Dominican Elections

As I sit here a long parade of trucks, cars, pickups and motorcycles is traveling round Jarabacoa. The music is blasting, horns are sounding, people are waving white flags, wearing white shirts, holding signs for their candidate.  As the procession approaches it grows in number.  People join the parade while others sit and watch from the side of the street.  Today, the flags are white and are supporting Hipólito Mejía.  A few days ago, another parade passed in a similar fashion.  It's flags were purple and they were supporting Danilo Medina.  After months of parades and rallies that blast music in the night, we are very ready for election day, this Sunday, May 20th.

On paper the system here is similar to that in the US.  There were many parties but two have the focus - the PLD (Dominican Liberation Party) and the PRD (Dominican Revolution Party).

Recent History with the PLD and PRD
Presently, President Leonel Fernández is in office.  He represents the PLD.  President Leonel has been in office a total of 12 years.  From 1996 - 2000 he held the office but due to laws at that time, was unable to run a consecutive term.  In the 2000 election, Hipólito Mejía of the PRD won the presidency.  During Hipólito´s presidency, the laws were changed so that a president can hold office for two consecutive terms.  So in 2004, Leonel Fernández returned to challenge Hipólito Mejía.  Leonel was successful and regained the presidency.  President Leonel has been in office since then, August 2004.  On Sunday, Hipólito Mejía seeks to regain the presidency.  He faces PLD´s candidate, Danilo Marino.  Interestingly enough, Danilo's running mate for Vice-President is the current First Lady, First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández.

Elections in the Dominican Republic are emotional.  People are tied to their party.  They feel that if their party is in power, they will have opportunity for jobs and other perks.  Very simply, if their party is not in power, they won´t.  Their feelings are backed by past experiences.  They know the system.  The winning party is able to appoint people to all of the government owned jobs.  Not just the directors, but each person employed by Public works (Police, fire, garbage collections, water, road ) has their job because their political party gave it to them.  For example - the men who come to pick up our garbage each week will lose their jobs if their party does not remain in office.  With so many jobs, many people are impacted.  People know it and are doing whatever they can so that their party is in office.

As foreigners, we have to be careful.  Historically elections are times of uncertainty and we have to respect that.  Recent elections have been much better, a trend we hope continues.  While we don't feel any danger, we do know the history and know to be careful.  We don't take sides.  We try not to favor either party.  Since the top two party colors are white and purple, we don't wear those colors during election week.  While it might seem fun to join a parade, we don't.  We stay away.  And we seek the advice of our Dominican friends.  They tell us, the night of election day and the days following are times to stay home.  That is our plan for this year.

We have Dominican friends who support Hipólito and others who support Danilo.  We enjoy learning from them, their thoughts about the country and it's needs.  Like most elections, both candidates promise change and improvement.  Their methods to bring change may differ, but both talk about helping the poor, improving education and decreasing government corruption.  It's just a question if who you trust and which method you agree with.

We know from Scripture that God is in control (Rom. 13:1-7, I Peter 2:13-17).  These are challenging passages when you look through history at some of the leaders that have had power around the world.  Thankfully, we have examples from people like Ester, Daniel, Paul, and others.  These examples can help guide us.

Please be in prayer for this country.  Saturday, May 19, has been designated the National Day of Prayer by the Dominican Conference of Bishops.  Nationwide, people will be praying for an election day that is peaceful.  We invite you to join us.

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!

For the past 4 years, I have been meeting regularly with a group of women in El Montaña to learn and follow the Bible.  The women came to faith in Christ mainly through Ramona, a tireless champion for Christ.  When we first began studying together, most were not familiar with the Old Testament.  Esther and Jonah were new to them.  Even ¨basic¨ stories like Creation and the Flood were only vaguely understood, so we focused on learning these and what each story told us about God.  We learned He is perfect, all powerful, all knowing, loving, just, and that He hates sin.  This past year we have been learning about what it means to be a disciple, using many stories in Matthew.

Recently we looked at Matthew 16:13-28, below.  We read the passage several times and explained it to one another to make sure everyone had learned it well.  We have the assignment of sharing it during the week with someone else.


When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  

Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Once everyone has a firm grasp on what the verses are saying, we begin to apply it.  What will each person commit to doing this week to obey these verses?  I got some blank looks on this, so I asked some questions to stir their thinking.  "Do you remember the time in your life when Jesus was just another religious figure, but not your Savior and Lord?  Are there things that God wants to do in your life and you are saying, "Never, Lord!"?  What does it mean for you to take up your cross?"  Are you ready to choose Jesus over everything and everyone else?  Even your family?  

After a few moments, Genara said, "I have already done that and I will do it again."  I asked her to explain.

"Well, when I was young, my older brother came home and announced that he was a Christian.  My mom was so angry with him.  They fought a lot about it; it was tremendous.  Of course as a Catholic*, this was unacceptable to her.   He wouldn't back down. He was going to follow Jesus.  Finally, he left home.  It was hard for me at the time.  So when I accepted Christ as my Savior a couple years ago, I was afraid to tell my mom**.  I avoided it for a while.  Then once she called me during a church service and I had to tell her I couldn't talk right then.  When I called her later, she asked what I had been doing.  I told her I was at the Christian church.  She said, "I can't talk to you about this now.  Next time I see you we will discuss it."   I knew what my choice was.  I couldn't deny being a Christian to please my mom.  When I told her, she was really upset, but now I think she has accepted it.  My brother was so excited when he heard I had become a Christian.  Now he is not alone.  I can't give up Jesus for anything in the world.  If I deny Him, He will deny me."

I was kind of shocked by this testimony.  Genara needed a lot of support and encouragement to make it to church and Bible study when she was a new believer.  Even then she was often quiet, or hung in the back row.  Now I knew how strong her faith was. I came away from that study rejoicing as I wound my way through the rain to Jarabacoa.  God is at work...He will never stop working in us until the Day of Christ (Phil. 1:6)


How strong is your faith?  What cross will you bear to follow Him?  What relationships, goals, and possessions will you deny yourself in order to be counted as His disciple?

Notes

*Let me make some comments about Catholicism and Protestantism in the Dominican Republic (D.R.).  While the majority of Dominicans are "Catholics" many are not practicing their faith, most don't really understand the tenets of the Catholic faith.  Most that I have talked with about Catholicism place a great importance on the traditions and institution of their church and are ignorant and/or suspicious of learning directly from the Bible.  Many Catholics have a misunderstanding of Protestantism.  They see it as a disorganized, fanatic, cultish group of "holy-rollers" who take away all their fun (ie. drinking and womanizing) and impose stiff lifestyle rules on their followers.  I don't think an informed Catholic would react as strongly as Genara's mom did to her belief in Jesus Christ as Savior.  After all, we worship the same God and read the same Bible.

**On a cultural note, Dominicans, like most hispanics, gain their identity from belonging to a group.  Americans have a very independent sense of identity.  So for a Dominican to separate from his/her "group"  is not just a change in their own identity, but causes a crisis in the group's identity.  It is a cultural value for Americans to seek out their "own identity" and separate or distinguish themselves as unique from others.  To an extent "rebels" are respected in American society for their strength in "doing it their way" or "going against the grain."  This is not so in the D.R.