PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic – As a woman in the Dominican Republic put on a pair of reading glasses during a medical outreach in Villa Progreso, her face lit up with joy as the world around her came into focus.  

“A few minutes later, it was her heart that became focused as she heard and accepted the gospel,” said Steve Lasiter, who as serves national/international missions strategist with Arkansas Baptists. 

Lasiter led a team of 15 Arkansas pastors and ministry leaders on a vision trip to the country April 8-15. The group partnered with the Dominican Baptist Convention to encourage pastors, strengthen churches and serve local communities through evangelism and ministry outreach. 

The trip centered around a three-day conference in Puerto Plata for Dominican pastors and their wives, where 35 couples gathered for teaching, encouragement and fellowship. The conference featured five large-group sessions focused on the book of 1 Peter and the theme of hope in suffering, along with 12 breakout sessions covering evangelism, prayer and encouragement in ministry. 

The conference also included question-and-answer panels for pastors and pastors’ wives. The panel for pastors was led by Clint Morgan, who serves as minister of adults and media at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, while a panel for pastors’ wives was led by Tammy Albrecht of First Baptist Church in DeWitt. 

“We were able to have a chance to speak in and to make a difference in the lives of 40% of the Baptist ministers that were there as part of the Dominican Baptist Convention. That is just incredible to me,” Morgan said. 

Unity of believers 

Bart Baker, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Corning, said his decision to participate came after prayer and conversations with his wife following a difficult season in their family. 

“The opportunity to encourage pastors, preach in local churches, and participate in a medical mission outreach was something I strongly felt the Lord leading me to be a part of,” Baker said. 

However, after the difficult year they had with his wife’s diagnosis and treatment for pancreatic cancer, Baker said he knew he would need her blessing before committing to go. “After praying about it, she simply said, ‘You need to go.’”  

Baker said one of the most meaningful parts of the trip was seeing the hunger and openness among Dominican pastors. 

One pastor told the team, “What you all shared, we’ve heard many times before, but the way you shared it touched our hearts like never before. We felt it.” 

Baker said that moment reinforced what he believes many pastors need most. 

“That encouragement reminded me that pastors everywhere need more than information – they need encouragement, connection and hope,” he said. 

During a breakout session, Baker taught from John 15 on remaining connected to Christ and shared personally about his family’s experience during his wife’s illness. Later, the Dominican pastor who translated for him invited him to share that testimony during a Sunday service. 

“Their response was overwhelming,” Baker said. “Many gathered around me, expressing deep compassion and committing to pray not only for my wife Vicki’s continued recovery, but also that one day she would be able to come to the Dominican Republic with me.” 

He said the experience underscored the unity of believers across cultures. 

“In that moment, I experienced the beauty of the body of Christ and the genuine love believers can have for one another, even across different cultures and languages,” Baker said. 

A salvation moment 

On Sunday morning, seven Arkansas pastors preached in churches throughout Santiago before the team participated in a marriage seminar that evening at Primera Iglesia Bautista de Santiago. The seminar, led by Lasiter, focused on encouraging and equipping marriages. 

The team also took part in a one-day mission outreach in Villa Progreso that included street evangelism, a medical clinic, a pharmacy and children’s ministry. 

Morgan said one of the most memorable moments for him came on the team’s final day in Santiago at a historical site, where a casual conversation between team members and security guards turned into a salvation moment. 

“One member of our group simply began talking to some of these guards, and the next thing we know, Bart is standing around praying with them because one of the guards accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior,” Morgan said. 

“Even on our tourist day, we saw God changing lives and leading someone to Him.” 

Throughout the week, Morgan said he was also struck by the shared challenges facing pastors in both the Dominican Republic and the United States, especially those serving with limited resources and limited support systems. 

“These struggles that are facing the Baptist churches of the Dominican Republic are the exact same struggles that are facing the churches of America just in a third-world perspective,” he said. He pointed to the reality of churches working for years to fund basic building needs such as roofs and air conditioning, noting the contrast with many U.S. congregations. 

Shared mission 

Both Baker and Morgan said the trip reinforced a sense of shared mission between Arkansas and Dominican believers. 

“These partnerships are making an eternal impact on both sides. In the Dominican Republic, pastors and churches are being encouraged to stay faithful in the work God has called them to do. Many are serving sacrificially with limited resources, so simply knowing they are not alone strengthens and refreshes them,” Baker said. “At the same time, Arkansas Baptists are being changed as well. Trips like this help us see the global nature of the church and remind us that we are part of something much bigger than our local congregations. We may come from different cultures and speak different languages, but we share the same gospel, the same mission and the same Lord.” 

“It really did encourage me to remember that even though we’re here and we have the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, and we have so such an incredible partnership with the churches in the state of Arkansas and as part of the Cooperative Program, that we have brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic who are cooperating with us as well, who are praying for us, who are trying their best to encourage us,” Morgan said.  

Lasiter said the trip reflected a growing partnership between Arkansas and Dominican Baptists. 

“It was a gift to watch Arkansas Baptists unite to encourage and equip Dominican Baptists as well as serve the local community with the gospel,” he said. 

Over the last two years, the partnership has expanded as churches across Arkansas have returned to the Dominican Republic with mission teams. To date, there have been 10 total trips, with five more scheduled this year. 

Those efforts have involved 35 churches, two associations, one university and 137 Arkansas Baptists mobilized for missions and evangelism. 

“Long term, I believe these relationships will continue to produce encouragement, leadership development, evangelism, and deeper unity within the body of Christ. Partnerships like these are not just about a single trip, they are about building lasting relationships that strengthen God’s work for years to come,” Baker said.  

Morgan encouraged churches considering vision trips to step forward with an open mind and to truly pray, “God, where can I go that my church could make a difference?”    

For more information on partnership opportunities, visit  Partnership Missions.