Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dominican Republic Mission Trip Update


July 21st through the 29th, 7 FLC members were in the Dominican Republic sharing the love of Jesus. We spent our time with Rev. Mark & Stephanie Pyles of Ministerio Jovenes Valientes. Their ministry is headquartered in the city of Santiago, where there are approx. 1 million people. We easily and without incident, arrived on Wednesday into Santiago. We checked into our hotel and then spent the afternoon with the Pyles family and their two interns. Orientation was a must.


After breakfast on Thursday, we went to
the market to buy supplies to give to the boys in the youth prison. Each of the 80 inmates received a bag with deodorant, soap, toothpaste and a T-Shirt. They were smiling from ear to ear. We had a special service for them in their cafeteria. Many responded to receive Jesus and to be prayed for! It was an amazing experience.




The following day was two-fold. We first went to a children's home with profoundly physically and mentally disabled children. We had the opportunity to play with them and to give them lolly pops. It was a very moving experience as we showed the love of Christ to children that, for the most part, have been forgotten.

In the evening, we ministered at a church that is pastored by a friend of Rev. Mark's. You could sense the presence of God as Mark & his wife Stephanie led worship. The people were hungry to experience God and His power. I shared a message on Gaining an Eternal Perspective. There was a wonderful response from the people to receive prayer.


Saturday was a very full day. We started off in the city where they just started a new church only 4 weeks prior. We went door to door passing out invitations and tracts. It was wonderful to be able to invite the people of that city to come and see. We had a lot of fun and met some wonderful new friends that came to church the following night.


After lunch, we went to Rev. Mark's first church to train his leaders and empower them to go to
the next level as a team. We then returned back to the city where we passed out tracts and held an outdoor evangelistic crusade. People were watching from the balcony of their homes. Mark's team shared dramas, music, and we preached a message. It was awesome praying for those that responded.


Sunday morning we were at Mark's first church and then back at his second church in the evening. We had the honor of ministering his 4th service in the new church. God was so faithful to keep the team healthy and encouraged. It was a powerful first mission trip and we thank God for the opportunity to go and be His hands and feet.

Thank you for your prayer and support to send our team!

Blessings,

Pastor Dan