Ministerio Azar-ébyón - Ayudando al Necesitado

Carol begins the day with a Bible story.

Exciting News:

A new ministry has started at one of the church plants. It was created after the church in Buenos Aires visited each house in their community. As they went from house to house, they found some consistent needs and developed a ministry to address those.

The boys are writing what Becky reads to them.

Why?

Because we are created to do good works (Eph. 2:10)

Because God told us to Love one another and we can do that by meeting everyday needs (1 John 3:11, 16-18)

Because as we help others with a selfless love, it is a service unto Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:31-40)

Because they want people to realize that God has met our need (John 3:16)

Reading the story of Creation.

What are they doing?

It's most visible ministry is to children but they have ministries to teens and adults as well. For the children, they have started an after school learning center. For youth and adults, they will be having classes on various topics that have been brought up in the survey. In addition, they will be inviting medical doctors and dentists to give the basic care that many don't get. Their dream is to address needs in 4 areas - Spiritual, Educational, Social, and Physical.

We are very excited about this ministry. It has been birthed and run by Dominicans. Becky and I have helped but the leadership has been Dominican. In some ways, it is a model for how we want to do ministry here. Many ministries are completely run by Americans. This one is not. The vision was developed by the Buenos Aires church while we were in the USA. They were excited to share it with us when we returned and when we heard their plans, we joined in the excitement.

Lots of smiles and kids to love.

This ministry has started. A few weeks ago some friends from Minnesota were here and we spent a morning observing and joining in where they could. This ministry has a lot of needs and for those who visit, there are lots of ways they can join with the ministry. For the children, the program appears similar to a VBS. But as you go and help, you will see that it's focus is much greater. We love that it is on-going and reaches people of all ages.

Please do pray for the ministry. It meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday, morning and afternoon. They are struggling to find workers in the morning. Please pray for this. Also, they are trying to build a support base by asking other Dominican churches to help. The response has been good but there are still needs. And when we were there, we saw that they have some space needs. Praise God, their vision is bigger than their facilities. Becky and I think this is something that the North American church can help with. A plan is being made for the property. Pray that God would provide the reasources for this ministry.

It isn't easy, you know.

It isn't easy, you know.

This is a familiar saying in the Dominican Republic. It is often said at the end of a story of hardship, or by way of explaining how the lack of water, power, gas, money, transportation, or food complicates life.

I think if Jesus were Dominican he would have said this to the many who came asking for healing and salvation and those desiring to follow Him. It isn’t easy, you know, rich young ruler:go and sell everything you have and follow Me. It isn’t easy, you know, Nicodemus, to be born again as an adult. It isn’t easy, you know, Peter to resist denying Me. It isn’t easy, you know, woman at the well, to leave the man you are with and follow Me.

The church in Montana is finding that it isn’t easy. In recent months members have faced numerous challenges. One of the older members fell ill with encephalitis and continues to suffer with seizures and weakness. One family is in crisis following marital infidelity. Another member is facing up to the need to end an immoral relationship of 15 years. A single mom is struggling to parent as Christ desires her to in the face of criticism from an alcoholic family member who lives with her. These are only the “major” trials, I won’t mention some of the minor squabbles that exist between individuals.

It isn’t easy, you know! But is there hope? Will this church implode as Satan attacks and seeks to destroy? Jesus said, “ UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME IT.” (Matthew 16:18)

I recently listened to a sermon on Matthew 16 by John Piper. He made so many excellent points, but one that sticks out is: I will build MY church. Jesus owns it and does it. As I look at the ladies in my discipleship group who are facing giants of sin and hardship in their lives right now, I rest in Jesus’ commitment to them as a body. HE will build HIS church in Montana and the gate of Hades will not overcome it.

I am also reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6: “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” We are so blessed to trust in His faithfulness. Please pray with us for these tender young believers as they grow through trials as a body.

Upper Jimenoa Waterfall

Paul and I hiked to the Upper Jimenoa Falls. Here is a short video of Paul chasing fish and a the falls. It is a beautiful place that can be reached with a little effort.

Guide books and locals say that this fall was filmed in Jurassic Park. I think

that is a rumor, as it is not named as a film location for the movies.

Our Dogs - Dylan & Keela

Recently we got a camcorder. It will be very helpful for sharing our life and ministry. I posted this video as a test. For the techies...the camcorder is the Kodak Zi8. It is a very basic but should meet many of our needs.

How do you teach without books?

I, Becky, LOVE to read! I am always reading several books, both fiction and non-fiction. When I need to find something out, more often than not I google it and read several articles on the subject. When we lived in the U.S. I was a heavy library user. But I am learning that I am not a typical American or a typical world citizen.

Most people in the world learn orally. This means they talk to others to get the information, skills, and help they need. Although literacy rates appear high, people's reliance on the written word is actually quite low. This is because their tendency is to learn in a form most natural to them. In the U.S. only about 13% of the population use reading as their preferred way to learn. This statistic is similar in Canada and Europe. If this is true in developed countries, what about countries like the Dominican Republic?

When we began teaching the Bible in the rural villages, we assumed that most people had a basic ability to read and that with the Spanish NIV Bible, they could read a passage and understand it. We quickly discovered that even if the passage could be read, it was unlikely that it would be understood. Many of the younger people could read, but most of the older folks had difficulty. Some were embarrassed about this and it deterred them from attending the studies. Reading certainly was and is a problem but there was more to it. We noticed that most Dominicans prefer to use their network of friends and family to gain information, solve problems, and make decisions. Their process of learning was obviously different. Teaching them in the same format we had used in the United States would probably not be very effective.

So what to do? Well being the literate people that we are, we got on the internet and began searching for answers. We had heard about missionaries working in "oral cultures" where the language is not even written down or there is little access to education. As we searched, we learned that missionaries around the world, even in developed countries, are using oral methods to evangelize and disciple people. They are finding that when they teach using oral methods a much greater percentage are able to understand and share what had been taught to others.

Oral methods are using stories, dialogue, pictures, films, and drama to communicate Biblical truths. Orality is about much more than whether a person prefers to read or hear information. It is a way of life. Literate people tend to organize their lives and think in a 1, 2, 3 fashion. Oral people rely on their memory of events, stories and people for information. Their knowledge and wisdom is housed in stories. Think about the power of a story. People enter into story intellectually and emotionally. Stories are easy to share and to pass on. No wonder Jesus taught so much using stories and parables.

In September we attended a training conference called "Simply the Story." We learned how to lead inductive Bible studies without using any written material. First we learned a Bible story well so we could tell it in a dramatic fashion. Next we taught the story to our small group and finally lead them through a question/answer discussion to help them discover spiritual observations and applications from the story. We are very excited to bring this method back to the Dominican Republic, use it, and train Dominicans to use it.

If you would like to learn more about orality we recommend the following website:

http://www.story4all.com/

Story 4 all is a podcast we listen to regularly and love it for the information and encouragement it bring us. Under the resources tab, you will find links to several organizations that are using oral methods in missions.

A Wedding to Celebrate

Upon our return to Jarabacoa, Rick ran into a couple from Montaña, a village where we have spent a lot of time. Wily and AnaMaria invited us to their wedding the following Sunday afternoon. Becky was thrilled when Rick brought home the news.

Willy and Ana Maria have two darling boys, Wilmar, age 7, and Wilfred, age 2. Their names proudly announce who their daddy is! Willy and Ana Maria have been together for about 10 years and last summer had talked some about getting ¨married.¨ Now, in the eyes of the village they are a married couple. They have a home together, children together, they are faithful to one another, what more could you ask for in a couple?

It seems most rural Dominicans don't get legally or religiously married for a variety of reasons. For one in the D.R. getting married means going to a judge and paying money to be legally married and then being married in a church, publicly. All this costs money which is sorely needed for daily living. Plus, once you do all this you are REALLY committed and Dominicans tell me they like to keep their options open. We could list a number of other reasons, but you get the idea.

As Christians, we believe there is value in being REALLY married. God instituted this in Genesis and blesses it. It gives honor to both husband and wife to publicly pledge their love and loyalty to one another. Legally, it provides protection for the children and parents in the family in case the marriage breaks up or one parent dies. Again, we could list many more benefits to marriage versus "free unions" as they are called here.

Some time while we were gone, Willy and Ana Maria sought marriage counseling with Pastor Bill Hanson, pastor of the Jarabacoa New Life Church. During this time he encouraged them to get married and they agreed.

The wedding, as you can see from the pictures, had all the trimmings, down to nervous groom, a tardy bride and a ringbearer (Wilmar) who just about forgot his duty!

For us, it was the fulfillment of our prayers that many of the couples in Montaña living in "free unions" would choose to get married. Many are new believers and make lifestyle changes as they grow in their understanding of how to follow Christ. They stop drinking, they begin to dress modestly, they learn to control their anger and forgive. They need good models of what a Christian wife and a Christian husband are like. In Montaña they are seeing this in Damaso and Mirian. Damaso is the church planter sent from the main church. His wife and children faithfully attend the Tuesday evening service and encourage the believers.

On a sadder note, in one of the other church plants, we returned to find that the father of a young family who had been faithfully attending church (as a family) had just up and left with little explanation and no indication about where he was going or if he would be back. Often when this happens, the man has run away with a new girlfriend. We don't know if this is the case in this situation. What we know is this. There is a young mother with four children who has been abandoned. We spoke with the church and although the church is small, they will be looking after this young mom and her children.

Intensive Spanish

This morning I woke up at 3:30 am to get ready to be picked up at 4 am. I needed to be at the airport in time for my 7:30 am flight. I had spent the last two weeks alone in Guatemala. My purpose was to get a refresher course in Spanish. I had been told that spending 4 months in the United States would set me back in Spanish and so I decided I wanted to do something to combat this. The last two weeks have been focused on learning Spanish. During this time, I spoke little English. I met daily with a teacher. I spent the majority of my time, in a small simple hotel room studying. So what happened? I leave so thankful that I did this. I feel like my ability in Spanish has taken a huge step forward. Right now, I am sitting on the plane. In about 40 minutes I will be in the Dominican Republic and I am excited to use what I have Iearned, and to continue learning.

Thank you for your prayer. Thank you to those who reached out to my family. They are in Minnesota and will join me in the Dominican Republic in a few days. It was difficult for us to be apart, but we all felt it was the best thing to do.

Also, thank you so much for your support to us while we were in the United States. Many of you reached out to us and shared our lives with us. We are overwhelmed by the acts of kindness and the love that has been shown to us. We were so blessed to be in so many of your homes. There were wonderful times of sharing God’s faithfulness. As we hoped to encourage you with our stories, we were blessed to hear your stories as well. How blessed we are to be children of a living God. Thank you!