First seminary graduation, part II

This past Sunday, July 22, we celebrated the first seminary graduation for the DR field. Join us in thanking the Lord for providing for and protecting Rona Abraham during his years of seminary training. I encourage you to click on the label "Rona" at the end of this post to see other posts about him (or simply click here).

In contrast to many seminaries that exist today simply as "schools of religion", our seminary exists for the sole purpose of training men to serve in the public ministry of the church -- just as the Apostle Paul wrote to his coworker Timothy, "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

We celebrate the Lord's goodness in supplying his church with these "reliable men who are also qualified to teach others." Please join us in praying for:

• … God’s blessings on Rona’s future ministry in Haiti.
• … our five other seminarians – Obed, Julio, Freddy, Helve, Alex -- who will be returning to class on Aug 6.
• … more workers in the Lord’s harvest field (Matthew 9:37,38).

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Summer Color

It’s summer and the flamboyan trees are in full bloom. The Caribbean is green all year round, so we see little change in the seasons. But in June the green of the flamboyan tree changes to dark red, orange or yellow flowers.

The color is just amazing and beautiful. Both the city and the countryside are spotted with these bright spots of color during the summer. It almost becomes a game to look for them as you are out driving.


I have also read that there is a blue flamboyan, but have yet to see one.


Praise be to the God of all creation for such wonderful gifts to us.
(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

[NW adds: The driver must keep his eyes on the road, so he usually loses the above mentioned game :-) ]

Apartment hunting

God is good!

Through the generosity of WELS Kingdom Workers (for more info on WELS KW, click here) and our Christian brothers and sisters who support it, we will be starting an English as a Foreign Language program to "open up" our church to the community.

As we get to know the men and women who come to learn English -- and as they get to know us and see examples of our genuine Christian love -- it creates a natural bridge for us to share the Gospel with them, just as Peter wrote: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope (and love) that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

More details of the program will come in future posts, but at this time, we ask for your prayers as we look for housing for the two volunteers who will serve as the English teachers. Due to rising costs here in the DR, we are having trouble finding an apartment that is secure, close enough to the church, and within our budget. We trust the Lord will provide what we need, in his time, as we continue the search.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Back from teaching trip

God is good.

He granted me safe travels during a ten day teaching trip to another country. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with other pastors and study the book of Galatians with them, translating and interpreting it on the basis of the original Greek. Martin Luther compared the book of Galatians to his wife, saying "I am married to it!" Such was his love for the pure gospel the book teaches -- that God declares us "Not guilty!" purely because of the merits of Christ; thus we are FREE IN CHRIST.

Please pray for Pastors Frank, Catalino, Vladimir, Carlos, their families and their ministries. Despite the many man-made obstacles they face where they serve, the Lord is blessing the preaching of his Word. We pray he guards, protects and encourages them at all times.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Rice

The May-June rice harvest is in and the numbers look good for the Dominican Republic. This crop was abundant and will help keep the country self-sufficient in rice production. To meet the country’s demand of an average of 335,000 tons of rice per year, two harvests are brought in each year, one in May and the other in January.

Rice – a good source of energy, B vitamins and low in fat – is a staple of the Dominican diet. It is easily found in any grocery store, market or corner store, highly visible, easy to find, it is usually sold in one of the first rows in a variety of sizes and name brands, it occupies almost half of an aisle all by itself. A popular saying goes, “A meal without rice is not a meal”. Rice is one of the first foods a mother will teach her young daughter to prepare. The average Dominican will eat rice every day, consuming about 43 kilos per year/per person.

Rice is served plain with seasoned meat or chicken. It accompanies soup or is mixed with a variety of vegetables to become a side dish. It can be yellow (flavored with anchiote) or brown (flavored with soy sauce). The Dominican “bandera” (typical meal) contains rice. Other popular local dishes like asopao and sancocho are served with rice. Rice is also found on the dessert menu in Rice and Coconut and Sweet Rice.

Besides being a main dish in the Dominican diet, rice production provides 1.5 million jobs for Dominicans. The Dominican Republic is the largest producer of rice in Central American and the Caribbean (http://www.fao.org/).

Before we lived in Latin American we did not eat much rice, but after learning about and enjoying their culture, we also have added rice to our menu. Most of our children prefer rice to potatoes. Some of our children also say, “A meal without rice is not a meal”.

(Submitted by Kathy Strackbein)

Latest Clay Jar to Appear on Shelf

Greetings brothers and sisters, loved by God and called to be saints!

Just introducing myself. My name is Pastor Shiloh Monday, WELS Missionary to the Dominican Republic. I've been mentioned in some of our previous posts, but have not posted until now. Consider me now blogged on.

Let me also introduce my family: my wife Molly and our three children, Samuel (3 1/2), Sophia (1 1/2), and Santiago (1 1/2 months). (You can find pictures of us in previous posts, or follow my profile link to the right.)

We have lived and served in Santiago for nearly four years now, and though many circumstances have changed here in that short time, our mission has remained the same: to uncover the gleaming treasure of Christ in the deathly darkness of sin.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:6,7)

The darkness found in the DR is not essentially any different than the darkness that at one time was in your own heart or the darkness that still hangs over many people in your particular spot on the globe. It is the darkness of groping about day after day, unaware that the sins we commit offend God and condemn us, yet strangely aware that we are guilty creatures disconnected from our Creator.

The gleaming treasure that dispels this darkness is not any different either: simply, Christ, the once-and-for-all sacrifice for the sin of the world who gives forgiveness, eternal life and salvation to all who believe in him.

We who uncover this treasure here are no different from you either, brothers and sisters, or from Paul or Luther or any other of our spiritual ancestors. We are jars of clay holding the most precious treasure.

God bless our humble efforts to let the saving light of Christ shine out of these clay vessels. Out of yours and mine.

Grace and Peace!
Pastor Shiloh