Greetings from Santiago
Our group (Tim Rude, Duane Laugerman, Greg Baker, Colleen Bragg, Laura Brill, Kendall Schroll, and Bettina Khanthongdy) arrived in the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon. We began our time in the city of Santo Domingo but have journeyed on a new mission trip for our church to the city of Santiago, which is about 2 hours north of Santo Domingo.
Upon arrival to the Dominican Republic we were greeted with a very hot and humid climate, friendly faces, and a language barrier that, at the beginning, was very overwhelming. Thanks to the hospitality and grace of the Dominicans, and even more grace from our Lord, we have been able to have a huge impact even with the language barrier.
Our time in Santo Domingo was only three quick days, but we saw so much in that time. We had the opportunity to visit with members of La Vid, which is a sister student ministry at the University of Santo Domingo. They have all become dear friends of ours, and it was a great time of encouragement to fellowship with them. We also had the opportunity to visit our sister church in San Pedro where we witnessed many baptisms and got to meet even more of our brothers and sisters.
We’ve had several opportunities to go to the University and witness on campus. With the help of Dominicans who were willing to translate and many of our own team members who speak excellent Spanish, we got to share the Gospel with many students on campus as well as at Guibia, a public beach on the Atlantic Ocean. At Guibia, several of our team members had the opportunity to witness to some of the street kids, many of whom do not have a home, and some who look as young at 8. One of the conversations on the beach was with a believer who was following Christ, but after struggling with repetitive sin, decided to walk away. He had begun praying to God that he would like to return, but he did not know how. We had the opportunity to encourage him and remind him of the Lord’s love and grace, and that He was calling him home. He plans to attend church service on Friday. Please pray that he does.
On Monday we journeyed to Santiago, which has a satellite campus of the University of Santo Domingo. We do not know what the Lord has for our church in the future here, but there are a lot of excellent opportunities, which could include a campus Bible study and ministry similar to La Vid, and maybe an eventual church plant. For now we will labor and see where the Lord leads.
Our first day on campus the Lord brought us to three Dominicans who speak English. They have been so gracious and helpful and have been willing to read the word of God with us. Overall, the students have been kind and open across campus which has resulted in many great conversations. Many are interested in the Gospel, and we continue to pray they will all actively live out God’s word. We are so thankful for the favor God has given us here.
Yesterday we spent some time with Alexis, who now lives in Santiago, but was a member of La Vid in Santo Domingo. Alexis has an amazing understanding of God’s word, and we know the Lord will do great things through him. Alexis got baptized and will be joining us on campus as we continue to labor.
Alicia Jones has also joined us in Santiago. She has been in the Dominican Republic for the past few months laboring with La Vid in Santo Domingo. She has been so helpful here with her wisdom, love, and ability to fluently speak Dominican-style Spanish.
Today we will also be hosting two Bible studies on campus. With several students interested in God’s word, we felt that it would be wise to host two Bible studies today to better fit the schedule of the students we’ve met. We are planning to discuss God’s word together and share our testimonies.
We look forward to further updating you on our work here in Santiago. The Lord has been so gracious to us in a city we started with knowing no one.
Praise God!
Tim, Duane, Greg, Colleen, Laura, Bettina
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