Members of the church spent time in the country as part of a volunteer program through Score International, which is a global missions ministry that sends evangelicals on short-term mission trips. A group spent over a week in the city of Juan Dolio, in the province San Pedro de Macoris, and fell in love with the country.

Saranac Lake Baptist Church Pastor Ryan Schneider said the congregation made a verbal commitment to continue to help the country. He said they wanted to help share the gospel but always wanted to improve the lives of the people of the Dominican Republic. With a recent donation, they helped do that.

Water in the Dominican Republic, before being treated, is of poor quality and can easily transmit diseases to those who drink it. The distribution of water infrastructure has increased in the past few decades since the country’s economy has improved, but many still struggle to access to potable water. This shocked Schneider.

“Can you imagine going through the day without drinking water?” he said.

Construction on the water-purification plant in the Dominican Republic that the Saranac Lake Baptist Church is helping fund with its $15,000 donation. (Provided photo — Ryan Schneider)

When they returned from their trip in March, they started to look at how to help those they had met. A series of fortunate events led to a donation that will help finish a water purification plant on a Dominican Republican mountain.

“The Lord put us in a financial spot where we were able to help,” Schneider said.

A water purification plant typically costs between $16,000 and $20,000, according to Schneider. The church had $15,000 but reached out to Joe Salvagni, Dominican Republic missionary for Score International, to see if the church could still donate the money. Schneider said Salvagni was shocked, as a few days before someone had offered a donation of $1,000 for a water purification plant that was being built on a mountain. Funds had already been provided from elsewhere for the product, but the project had been stalled, as $16,000 more would be needed to be finished because the water plant was being built on a mountain and getting tools and products up the mountain was more costly than anticipated. The $15,000 the church was ready to donate, along with the $1,000 donated just before, was exactly what Score International needed.

Schneider said he hopes the plant will not only help locals access clean water but will also help spread the gospel, as a church will be built near the plant.

Construction on the water-purification plant in the Dominican Republic that the Saranac Lake Baptist Church is helping fund with its $15,000 donation. (Provided photo — Ryan Schneider)