The Timothy Project

“He defended the cause of the poor and need, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” Jeremiah 22:16

The scriptures repeatedly tell us that is with the just and the righteous, with those who protect and help the poor and needy. I was struck but this passage as I read it this week- the very day I read it, I was asked but the people at Villa de Yaque to go with them to Santo Domingo as part of a commission to seek a solution to their living conditions.

They live in a government housing project that was never finished and due to politics, likely never will be. They have tried to do some things on their own to improve their situation: bring in a grader to finish the streets, bring in some one to cut the weeds, etc. But the guards won’t allow the machines to enter. We went to ask permission for them to at least be able to clean up the area to reduce the health risks.

Amazingly enough, my presence as a foreign missionary lent weight to the commission- we were able to speak to the second in command who promised help.  He treated us well, we all left with a positive feeling. A day later, we still haven’t heard from him, but I am confident things will work out well.

I count it a priviledge to work on behalf of the poor and needy, and I thank you for your prayers on their behalf. The three who went with me yesterday to Santo Domingo have not yet made decisions for Christ, but when they do, they will be tremendous leaders in His church. Pray for these three and for the growing group of believers and seekers in Villa de Yaque, that God would establish His church to be a beacon of hope in this community.

Well, attendance was down last night in Los Santos and Monday night we were able to visit in Villa de Yaque rather than have a service. I have learned that I can’t be too set on a certain event because lost people don’t make the things of God a priority. Sometimes visiting with people can be more effective than conducting a worship service/bible study.  I think in Villa de Yaque for a while we will be visiting one day a week and having studies/services the other.

In Los Santos, we had a decent group but we were missing quite a few. Please be in prayer for Sol and Eli as they seem to be the leaders as they seek to make contact with the ones who missed. Plans are developing for the inaugural service.

Please keep Saturday afternoon in your prayers as we begin to train worship teams to help facilitate worship among the people where we are working. Remember especially the team from Los Ciruelitos as they prepare and lead the training time.

Last night we had over 25 youth come to a preliminary meeting about forming a youth ministry in Los Santos- they were eager to start and thankfully several of the new believers (soon to be baptized) came and want to help. We agreed to divide the group into small groups, with the adults each having a small group. We will be meeting on Saturday’s at 7pm.

Pray for these youth to be open to God’s purpose for their lives. Many have made decisions for Christ but haven’t followed up with baptism or given any effort to follow Christ as his disciple. Pray for them as we begin this ministry focused on them, that they would have open hearts.

Pray for November 6 as the community witnesses the birthing of a new church! Pray it will move many others, youth and adults, to commit to following Christ!

What an exciting time! We have seven to be baptized in Los Santos, and it occurred to me that rather than transport them up to Los Ciruelitos, we needed to baptize them right there where they meet to worship! We did a preliminary budget and for about $200 we can build a baptistry.  Jose and I talked to Pastor Rafael this morning to see if he would be willing to come and baptize the group and inaugurate the Baptist Church of Los Santos.  He of course was willing and plans are for November 6th to be our first Sunday worship! 

I think it is so important that the church be started upon the baptisms- I have a concern that people know that the church is not a social club where they come to hear God’s word but it is the body of Christ, the baptized believers.  Baptism is a huge step of obedience here in the DR- many folks proclaim faith in Christ but when it comes to obeying him in baptism, they shy away. We have a group of seven- a good mix of men and women- who are eager to work.

Please pray for us in these next two weeks as we make plans for our first service.

1) for the building of the baptistry.

2) for next Saturday’s worship rehearsal- a group of leaders from each of the missions will come here to my house and be led in learning how to prepare for worship and learn a variety of songs appropriate for different aspects of the worship service. Pray for the leadership team of Los Ciruelitos as they prepare this week, and for each of the people from the missions/new churches that will participate.

3) For November 19th and Pastor Manolo as he leads the same group in learning about stewardship and we begin to organize our financial situation. Pray for the people to be open to God’s invitation to give our tithes and offerings to His church for the furthering of His Kingdom.

You have heard more than you want about  my new house, but now comes the good part! I shared I felt the house was given to me to be used as a conference center. Well, last saturday we had our first training event here which was a great success. I talked to the president of our Baptist Convention yesterday and he has agreed to lead a training conference here for our leaders of the emerging churches in Los Santos, The Hole and Villa de Yaque on November 19th.

Before then, I hope to have another training event just to learn how to lead music for worship. Please be in prayer as I seek out those who will lead this time, figure out how to get the musical instruments we need, and all the other details.  This and the stewardship conference are crucial for our healthy development.

Also, I hope to have Dwight Hedges here in November with his family to do some training in youth ministry. Dwight has led teams here for the past two years and will be here again this summer. He and his teams have made a huge impact on the minsitry here. It will  be a treat to have him and his family here. Please be in prayer for this possibility as we work out the details and logistics.

So you can see how God is at work in my move! Please pray for us as we seek to establish Biblically firm churches that impact their communities.

Well, I often lament that we have no snow days here in the DR but we do have “huelga” days (strike days).  I am unable to go out in my car so anything I do today will be either here at home or on foot- the public car drivers are the chief ones who are striking. 

Last night we had an inspiring time in Los Santos talking about what it means to be church and what a church does. 7 are ready to be baptized and maybe even more. They are ready to “be church”! I was supposed to go to the Hole tonight to work with the youth but Victor just told me I better not go out so he will lead. A group from Los Santos will go on foot to observe and learn- they are eager to start a youth group too! Pray for Sol and the others as they prepare for the first meeting Saturday evening. Praise the Lord for their initiative and desire to work with the young people that they may find the way of the Lord!

On a scale of 0-10 with 0 being the highest level of corruption, the DR rates 3 according to an international group (Transparency International), putting it in the same class as Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Pahkistan, Somalia, and Sudan. Unfortunately, corruption breeds proverty and is also a barrier to overcoming it so it is a downward spiral in every sense! 

No surprise then that the Cibao region is experiencing a “huelga” (strike).  The opposing political party (those who lost the presidency) have paid the “tigeres” or thugs to burn tires, throw smoke bombs and basically reak havoc today. Los Ciruelitos is impassable along with a number of other barrios.  The streets are empty, people are tucked as safely away as they can be.

I was impressed this morning during my prayer time to pray that the stronghold that Satan has in corrupting those in power be broken and there be a genuine turn toward justice and righteousness. Please join me in praying that this be so, and for safety for the remainder of today and tomorrow.

What does this mean? Today is the National Day for Nutrition and attention is being called to the fact that in the DR 25% of the population are malnourished.  Obviously that is not a good situation, and the case is even worse in Haiti where 40% of the population doesn’t receive proper nutrition.

To top it off, the currency exchange for the dollar has changed slighty which has caused prices to rise as well.  I have been told that we will have a national strike Wednesday to Friday. Sometimes these things can get violent and shut down the country. Last time they called for one, the call basically went unheeded. Please pray for stability and for a long term solution to the hunger issues facing this country!

We had a great day. I always enjoy being at the church in La Joya. Karen was able to take a picture of each of the children in SS and print a copy. It was a really nice treat!

We had a great group at Villa de Yaque. In fact, as I finished the message, one of the ladies that was here on Saturday night shared about how they needed as a community to take more responsibily for the ministry, set some goals to work toward and dream dreams about what they wanted to see there. They are meeting tonight at 6:30pm to begin talking and sharing among themselves the future of the church there. I am excited for them and for their continued development.

The Hole was packed last night- it was the first Sunday in a long time we weren’t dealing with rain. A lot of the youth came which was a good step forward for their ministry.  Victor and I and Karen took a young man from the Hole to the drug rehab center. He looked as if he hadn’t bathed in a month and had no shoes! Pray for Brian as he seeks to get his life turned around, that he will read the New Testament we left with him and the salvation tract and have a personal encounter with Jesus.

Thanks for keeping these people and community in your prayers!

Well, the house is officially broken in. Karen Miller is here from Germantown, TN to revisit some of the places she has worked during volunteer projects. I decided to take advantage of her presence and invite a group of people from different churches/missions to share together with her about children’s ministry and crafts. We had 16 people from 6 different churches or missions, and it was an awesome night of sharing and enjoying fellowship.

Please pray for the missions as they are encouraged and inspired to take on more leadership and develop ministries in their communities- starting out fresh can be exhilarating but also overwhelming.  I think the fellowship with other believers from other churches was an inspiration to the folks from Los Santos and Villa de Yaque. In fact, Milagros is asking more about baptism and wants to see one! That is a big step for her!

Today we will be at La Joya- I will be preaching and Karen doing some activities with the children in Sunday School and then we have our regular services in the Hole and Villa de Yaque. I appreciate your prayers!