The Timothy Project

Another interesting tidbit on life in the DR, from DR1.com

12. Middle class pays 25% of income for services
The middle class of the Dominican Republic is paying close to 25% of their income for basic services: water, lights, telephone, garbage collection and cable TV.
The Listin Diario gives the example of an employee that makes RD$45,000 per month and takes home nearly RD$41,000. Of this sum, over RD$10,000 go to services-RD$4,000 for electricity, RD$4,000 for telephone with Internet connection, RD$1,000 for the cell phone, water and garbage collection are around RD$550.00. With the remaining RD$29,662, the real expenses begin: rent or mortgage payment, education, fuels, and, oh yes, food.
The newspaper points out that over the past two years the price of basic services has increased 100%, especially when the dollar went to above 50:1.
Since last August, the cost of the US dollar has decreased by 50%, but this reduction has not been reflected in the cost of services.
On the contrary, in October the Tax Reform was implemented and that added more taxes to the middle class, including a supposed selective consumer tax of 10% on telecommunications that then totaled 28% on the phone bills, an additional 4% on the VAT tax, going from 12% to 16%. And these are just a few of the examples available.

Many of you who have come here ask why we have such trouble with the power. Well, here is a brief article from the DR1.com news to help explain:

Those who pay, pay for all
The 900,000 people that have contracts with one of the electric distributors (EdeNorte, EdeSur or EdeEste) are paying for the electricity being used by the two million people that have lights in their houses or places of business. Which is to say that 45% of the users are paying for 100% of the electricity. So says the Listin Diario reporting on statements by Francisco Mendez, the Superintendent of Power. Mendez also said that the repurchase of EdeNorte and EdeSur by the government also reduced the operating efficiency and the percentage of bill collection by these two distributors. Mendez offered his opinions to the editor in chief and the writers of the economic section of the Listin Diario.
Mendez said that the government is well aware of the situation and had begun an overall plan that the IMF had agreed upon in order to reduce the operational costs of the distributors by widening the collection base, injecting more money into the sector and negotiating the contracts, mainly the onerous Madrid Accord.
The idea is to rescue the industry that has maintained only 70% of the country with electricity since the beginning of the year. The goal is an auto-sufficient industry.
The superintendent sharply criticized the Anti-Blackout Program (PRA) instituted by the former government since it allowed, within a certain geographical area, persons with the capacity to pay to escape payment due to the location of their house or business. He called the PRA “a weight around the neck” of the sector. He said that now, with the push from the IMF, the government is trying to focus on the precise sectors that need to enter the subsidized program and place those that can pay in the regulated client lists.

Monday night was Youth Meeting night. Pastor Ramón Ortiz preached again. There were well over 20 young people (I wasn’t there and Dominicans don’t get into numbers as we do so all they could tell me was more than 20.)  Several more accepted the Lord and Ortiz reminded those who had made decisions what it implied in terms of life-style choices.

Sunday, several of the young people came to our worship service and we talked about getting a musical group together to add to the worship experience. They got excited and shared different indigenous instruments they played so we made plans for a “field trip” to the church in Los Ciruelitos so they could observe how the youth play for the service and use that as a model to begin their own worship team. A volunteer team from North Carolina will be here this summer with a Praise and Worship team and we hope to do some sharing and learning with them as well.

Pray for these young people, that they would develop themselves in order to lead others in the worship of God!

On Tuesday nights, José and I go to Los Santos to visit.  We are embarking on a new chapter of our ministry there- we have a group of ten who have been faithful in all our activities and now share with us the desire to have a church all their own in their community.  Last night I began an 8 week training program. I shared the bible story, and several of them repeated it back to me. Pray for this aspect- it was hard for them to repeat it as I had shared. Our desire is to make a recording in their hearts of 8 key bible stories that they can apply in their lives and share with others so that others will know the Good News.  We memorized a verse (Luke 9:23) and talked about how to apply it in our lives. Our two acts of obedience are: 1) set aside a quiet time with the Lord each day for prayer and Bible reading or meditation and 2) congregate with other believers and participate in the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis.

Next week we will review this lesson and then José will give the lesson for next week on The Prodigal Son.  Pray for this group of leaders, that they will make the effort to seek the Lord this week.  I was encouraged by their participation last night and honesty as we shared.  Pray for José as he prepares.

Tonight I will do the same lesson with the group in Villa de Yaque. Pray for them, pray for me.

Some of you may have seen my request for urgent prayer (I since deleted it in consideration of family needs) for Ingrid. She had been checked by a doctor and it looked as if she had tuberculosis- naturally the wait this weekend for the test results was tough. Everyone felt sad and concerned.  She had every symptom listed on all the documentation I saw. But thanks to your urgent praying, they just called to tell me the tests all came back negative!! Praise the Lord!! Thanks for your interest in our ministry and people- what a blessing it is to count on your prayer support!

It was a hot, sunny day, after a week of rain and more rain. It was a little tough to stir people from their homes to come to worship in Villa de Yaque, but we had a group of 9 who came and it was a good time of sharing.  Please continue to pray for our key contacts/leaders to mature in their faith and ability to lead others to Christ. We begin this Wednesday in a special training focus.

In The Hole, we had a good group of 15- several young men for which we are thankful. I can’t explain it, but our faithful group of 18-25 people haven’t been there for the past two Sundays and Tuesdays.  They had been regular in attendence since last January so it is somewhat surprising. I am thankful that there is new growth taking place, but I don’t want to see those dear souls leave a church fellowship. Pray for us as we visit and pray with these ladies.

Our little “church” was packed tonight. I shared the same study I had shared last night in Los Santos- Jesus’ call to the first disciples: “Come, follow me.”  We talked about what that involved: immediate obedience (“and immediately they left their nets”) to Jesus- the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission, and we looked at Jesus’ model of ministry in Matthew 4:23-25: teaching, preaching and healing.  We committed to have “preaching” Sunday afternoons, “teaching” Wednesday, and continue to do “healing” (meeting physical and emotional needs) as often as God allows.  People are truly excited- we finished by talking about those disciples who followed Jesus, and the multidudes that followed- one group seeking the Gift-giver, the others only seeking what they could get for themselves. I challenged them to be disciples, to truly be followers of Christ, and not just seeking some material benefit associated with the church.  Many verbalized a desire to be true disciples; pray for those good intentions to translate into holy habits.

There is a Pentecostal pastor (a lady) who has been in the community for years. The people tolerate her but she has few that identify with her. She came tonight asking to join her “church” with ours- she has come off and on asking me this. So I decided it was time to be clear with all- we are Baptists and we are there to form a Baptist church. We have every desire to work in good neighborly fashion with any other church that preaches and ministers in Jesus’ name, but we were not going to join together. She has had little success in bringing people together as church, and now that we have a group of about 20, she wants to be co-pastor.  Obviously it was a delicate situation.  I tried to be as diplomatic and friendly as I could, and she was very persistent.  The people themselves said loud and clear they were Baptists and they didn’t want to go to her services. I felt bad for her yet as I was leaving she said something that made me realize there was a deeper problem. She told me she had gotten there first, she was the pastor of all those people, and she would give me permission to be there, but we had to be clear she was the pastor. I explained kindly that I didn’t see how she could be pastor when she had no members of her church to which she replied, “That is because they are all disobedient to God. He put me here as pastor and they don’t want to follow, but I am the pastor here.”

The people were rather discontented. I was concerned for any appearance of squabbling with a sister in Christ. Pray for us all as we sort through the situation.  And give God thanks for the growing group of adults there seeking Him.

Today is Wednesday, prayer meeting night for many Baptist churches.  Here are some concerns we have to share with you:

1) One of the families associated with the church in La Joya experienced a great tragedy today. One brother (19 years old) shot and killed another brother (23 years old) during a fight. He put a pistol to his head and shot him.  He is on the run as they family grieves for the loved one. Pray for Pastor Ramon as he and his church seek to minister to the family and the community.

2) Pray for the chains of drug addiction to be broken in all the barrios. The incidence obviously was drug related. What precious lives are being lost daily because of the influence of drug addiction.

3) Monday night I have a special meeting with three of our strongest Baptist leaders. We are working toward establishing a foundation for economic development. This has been a long-time dream of mine which I believe will be an important tool in a long term solution to the poverty that exists among our Baptist family.  There are many challenges before us yet I know with God’s wisdom and guidance we can see this become a reality for the Glory of His Kingdom. Pray for us, that God would open our minds and hearts so we may overcome the challenges. 

Yesterday José and I shared with one another on our way to Villa de Yaque how much resistance we feel to what we are doing- inner turmoil, petty conflicts, etc. I am not a big one to talk about spiritual warfare, but I know it exists!

We prayed for one another to be strong and to be true to what God is calling us to do- plant the seed that will sprout forth new churches! And this afternoon in preparing for our service tomorrow in Los Santos I came across this by John Wycliffe,

“Let no  man think himself to be holy because he is not tempted, for the holiest and highest in life have the most temptations. How much higher the hill is, so much is the wind there greater; so how much higher the life is, so much stronger is the temptation of the enemy.” (John Wycliffe)

Remember us in your prayers, that we may stay true to the High Calling God has placed on our lives!

I never know what to expect! I felt discouraged as the day began, hard to explain why, but I was feeling down and not expectant about the work.  What a turn around by the end of the day!

In Villa de Yaque (VY)- we had 14 come for service, we have a building loaned to us and are already looking to expand our space! (That has been approved too!) As I shared with them the need for them to begin assuming responsibilities, they readily jumped at the idea and began making plans- one will be sharing a children’s devotional at the day school, they will have prayer services when I am not there, etc. I felt so encouraged!

In The Hole- the young people have finished their mini-basketball court. The church paid for the cement- a great step for them.  Tonight we have our first meeting with the youth. This weekend Victor had told me attendance had dropped off on Tuesday’s (when I don’t go) and our attendance had been down a little the past few Sundays. So I was concerned. But yesterday we had 23 adults and 10 or more children, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm.  I shared with them too the need to take responsibility and shared some basic activities they could do on their own and they seemed pleased and responsive. There were about 12 visitors and they too liked what they heard.  It was encouraging for Victor and I to see some new energy! Pray for the meeting tonight with the young people, and for continued growth of the new church!

In Los Santos- we went back to visit Guillermo- he has asked for a special visit last week. And he shared he had sought the Lord many times but he always drifted away, but he wanted to recommit to the Lord! We were so thankful! I left him a Bible and tract and we will see him again Tuesday- pray for him to prove to be good soil in which the seed of Hope and Grace can take root and grow deep and reach high!