Dominican Republic Catch-Up and Final For This Trip

I left you last at 10:00 AM on Saturday. Since that time much, much has happened and many, many doors of various kinds have opened.

We departed from our place of abode and headed across town to pick up Marlene Luna, my interpreter and headed after a couple of stops to a lunch meeting with a group of prominent ladies who are the force behind an organization that works to assist abused women and children of the Dominican Republic. The leader is a TV personality and those who assist her are lawyers, journalists, one is even from Miami.

I knew that Jeaneris was married to a judge, but I was not expecting what I found. First of all we were met by a vehicle that escorted us to their house. When the driver stepped out of his car, I discovered I was in the presence of several well armed government security men and personal body guards. The judge is a very high judge comparable to our Supreme Court Judges.

After a time of sharing, then eating a typical Dominican meal I was privileged to sit with the judge, talk to him and pray for both he and his wife and then the other members of the foundation. The judge informed me the government was in the process of writing a law which would give the Evangelical pastors the privilege of performing marriages even as the Catholic Priests now have. So the “project” – as Pacto De Vida became known for the remainder of my trip – was very interesting to him and he promised his support and legal knowledge to assist even in the process of registering Pacto De Vida (Covenant Life University) in the country. AND – the spokesman for the foundation – informed me that they wanted to be of any assistance I might need. Those who were lawyers freely offered their help and were going to start their own research.

We had to tear ourselves away from those present so we could make it to our evening Church appointment. We arrived after they service had started – which seemed to be the pattern because we were always behind schedule due to the pressing of those we were with previous to our next appointment. The sounds of worship echoed from the little room on the corner of the block and all I can say is that it was a joyous sound.

Now I can’t say much about the preacher – it would be too easy to overstate the case – but the response was again tremendous (as had been the other services to this point.) When the service ended we rushed out, into our car and I thought I was going to get home early! WRONG AGAIN! We drove to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) facility where I became the final speaker for the weeks activities.

My assignment: Challenge the parents to support the youth and what God had accomplished in their lives during the past week. I “think” it was a success by the way the parents greeted me and hugged me as though I was “their pastor.”

Now since I had not eaten anything since 2:30 and it was now almost 11:00 (again this was becoming a pattern for the week) but by the time we took Marlene home and got back to our place it was now 12:30 AM on Sunday and sleep was a necessity if I was to survive the upcoming events.

Sunday’s activities began with departure at 9:30 AM, go across town (after getting a cappuccino and a pastry – a bun like piece of bread, which also became a morning ritual for breakfast. It took us over 45 minutes to traverse the city of Santo Domingo even on Sunday AM – and then to try to get to the Tabernacle Assembly of God, pastored by Pastor Francisco and Anna Rosa. We did but had to venture around and around because of the activities taking place in the area of the Church. Well, we did not make it for Sunday School, but we were slightly early for the 11:00 service.

The place was packed! IT HAD AIR CONDITIONING! Thank the Lord! Their auditorium was upstairs and would hold about 200 in close quarters sitting and then I am not sure how many were standing on the stairs that led back downstairs to the floor below.

I was greeted with a warm welcoming statement: “You have a minimum of one hour to preach. And one hour can be too short for these people!” Only a preacher can enjoy such a statement! I did my best! Now wait a minute, after sharing about the university I only preached for about 45-50 minutes, plus an altar ministry (well maybe it was 50-55 minutes – I haven’t edited the sermon which I recorded yet!

I had to meet with the pastor and his wife after the service to share about the university, so it was after 2:00 PM when we walked outside to the car and drove to the mall for some Dominican Pizza and a Dominican Pizza Desert (WOW!) Both were good and after doing my best to eat my share – which was not my normal amount – we took Marlene to the YWAM facility and picked up Imer Ramierz, a pastor’s son, 21 years of age and a YWAM-er to travel with us to Santiago for two service in the evening, the first which was scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM.

However, it requires a minimum of two hours travel time. But since we did not depart until 4:00 PM and had to drive in a down pour, we did not arrive until about 6:15 and the pastor’s wife was ministering the Word. So, I missed sharing but by 7:00 their second service started, the auditorium finally filled up, I ministered the Word and God blessed.

Pastor Chavez disappeared at the beginning of the second service and returned with another pastor – a Cuban who was pastoring another church in this city of Santiago. He wanted to introduce him to me and for him to be a part of the meeting after the service regarding Pacto De Vida. So we ventured out to the mall, had some Dominican food and talked about the university.

I have found out that Pastors like to talk to other Pastors – particularly when one is from he United States. So we spent a lot of time after talking about education and then finally drove to a home where my host used a key he had, opened the gate, then went in the house and disarmed the security, took me inside and showed me my room and the shower. I wonder where we were and he told me that the owners, who were there at this time, had given him a key and permission to stay there whenever he was in the city.

So I crashed with my a pedestal fan acting as my personal air-conditioner and tried to sleep. But being in a new place, with different sounds and knowing that I only had about 4 hours and it would be time to get up again and drive to Haiti, it was hard to shut my mind off from the activities of the day and what may be ahead of me. Well, as you can imagine, morning came either too soon or too slowly so it was “upward and onward” into the unknown.

By 9:30 AM Monday, we were in Dajadon, Dominican Republic on the border of Haiti. What now, I wondered as we made our way on foot through the teeming groups of businesses lining the street, merchants pushing their carts of all sizes and shapes loaded with everything from fruit to chairs and mattresses through the mobs and listening to the cries of others selling their wares. All of this while we were walking toward the border crossing.

Allow me to only say that “a miracle provided” our entry into Haiti in less than 5 minutes. It was very interesting to hear the border patrol officers scream out “Chavez,” throw up their hands and welcome us as we walked through the covered gate. I cannot tell you how crowded the narrow roadway was with people going both directions. It was like watching a colony of ants busily working on some bread crumbs and toting them to their ant hill.

The shock came when I saw the different conditions on the Haitian side of the border. Over 60,000 people live in this village area. “Filth, stench, unsanitary” are the best words to describe what I saw. I will not even begin to describe what my eyes saw, but only say, food stands with food lying on dirty clothes covered the ground right next to piles of garbage from which water was draining from the rains the day before. Meat was being cut with axes and machetes on dirty clothes lying right on the ground. In the middle of the major market an area about the size of the infield of a baseball diamond and completely surrounded by food peddlers was a pile of garbage averaging about 30 inches high through which many would come at night and sift through to see if any peddler had thrown away anything they could eat.

We eventually wound our way from there to a building under construction. Pastor Chavez is building a place where he can educate, feed and train children of this area. On the way there I heard time and time again the cries of children as the called out “Chavez! Chavez!” and ran to hug him as we walked. His plan is to complete the first floor of 6 rooms about 20 feet square. He has also purchased a field behind the building on which he plans to build a playground and use some for growing food. His desire is to build a clinic in front so he can see the children receive the medical help they need. I asked him how much money he needed to get it open in September. $2,000 with which to purchase the doors and windows.

It took me two hours after crossing the border back in to Dominican Republic to get the odor out of my consciousness. And the sights and sounds vividly remain with me as I write this.

We had an appointment with the brother of Gustavo Rodriquez from Peru at the mall to share with him the “project”. We meet him there about 4:30 - 5:00. The meeting was almost completed when Pastor Chavez saw a pastor descending on the escalator. He went over and called to him. The pastor came and sat down. I was instructed to share with him the “project” but before I could, Alvaro, Gustavo’s brother began and in less than three minutes I was given an “opportunity” to speak at the Santiago Evangelical Pastors Meeting at 7:00 PM. I say “opportunity” but is such a divine appointment really an “opportunity” or is it another point of destiny with God?

Simply, I did and the response was over-whelming and a demand was placed on us that we open an extension also in Santiago. Question? How do you open “an extension” by choosing “one church, one pastor” over the desires and needs of “many pastors?” That is the question I face, both in Santiago and Santo Domingo!

We got back to Santo Domingo and to our home about 11:30 PM, only to discover that someone had cut the electric wire from the pole to the house and taken it with them. So for the next 36 hours we were without the “natural” electrical feed to the house. An extension cord was dropped out a window to the neighbor below and we used it for our fans on Monday evening. However, for Tuesday night we “back-fed” the electricity using the cord and plugged it into a receptacle and sent it throughout the house. So I at least had electricity to do some very necessary computer work and thus be albs to leave some valuable material with Pastor Chavez and the team of two youth who have volunteered to help in the beginning of Pacto De Vida in the Dominican Republic.

Tuesday, my last day here was filled with appointments with pastors and leaders as well as an evening service. One of those appointments was in the home of a man who owns five optometry stores in Santo Domingo. I soon discovered that he was also a Mennonite pastor. We had spent about 30-40 minutes talking about the “project” and various other spiritual thoughts when he turned to my host and said, “Pastor Chavez, everyone needs to be submitted to someone who is older in the ministry than they are. You and I need to submit our lives and ministry to Dr. D.”

My mouth probably dropped open and I am sure the look on my \face was something else as he turned to me and asked me if I would be his “father -in-the-faith” and watch over him and his ministry. He jumped over any denominational barrier, over any cultural barrier and what could I say?

The presence of the Holy Spirit was rich and I simply responded, “I would be honored.” I will not continue (it would take too much space) to share the other things he expressed. This man is a very successful business man with a lovely family of two late teen, early twenties daughters and a handsome son in the same age category. And then the next words were, “Will you come in later October and be the speaker for our Couples Retreat? And if you cannot be here in October, will you commit to next year?”

The ministry portion of the trip ended Tuesday evening service. I am home! But the impact of this trip will last forever. However, the challenge is BIG! The open doors are many! A nation can be changed spiritually by walking along side of these pastors and their people to assist them in doing the work God has called them to do in their country.

NOW WHAT? We need finances immediately so we can purchase the necessary equipment and supplies as well as print the syllabus outlines of the lessons for the students to purchase. A computer, a printer and a CD/DVD reproducer and some CD/DVD’s and some paper to print the applications as well as the CD/DVD covers.

$3-5,000 will launch the “project”!

The pastors and the students are waiting! God opened the doors! Destiny is ahead!

THE CHALLENGE! Finances! And God is the provider? Are you a channel for the provisions? Pray with us that God will supply what we nee so we can open Universidad Pacto De Vida - Dominican Republic before November.