I am currently in the Dominican Republic for a short-term mission trip to visit with and encourage missionaries and pastors here.
I visited a very poverty stricken community of around 600 families that literally live in a landfill, Hoyo de Bartola — “The Hole”.
I stayed in the home of Ramon Gabriel. Gabriel is the head of the local Christian School in Santiago. He and his wife Tata were very gracious hosts. However, I walked into Roman’s house on Saturday night and there he sat watching television wearing a UK tee shirt! I realized at that moment that he needed some in-depth discipleship training. (UK fans are everywhere!)
On Saturday I visited a fairly new G.O. Ministries church plant in a very poor area called Hato del Yaque.
The congregation there has around 60 on Sunday but they manage to provide a free, solid lunch for scores of grade school and preschool children SIX days a week.
This 5 year old girl was so joyful to have a bowl of rice and pepperoni to eat. I was told that her meal at the church is usually the best and maybe the only meal of the day.
Brook Brotzman (yellow shirt, far right), is a member of Southeast Christian and has been the primary mover behind G.O. Ministries and its effective evangelistic outreach to the Dominican Republic for the past twenty years. G.O. Ministries evangelizes by planting new churches, providing a Christian School, a medical clinic, an extensive sports program, as well as a seminary and benevolent efforts.
Brook is an excellent networker and fund raiser, using Louisville, Kentucky as his base. Over the past several years scores of Southeast Christian members have visited the D.R. on short term mission trips. I’m especially proud of the Southeast members who are now on the G.O. Ministries staff. Pictured above with Brook Brotzman and me are several who were at one time involved with Southeast Christian; Tim and Samira Krauss, Jill Abrams (husband Mitch was ill), Dianne Miller, John Martinez, Jeff and Vicki Rogers, Joe and Kim Blair, and Ron Creque.
On Friday I spoke to around 35 G.O. Ministries staff members.
On Saturday I spoke to the Dominican ministers and seminary students. These are seven of the seminary students along with Brian Johnson, seminary professor and director.
Even though I had to speak through an interpreter, my favorite experience was talking to about 25 Dominican and Haitian pastors. These guys have a tough assignment. What a contrast between their difficult, poverty-plagued ministries and my easy, privileged ministry. I prayed God would help me relate to them and encourage them even though our cultures and experiences are so different.
I pray they are motivated to be faithful to Christ and to bloom where they are planted. I gave my best effort and they were gracious in their affirmation of me afterward. I was glad I came.
Frances Schaeffer once suggested the biggest barrier between people was not race but language. I think that’s true. It’s so frustrating to have a common faith and a common calling and yet when the pastor’s meeting was over we could do little more than say, “Thank-you” or “gracias”, smile for a moment and move on. I frequently sensed a desire to ask a question or share a need but all we could do was shake hands, sometimes embrace and look forward to the day when all tribes, nations and tongues will speak the same language in heaven. “Then we shall know, even as we are also known.”
In the meantime, please pray for these dedicated servants of God. They have such an important, yet often lonely assignment.
I return home to Louisville later this week. Thanks for your prayers.