Most of us are accustomed to going to church and sitting in a quiet sanctuary, enjoying the beautiful stained-glass windows, maybe listening to the organist play inspiring pre-service music.
When you go to other countries, things can be quite different. In the Dominican Republic we usually have to contend with loud motorcycles going by, trucks loaded with speakers blaring music or political ads passing by, or as happened recently - rain! Here is a video of the pastor of the Pueblo Nuevo congregation attempting to preach over the sound of the pouring rain falling on the tin roof.
Showing posts with label Santiago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santiago. Show all posts
September 30, 2010
March 15, 2010
"I will bless them"
Sundays are al
ways the highlight of the week as it gives us the opportunity to hear God's Word with the whole community of believers and to enjoy the fellowship of other Christians. The public worship service also gives each of us the privilege of serving others through words of encouragement and the joy of giving an offering for the work of extending the gospel.
This past Sun
day was especially exciting in two ways. In the morning service at Moca, a new member was received through the sacrament of baptism. Pastor Alex gave a beautiful message reminding all of us of our need for baptism because of our sinful nature, and of the blessings of the water connected with the Word. What joy for every member to be reassured of their forgiveness, but especially for our newest member, received into the family of God and made an heir of heaven.
In the a
fternoon service at Pueblo Nuevo, Pastor Juan received a new member into the congregation through the rite of confirmation. Patricia confessed her faith publicly before the congregation and was received as a new member of "Soldados de Cristo". The Lord constantly pours out His blessings on us and on his people and moments like these remind us of His work among the people, creating faith in hearts and drawing more souls to him to be his forever.
ways the highlight of the week as it gives us the opportunity to hear God's Word with the whole community of believers and to enjoy the fellowship of other Christians. The public worship service also gives each of us the privilege of serving others through words of encouragement and the joy of giving an offering for the work of extending the gospel.This past Sun
day was especially exciting in two ways. In the morning service at Moca, a new member was received through the sacrament of baptism. Pastor Alex gave a beautiful message reminding all of us of our need for baptism because of our sinful nature, and of the blessings of the water connected with the Word. What joy for every member to be reassured of their forgiveness, but especially for our newest member, received into the family of God and made an heir of heaven.In the a
fternoon service at Pueblo Nuevo, Pastor Juan received a new member into the congregation through the rite of confirmation. Patricia confessed her faith publicly before the congregation and was received as a new member of "Soldados de Cristo". The Lord constantly pours out His blessings on us and on his people and moments like these remind us of His work among the people, creating faith in hearts and drawing more souls to him to be his forever.
November 14, 2009
Elections
Next May, the people here will vote in their local mid-term elections. The streets are already filled with posters and ads for all of the candidates from the three different main political parties. All the candidates are already campaigning to get as many votes as possible.
How does this affect the church work? Much of the campaigning is done on Sunday when people are off from work. For several Sundays now, Juan has had to postpone the beginning of the service while we wait for a candidate's parade to go past the church. This video was taken from the door of Juan's church.
As you can tell from the video, it gets VERY loud and the parade is quite long. Those people who don't have speakers blaring, are honking their horns and playing their radios full-blast.
It is impossible to begin services or to concentrate on the Word with such a racket going by.After the parade is past, your ears continue humming and buzzing for a while from all the loud noises. When we start singing our hymns -- it sounds very sweet!
In other news:
We want to again thank all of you for your prayers for the work here and for our safety. On Friday night, one of our members, Juan Fransisco, received a gunshot wound. B
ible class had finished and he had already taken one person home on his motorbike. He was coming back to the church to pick up a second person to give them a ride home. Some other men on another motorcycle began following him, pulled out a gun and shot him in an attempt to steal his bike. Juan was able to continue riding his bike and arrive once again at the church property. There the members that were still around attended to him and took him to the clinic. Thanks to the Lord, the bullet exited his body and all he needed were some stitches.
We are all rejoicing and giving thanks to the Lord for His loving protection of Juan. Please rejoice with us that Juan is well and recovering. The Lord sent his holy angels to watch over Juan. And we thank you, also, for all your faithful prayers.
November 7, 2009
Reformation 2009
1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. (Ninety-five Theses of Luther)
Last week both Moca and Pueblo Nuevo had a showing of the Luther movie in their respective churches. It was an excellent opportunity to review our Lutheran beliefs and also to witness to others who are always curious about that "Lutheran" means.
94. Christians should be exhorted to follow Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths and hells. (Ninety-five Theses of Luther)
Many of the new people that attended were from a Catholic background and were surprised to learn Luther's reasons for beginning the Reformation. They were amazed at his love and regard for the Word and of the persecution he had to endure from the pope and from the church.
62. The true treasure of the church is the Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God. (Nintey-five Theses of Luther)
Both pastor Alex and pastor Juan spoke of God's using Luther to bring the truth of the Gospel to light. Works and indulgences are a way to give glory to man and draws their hearts from the true treasure - the Gospel of forgiveness and grace in the Savior.
September 26, 2009
Adopted - Twice
The eldest son of a poor family, Juan's parents felt they were unable to raise him along with all their other children. So at a very young age, he was given to the family that employed his birth father. This family raised him - adopted him - and became Juan's family along with the other 7 children born to this couple.
Raised in the evangelical church, Juan attended their schools and even began studie
s in their seminary. He was awarded a diploma for completing the first level of the seminary studies.Then the Lord changed Juan's plans. He came in contact with the WELS mission in Santiago and began studying doctrine with Freddy Aquino. Ironically enough, the first class that Juan attended was a study on baptism! After studying the teachings of the Lutheran church, Juan became a member. He tells about the day he gave away his diploma from the evangelical seminary. It was no longer a source of pride for him, he considered it "rubbish" compared to the truth he was learning.
Juan is thankful to his adoptive
parents who raised him, and he is overjoyed with his adoption by His heavenly Father into the family of believers. His zeal now is to share the good news of the Savior with everyone he meets.
September 13, 2009
At the Mansion
This past week we attended the funeral of one of our newest members. Magnolia, a member of Juan Tavarez' congregation died on Sunday evening.
Magnolia had
been feeling poorly for a while and on Sunday evening she was taken to the clinic. After about half an hour she died of a heart attack. The general custom here is for the body to be returned to the family. So she was brought back to the house where the family bathed and dressed her body for burial. Then the family needed to go out to buy a casket and have it delivered to the house.
The casket is usually placed in the front room of the house - after all the furniture has been moved out. (In this case, the family decided to use the community center). Friends, relatives and neighbors will then arrive to accompany the family members throughout the night and until the service and burial t
he following day.
Juan Tavarez was able to give a beautiful law and gospel presentation to all the people present, affirming the faith that Magnolia had in her heart guaranteeing her a place in heaven next to her Savior. It was an opportunity to witness to many new people.
After the service, a rented hearse arrives to take the casket to the cemetery. Most of the burials here are in masoleums. The family must rent a space for x number of years (usually 3
). At the end of the con
tract you are given the option of renewing or different options for disposing of the remains.
When the funeral party arrives at the cemetery, the workers are there waiting. Juan was able to say a few words again for the family. Then the casket is placed into the chosen spot and is immediately cemented in. The workers place the name plaque in place and fix it in place with cement. Some families may leave flowers or pictures in front of the vault. These are then enclosed with a metal grate and locked to avoid being robbed.
Final condolences are given and everyone returns to their homes. People do no
t get together for a meal after the burial, as is customary in the US.
Magnolia had been a member for just a few short months. She was very happy about her faith, always expressing her joy in forgiveness. In one service she gave a beautiful witness of her faith to another family member. We will miss her - but only for a little while. We know that she is already with the Savior - at the mansion.
Magnolia had
been feeling poorly for a while and on Sunday evening she was taken to the clinic. After about half an hour she died of a heart attack. The general custom here is for the body to be returned to the family. So she was brought back to the house where the family bathed and dressed her body for burial. Then the family needed to go out to buy a casket and have it delivered to the house.The casket is usually placed in the front room of the house - after all the furniture has been moved out. (In this case, the family decided to use the community center). Friends, relatives and neighbors will then arrive to accompany the family members throughout the night and until the service and burial t
he following day.Juan Tavarez was able to give a beautiful law and gospel presentation to all the people present, affirming the faith that Magnolia had in her heart guaranteeing her a place in heaven next to her Savior. It was an opportunity to witness to many new people.
After the service, a rented hearse arrives to take the casket to the cemetery. Most of the burials here are in masoleums. The family must rent a space for x number of years (usually 3
). At the end of the con
tract you are given the option of renewing or different options for disposing of the remains.When the funeral party arrives at the cemetery, the workers are there waiting. Juan was able to say a few words again for the family. Then the casket is placed into the chosen spot and is immediately cemented in. The workers place the name plaque in place and fix it in place with cement. Some families may leave flowers or pictures in front of the vault. These are then enclosed with a metal grate and locked to avoid being robbed.
Final condolences are given and everyone returns to their homes. People do no
t get together for a meal after the burial, as is customary in the US.
Magnolia had been a member for just a few short months. She was very happy about her faith, always expressing her joy in forgiveness. In one service she gave a beautiful witness of her faith to another family member. We will miss her - but only for a little while. We know that she is already with the Savior - at the mansion.
July 10, 2009
New Members
On Sunday, July 5, Pastor Juan Tavarez and several members of the congregation "Soldiers of Christ" were received into fellowship with the WELS congregations in the Dominican Republic. In a joyful service these new members confessed their faith in Jesus alone and expressed gratitude to their Savior for this gift of faith and to their teachers for sharing the truth of salvation with them.
After confessing their faith, we joined together at the Lord's table to celebrate
our common faith. As one family we 
gathered before the Savior to receive forgiveness and to have faith strengthened in the sacrament.After the service, there was a time of fellowship to welcome the new members. It was a very special day of great joy and happiness for all the members, as we see the Holy Spirit working in hearts and bringing more souls into his kingdom. Some members were not able to attend so we are expecting more confir
mations in the coming weeks.Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.
August 21, 2008
Santiago break-in #4
I'm a little pressed for time, so please accept this quick note.
The downtown Santiago outreach center was broken into again this last Tues night/Wed morn (Aug 19/20). That’s number 4 if you’re keeping count. The thief (I personally think it was a one man job) stole the offering from the past few Sundays and a large tool box that one of our members had left since he was working on replacing all of the electrical outlets and switches. It is indeed frustrating, but we know we are still in the Lord’s hands and he PROMISES to work even this out for the good of his children. We take him at his word!
We renew our efforts to make the building more secure.
The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW
The downtown Santiago outreach center was broken into again this last Tues night/Wed morn (Aug 19/20). That’s number 4 if you’re keeping count. The thief (I personally think it was a one man job) stole the offering from the past few Sundays and a large tool box that one of our members had left since he was working on replacing all of the electrical outlets and switches. It is indeed frustrating, but we know we are still in the Lord’s hands and he PROMISES to work even this out for the good of his children. We take him at his word!We renew our efforts to make the building more secure.
The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW
June 8, 2008
Robbed again
As you can see from the title of this post, our church in downtown Santiago was broken into again. I can't go into too many details right now, but here’s a quick summary:
(1) Thursday night/Friday morn (May 22/23) – thieves bent back a zinc (tin) roofing sheet and came down through the ceiling tile in the back third of the church (only front two thirds has cement roof). They took the CPU of a computer and a DVD player (I hope they watch the Communicating Christ DVD that was in it.) On Friday, we filed police report and cleaned up the broken ceiling tiles, replaced tin sheet and secured it as best we could.
(2) Saturday night/Sunday morn (May 24/25) – thieves broke in again, this time they completely removed the burglar bars at the women’s bathroom (we see now they were poorly installed) and forced open the louvre window. This time they cleaned us out: 29” TV, water cooler, the rest of the computer (monitor, speakers, etc), window a/c unit, wall fans, Missionary Monday’s tool set, even a 3 liter bottle of communion wine! By God’s grace we had removed the congregation’s cash on hand lock box after the Friday morning break in, so they didn't get that.
After a delayed Haitian service on Sunday, I attempted to file a police report, but was told to come back on Monday. Obed, one of our Haitian seminary students, and I replaced the burglar bars (temporarily) with cement, and cleaned up except for four items that had obvious fingerprints. Following EFL classes and the Spanish service in the afternoon we removed anything we thought the thieves might come back for (used batteries, three fans that remained, etc).
Mon morning we planned for a “work day” at church to improve security, only to arrive and find out that during the night they had broken into the veterinary office below us and took their computer and some equipment! Within a few minutes after we got there, news people started arriving. Freddy and I were interviewed. I even got to speak live on the radio with Jose Gutierrez, a well known news and commentary program here in Santiago with a large audience.
The police “CSI” team arrived and after they finished taking fingerprints, we cleaned, fixed the roof better and cut back tree branches to open up visibility. Still in the morning I went to file our police report from Sunday, only to be told to come back in the afternoon. I went back in the afternoon (an hour before they told me to return), and after waiting two hours, was told to come back the next morning!
So on Tuesday I went early to file the police report that we couldn’t finish Sunday or Monday because their computers were down. After close to three hours of paperwork and waiting in lines, the case was put on a list to be assigned an investigator. I finally went to church, hoping to get in at least an hour of seminary classes. Immediately when I arrived at church, however, some of the neighbor businessmen came over and said they knew where our stuff was.
Since our case was still waiting for an officer to be assigned to it, we had to return to the police station personally to inform them. They “immediately” assigned us an officer who took his time waiting for a partner – then he told me that they didn’t have a vehicle!!! “Can you drive us?” they asked. “What if you take someone into custody?" I responded. “Well, we’ll put him in the cargo area...” (I have a jeep-style vehicle.) Next thing I knew, Freddy (one of our sem students) and I were driving around these two officers to do their investigation. So much for teaching any seminary classes...
After asking around and driving to different places looking for information, we are 99% sure that the next door neighbors to the church either are responsible for the break-ins or at least bought the stolen merchandise from the thieves, to resell it later. But we have no confidence that the police will do anything about it--unless we decide to "wet their hand" (mojar la mano), give the police a cash incentive to act. (What we take for granted in the US!)
But God is good. We wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. Your prayers are requested!
Believe it or not, that is the *SHORT* version!
With you, declaring God’s praises!
NW
[By the way, in the third and fourth pictures above, you're supposed to notice what *isn't* there -- no TV on the TV cart, no air conditioner unit in the window...]
(1) Thursday night/Friday morn (May 22/23) – thieves bent back a zinc (tin) roofing sheet and came down through the ceiling tile in the back third of the church (only front two thirds has cement roof). They took the CPU of a computer and a DVD player (I hope they watch the Communicating Christ DVD that was in it.) On Friday, we filed police report and cleaned up the broken ceiling tiles, replaced tin sheet and secured it as best we could.
(2) Saturday night/Sunday morn (May 24/25) – thieves broke in again, this time they completely removed the burglar bars at the women’s bathroom (we see now they were poorly installed) and forced open the louvre window. This time they cleaned us out: 29” TV, water cooler, the rest of the computer (monitor, speakers, etc), window a/c unit, wall fans, Missionary Monday’s tool set, even a 3 liter bottle of communion wine! By God’s grace we had removed the congregation’s cash on hand lock box after the Friday morning break in, so they didn't get that.After a delayed Haitian service on Sunday, I attempted to file a police report, but was told to come back on Monday. Obed, one of our Haitian seminary students, and I replaced the burglar bars (temporarily) with cement, and cleaned up except for four items that had obvious fingerprints. Following EFL classes and the Spanish service in the afternoon we removed anything we thought the thieves might come back for (used batteries, three fans that remained, etc).
Mon morning we planned for a “work day” at church to improve security, only to arrive and find out that during the night they had broken into the veterinary office below us and took their computer and some equipment! Within a few minutes after we got there, news people started arriving. Freddy and I were interviewed. I even got to speak live on the radio with Jose Gutierrez, a well known news and commentary program here in Santiago with a large audience.The police “CSI” team arrived and after they finished taking fingerprints, we cleaned, fixed the roof better and cut back tree branches to open up visibility. Still in the morning I went to file our police report from Sunday, only to be told to come back in the afternoon. I went back in the afternoon (an hour before they told me to return), and after waiting two hours, was told to come back the next morning!
So on Tuesday I went early to file the police report that we couldn’t finish Sunday or Monday because their computers were down. After close to three hours of paperwork and waiting in lines, the case was put on a list to be assigned an investigator. I finally went to church, hoping to get in at least an hour of seminary classes. Immediately when I arrived at church, however, some of the neighbor businessmen came over and said they knew where our stuff was.
Since our case was still waiting for an officer to be assigned to it, we had to return to the police station personally to inform them. They “immediately” assigned us an officer who took his time waiting for a partner – then he told me that they didn’t have a vehicle!!! “Can you drive us?” they asked. “What if you take someone into custody?" I responded. “Well, we’ll put him in the cargo area...” (I have a jeep-style vehicle.) Next thing I knew, Freddy (one of our sem students) and I were driving around these two officers to do their investigation. So much for teaching any seminary classes...After asking around and driving to different places looking for information, we are 99% sure that the next door neighbors to the church either are responsible for the break-ins or at least bought the stolen merchandise from the thieves, to resell it later. But we have no confidence that the police will do anything about it--unless we decide to "wet their hand" (mojar la mano), give the police a cash incentive to act. (What we take for granted in the US!)
But God is good. We wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. Your prayers are requested!
Believe it or not, that is the *SHORT* version!
With you, declaring God’s praises!
NW
[By the way, in the third and fourth pictures above, you're supposed to notice what *isn't* there -- no TV on the TV cart, no air conditioner unit in the window...]
March 3, 2008
Another brother, another blessing
We thank God again for leading another sinner declared to be a saint in Jesus to declare publicly his unity with us in the faith. Alfredo was received as a communicant member yesterday (Mar 3) in the Santiago Dominican congregation.
What a joy for his wife Emerita who was already a member of the congregation. Already married for many years, they are now united even more by publicly confessing the same faith in Christ their Lord. What a blessing to express their common faith when -- side by side -- they receive the Lord's body and blood together in the Lord's Supper. We pray God bless Alfredo, and all of us, keeping us in the true Christian faith until He calls us to His side in the glories of heaven.
The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
What a joy for his wife Emerita who was already a member of the congregation. Already married for many years, they are now united even more by publicly confessing the same faith in Christ their Lord. What a blessing to express their common faith when -- side by side -- they receive the Lord's body and blood together in the Lord's Supper. We pray God bless Alfredo, and all of us, keeping us in the true Christian faith until He calls us to His side in the glories of heaven.The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
February 26, 2008
Glory to God for another brother in the faith
Rejoice and give thanks to God with us. The Haitian congregation in Santiago celebrated the adult confirmation of Wisler on Sunday, Feb 17. What a joy to confess publicly the unity we share through faith in Jesus!May the Lord bless Wisler and all of us as we continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ.
The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
December 17, 2007
CSI: Santiago
As promised, part 2 of the Santiago church robbery. (Be sure to read the first part by clicking here or by scrolling down if you haven't read it yet).
There seminarian Freddy and I are, looking at the broken locks, scanning the room to figure out what is missing. A thousand thoughts a minute. What to do? First things first. Freddy calls 911 to report the burglary.
Wonder of wonders! A police car actually shows up! --The Dominican police force is *not* known for its reliability.-- The officer looks the building over, then tells us we have to go to the station to file the report. He'll meet us there.
By now the other seminarians have arrived, so they can watch the building as Freddy and I go to the police station. Once we find the right office, Freddy and I wait about 20 minutes for the officer in charge to show up. We tell him about the robbery. He calls for the "scientific investigation" team to accompany us back to the church to investigate the scene, then he will write out the report. We wait 10 minutes for them to show up. The investigation team tells the officer who called them that he has to fill out the report first before they go. They argue for a few minutes about what comes first, the report or the investigation. We wait another 20 minutes as the officer takes out a grade school writing tablet (I think it had "Dora the Explorer" on the front) and writes out a rather general report by hand. There is a computer in the room, but it is being used as a big CD player... --The Dominican police force is not known for its efficiency.--
Finally the report is written and we can lead the CSI team to the church. The "scientific investigation" consists of digital photos and dusting the doors for fingerprints. Since this isn't TV, they don't find a case solving fingerprint on the first try--nor do they solve the case in 43 minutes (60 with commercials)--but they do find one they think is "promising". Freddy and I are both fingerprinted so that they can rule our fingerprints out. We'll see if they get a "hit" on the fingerprint they found, but I'm not holding my breath.
By the time the CSI team finishes and leaves, it is our normal break time, so the seminary students go for a quick snack before starting to clean up. Right next door to the church, behind the fruit stand where the guys get their snack, is a run down house that has been abandoned for almost half a year now. Julio says, "Let's look around to see if the thieves left anything there." Can you guess what happens next?
While I'm still in the church starting to put things away, I hear Freddy call out "Professor Natan! Natan! Venga!" (Prof Nathan. Come here!) The thieves DID leave something behind! There behind some stairs is our window air conditioner unit. They had obviously placed it there planning to come back for it later.
Again, we see the little blessings the Lord showed us. He allowed us to recover the most expensive of the six items that had been stolen! We were even able to joke about--now the thieves are going to call the police to complain that we stole back what they had rightfully stolen from us! :-)
It was a long day, but after cleaning the church, buying and installing a new lock for the door, a new (much stronger) padlock for the gate, making copies of the new keys for everyone, etc. I finally go home. The story, however, would continue the next day......
There seminarian Freddy and I are, looking at the broken locks, scanning the room to figure out what is missing. A thousand thoughts a minute. What to do? First things first. Freddy calls 911 to report the burglary.
Wonder of wonders! A police car actually shows up! --The Dominican police force is *not* known for its reliability.-- The officer looks the building over, then tells us we have to go to the station to file the report. He'll meet us there.
By now the other seminarians have arrived, so they can watch the building as Freddy and I go to the police station. Once we find the right office, Freddy and I wait about 20 minutes for the officer in charge to show up. We tell him about the robbery. He calls for the "scientific investigation" team to accompany us back to the church to investigate the scene, then he will write out the report. We wait 10 minutes for them to show up. The investigation team tells the officer who called them that he has to fill out the report first before they go. They argue for a few minutes about what comes first, the report or the investigation. We wait another 20 minutes as the officer takes out a grade school writing tablet (I think it had "Dora the Explorer" on the front) and writes out a rather general report by hand. There is a computer in the room, but it is being used as a big CD player... --The Dominican police force is not known for its efficiency.--Finally the report is written and we can lead the CSI team to the church. The "scientific investigation" consists of digital photos and dusting the doors for fingerprints. Since this isn't TV, they don't find a case solving fingerprint on the first try--nor do they solve the case in 43 minutes (60 with commercials)--but they do find one they think is "promising". Freddy and I are both fingerprinted so that they can rule our fingerprints out. We'll see if they get a "hit" on the fingerprint they found, but I'm not holding my breath.
By the time the CSI team finishes and leaves, it is our normal break time, so the seminary students go for a quick snack before starting to clean up. Right next door to the church, behind the fruit stand where the guys get their snack, is a run down house that has been abandoned for almost half a year now. Julio says, "Let's look around to see if the thieves left anything there." Can you guess what happens next?
While I'm still in the church starting to put things away, I hear Freddy call out "Professor Natan! Natan! Venga!" (Prof Nathan. Come here!) The thieves DID leave something behind! There behind some stairs is our window air conditioner unit. They had obviously placed it there planning to come back for it later.Again, we see the little blessings the Lord showed us. He allowed us to recover the most expensive of the six items that had been stolen! We were even able to joke about--now the thieves are going to call the police to complain that we stole back what they had rightfully stolen from us! :-)
It was a long day, but after cleaning the church, buying and installing a new lock for the door, a new (much stronger) padlock for the gate, making copies of the new keys for everyone, etc. I finally go home. The story, however, would continue the next day......
December 11, 2007
Advent in the DR
Two quick side notes:
(1) Please continue to be patient waiting for my promised update on the church robbery in Santiago. Thanks :-)
(2) For those who stay on top of international weather, thank you for your prayers as subtropical storm Olga passes our island. We expect heavy rains and some wind for the next 24 hours, and government emergency response teams are ready -- especially in low lying areas -- but we don't expect any major damage. We are in the Lord's hands.
Now, a few quick pictures of our church this Advent season:
The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
(1) Please continue to be patient waiting for my promised update on the church robbery in Santiago. Thanks :-)
(2) For those who stay on top of international weather, thank you for your prayers as subtropical storm Olga passes our island. We expect heavy rains and some wind for the next 24 hours, and government emergency response teams are ready -- especially in low lying areas -- but we don't expect any major damage. We are in the Lord's hands.
Now, a few quick pictures of our church this Advent season:
- The altar of our church in Santiago
- Bulletin board in Santiago church (Isaiah 9:6)
- Seminarian Freddy practicing on the keyboard
The Lord bless you with His peace,NW
December 6, 2007
Santiago church robbed
"Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Jesus' words in Matthew 24: 42-44 became more vivid this past Tuesday morning as I arrived at our ministry center in Santiago at about 7:30 am to get ready for seminary classes. I unlocked the padlock and took off the chain from the gate along the street thinking it was another normal weekday morning. My heart sank as I arrived at the top of the stairs to see the gate to our front porch wide open and the front door ajar. 
Everything became slow motion for a moment as I saw that both door locks had been pried open and were now lying on the door mat in pieces. All I remember thinking was: "Oh, no..."
Seminarian Freddy had hitched a ride with me that morning, so we went in together to check out the damage, expecting the worst. The thieves had gone through the entire building opening cabinets, dumping out boxes, breaking into a locked storage room looking for anything of value.
They wound up dismounting and taking a window air conditioner unit, an inverter (battery backup system for the building), DVD player, radio/CD player, computer speakers and a wall fan.
Despite the feeling of being "violated", we thank God as we recognize that He was still protecting us and our resources:
We are trying to prepare ourselves to prevent the thieves from returning--stronger locks on the doors, a security system, possibly a night watchman. What amazing grace that God himself prepares us through the Gospel to actually welcome his Son's return!!! Jesus has saved me from my sins. I am forgiven. I am ready for Jesus to return.
[ There is more to the story, even with a few unexpected twists. But you'll have to wait a day or two until I can write more... ]
The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
Jesus' words in Matthew 24: 42-44 became more vivid this past Tuesday morning as I arrived at our ministry center in Santiago at about 7:30 am to get ready for seminary classes. I unlocked the padlock and took off the chain from the gate along the street thinking it was another normal weekday morning. My heart sank as I arrived at the top of the stairs to see the gate to our front porch wide open and the front door ajar. 
Everything became slow motion for a moment as I saw that both door locks had been pried open and were now lying on the door mat in pieces. All I remember thinking was: "Oh, no..."Seminarian Freddy had hitched a ride with me that morning, so we went in together to check out the damage, expecting the worst. The thieves had gone through the entire building opening cabinets, dumping out boxes, breaking into a locked storage room looking for anything of value.
They wound up dismounting and taking a window air conditioner unit, an inverter (battery backup system for the building), DVD player, radio/CD player, computer speakers and a wall fan.Despite the feeling of being "violated", we thank God as we recognize that He was still protecting us and our resources:
- Noone was injured.
- Everything they took is replaceable.
- The thieves took computer speakers, but not the computer itself.
- They took the DVD player, but not the TV it was hooked up to.
- One of the few boxes the thieves did *not* look in was the one containing a small lockbox with the congregation's offerings.
- They left a mess, but did not vandalize or break anything other than locks.
We are trying to prepare ourselves to prevent the thieves from returning--stronger locks on the doors, a security system, possibly a night watchman. What amazing grace that God himself prepares us through the Gospel to actually welcome his Son's return!!! Jesus has saved me from my sins. I am forgiven. I am ready for Jesus to return.
[ There is more to the story, even with a few unexpected twists. But you'll have to wait a day or two until I can write more... ]
The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW
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