(we recently sent a letter out to family and friends about our next trip- attached below)

We are reaching out to you and letting you know of an exciting opportunity we have this coming winter. As you may know, we attend Rockbridge Church in Lexington and were recently invited again to be part of a mission team that the church is sending to the Dominican Republic this January 21st-28th!  

This will be our second year heading to the DR to serve with Pathway Dominicana.  We went last year with a group from our church as part of a scouting mission to see if this was an organization and project to our church wanted to commit time, energy, and finances into.  As a group, we agreed that this is an organization and community that not only needs outside help but one we can build relationships and see the fruit of our efforts.

During this year’s trip not only will we be doing a variety of things.  We’ll be working with the staff at Hodelpa Juan Dolio, handing out food to the local villages and hand delivering them to those that are homebound we’ll also be working on Anna’s home (picture of Anna and her boys and her house currently attached).  Anna and her oldest son were assaulted by Anna’s husband and they are no longer together.  The laws and protection are very different there with very little support going to the mother or her children.  She though, has persevered through this and has her own home.  This home is in extreme disrepair and our plan within the DR is to build bunk beds for her children, build shelves for her kitchen and help complete an indoor bathroom for the home.  

The cost of this trip is $1,900 per person, we are writing to you to ask for your help for this trip.  Not for our personal travel and housing, but for the cost of supplies while we are there.  About half the cost of the trip will be going directly into supplies to rebuild Anna’s home and provide food for the underprivileged in the area.  Dio Cochrane, Pathway Dominica founder and friend of ours (picture below of us with Dio while he was in the states fundraising) strategically buys all his materials and supplies locally to help out the small business owners in the town(s) we go to.  This not only builds a relationship but financially helps yet another family provide for themselves through the sale of items.  

If you feel led to give, you can either make out a check to “Rockbridge Church” with “Dominican Republic Trip-Ulrich” in the memo line and mail it to Rockbridge Church PO Box 1248 Lexington, VA 24450. Or you can simply use the QR code below to give online.  All donations are fully tax deductible.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about what Ray and I have been doing since returning from the DR this past January.  Hoping to catch up with you soon to share even more.  

 In Christ-

Ray and Nicki