"I think I'm going to pass out" said a woman next to me while I was working translating in a local clinic, another lady replied "the earth is shaking" and two minutes later it appears on the news. The begining of a nightmare.
Since then everyone is moving.
Last thursday Miguel and I went to Jimani a town next to the borther, there were choppers landing every five minutes, and each one came with a bad new, someone with a broken leg, arm or simply about to die.
I visited the Hospital and the situation was critical. People kept comming in, doctors made sure everyone got assistance, a back door was kept open to receive the bodies of a group of 30 Dominicans that were working as engineers in a building in Port o`Prince that colapsed during the earthquake.
The church miguel and I stood in started a ministry that I really felt identified with. because the doctors were so busy, no one was realizing that the people in the hospital still had needs even though they were meically assisted, they needed water, food and hygene supplies.
Before we went into Haiti to try to find people to work with, we went to store to buy food for those in needs, still looking to help in creating refugees for those that will have to start a new life from now on.
I spoke at my home church after arriving so we can get food and supplies togther to take them there, tomorrow me and a friend are going to take 200 pnds of food + toothbrushes, soaps, etc
Please keep praying and interceding for those people, there's a lot we can do, but the only one that restores the heart of those is Jesus.
God has been working in me the awareness on spirituall warfare, while understading what does it mean to be a son of His an to be interested in the things He is interested.
Ministry
Recently I shared the gospel with a freshman classa leading for kids to Christ that night. Imediatelly I put my self in charge of discipling two of them and teach them how to grow in Christ as well as developing a friendship relationship instead of a leader follower thing. (even though it istill is).
Just started working on some guys that have the same call to the missions field, by going to Guachupita with them, soon we might do some vision trips to different places to find a place where we can work on a longer term basis.
Health Twisted my anckle two days after arriving from Peru, so i'm still recovering. Otherwise I'm excellent.
Guachupita
is doing great we just Had cellgroup there yesterday and people were very happy with the presence of some guys I took down there (these 5 girls 2 guys actually kept visiting guachupita while Miguel and I were gone). Prayer is needed over them (I'll go over that later).
First of all, I pray that the blessings from God may be poured onto you.
The reason I'm wwriting this is to let you know (in case you didn't know) that I was in Peru for around three months and it was an excellent time there. Teaching in churches, training the youth for ministries, evangelism, personal disciplechip.
Now it all happened because of your spiritual and financial suport, without the key elementes of intercession and material support this trip would not have been made possible.
So I want to thank you all for caring about this, caring about my heart towards the Nations, towards the mountains here in the DR and Haiti.
Now I'm back in the Dominican finding that the youth group I used to lead has grown vertically and horizontally. That my spiritual choldren are still in the truth and growing more and more and a team of guys that also have a heart towards the missions. Lots of work confirming God's full time call.
Still I have a request, and it is to keep praying for this: in January I'm going to Haiti with a couple Guys, to preach and teach in the church I was last year, please pray for provision and spiritual covering.
recently due to my trip to Peru, a lot of people have expressed me their desire to become missionaries, most ogf them young people.
However most people have the mentality that being a missionary means to travel around the world and if it is possible preach the gospel to someone.
But I've met a group of girls (sisters actually) the three of them have a huge call to go and minister preaching the gospel in unreached nations.
Obeying a call means to do what God asks you to do wherever you are, these three girls that went everywhere with the kandela evangelism team, Have a specific call to Africa.
Connie, the oldest sister, 21 is actually working as a sound video technician in our church.
Connie, Whay do you wnat to be a missionary?
Because I'd like to go to ifferent parts of the world mionistering specifically to the kids,. I believe hat they are the futur of our world, and because I like to see them having fun while we teach them bible verses and sing with them, besides the fact that teaching them the word of God being children they'll be better man and women of God, and they'll be an example to others.
Betsy, 20, Worship leader in youth group
Betsi, If you ever make it to Africa, where would you like to work there? I'd like to minister more specificcaly to teenagers, meeting their need to develop a good relationship, and to hear about God. I'd like to help them bringing them the message of salvation, and let them know that they are not alone and there are people praying for them and willing to encourage them.
DTB
Mariolis, 18, youth group's worship leader
Mayi, what really made you upload pictures of kids in Africa on your facebook?
Well I was looking at some pictures of Africa on the web and I found a lot of pictres that atracted my atention, most of them have a pretty bad nutrition, suffering in hunger while we are all wasting so much food.
Another kid had some shoes made out of water bottles, again while our wardrobes are full of shoes we don't use. I uploaded those pics so my friend can see the materialism we are in, and that at least they can think about it, and feel compassion towards them.
So, I hevn't blogged in a while and I wanted to share a couple things that have happend during this time, one of them is youth group.
the firts three months of this year was focused on the evangelism through living topic, so we tought a lot on disciple making, living in purity with hope and boldly, it was awesome and had a great impact on the tennagers as well on the older guys which experienced a challenge by discipling these guys.
A month later, we had a cell group orinted campaing where the kids themselvs were supposed to invited other friends and joing church, it came our t with 12 more lives for Chirst.
Right Now as I'm planning on my peru trip, I'm training Francis, a 2 year old guy with a great hart for youth group and a great relationshp with the Father.
Please keep praying for them so the growth is steady
I'm REALLY sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I've been so inmersed in ministry and relationship that I hardly get any time for internet except for email checking.
Really quick Ill tell you guys what's going on with my mission trip and later on I'll write aboout my actual ministry life.
First of all I need to thank you all for your paryers, words on encouragment and financial support, it's been a great blessing.
My plans of travelling to China sadly didn't work, arranging the paperwork for a visa, besides ministry there was under a threat. I kept praying aboutit and later on GOd showed another door opened for me to minister there: PERU
Until now everything is set for me to get there on Sept 01st, and stay in the jungle and the capital till nov 28th.
ministry there will include most likely what i've been doing here, church planting, personal and group discipleship, teaching-preaching, and personal evangelism, it might include manual labor, but I haven't confirmed it yet.
family members and church are excited about this trip, confident that God will perform his perfect will in the laves of the people there as well as in mine.
please keep praying for this project, so that everything gos smothhly as it has been
sorry guys I haven't blog in a while, due to a couple things that as the titke say have been going on.
first of all, after receiving the world race team I got seek. apparently it was mumps, so I needed a total rest according to my doctor. after 20 days (aprox) without getting out of my house my next visit to the doctor showed that it wasn't mumps, but a neck infection. after a treatment with antibiotics, and a lot of prayer from muy church brothers and sisters and you guys, I'm finally doing well.
I wen't to Guachupita, the church there is doing great, they were really happy about the world race team that worked with them. Alex is talking a lot, Clemente is going to have him checked in the capital next week, please keep praying for him. In Guachuita, there's been some fights recently, so pray that God delivers peace to these people.
I remenber telling you guys that my mom had accepted Christ while I was in Haiti, well dshe got baptized two weeks ago, and its amazing how she's learning the scriptures and preaching. So far two of her friends have already accepted Christ, pray that God helps them as well to keep rowing in knowng Christ.
TESTIMONY
While Marcos (a teacher in the Christian high school I accepted Christ in) was teaching the religion* class, the believers of that class decided that they need to pray for their classmates, the whole class said it was ok and imediatelly, in the middle of the class, they started praying.
What happend was amazing, 45 students started weeping and crying out to God for forgiveness.
The presence of God was real. Mariolis, a christian student in the class said: " it was really weird, I couldn't stand , nor sit I just knelt and pray"
God 's willing to do great things among the youth in this town keep praying that they all become Disciples of Christ.
According to myself, I'm doing great, willing to go to the mountains, as soon as my body recovers totally from my sickness, staying in the house for so long, makes me feel sore now that I' exercising and walking. againg THanks for your prayers.
I'll blog soon about missions and what's the next step.
* In the D.R. is normal and accepted by the goverment that the bible is tought in the schools. Specially in Christian Schools
So I'm back, and my time in Haiti was great, learned a lot about my self and ministered a lot teaching in church and preaching every morning. The church planned a mission trip to another town in whch I helped the church with teachings about intercession and spiritual warfare.
Learned a lot about the bible, for the pastor I stayed with always helped me with that, memorizing scripture and reading alot of books about theology. I will detail soon what my time in Haiti was like, but this time I want to let you know about what I found here now I'm back.
During my time in Haiti I was really concerned about Hombre o na, HDF, and a lot other stuff. God gave me the promise that he would take care of them I trusted Him and this was the result.
Hombre O na. The guys never stopped meeting, this time they would meet every night at my mom's house to pray for me and my brother, as a result of this MY MOM ACCEPTED CHRIST!!!, as well as her friend. Right now both of them attend to church while my mom (because of her maturity) helped a couple of the guys deal with some not- so -good stuff that happened to some of them while I was there. While all of this was happening I had a dream where she was leading a church, I get here and that's what I find out, Lenin keeps helping the guys and my mom, that for a long while has always kept the discipline of reading the bible and praying, is helping her friend and my brother's girlfriend to know more about Christ.
My sister, realized her need to seek God and for the last couple weeks I've been talking with her about God. She hopes she can go with me to haiti or to the mountains to experience God's presence.
Ministries (youth group, sunday school) are doing great, and the leaders in charge did a great job while I was not here, it was very benefitial for them.
I changed, but I must admit that is hard to mantain that change God has made in you, is easy to notice how hard it is for people to get used to the new David, and is a temptation to become like they want you to be. My trip made me know a lot about Christ, knowing God in a new way, listening more to HIM.
Thanks for your prayers, all these cool stuff that God did were thanks to your prayers, Thanks for your financial support, and thanks fro your encouraging comments.
During my trip, being by myself, with friends I met when I came here I've had a lot of time to pray and to think about my future. here are some thots.
Most times our personality es based on the enviroment that we live in. Our spiritual life has a lot to do with our personality, ergo our spiritual laife might be based on the enviroment we are in.
Why do I say this?
Would I be able t do the things I'm doing here, if I were with my friends and family back home?
Do I really need to make it a month long?
maybe, maybe not
During this time in Dajabon and Haiti, more than ministries I'm looking for a closer relationship with God, and I've learned that HE's the only one I should trust in, and rely on. Make HIM my priority is my main goal.
For a couple years God has been working in my heart doing a transformastion and setting me free from bad habits, and and self steem stuff. Later HE made clear HIS call to be a missionary.
Ministering in GUachupita and discipling my guys was how I put t in practice. It helped me to develop my lidership personality. it wwas at that point that I decided to give up everything (school, work) to serve HIM. Living by faith was a hard time in my life.
I get engaged and as every man you'd like to buy the qwhole world to please the most precious woman in the universe, but you simply can't. God blessed me in a way I could not understand by that time. He gave me a woman that would totally understand what's my call. "being a man of God, is the best present I could ever give her" she says.
With 3 to 4 hours of prayer a day in haiti I got enough time to ask God and listen from HIM what are his future plans for my life, but more than promises he clarified what HE wants to make with me. it was frustrating me the fact that I don't know how does my future looks like, but "making plans to change your character a lot easier than changing your character to make plans"
Do I really have to give up eveything in order to serve God? the answer depends on who you are and if you are willig to do it.
I'm far from my family, my church, m,y friends, my disciples, but Im finding a lot of junk I would never find if I were around them, my only friend here is God, He's the only friend that speaks a language I can understand, and He's really Honest with me telling me what I need to work on in my life. HE wants to change my character before I get involved in things like work or studies.
Apenas estoy a 10 dias de haber partido y ya he visto como el ha hecho cosas en mi.
Thanks to all of you who are supporting me with your prayers. and " gracias a Ana por ser mi apoyo espiritual sin condiciones"
Betsi, If you ever make it to Africa, where would you like to work there? I'd like to minister more specificcaly to teenagers, meeting their need to develop a good relationship, and to hear about God. I'd like to help them bringing them the message of salvation, and let them know that they are not alone and there are people praying for them and willing to encourage them.
