Father's Day, Santiago, 2010

This is Nelson, liturgist for the Moca congregation, Cordero de Dios. Next to him is his daughter, Marinelsy. Nelson leads the congregation in the opening liturgy of the church service and then pastor Alex goes up front to give the sermon. When they change places, Nelson goes to the back and gets his daughter and has her sit with him during the sermon.

This is Eduadro, also with his two daughters. Society sends parents many messages about caring for children: giving them an education, proper nutrition, protecting them from harm. But how often do we hear any encouragement to train them spiritually? What a blessing for the future of these children, and of our nation, to have fathers who give honor to God by training their children in spiritual ways.


Fathers shaping their children's lives; teaching them to love and serve their heavenly Father who has provided all we have and are.

Mother's Day, Santiago, DR 2010

Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May in the DR. It is a widely celebrated holiday and most people try to get home to be with their mother. Stores are usually very busy and traffic is heavy. Traditionally, women are not to cook and most will receive gifts, even if they are very humble presents.

We were reminded on this day what a wonderful thing it is when your own mother is a Christian and teaches you the stories of Jesus. Many of our members here do not have believing mothers and are trying now to witness to them. This is a picture of two expectant mothers who are thankful that the Holy Spirit has worked faith in their hearts and want to baptize their infants in this same faith.

The most popular question about Mother's Day is "How was your day"? The most common response is to tell how the family cooked for mom and what they gave mom as a gift. Most people want to tell you what they were able to give their mother as a sign of their appreciation for all she means to them. What a blessing to have a mother that we appreciate for having talked to us about Jesus, taking us to church and teaching us His Word. What greater blessing than to worship the Savior with your parents, to sit at Jesus' feet and learn about His love for all.

Faithful Leaders

This month we were privileged to celebrate the birthdays of two of our leaders.

The mens club got together and gave Philip a surprise party.





The congregation gave Pastor Alex a surprise party after Bible study.






What a blessing it is when God allows us to have faithful leaders that teach us His Word, not only in classes but also in their daily lives. This is another example of God working among the people as He preserves His work by strengthening the leaders, giving them hearts dedicated to spreading the gospel and seeking the lost.

Ronany

Ronany, the daughter of Rona Abraham, turned one this month. She was born here in Santiago and has papers as a Dominican citizen. Her parents had a small get together to celebrate.











She enjoyed the cake and the toys and for the most part is a very pleasant and happy one year old.












Rona is a very proud and happy father. Now that he is making two week long trips into Haiti to do exploratory work, he will not see very much of his daughter. Ronany and her mother will be staying here in Santiago.

Obed Visits

Today we had a pleasant surprise when Obed came to visit during sem classes. He had a break at his work and was able to be in the DR for a few days and also was in Haiti visiting his family.

He went to see his parents who came through the earthquake fine. His brother, though, suffered the loss of his home and two of his children received injuries. When the earthquake hit his brother and his wife were not yet home so the children were alone. The oldest child, 11 yrs. old, was able to get all the children out of the house. But then they stood next to the building next door, about 3 stories high, which collapsed and two of the children were injured anyway. They took them to "Doctors Without Frontiers" who had already been working in the city and had their installations set up. The children were cared for and are recovering, but the parents could not find the children when they got home and it was not until the next day that they realized they were all alive and at the hospital.

Obed also talked about the violence in the country that is continually escalating. People are desperate to get food. Looting is rampant. He says that by 6PM everyone tries to find cover or shelter before it gets dark. He also referred to the kidnapping of children and thinks they will be most likely sold for organ trafficking. About five years kidnapping was a serious problem in Haiti and most of the children that were taken were sold for this purpose. The government made it a priority to get these kidnappers and many were put behind bars. Many of the people that were captured and put in jail have now escaped. It has been reported that 5,300 prisoners escaped in the earthquake. One Santiago newspaper ran a story about a Haitian woman who identified her rapist, here in the city, so we know they are crossing the border.

We asked him about the food situation. He said that there were some stores open but that all the prices had almost doubled. There also are no mechanisms in place for these stores to receive more supplies so they can only sell what they have in stock. We have noticed that the prices have also gone up in the DR. The government says that the provisions that are going to Haiti are surplus supplies and should not affect the availability of food here - but that is not the reality when you go to the store, especially in the poorer areas of town.

Other reports say that the Haitian hospitals are all out of morphine and analgesics, so they have nothing to give to their patients that have suffered amputations. The majority of the operations have been limb removal. The hospitals desperately need supplies: gauze, bandages, cotton, ibuprofen, antibiotics, intravenous solution, ... and the list goes on. The need is made worse by the fact that people are attacking UN convoys that are delivering supplies hoping to find food for their families.

In spite of all the tragedy and disaster we still find comfort and joy in our Savior's arms, remembering all he has done for us and rejoicing in his promises of forgiveness and eternal life when we leave this vale of tears. We continue to pray for wisdom and guidance in the midst of such sorrow and hurt and give thanks to a loving and merciful God who watches over His church and keeps us and guides in all His ways. It was with joyful hearts that we shared a devotion today with Rona and Obed and we give thanks to God for watching over them and their families.

God's Blessing Be With You

"May God bless you" is a common expression used among the believers here in the DR. On Saturday night, this blessing was repeated numerous times as two members of the Moca congregation were joined in holy matrimony.

Juan Manuel and Laura Patricia were married by Pastor Alex on Saturday night. Previously, both of them had dated unbelievers, but on the advice of their pastor, decided to stop these relations and try to find a believing partner. God answered their prayer and led their hearts to love and care for each other. After having postponed the date numerous times, everyone rejoiced with them when the "final" date was set and wedding plans were set in motion.

Many family members and neighbors who are not members attended the ceremony. Pastor Alex gave a beautiful sermon as a witness to these people, giving them an opportunity to hear the true law and gospel message. It was also an opportunity to give personal witnesses during the meal and festivities.

"God bless you" carries the desire that the Creator and Preserver of the universe shower all his love and care on the person who receives this blessing. It is a desire for the person to remain in the faith and to be among the believers around the celestial throne. It carries the desire that the person continually find comfort and strength in God's Word and be guarded from temptation and despair. It is with all these thoughts in mind that we say to Chiquito and Patti, "May God's blessing be with you".

Fathers

Do you remember holding your newborn for the first time? What joy, what inexpressible pride fills your heart when we see that new life resting in your arms gazing up into your eyes. What great illusions we have of how intelligent this child will be, how this child will change the world.

As parents, we try to fulfill all our child's needs. This includes food, clothing, a home, education, security, activities that stimulate their lives and minds. As believers, we also bring our children to the Lord, where God adopts them as His children and puts faith into their hearts.

We have also seen a different phenomenon that occurs frequently in the DR - fathers raising children that are not their own. One example of this is Julio who is raising a child that is not his own. She doesn't know who her father is. Her mother is related to Julio but is no longer able to raise her daughter, so Julio has taken over that responsibility. This happens quite frequently here where people die young, or parents may lose their jobs and are unable to take of all their children, or sometimes the family is abandoned. Then other family members take over and nieces and nephews are received into other family homes. So many men are being fathers to children they have not fathered. They become fathers to them.

Julio not only provides for Angela's physical needs, he is also "training her up" in the Lord. She is receiving catechism classes and attending church services regularly. Julio tells us that Angela often cries because she feels abandoned, not knowing who is her father. He tries to comfort with the message of her heavenly Father who cares for her and loves her.

What a blessing to be born into a loving family, what greater blessing to be "brought into" a family. We have been brought into God's family, grafted in, and made His children. Thanks be to God for giving us earthly fathers that loved us and trained us in His ways. Thanks and thanks and thanksgiving be to our heavenly Father for choosing us before the creation of the world to be His children. Happy Father's Day.