Mission Possible was established in December of 2006 as an outreach effort from The FEST and Saint Ambrose Parish.
The instigation for the first mission trip to Higuey was a conversation with Archbishop Timothy Broglio, then Papal Nuncio, to the Dominican Republic. He recounted story after story of the extreme poverty and lack of advocacy that challenged the Haitian refugees living in the Dominican. Archbishop Broglio made the introduction between a community of religious sisters serving outside of Higuey addressing the needs of the poorest of the poor who were living by the river (tin city). After initial conversations, we outlined the mission projects to build a community center/chapel, a school, and additional housing for the Community of Saint John the Evangelist for displaced Haitians.
From the initial trip in late 2006, there have been formal mission trips each year and numerous smaller excursions.
Since that initial trip, we have learned and developed and made incredible progress, serving the poorest of the poor.
From 2006 to 2013, we worked diligently in our first community, known as La Comunidad de San Juan Evangelista. Named after the religious sisters of Saint John the Evangelist (Juanistas) who we worked with in the very early days. In those early years, we focused on addressing the immediate need of a community center/chapel, a pre-K-3 school and a medical clinic. We worked to establish relationships with local government and community leaders and with hard work by many, the government agreed to staff and fund the school and medical clinic. The school has a morning and afternoon session and with over 350 students. The medical clinic is open Monday-Friday and sees well over 300 patients each month.
In 2013, our focus shifted to address a glaring need that became obvious during our 7 years of work within the country: clean, safe and affordable housing. The local Bishop obtained a plot of land just down the street from our first community for us to begin developing. We established a development plan and set out to work. The first building we built was a Community Center so that our missionaries and community members would have a place to gather. Next was a Church, to serve as a reminder that Christ should always be at the center of our community and our lives. With these first buildings completed, we set a goal to build 10 homes each year, and with incredible generosity have been able to do so!
Since 2013, we have developed the infrastructure – everything from wells and septic system to roads, drainage and electricity. Our community celebrates mass in the church every Sunday, along with Catechesis and Bible Study throughout the week. We installed water filters in 75 homes, providing potable water for our families.
In 2016, a generous donor made a full size baseball field possible for not just our two communities, but for the entire region. The field is a 3 minute walk from our second community and a 10 minute walk from our first community. Its name, el diamonte de Ana Muya, or the Diamond of Ana Muya, serves as a reminder of what a valuable asset it is to the community! The field was dedicated in early 2019 and promises to be a great place for the community to gather and play together.