The Timothy Project

Today marks the anniversary of the decisive battle for freedom over Haiti in the mid 1850s.  Around 11:30am, we were buzzed by military planes and helicopters, an annual part of the commemoration of this battle.  I happened to bump into the military parade and enjoyed seeing all the different units pass by.

When the planes were flying low overhead, and the helicopters buzzing us, smiles came to the faces in the crowd, including my own. It was a special moment, which led me to think about those countries who are at war, where planes fly low, not in proud ceremony, but for real.  I thought about all the machine guns I had just seen and thought of them in action. 

I am grateful for the freedom we enjoy, both in the USA and in the DR, to share our faith openly. Let us remember those who are protecting our freedom and those who are suffering the many terrible consequences of war. May God bring peace on earth soon!

Trials, temptations, disappointments — all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fibre of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.
- James Buckham

Early this morning I woke to the sound of rain- I love to hear it fall on the palm trees just outside my bedroom window!  When it rains, my mind can’t help but remember God’s promise in Isaiah 55:10-11:

As the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Today I will be visiting in Villa de Yaque in the late afternoon and then in Los Santos- we will be gathering together to study what God’s word says about prayer, and then putting it into practive, praying for our communities and for our churches to grow strong and healthy.  Please join us in praying that God will accomplish His purposes in us and draw more and more people to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

I will be leaving shortly to drive back to the police station to pick up the accident report and my driver’s license.  It is about a 200 Km drive, there and back, on a wet highway! So remember to pray for me as I drive- maybe sunny skies will appear shortly! 

Another cause for rejoicing: yesterday we worshipped in our “newly constructed” church in Los Santos- it was wonderful! It cut down on a lot of distractions and the inside felt bigger.  I was disappointed though that we had a pretty low attendance. I can’t explain why we were down in numbers, but I do know we had a great worship time and heard an inspiring sermon.  Please pray for several of our leaders who are struggling with various family issues, and a few of our youth who are still inconsistent with their commitment to grow and mature.  We have on young man who got upset over something trivial and hasn’t been back. Pray for me as I try to visit with him this week and help him overcome his resentments.

The Hole was also down in numbers yesterday for some reason. But we all felt good after the service so it was confirmation that it isn’t quantity but quality that counts in worship!

We are preparing for a baptism service this Sunday- please be in prayer for the 6 baptismal candidates as they prepare themselves this week for this step of faith and obedience. 

I know many of you have been praying for Monica, Pastor Rafael’s wife, and her situation with Hept C. I just got the results back (RNA and the genotype) and they came back negative- she doesn’t have Hept. C after all! I can’t explain why the other tests she took all came back positive, but according to a specialist, these most recent tests are the most definitive! What an answer to prayer! Once again God proves His goodness to those who love Him and serve Him.

(For more pictures look at the new album titled CAR ACCIDENT) 

I have often said that driving is my most dangerous activity and yesterday’s experience proves the point. I was on my way to Santo Domingo to take my family to the airport. We stopped at a road side shack to buy some souvenirs. As I was negotiating some prices (something I have gotten pretty good at!) my parents began to yell to move; I looked up to see a Mack truck jumping the median strip, flipping on its side and dumping his load of gravel on top of my jeepeta not more than 8 feet from where I was standing! All five of us were out of the vehicle and my mom and the kids got pretty far back from the scene and my dad and I were standing together watching my car get creamed. It was a pretty weird experience I must say.

I am so thankful we were where we were and no one got hurt- not any of my family, nor the other bystanders and not the driver. It was really a miracle that all the on coming traffic was able to dodge the careening truck without getting clobbered! As he flipped on his side, the asphalt slowed him down enough to keep him from crashing into the little hut where we were standing. If not for that, we would have had a very sad tale to tell.  You can see in one of the pictures how close the truck was to my car when it came to a stop- and you need to figure in that the impact of the gravel on my car shoved it back about 20 feet. My dad and I watched it live! It was incredible. 

My neice and nephew (9 and 10 respectively) handled it all very well- it was pretty scary, lots of people coming from everywhere with something to say in what to them is a foreign language, a very long wait as the scene was cleaned up, and the police did their thing, etc. but they handled it very well. We got lots of exciting video footage anyway!

Our IMB business manager, German, helped so much in sending a van to pick up my family and get us reservations at a Santo Domingo hotel. I jsut talked to my dad and my family has landed safely in Miami this evening- I am praying their Stateside drive home from the airport (to Englewood (3 hours)) will be less eventful than their trip to the airport in the DR!  We have had enough excitement for one trip! The week with them went by so fast and the last day sure was unforgettable! I do hope the kids won’t forget the worship experiences in the Hole, Los Santos and Villa de Yaque and all the new Dominican friends they made. We ate at Pilar’s house one day, Ortiz had us over for one of his now famous cookouts one night, and others dropped by the house to meet them. It truly was a blessing for them and for me to have them get to know my ministry and my dear friends.

Experiences like these remind me vividly of how God protects us all the time. We had a lot of “what ifs” to talk about after the accident, but the good news is that God had things in control and He chose to keep us safe from harm. 

I am so very thankful for all your continued prayers for safety as I minister here in the DR!

We are pretty excited to be able to raise the walls of the church in Los Santos. Although I really like the metaphor of a church without walls, the distractions were very difficult.  I will miss being able to see people stand in their doorways and watch the movies but I think in the long run it will be a good thing for us. We should be able to paint it soon with paint leftover from La Joya- it is fun now to have three churches all painted the same color- Los Ciruelitos, La Joya and now Los Santos! Pray for Villa de Yaque and The Hole to also join us in having a permanant home painted blue and cream- not for the sake of the colors but for the string of churches reproducing churches, forming a spiritual family tree.

This week has been a blend of ministry and visiting with family- my parents arrived safely Saturday with my niece and nephew and it has been a whirlwind ever since. They trooped along to all three services Sunday- we had a great morning in Los Santos- we are getting more stable in our attendance and not having to remind people constantly to come.  One interesting thing is we had a business meeting after church to make a decision to raise the walls- and we have already started construction! We hope to have the front wall and part of the side walls done by the end of the week. My family trooped along to the hardware store helping me to look for a special block we want to use instead of windows- it is open so it lets air through and light. We finally found it and at a good price too!

Sunday afternoon we were in the Hole and Daniel and Christina presented ball gloves to the kids of that community- it was an inspiring even for everyone. Our kids were impressed that they had given up soda and snacks to pay for the gloves and were motivated to do like wise! My family was impressed by the joyful faces among not so joyful living conditions.

Sunday night we showed movies in Villa de Yaque to a good crowd. I think things are moving along and we are ready for formal services on Sunday- pray for me because it sure makes a LONG day.  I am excited though as I see the leaders developing and getting stronger. Milagros shared that three or four of them had gotten together to work on the Gospel of John study and she was excited to see their unity growing.

Monday was beach day and boy did the kids have a good time- i did too for that matter! And have the sunburn to prove it! We managed to get started on the construction in Los Santos via telephone calls too! What would I do without my cell phone?

Today we had a quieter day- more construction issues and an on site visit which was pretty exciting and also lunch at Pilar’s so those of you who have been here know what fun that was! And then the hardware store followed by a visit from Sol and Eli and their girls to give them some dolls Christina had brought. It was so much fun and we had some unexpected company too- Ortiz and Ingrid came by- and we all enjoyed a spaghetti dinner that I managed to fix in the middle of translating and entertaining!

I always enjoying sharing my ministry here with my friends and family from the States and enjoy sharing my family and friends from the States with my family here in the DR. It is a wonderful taste of what awaits in heaven when we won’t need translators and can enjoy the diversity of culture.  Thanks for your ongoing prayers. i will try to get some photos up of the new work in Los Santos soon.

Well, I think it will end well! Day before yesterday my parents told me that my mom was experiencing double vision! The doctors determined it was due to a mini-stroke and the damaged nerve should regenerate in time. But for 24 hours they hadn’t decided if she could travel or not- and they are leaving Miami for the DR tomorrow! Luckily she had an optimistic outlook and went ahead and prepared for the trip and at 2:30pm today she got word from the doctor that she could travel.

My dad also had an appointment today to learn the results of a series of tests he has had relating to his heart and some dificulty he experienced. He also got good news. They are taking him off one medicine to see if that might reduce the pain he has in his legs.

So, God willing, they will be arriving here tomorrow with my niece and nephew of Tampa, FL, my sister’s kids who are also our youngest in the family. I am anticipating we will all have a great time. Sunday will be church day with the three normal services that I am a part of and Monday we will head to the beach. From there I don’t know what will happen.

I appreciate your ongoing prayers for my health and safety and that of my family.  I know many of you also experience “scares” and I want to be able to pray for you as well!

We had a great time last night learning how to lead small group Bible studies with Onesimo, the director of the Bible League. We are moving into the second phase of the Philip Project, which is discipleship. We have a number of folks that have completed the study of the Gospel of John and ready to move on. There is also a sizable group that have not yet finished the Gosepl study so we are praying for them to move forward.

Please be in prayer for all three churches and their leaders as we organize into small groups and they begin to take responsibility not only for evangelizing their communities but now discipling them too. Pray for wisdom on my part to be able to encourage and guide them.  Our purpose is to mentor new leaders who will be able to mentor new leaders- it is exciting to see this taking place!