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The 22 members of Mill Creek Baptist Church who are traveling to the Dominican Republic at the end of the month are not too worried about clean drinking water.

They are carrying four systems to purify water in communities with unsafe drinking water.

Sounds like a lot of luggage on an airplane, but it's not. Looking like a contraption of just tubing, the system is adaptable and can be easily assembled.

Invented by Duvon McGuire, who as the young son of a missionary couple developed a waterborne illness in a developing country, the water purifier attaches to barrels to filter the water. It can hang from thick tree limbs, a ladder or fence and be operated from the bed of a pickup truck.

It uses electricity or a car battery, table salt and water to create chlorine, which kills harmful bacteria in the water. The purifier can treat up to 55 gallons per minute depending upon water quality and the size of the unit. The system can purify 70,000 gallons of water using just one pound of salt.

The Mill Creek team, dubbed the Living Waters Mission Team, has raised more than $32,000, including $500 from each member, to take four purifiers with them.

Each system cost $1,000.

Four team members -- Buck Ferguson, Jerry Sweet, Randy Lanier and Tommy Moore -- traveled to Indiana earlier to learn to operate the system under McGuire's supervision. They have given several demonstrations to Botetourt County churches and organizations.

The team is making its second mission trip in four years to Santiago, where former associate pastor, the Rev. Marsha Davidson, coordinates work with residents and missionary teams, said team leader, Shelba Ferguson, Buck Ferguson's wife.

"We've built some relationships there and thought they were meaningful and wanted to go back," she said.

The entire trip, from March 20 through April 5, will not center just on water purification, Shelba Ferguson said.

Team members also will build a concrete slab that will be used as a basketball court and a church. They'll conduct a vacation Bible school and lead roundtable discussions on topics such as health care, parenting and marriage enrichment.

Just as the weeklong trip will not be an island vacation, preparations have been ongoing and a labor of love, said Judy Deel.

Team members have participated in such activities as making balloon animals and face painting to use with the Dominican Republic youngsters.

The Mill Creek congregation and friends have help make, collect and donate many needed items that will be carried to Santiago.

Residents are in need of over-the-counter medicines, toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeglasses, flip-flops and children's underwear.

Team members catered a Red Hat Society dinner meeting at the church, serving as host and hostesses, servers, cooks and dishwashers to raise money.

They've held concerts, auctions and after-church lunches, sold barbecue dinners, and made Christmas ornaments and squares for the concrete basketball court.

"We have 22 team members but the whole congregation is going to be there ... spiritually," Ferguson said.

"They've all supported us: buying things, donations and praying," she said.

The team even has a logo -- a water bottle with member's names inscribed as a prayer list.

Mill Creek will hold a Service of Commission ceremony Easter Sunday for the team that also includes Peggy and Gino Arbogast, Dan and Mary Bowser, Nora Bryant, the Rev. Randy and Debbie Daniels, Cathy Dudley, Laura Epperly, Randy Lanier, Mike Lee, Dawn Montgomery, Sandy Moore, Joe Obenshain, Regarna Pannell, Sue Sweet and Dorothy Robertson.