Teams making a difference this Summer!

Dear Family and Friends,

What a summer it has been! A big, bountiful, beautiful summer, with teams from Ohio, South Carolina, Colorado and Louisiana. We are blessed with the best people in the world!

One of the highlights was the big party for the Haitian students and their teachers in June. We had 14 schools represented with about 550 people in attendance. Thanks to Pastors Tim and Lisa Scarbrough and their team from Englewood, Ohio, we were able to give gift boxes to all the 80+ teachers and staff members. The kids played with their friends and participated in the program. We gave a certificate and Bible to the outstanding student in each school, then after lunch the kids went home with a small present. It was a big day for all of us. 

14 Haitian church schools represented

That same team left playground equipment in the churches in Rose of Sharon, Sabaneta, Cutupu, and El Faro Boys’ Home in Santo Domingo. Thanks for loving on all of us!

Our team from Charleston worked hard to pour a cement floor in the church under construction in Tireo, Constanza. We also visited the new building for the Haitian church and school in Constanza and prayed for them. We are so happy to see them in a more spacious and safer place.

The team from Rock Hill and Greenwood, SC held several VBS’s, in Sabaneta, Barranca, Rose of Sharon and Soto. God ministered to hundreds of children as they understood the plan of salvation. Our little Haitian children were all dressed up and waiting for us. They loved the face paint and balloons. What a joy to reach out with God’s love and see them respond.

Ministry in the flood affected Rieles area

The following week we received a group from Greenville, SC which touched the lives of almost 800 people in 4 days of medical clinics in 3 different locations, Rose of Sharon, Limoncito and Cutupu. We saw two women delivered from demon possession in a service. Everyone was very grateful for the vitamins and medication they received. We had a great time with Dominican young people who helped the doctors and with translating. We hope to continue to reach more communities with medical clinics in the near future. 

The team from Timberline Church in Colorado worked closely with the Palmer family in the Haitian churches in Limoncito and Cutupu. We’ve come a long way since last summer! Limoncito is so beautiful now with a new floor, stucco, paint, a bathroom and a kitchen. Thanks to Timberline we were able to purchase the house and property next door, so there is room for growth. Join with us as we pray for the Cutupu project as we still need land for the school there, they have over hundred students. 

Last Saturday we filled the arms of the pastors with school supplies, Bibles, first aid kits, record books, toys and rice. School starts on September 3 for most of the schools. Thank you for your part in making it possible to support these schools and their hardworking teachers and precious children.

We have included here a short 5 minute video highlighting some of the Haitian schools programs.

Volunteers Cody Norton and Ken Martinez

If you haven’t sent in a donation since last summer, please do it now. We depend first on God and then on the offerings of God’s people to operate these Christian schools. We also want to help Pastor Wilner start a new school in the community of El Pino. More about that in the next newsletter.

Please send your tax deductible donations to:

(See Links in blue)

Your Missionary Outreach 

Attn: DR Children's Fund                  

PO BOX 1761

Columbia, SC 29202

                  or

General Council of the AG

AGWM Project#8627  (note this on the e-form)

1445 Boonville Avenue 

Springfield, MO  65802  

         

God bless you, and thanks again!

To contact us: 1-863-248-1119 (home number).

Debbie's email:  lavegaschool@gmail.com

Mitch's email:  dominicanmissions@hotmail.com

The Fervent Effective Prayers of Haitian Pastors

Two students with their teacher, excited to receive an education!

I entered the classroom and Pastor P. was on his knees in the corner calling out to God in fervent prayer.  He didn't  know I had entered, and didn't stop.  Why do I mention this, because I believe that the help the Haitian pastors are receiving is directly related to the prayers they are making. Pastor P. told me without prayer he could not live.  The truth is, most of these pastors earn less than $200.00 US a month, even if they have some outside support.  Yet Pastor P. pays for a tiny
house that accommodates his family, and also rents a rough building that will accommodate his congregation of 60 people. Needless to say, he and his wife are very thin.

Pastor F is ready to move to a new area where he has seen much fruit.  The majority of his current congregation is already living in this area.  He and his congregation have been praying for a miracle to purchase an abandoned church building.  Within two weeks of learning of this opportunity 60% of the funds needed for the purchase have been provided. These needs seem to have caught the attention of their caring Father in heaven.

Pastor A, almost in tears, told me about how he and his congregation would have to leave the church and the school building they were using.  Their school program had already been moved out, and

The Fire in Barranca

Dear Friends:

I felt compelled to write. This is part of the story of my life, from last week. Some things just happen, and they change us. Thanks for reading. There are photos on my facebook page.

love,  Debbie

Feb. 2, 2015 Barranca

I am visiting a community called Barranca where nine homes burned. Is is hard to imagine living in such a tiny room.   Yolanda lost her home, but I found her on a borrowed bed, with her pots and pans all over the floor, clothes soaking in soap in a black plastic basin, her dishes in a similar one. Clothes were hanging on nails around the walls, there was a clothesline with baby girl clothes. She told me she had recently had a baby. Where was she? In the hospital still, in an incubator, because she only weighed two and a half pounds at birth. She took public transportation into La Vega every day, which is about 30 minutes from Barranca, to breastfeed the baby.

I had brought 3 bags of clothes, a blanket, sheets, towels, washcloths, little shampoos and soaps. I was happy to leave it all with Yolanda, for her other 5 children, ranging in age from 2 to 16, and her dad, a pastor. But before we left, they asked Pastor Alex from the Rails church, who had led me here, to distribute the donations to the community, so that they wouldn’t be blamed for taking too much. That was after we prayed with them all and preached to them, thanking God for sparing their lives from the midnight holocaust. Surely God has a purpose in all this?

I posted a photo that night of the fire’s damage. I didn’t sleep very well. Then I remembered we had some clothes left over from the garage sale at school. I would find that in the morning…

Next day my dear friend Irene Serrano called. She is a missionary in San Francisco de Macoris, about 45 minutes from us. She had shoes, and clothes, and new socks and panties for little girls, and could she come today? Yes! It was Thursday the 29^th, the day Liberty Ministries went home. At breakfast I showed them the photos I had taken the day before. (They had been out souvenir shopping with Mitch all day.) Their hearts went out to the fire victims and right away Jeanette Porter gave me the money to buy every family a bed, and the group took up another offering. On the way there I asked Nicolas from school to go to the bed factory and negotiate a price for 9 beds. He got back to me on time. We prayed for all the families involved, then went to see the new university ministry location and prayed there. I said good-bye to those precious 9 ladies, and set off for school. Even though it was past noon, the factory hadn’t closed for lunch, so I put in my order for the beds. They promised to have them made by Saturday.

Around 2:30 Irene and Sam came over, and after we caught up with our lives, we started sorting clothes. I had a list Alex and Charley made, so we had a bag for each boy and girl, and the women. We decided to just sort out the men’s clothing when we got there, and fit the children for the shoes. They had some groceries, so we quickly arranged them into two separate bags, and Irene bagged the rice on the way to the Rails to pick up Alex. We stopped for some viveres, and decided on plantanos to take to the families. The man at the roadside stand was happy to sell all he had.  When he said 120 we quickly rounded up the money, but we were wrong; there were 120 plantains, at 5.5 pesos each, added up to $660 RD, or $15 US. At the end of the day, Pastor Alex got a bag of rice and the yuca that Irene and Sam had brought. He has to eat, too.

We gave a bag of groceries to Yolanda for her big family, and to a pregnant mom with 2 small children. Irene got right to work with her first aid kit, bandaging up burns, infectious sores, handing out pain medication, laughing and talking and even singing in Creole. That is after she made a video with her husband filming. What a pair of missionaries! I love how we could all work together: the Haitian pastor, the teacher at his school, the Serranos, me, the clothes who

Rose of Sharon Educational Center Beginnings

It was a year and a half ago when with a two thousand dollar donation we were able to help in the start of a Haitian school in La Vega.  You can see the impact of this program on the smiling faces of the forty children that regularly attend the program.  These are children who without the school would be

 either closed up in their homes while their parents worked or else out on the streets with no supervision.  Often they speak no Spanish, have no legal papers to attend public school, and cannot afford the uniforms to attend the public school. Their future would be bleak.  But they have hope now.

Just a few weeks ago we were starting to let friends and supporters know that we were looking for some land where we could move the current Haitian school, and start a Dominican church. The building is on a very small plot of land.  Pastor Juan Ortiz, the director of the school, found a great property to move to in Barrio Inco.  That very Monday we made a commitment to buy the property within the week with only half the funds on hand, and if need be, to finance the rest with the owner.  But by that Friday all the funds we needed had come in and we closed on the 
property at 6:00 PM that evening.  It was amazing how the exact amount of money we needed was provided at the last minute.   Now we have purchased the land and we are praying for teams and finances to put up the new building.  As you can see in the photo below, 

the current wooden building needs some help.   It will continue to serve the 40 + children, until the new building is built. Missionary Ryan Pauly (his name is the link) on his blog did a great job of sharing some of the history of this project. I invite you to visit his site.  He has become an integral part in the process of the development of this school. 

. One of our La Vega Christian School (LVCS) graduates is studying architecture at the university and has made some concept drawings for us of the new school.  He was a sponsored child at LVCS, and of course we are quite proud of him. Below is one of his renderings of the future school. The new building will have an industrial kitchen, a large dining area where church services can be held, and four classrooms with the potential of caring for 100 students, with a nice playground area outside.

Aside from the facility serving for the formation of a Dominican Church in the area, we are looking at the possibility of developing an after-school remedial learning program to help Dominican children keep up with their studies.  There is an almost 40% drop out rate after 6th grade in the public school system.  Already $5000.00 has been pledged towards the building.  Estimates are that the 50’ by 80’ building will only cost $48,000.00 to complete the first phase. We are counting on construction teams from the U.S. to help us with this project. We are amazed with how quickly the Lord has been supplying funds for this project. We believe that with God's help it will be built very soon.  

We carefully move forward, trying to be sensitive to what God is doing, and what He wants to do in this community.  It is in a very needy low income area of the city of La Vega. Christianity is about helping people spiritually and also in tangible physical ways.  Good works help to qualify the message of hope in Christ that we bring.

If you feel led to help with this project call us at 1-863-248-1119 (US Vonage phone), and we will be glad to help answer your questions.  Or email me at mitch@dominicanmissions.org . 

Property Ownership and Missions Giving

Why the issue of property ownership can affect missions giving?  Part I

     A missionary has to deal with the property issue every time they are involved with a construction project.  Why? Because as missionaries we are often responsible for missions monies directed towards the project.  We have a responsibility to protect the interests of the donors.  But even greater is the responsibility we have to the Lord and His kingdom.   This investment of missions funds, just like any donation to a church, demands accountability.  Often the missionary serves as a conduit to meet the needs.

Securing ministry properties is a must.  Recently, I had to talk to a local pastor who is running  a school for Haitian children. In our country the Haitian community is very marginalized.  Many are illegally in the country, or with lapsed legal papers.  Very few of their children are in the public school system.  They don't speak Spanish, they don't have legal birth certificates, they may not have the income for the public school

Debbie and Ryan Pauly Visit the Haitian School

uniforms.   That is why we have become involved in helping this school reach out to the Haitian children.   Without an education, their chances of breaking the poverty cycle is slim.

We have served as channels in one way or another to provide nearly $5000.00 US for this project.  The lastest expense was a hand dug well on the property.  Their building is made of what we would consider scrap lumber in the United States.   We donated some used student desks to help and some sports equipment. Funds paid for the floors, walls, bathrooms, and roof of the building.  The donors were thrilled that they could make a difference in these young lives.  As humble as the surroundings are, there is a sense of peace and joy in the school.  The children look happy. The pastor and his small staff are providing a good education to about 60 children, who would otherwise have no education.

The problem is that the school is functioning on a piece of property that belongs to the pastor's daughter.  We would love to help provide a better facility for this school.  But when approaching churches in the US for help, there is always the question of who owns the land.  There is a risk that one day the daughter will sell the

Ministry in the New Rieles Church Addition

The Rieles Project (Iglesia Centro De Vida A/D / Center of Life Church), is moving forward.  The new addition is almost complete.  The floors are finished, the kitchen is only missing the doors for the floor counters.  The counter tops are tiled, and beautiful custom made cabinets are in place above them.  The bathrooms are finished, toilets and sinks, and showers are in place and functioning.  The shower and bathroom walls are tiled and look great.  The water holding tank is on the roof for when there is no water, or electricity.  The water system for the kitchen and the bathrooms is finished, and we even have a faucet for a hose outside.  All the windows, doors,  and protective bars are in place for this addition.  The four classrooms are finished and freshly painted.  Just in time as the pastor of the Haitian church group that uses this building, has decided to start a day school here for Haitian children.  Classes have already started and more than 40 children are attending. This is in addition to the 70 or so children that are part of the after-school remedial program that have also moved into the new addition.  Chairs and tables for the classrooms are desperately needed, but for now the floor will do.

No chairs, but that doesn;t stop ministry from happening in the new classrooms.

Last week, Pastor Enrique Santiago from Hollywood, Florida and his team conducted the first Vacation Bible School in the new facility.  Over two hundred children attended.  It was a five day program that 

Elections in the Dominican Republic

So why are elections so heated in Latin America?  Yesterday was election day here in the Dominican Republic.  There were a number of candidates for president on the ballot. Like the U.S., the term for a president is 4 years, with a possibility of serving an additional four years if re-elected. Among these candidates was Danilo Medina, who is a member of the party which has been in power in this country the

Headline reads: Who will be the President?

last eight years (currently with President Leonel Fernandez). Danilo Medina was announced this morning as the winner, and new president, with 51.2 % of the votes.  His strongest opponent was former president Hipolito Mejia who represented the previous party that had been in power (who garnered 46.9% of the vote).  He served as president here in this nation (2004-2008). A great place to keep up with news in English about the Dominican Republic is http://www.dr1.com/news.php#1

Back to the question of why elections are so heated here.  Many government positions are appointed.  That is not uncommon in the US, however, here the appointments may go down even to affecting who runs individual public schools, fire