a new Adventist church in Bayaguana, and they were able to complete nearly all the block walls, enabling the congregation to hold services there on the last Sabbath of the mission trip. The inaugural church service drew more than 200 attendees, far exceeding the church’s 100-person capacity. Many community members gathered outside and listened through the windows, making it a truly special Sabbath for all involved.
By Lari W. Long
