The Timothy Project

We learn new things all the time. Today we had an experience getting 1,904 pairs of pants out of the “free zone” (duty free) of Santiago.  Let me explain a bit. One of our friends at Lexington Baptist works with one of the companies in the free zone and they had a shipment of “seconds” they wanted to donate to us. I went this morning with a letter to the customs officials stating it was a donation, that we would not be reselling the merchandise. Most of the merchandise that leaves the free zone is shipped to other parts of the world; they are not supposed to stay here because they are “duty free.” That is why we had to chase the paper work around several different offices- so we wouldn’t have to pay a tax upon leaving! 

Along the way I discovered the contact at TKO Apparel with whom I had been talking was one of my neighbors when I lived in the apartment. Second, we discovered that the chief aduana (custom) official is a Christian; he went out of his way to help us get what we needed quickly.  We got there around 9ish and by 11 we had the pants in my driveway, trying to figure out how to distribute it equally among the churches!  (Sizes ranged from youth sizes to size 54!)

We have 8 churches here in Santiago plus several missions that are really churches. We are giving each church around 150 pairs of pants and some to our new work sites (Guayacanal, Las Charcas, Navarrette).  Because there were few children’s sizes, we decided to give them to one or two schools.  It is hard to give away just 20 or 30 when there are hundreds of needy kids! 

So, we had quite a day. A special thanks to Yates and the LBC connection. A lot of pastors went home very happy today! And a lot more will be happy when they get their free pants!

It was better than I hoped… we had the river to ourselves, no scandalous music, no groups of people drinking lots of rum, just us, worshipping the Lord, baptizing people in the name of Christ, laughing and playing together in the river.

You might have guessed why my dream of a tranquil day at the river came to pass… Hurricane Ernesto is making himself felt in the form of rain and more rain. Only we were brave enough or determined enough to go ahead with our plans! (I must confess I was pretty disheartened this morning but when I began to see the folks on the buses as we met up I felt better). 

About 100ish made it, we baptized 10+, and enjoyed a wonderfully simple but inspiring time of praise and worship beside the river bed. Pastor Ortiz preached from the water and then baptized 6 or 7 adults and 4 or 5 children.  It was an awesome experience. I can’t help but think our traditional worship/baptismal service is a long way from how it was done in the NT. At the river, the baptismal candidate was surrounded by others in the water with him, there were people milling around here and there (we didn’t have chairs and it was a wet day so imagine how the accomodations were)  Yet it was a refreshing time of worship! Each church shared some special music or a testimony, our worship through song was robust, and the ultimate blessing was the baptisms! The only thing we missed was the Lord’s Supper (although we did enjoy rice and chicken).

As I called each group to make sure they all had gotten back home safely, each one commented how happy everyone was, how important it had been for the church family to enjoy a day together, worshipping and playing in God’s very own world.  (It was a beautiful spot, nestled in the mountains.)  Hector has already made plans to get the church at Villa de Yaque together to form a group to play music and they are full of excitment to “get going!”  In The Hole, one of our men came to me and offered to help fund a scholarship for one of our other members to finish High School in the 2 in 1 plan. (They can finish 2 years of HS in one year, getting their diploma in 2 years). I was so touched by this man’s willingness to sacrifice so his sister in Christ can finish her studies. (She is a 50+ year old woman, and not many are willing to humble themselves at that age and return to school. I like to give her as much encouragement and credit as possible because I think it is super!) 

Luis Manuel, one of our young men at Guayacanal, shared his testimony about how he had seen in a dream God calling him, telling him he needed him. He didn’t understand it but when the Baptist Church folks showed up to share a  week of VBS and youth evangelism, he decided he better go find out what God was up to. He shared how he had always carried a grudge, he didn’t know how to forgive others but since studying God’s Word and asking Jesus to come into his heart, he is beginning to forgive people, living without enemies. What a testimony! He was baptized today.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Despite the rains, it was a blessed time of worship and fellowship. Pray for these churches to build on the joy we experienced today, drawing more and more people to joyful hope!

I am growing more and more excited for this weekend when we will celebrate our “culto unido” at the river. Before I share what really excites me, let me share some of the details… we have two buses rented to transport the group which will be around 150+ people! We are working out the bus routes to have the least confusion as possible… I bought 125 pounds of rice today (by buying in large quantity I got a really good deal), We will use 50+ pounds for lunch on Sunday and the rest I gave away to people in need… I made arrangements today to buy 90 pounds of chicken Saturday. I have to go down early in the morning and watch them weigh the live chickens and then go back later to pick it up after they “prepare” them.  I was able to save quite a bit of money by buying it this way.  Keep Sol and the ladies in Los Santos in your thoughts- they will be working Saturday night and early Sunday morning (5am) cooking all this food!

We had our bible studies (4) last night and tonight- it always encourages me to see people gather to look at God’s word and consider how to apply it to their lives. We celebated Hector’s birthday which was fun… we celebrated with him last night in Villa de Yaque where he lives and then tonight I made sure he was at Las Charcas where his family lives so we could celebrate with his family. I made a cake and it was so much fun. Amazingly enough, when I got there I called his daughter aside to tell her I had brought a cake and she was surprised to learn it was her dad’s birthday! Wow! But it was fun, and we gave our goodie bags to the kids which added to the celebration.

I was really touched with the participation of Alfa- she sang a song tonight that she had written herself after the last bible study we did together. It really touched me and encouraged me to realize that as we study the Word, her life is being transformed! 

From Las Charcas we went on to Guayacanal where we found our group waiting for us and had another good time talking about God’s word, how to apply it and celebrating how we are being transformed as we draw close to God.

Okay, now for church at the river. I am being convicted that “church” is loving fellowship in Jesus’ name, focused on God’s word and its application in our lives and our world.  This weekend, all these little churches will be together to enjoy fellowship with their families and family of faith. We will have a time of worship with each group bringing some sort of participation and sharing how God is transforming them. Jesus said that the world would know we are His by our love for one another.  I find myself loving these folks more and more each day and look forward to being able to spend the Lord’s day with them enjoying God’s creation and worshipping together. Please pray for the non-believing family members who will be present and for all the other people who will be at the river, that their lives will be impacted by this group of little churches gathered together to worship and fellowship in Christ’s name!

I was right… a good day of worship helped settle down things and put things in perspective.  Continue to pray for our leaders and church members as they seek to honor God in faithful obedience.  We all know it isn’t always easy! 

The kids were blessed Sunday with their “Back to School” goodies. Over 100 kids received a bag and this week as we go to our new works we will distribute almost another 100 bags. Pray for our little friends as they begin a new school year; pray for their homes that they would receive the support and discipline needed to do well and grow in body, mind and spirit.

This Friday we hope to inaugurate the basketball tournement with six teams in The Hole. We want to have a really good kick-off event Friday night. Keep these details in your prayers!

Sunday is our “culto unido” (united service) at the river. We have our three churches plus Ortiz’ church that will be participating. I am still working out details of our transportation. Unfortunately. Sunday several of our regular members said they wouldn’t be going. I was surprised and disappointed; my impression was they felt so overwhelmed by problems they are facing they didn’t have the energy to think about a nice day beside the river. Pray for them this week that they would overcome this sense of burden and enjoy a day of rest with their family of faith.   Please keep all the details surrounding this special event in your prayers. The purpose is to provide a time for all of us to be together, to enjoy God’s creation, to invite our families that aren’t believers to spend a day with us, enjoying the fellowship of Christ’s love.  My prayer is that it will be a day of rest for our members (which they desperately need!) and a day of joy that will touch the hearts of unbelieving family members. We will be at the river all day, with a worship service in the early afternoon. 

My neighbor/friend’s mother died yesterday morning. Even though we aren’t super close, I really felt bad because it came so unexpectantly and I know she is really close to her mother. So I decided to go to the funeral which was this morning. One of our mutual friends here in the neighborhood went with me- he is the one who knew the details of where, when, etc.

When we arrived at the funeral parlor we saw their cars in the parking lot so we knew we were in the right place (or so we thought!). One of the workers told us the person we were looking for was in Parlor A so we went upstairs to Parlor A. I signed the guest book and in we went. To our surprise, a service was taking place, the pastor preaching and so we sat down in the back. As we scanned the faces we didn’t see anyone we recognized so we slipped out. We asked another person going in if this was the person we were looking for and she, “Oh, yes.” So back we went but as we stood (all the pews were filled by now) and listened to the pastor, I realized this couldn’t be the family of our friend. Out we went again, downstairs to re-check. The cars we knew belonged to our friends were gone- we discovered that as we rode the elavator up, they were riding another one down. They had left for the cemetary chapel where the mass was to be conducted. Oh boy, off we went across town. And thankfully, we found our friends and were able to share with them during their time of grief.

I was very moved as the casket was carried out of the church- by her husband and children! It was obviously a tough moment for them but how special as they carried her all the way to where they interred her.  They use above ground “nichos” where the casket is placed and then sealed in with a tombstone.  Much to my horror, after the family slid the casket in, they pulled it out again and began to pound it with a sledge hammer! I asked Ricardo what was going on and he explained that theives come and steal the caskets and resell them so they always “damage” them before they seal it up to take away the possibility of re-selling the casket. he explained that some of the funeral parlors actually have their own teams of thieves that go and steal the body out, place it in a cheaper casket, and bring the good back to be re-sold. I was appalled and reminded of just how much corruption is a way of life here. 

My heart was heavy as I observed their grief. We take life for granted and especially our loved ones.  My neighbor never guessed that when she went to bed Thursday night she would wake up to the news that her mother had died in the early morning hours. I am happy for her that she spent a lot of time with her mother and took time to be with her in several recent illnesses. Unfortunately one of her younger brothers had been a rebellious son and a cause of great distress for his parents and family. He had a tremendous struggle today, sobbing and pleading for his mother to forgive him as they placed her casket in the niche.  My, what sorrow we experience when we wait too long to awaken to what is truly important!

The morning made me appreciate the richness of my life, my family and friends, and partners in the Gospel.  As I observed the grief and heard the anguish, I was reminded just how important it is to help people prepare for that moment when death comes knocking.  Thanks for letting me serve on your behalf here in the DR, helping people make the choice to follow Christ now into all eternity!

In terms of baseball, it has been a terrible weekend so far!  The Red Sox have been horrible thus far and the post season hopes are dwindling to say the least! Thankfully, in the bigger scheme of things baseball isn’t that important.

It has been a good week. The “moral crisis” we had to deal with is working itself out and I think we as a church will have matured and hopefully the community will take notice of that.  Please continue to pray because emotions are still running high.  I am hopeful that after a good day of worship tomorrow we will be able to move forward in God’s mercy and peace.

Wednesday night we had over 30 people at our first bible study gathering in Navarette since the group left in July. We had been there to visit and share with the people. They are definately open and we have several people in the community emerging as leaders which is so encouraging. 

Thursday night we had another good Bible study with the folks at Guayacanal- I would guess over 20. Many young men, several adults and a few children. I left so inspired and please by their genuine desire to know God and live as He calls us to live. Victor, the man whose house we meet in, is really participating along with his family. It amazes  me how quickly we become as family!  I feel like I have known them for a long time!

I just got done putting together almost 200 “goody bags” for the start of school Monday.  I am so thankful for the gifts our volunteers leave behind. Over 200 childrens underwear, over 200 toothbrushes, 100 tubes of toothepaste, flip-flops, pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks are all divided up as evenly as I could manage and we will give them to the boys and girls as they start school. It may not sound so grand to your kids, but Mecho and Pilar were so excited as we put the bags together. What a treat it will be for them to receive this little goody bag! Thanks to those who donated money for school supplies, thanks to the Cool Spring folks who sent the underwear and toothbrushes/paste, and to LBC for the pencils and pens, etc.  I thought of all of you this afternoon as we put these bags together!

I am once again enjoying the “quiet” of the city- today is a holiday so which explains the quietness of the streets. 

Yesterday was spent talking with people, catching up on spiritual health issues, at the personal level as well as the church level.   I find encouragement in Paul’s anguish that the good he wants to do, he doesn’t do and the things he doesn’t want do, that he does.  (See Romans 7:14-25)  I spent a lot of time yesterday with people in the same struggle.  What amazes me is that somtimes the “non-church attender” is more sensitve to sin than those who go to church regularly! I often here from friends in the barrios that the reason they don’t go to church is because of the conduct they see in those that do go.  Obviously, that is pretty discouraging! How do I encourage those who are struggling to live by faith, being obedient to God’s call on their lives yet still fall prey to the patterns and temptations of their old way of life without promoting the idea that “anything goes” down at the Baptist church?  I know a lot of people like to blame their lack of spiritual obedience on others- those hypocrites at the church- and yet it is a real dilemna. How do we honor Paul’s challenge to “shine like stars… holding out “the Word of life” when we are broken vessels ourselves?  I found myself giving thanks for grace a lot yesterday! 

Please pray for our churches and leaders as they move through some difficult times.  In Philippians 2:12-16 I find good council. Pray with us as we struggle to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling… becoming “blamesless and pure.” 

How about you? How is your spiritual health? Are there some things that need to be “worked out” so you can be “blameless and pure”?   Allow God some time to explore those hidden corners of your heart so that he can make you clean, a worthy vessel of the message of Love and Redemption.

I feel challenged and refreshed by reading this book (See book link) by Ray Bakke.  Basically, he reviews the Old and New Testaments through the lens of urban ministry and the challenge of working in our cities.  I enjoyed the walk through the Bible; I am hungering to do more of this type of review/study.  There are so many thoughts and ideas running through my head that I will only share a little at a time so as not to bore you.

He shares a quote from Raymund Fung, pastor in Hong Kong, who says that The poor are not only sinners, they are also the sinned against. How true it is. There is sin on every corner in the places I work, and yet they also are the sinned against! 

Karl Barth: Grace is an outside gift.  This made me think of all the acts of grace that have come from outside, our volunteer teams who have come to work and to share their resources.

Evangelism includes both the spiritual transformation of persons and the social transformation of places…Evangelism has to be the front line line of ministry…  Unfortunately, so many times we emphasis one to the exclusion of the other.  How can we work for both in balanced manner?

How about this for Trinitarian theology?  You are never more like God than when you are living in relationships with God´s people and working in partnerships for the re-creation and redemption of God´s world.

I wanted to share with you my vacation plans. For the first time in several years I am going to leave the island for nearly all of my 30 days of vacation- November 3-27.  The other day I sat down at the computer and got some remarkable prices for airfare and took the plunge and bought the tickets!

November 3-7  I will be in New Hampshire/Massachusetts. I look forward to visiting with family and friends during those few days as well as enjoy some “chilly” New England weather…

November 7-14 I will be in Richmond/Roanoke visiting with  friends from Cool Spring and Mill Creek Baptist and also enjoying the wonderful Shenadoah Valley! 

November 14-27 I will be in South Florida/Keys visiting family and friends. I look forward to being with FBC Big Pine Key and sharing Thanksgiving with my parents and my sister’s family.

I hope if you are near one of these areas we can work things out to spend some time together! Drop me a line!

Vacations are great; they can be refreshing, an opportunity for renewal of body, mind and spirit.  I love them!  I also recognize that there is a lot of ministry between now and vacation time! We have a volunteer group coming in October (14-24th), we have Sunday Schools to get started, we have the basketball tournament and bible studies for these young men, we have the four new mission sites to continue moving toward becoming a group of baptized believers, we have another cycle of seminary class (September 16th-October 21), etc.  So, with the excitment of knowing vacation is just around the corner, I press on with the ministry God has entrusted to us. I appreciate your prayers as we seek to be faithful servants.

I may not be blogging much the next few days so I ask you to continue praying for us and also for you to be faithful servants wherever you might be called to serve!