Doing something you're probably already doing.
If you shop at Kroger or one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger#Chains you can help us out. We’ve made an arrangement with Kroger so that if you care to, 4% of what you spend on groceries anyway, can be designated to help support our work.
So, here’s how the whole thing works:
1. Fill out this Web form: http://go-ministries.org/give_kroger_gift_card2.shtml
2. Be sure to pick "Jeff and Vicki Rogers" in the "Supporting" drop down box.
3. You will receive a Kroger gift card in the mail already credited with $5
4. Next time you go to Kroger to get groceries go to the customer service desk first and put additional money on your gift card (whatever you estimate you will spend).
5. Get groceries and pay with gift card.
6. Keep your gift card and reuse it over and over again just like the above. It’s important to keep the card b/c that’s how the whole thing is tracked.
Kroger will donate 4% of each dollar you put on the gift card to G.O. Ministries in our name, helping support our work.
This adds a step to your grocery run but helps the cash you’re spending go 4% further to help change the world in which we live in very positive ways. Once we receive your registration we’ll get a card in the mail to you right away.
Thanks very much and God bless!
The Rogers
Successive Storms Torment Haiti
Haiti has suffered storms back to back. Heavy rains always spell trouble for this country because of rampant deforestation. Gonaives has been especially hard hit. I spoke to my friend Romano tonight over Skype. He is Haitian living in Santiago in the Dominican Republic. He told me that he has heard that they have found around 600 bodies in Haiti. He believes that as the water recedes many more will be discovered.Pray for the survivors, pray that relief agencies get there promptly, that nations with resources come quick with significant aid.
To learn more about the current crisis check out these NPR links:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94407524
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94389789
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/09/09/haiti.gonaives.flood/index.html?eref=rss_world
Grace and Peace
Ministry is Moving Along...
There has been so much going on. Vicki is booking new teams like crazy for 2009. I just got back a week and a half ago from leading an exploratory trip with three sets of leaders from three different churches spanning Kansas, Indiana, and Maryland. One of the churches, Harris Prairie, is getting on board with a Partnership with Nico Gracesqui in a big way. The leaders from Maryland are already on the calendar for a trip 2009 and the leader from Kansas City is meeting with his leadership to see if G.O. is the route their church wants to partner with for further involvement in global ministry.
Gracesqui Family
I was able to get over 100 new books to Santiago for the Pastors’ Library. If all goes as we hope the library will be open and available for use by September 10th. All of the logistics are coming together.
I will be following up in the next week with all of those who have expressed interest in Partnering with a national pastor or worker over the last two months in the Dominican. Pray that hearts are turned to commit to help further the work of these passionate servants.
I’m currently coordinating a group of volunteers for another G.O. fundraiser at Churchill Downs in a couple of weeks. We’ll be helping to run a clearance sale of all of the 2008 Derby merchandise in conjunction with the Ryder Cup here in Louisville. The event should earn G.O. about $4500 to $5000.
It is also that time of year for Vicki and I to start thinking about budgets and hopping back on the fundraising trail. We’ve been so busy with ministry we’ve not kept up with our own fundraising development very well. We’ll be giving that some attention in the coming days.
If you’ve considered supporting us monthly, or dropping us a one-time gift, we welcome it. You can send in a check or give through the Paypal link to the right. We could use a little boost after losing some significant support recently.
Pastor Nico
Gracesqui FamilyI was able to get over 100 new books to Santiago for the Pastors’ Library. If all goes as we hope the library will be open and available for use by September 10th. All of the logistics are coming together.
I will be following up in the next week with all of those who have expressed interest in Partnering with a national pastor or worker over the last two months in the Dominican. Pray that hearts are turned to commit to help further the work of these passionate servants.
I’m currently coordinating a group of volunteers for another G.O. fundraiser at Churchill Downs in a couple of weeks. We’ll be helping to run a clearance sale of all of the 2008 Derby merchandise in conjunction with the Ryder Cup here in Louisville. The event should earn G.O. about $4500 to $5000.
It is also that time of year for Vicki and I to start thinking about budgets and hopping back on the fundraising trail. We’ve been so busy with ministry we’ve not kept up with our own fundraising development very well. We’ll be giving that some attention in the coming days.
If you’ve considered supporting us monthly, or dropping us a one-time gift, we welcome it. You can send in a check or give through the Paypal link to the right. We could use a little boost after losing some significant support recently.
More Books = AWESOME!!
Thanks to Harold Mckee at www.mccmissionteam.wordpress.com, Anne Jackson at www.flowerdust.net, and Pete Wilson at www.withoutwax.com we have received over 100 books in Spanish for the Pastors and their new library. These were purchased from Amazon.com in 2 days time. When we got back to the office from the Dominican Republic I had stacks of boxes on my desk.
Our original Amazon list had only 19 titles. It has sense been updated to 60 different titles. If you’d like to pick up a book choose one from the list at the bottom of this page. Every purchase you make through our site from Amazon will earn us 4% back for the purchase of more books for the Pastor’s Library.
I’m leading an exploratory trip on August 18th and am looking forward to dragging 100lbs of books down there with me. Pray I get through customs without too much fuss. I’ll have a hard time not looking like a book dealer. Better then looking like another kind of dealer I suppose!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this effort!
Much love and appreciation!
Jeff and Vic
Our original Amazon list had only 19 titles. It has sense been updated to 60 different titles. If you’d like to pick up a book choose one from the list at the bottom of this page. Every purchase you make through our site from Amazon will earn us 4% back for the purchase of more books for the Pastor’s Library.
I’m leading an exploratory trip on August 18th and am looking forward to dragging 100lbs of books down there with me. Pray I get through customs without too much fuss. I’ll have a hard time not looking like a book dealer. Better then looking like another kind of dealer I suppose!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this effort!
Much love and appreciation!
Jeff and Vic
The Pastor's Library...
Books collected and ready to be sent to the DR Pastor's LibraryDominican and Haitian pastors are starving for information about the Bible and ministry. They do the best they can with what they have but for the most part they do not have the resources available to them to further their own education. The resources are either unavailable or too expensive.
Bit by bit we are making an effort to improve this situation. Currently we have a few professors and teachers committed to coming down regularly to do intensive on-going training with the pastors. Now, in addition to that, we are finally establishing a modest library for the pastors in Santiago.
Many have purchased books I’ve asked for and had them shipped to our office state side. Others have made special gifts to the ministry specifically for books and tools for pastor education and given me the freedom to buy what we need. I just purchased 30 two volume sets of church history and theology books that will be used for the first installment of the History and Theology of Christianity being offered to the pastors in the fall.
Logos has offered us amazing comprehensive Bible study software in Spanish for $145 a license. It is normally $200. The software is comprised of 150 different books, commentaries, Biblical encyclopedias, lexicons and so on. With this tool the pastors will be able to work with Greek and Hebrew in a way that was completely inaccessible before and also get an enormous amount of study out of a smaller amount of time. We just need some more funding for the software as well as a few basic (but hopefully new) laptops to run the programs on.
We’d welcome any help towards the goals of building the library and study lab (Logos Software plus laptops). Follow http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2910E2F5ULSYK/ to see the list of books we would like on Amazon. They can be shipped to our state-side office at:
Attn: Jeff Rogers
G.O. Ministries, Inc.
11501 Plantside Dr. suite 14
Louisville, Ky 40299
We will open the Pastors’ Library in mid-August. Some of the pastors are already buzzing about it!
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Jeff
Bit by bit we are making an effort to improve this situation. Currently we have a few professors and teachers committed to coming down regularly to do intensive on-going training with the pastors. Now, in addition to that, we are finally establishing a modest library for the pastors in Santiago.
Many have purchased books I’ve asked for and had them shipped to our office state side. Others have made special gifts to the ministry specifically for books and tools for pastor education and given me the freedom to buy what we need. I just purchased 30 two volume sets of church history and theology books that will be used for the first installment of the History and Theology of Christianity being offered to the pastors in the fall.
Logos has offered us amazing comprehensive Bible study software in Spanish for $145 a license. It is normally $200. The software is comprised of 150 different books, commentaries, Biblical encyclopedias, lexicons and so on. With this tool the pastors will be able to work with Greek and Hebrew in a way that was completely inaccessible before and also get an enormous amount of study out of a smaller amount of time. We just need some more funding for the software as well as a few basic (but hopefully new) laptops to run the programs on.
We’d welcome any help towards the goals of building the library and study lab (Logos Software plus laptops). Follow http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2910E2F5ULSYK/ to see the list of books we would like on Amazon. They can be shipped to our state-side office at:
Attn: Jeff Rogers
G.O. Ministries, Inc.
11501 Plantside Dr. suite 14
Louisville, Ky 40299
We will open the Pastors’ Library in mid-August. Some of the pastors are already buzzing about it!
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Jeff
Partnership in Action...
It was great today to see Pete Wilson and Moise Jean discussing life and ministry in the window of a church Pete’s church is helping to build for Moise’s ministry and congregation. This is what G.O. Ministries is all about, creating partnerships in ministry between American churches and indigenous churches abroad. It is awesome to see men of God and leaders of God’s people enjoying the same work though in different cultures, together.
New Threads...
Vicki and I have had enough life experience now that we can look back on our lives and see how God has sown various experiences into our lives like threads that He will sometimes pull together for his own purposes and glory.
Our twin girls are deaf and have cochlear implants. We are teaching them to speak but are teaching them sign language as well so that they have an alternative means of communication should there be issues with the implants in the future. This is also due to a concern that we now have that we did not have before for the deaf community. Our own children have made that concern acute.
After some of our recent work and experiences here in the DR I can’t help but think that perhaps part of the reason our girls were born with profound hearing loss was so that our eyes might really be opened to those living around our spheres of influence on the island of Hispaniola. Here are a few of those possible emerging threads…
The Clinic:
We had an exciting opportunity to help coordinate and facilitate G.O.’s first Audiology clinic. An Australian audiologist who teaches in the capital teamed up with an American audiologist from Fort Wayne, IN to join G.O. Ministries in reaching out to people and families who dealt with hearing losses from mild to profound. We had 130 some hearing aids to fit free of charge along with several months of batteries for each patient. Word of the clinic was given to all of our pastors and they canvassed their communities in order to bring help to those with such a special need. The audiology team saw about 30 patients a day for 3 days.
Our twin girls are deaf and have cochlear implants. We are teaching them to speak but are teaching them sign language as well so that they have an alternative means of communication should there be issues with the implants in the future. This is also due to a concern that we now have that we did not have before for the deaf community. Our own children have made that concern acute.
After some of our recent work and experiences here in the DR I can’t help but think that perhaps part of the reason our girls were born with profound hearing loss was so that our eyes might really be opened to those living around our spheres of influence on the island of Hispaniola. Here are a few of those possible emerging threads…
The Clinic:
We had an exciting opportunity to help coordinate and facilitate G.O.’s first Audiology clinic. An Australian audiologist who teaches in the capital teamed up with an American audiologist from Fort Wayne, IN to join G.O. Ministries in reaching out to people and families who dealt with hearing losses from mild to profound. We had 130 some hearing aids to fit free of charge along with several months of batteries for each patient. Word of the clinic was given to all of our pastors and they canvassed their communities in order to bring help to those with such a special need. The audiology team saw about 30 patients a day for 3 days.
Hearing Aid Package
It was frustrating to receive patients who were 14 and 15 years old that had zero communication. These were kids from families with very few resources and were just doing the best they knew to do under their circumstances.
Vicki speaking to a parent at the clinic
It was also glorious to see adults and children really, really respond to their new hearing aids. For many patients it was clear that they could hear better with the amplification made possible by the aid. This is an instant increase in the quality of their lives and is immediately tangible. It was exciting to get to be a part of that.
A Boy being fitted for his hearing aid
This effort to serve allowed us the opportunity to share why we had come to offer this much needed clinic. We are compelled by Christ’s love to serve in his name and for the sake of all of those who need and desire him. Our faith is the reason for our service and it was a privilege to share that too with those who would receive it.
Fitting Complete!
We look forward to continued partnership with the audiologists we worked alongside of. It is hard not to imagine that there may be bigger things in our future together.
Magdelina, Deaf Woman in our Neighborhood:
Our ministry in the Dominican in based in a barrio called Hoya de Ciamito. Our friends and co-workers, Tim and Samira, have a friendly acquaintance who is deaf. They had often wrestled with understanding her at times when she needed some help. Her daughters signed and spoke and so interpreted for her. They attend our Christian school. We were introduced to Magdalena in our dormitory the day of the hearing clinic. We were surprised to discover that we knew many of the same signs and could communicate at least a little bit! She was using ASL. She came and had a hearing aid fitted for one of her ears that has very, very limited hearing. It was an honor to meet and help her in some way. Because we know some sign, we expect to see more of her and look forward to it. Again, we have no idea what God will do with this but recognize it as another potential thread.
Vicki and Magdelina signing a conversation
Deaf Boy in an Urban Slum:Yordi
I mentioned above that our eyes have been opened for the deaf in a way they were not before. Yordi (pronounced Jordy) is a young boy in our nutrition center in the Hole. He has been coming for years and we discovered early on that he was deaf. We had to ask the pastor his name because when we asked the children they just called him the “mute boy.” We hugged on him and played with him but never made a more concerted effort to communicate with him. Yesterday it was different. Vicki found flash cards that had words on them in Spanish, English and American Sign Language. She offered them to some families at the hearing clinic who appeared to be very supportive of their profoundly deaf children. She had a couple of packs left over and so we went with Pastor Felix to seek out Yordi’s mother.
A recent flash flood took out the main bridge over the sewage river and we had to scramble across a wooden crossing that served as a substitute for the one being rebuilt. The boy’s mother lived in a shack at the top of a steep hill across the river from us. Once we got over the river we made it up the hill we were warmly welcomed by the grandfather and mother. We discussed with them our own recent family history and discovered that Yordi was a twin born prematurely, as early as our own girls. Sadly, his brother did not make it. It is likely that his deafness is related to his prematurity but it is not certain. Soon we offered them the signing cards. At that point is began to rain heavily and everyone was forced inside. We now had time for a lesson and a few people for our class. Vicki showed them how to do all of the signs on the cards. When Vicki got to the end of the lesson the rain stopped. After the rain, the mother kindly lead us away from her home by a different route because the dirt path we climbed up was impassable when wet.
We have offered to gather more resources to help their family if they like. We are praying that they will be responsive for Yordi’s sake. He is 14 years old and has no language. His communication is limited to those who take the time to discern the meaning of his pantomiming. There are not many who take the time. We hope that one day he will come to understand the Gospel. We hope that in the future we will have more to tell you of Yordi.
So in one week we have participated in an audiology clinic, met a deaf woman in our neighborhood we did not know, and got more involved with a deaf boy and his family in the Hole and Sunday Vicki is visiting a Deaf church near our neighborhood with our dear friend Jennifer Goodenough.
God is up to something we think. We’ll have to see what develops over time. We’ve found that we’re to be faithful to the threads. He pulls them together when its time and when it is time, we will just kind of discover ourselves there in the middle of it.
Back in the Dominican Together!
It's very pleasant being back in the Dominican with my AWESOME wife even if we are just here for a 2 week stint this time 'round. We're grateful to our Dominincan friends that were willing to watch our daughters so that we could work with the team helping to build the church you see around us in the background. It's an awesome work and we're having a great time helping coordinate. Please pray for us, our girls, and our health as we enjoy the precious time with our beloved friends and family here.
Yes, It’s true, the Kingdom is really coming…
Yesterday I received an email from a friend I made back in January of 2005. I traveled to India with him on a relief trip in response to the tsunami. He and I hit it off from the start. His line of work brought him to this part of the world frequently and he led our trip. One of the reasons he was also there was to explore the development of small business plans with the local indigenous pastor there.
Establishing businesses whose profits go towards financing ministry on the ground is called “Kingdom Business.” The point of the project is to develop self-generating support for a ministry in a way that characterizes economic justice. So, those who work for the business receive a decent wage and the rest of the profits go towards funding various ministry projects (food relief, infrastructure, water purification, etc.). Essentially, a revenue stream is created that both finances ministry and increases the economic health of the community it is in.
So, enter my friend; we’ll call him Mr. Anonymous. He sent me an email yesterday out of the blue with a link to a website highlighting a kingdom business he would like to start on behalf of G.O. Ministries somewhere in the DR. It’s premature to discuss too much in detail as we are now the second day into considering the how’s, what’s and if’s of what this would look like. I’m only posting it because its such an encouragement to know that there are brothers and sisters in Christ out there who are doing this kind of work.
Mr. Anonym said in his email, “I don't need the profit, I make plenty of money in my job and have already determined in my own life "how much is enough" - so I am free from having to chase money.” He has essentially capped the use of his income for his personal and family use, freeing the rest for work in the Kingdom.
So far, since our trip to India in ’05, he has helped transform the lives of 11 families through similar kinds of work and investment. He is making a global difference with his resources that will ultimately benefit hundreds if not thousands of people.
A friend of mine is a pastor at a church in Nashville. He has a blog where he has been discussing spiritual transformation and what it looks like. See the discussion here.
That quote from C.S. Lewis has stuck with me.
“Our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Thank God for his work in the lives of people like Mr. Anonym who by God’s grace has been matured spiritually enough to forsake at least one manifestation of the American mud pie, chasing money. He has made space in his budget for what others might call “disposable income” and has found a use for it other than wasting it (disposing it) on himself. He feels called to give it in a manner that reproduces, in a similar manner to the two faithful servants with the master’s talents.
And he doesn’t do this out of guilt or religious obligation. It’s done out of a heart transformed by that Gospel. Because he knows what Christ has done on his behalf and on behalf of the entire world he is responding to the world in this manner. It is an act of gratitude and hope. Gratitude because of the redemption that has taken place and hope because working towards God’s Kingdom is a way of moving with the grain of the universe. The world is moving towards fulfillment (regardless of how it may appear one way or another) whether it likes it or not. We might as well be heading that direction ourselves.
Tim Keller, a pastor at Redeemer in NYC has said again and again that there are two Kingdoms, God’s and mine. Which one will we invest in? Why not the only one that matters and the only one that lasts? Why not the one whose King will see his feet littered by a thousand cast cast crowns from far lesser kingdoms?
So as to this recent inspiration, I do not now know how it will all work out. I know only that someone is willing to make a difference with what he has been given. One more disciple is daily becoming harder and harder to be “too easily pleased.”
Thanks to all of you who support Vicki and I and others across the world striving to see the Kingdom come. Thanks to you who seek to multiply whatever it is that God has graced you with. You are a comfort, an encouragement, and a challenge to all of us.
If you have interest in helping establish a “kingdom business” with G.O. please contact me. I will connect you to Jerry Woodcox, our Director of Kingdom Business. This is a new initiative of G.O. Ministries and we are very excited to see it get off the ground in a variety of ways.
Grace and Peace,
Establishing businesses whose profits go towards financing ministry on the ground is called “Kingdom Business.” The point of the project is to develop self-generating support for a ministry in a way that characterizes economic justice. So, those who work for the business receive a decent wage and the rest of the profits go towards funding various ministry projects (food relief, infrastructure, water purification, etc.). Essentially, a revenue stream is created that both finances ministry and increases the economic health of the community it is in.
So, enter my friend; we’ll call him Mr. Anonymous. He sent me an email yesterday out of the blue with a link to a website highlighting a kingdom business he would like to start on behalf of G.O. Ministries somewhere in the DR. It’s premature to discuss too much in detail as we are now the second day into considering the how’s, what’s and if’s of what this would look like. I’m only posting it because its such an encouragement to know that there are brothers and sisters in Christ out there who are doing this kind of work.
Mr. Anonym said in his email, “I don't need the profit, I make plenty of money in my job and have already determined in my own life "how much is enough" - so I am free from having to chase money.” He has essentially capped the use of his income for his personal and family use, freeing the rest for work in the Kingdom.
So far, since our trip to India in ’05, he has helped transform the lives of 11 families through similar kinds of work and investment. He is making a global difference with his resources that will ultimately benefit hundreds if not thousands of people.
A friend of mine is a pastor at a church in Nashville. He has a blog where he has been discussing spiritual transformation and what it looks like. See the discussion here.
That quote from C.S. Lewis has stuck with me.
“Our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Thank God for his work in the lives of people like Mr. Anonym who by God’s grace has been matured spiritually enough to forsake at least one manifestation of the American mud pie, chasing money. He has made space in his budget for what others might call “disposable income” and has found a use for it other than wasting it (disposing it) on himself. He feels called to give it in a manner that reproduces, in a similar manner to the two faithful servants with the master’s talents.
And he doesn’t do this out of guilt or religious obligation. It’s done out of a heart transformed by that Gospel. Because he knows what Christ has done on his behalf and on behalf of the entire world he is responding to the world in this manner. It is an act of gratitude and hope. Gratitude because of the redemption that has taken place and hope because working towards God’s Kingdom is a way of moving with the grain of the universe. The world is moving towards fulfillment (regardless of how it may appear one way or another) whether it likes it or not. We might as well be heading that direction ourselves.
Tim Keller, a pastor at Redeemer in NYC has said again and again that there are two Kingdoms, God’s and mine. Which one will we invest in? Why not the only one that matters and the only one that lasts? Why not the one whose King will see his feet littered by a thousand cast cast crowns from far lesser kingdoms?
So as to this recent inspiration, I do not now know how it will all work out. I know only that someone is willing to make a difference with what he has been given. One more disciple is daily becoming harder and harder to be “too easily pleased.”
Thanks to all of you who support Vicki and I and others across the world striving to see the Kingdom come. Thanks to you who seek to multiply whatever it is that God has graced you with. You are a comfort, an encouragement, and a challenge to all of us.
If you have interest in helping establish a “kingdom business” with G.O. please contact me. I will connect you to Jerry Woodcox, our Director of Kingdom Business. This is a new initiative of G.O. Ministries and we are very excited to see it get off the ground in a variety of ways.
Grace and Peace,
Pray for the safety of our Haitian brothers and sisters in the DR.
A week before my (Jeff’s) March trip with Crosspoint there was a tragic incident in the neighborhood where our ministry is headquartered. Will Partin and John Martinez both responded to a Haitian man in a desperate situation. Will stepped out of his apartment on the second floor only to discover a Haitian man collapsing in the street. He ran to get help from John. Within moments they returned and were dismayed to discover the man surrounded by Dominicans from the neighborhood. It was clear that the man was in need of help but the bystanders were only gawking. John and Will pushed by and tried to access the man’s situation. It was clear he had been attacked by someone wielding a machete. He had two deep 5 to 6 inch gashes on his head revealing blood, bone, and brain matter. He was still breathing, moaning and groaning. The crowd around them offered no help. They argued back and forth over whether someone should call the police and who, but no one would touch him. Will and John managed to lift him and put him in the back of a pick-up truck owned by the ministry. Leaving a pool of blood behind they raced to the hospital, John in the back, trying to stop the bleeding from the man’s head with a shirt.
They entered the hospital and the Dominican staff asked John, “Why did you bring him here? It’s dangerous.” They did not respond to this situation as if it were a real emergency. They mostly argued over who would pay for the treatment before they would even give the man a second look though John made it clear that he would cover the cost of everything. Once that was settled they cut away the man’s clothing. This revealed a significant wound to his abdomen that had exposed his intestines. The doctors explained that he would need a surgeon and that there wasn’t one on duty at this particular medical facility. They would have to take him somewhere else by ambulance, but not before the service was prepaid. At each turn John and Will were met with resistance from people who were supposed to be committed to serving the sick and injured. In tearful and prayerful frustration they got the ambulance paid for and sent the man off from there.
After reflecting on the general attitude of all of the Dominicans they encountered in the entire process Will and John now doubt this decision in the chaotic moment. They fear that without the proper supervision, this man may have just been dropped off at the morgue to die.
We do not know why the man was attacked for certain. It may be that he was attempting to steal something; it may be that he was caught up in some dispute with another Haitian. Regardless of the causes for his injuries the response to his critical needs by those that could have offered him aid is inexcusable. It is inexcusable and also to be expected of a culture in which the Gospel has not cured its heart of the disease of racism, nationalism, and classism.
Many of the Dominicans did not act out of fear of the police. When there is an assault or a murder the police typically arrest everyone around and take them in for a day or more of questioning. No doubt this is part of why Will and John were greeted at the hospital with, “Why did you bring him here? It’s dangerous.” But regardless of the danger imposed by the police real or assumed, inconvenience is not an excuse to refuse aid when one is in such desperate need.
Some did not act out of a lack of concern. At best, this bloodied Haitian collapsed in the street was only a spectacle to behold. There is little doubt that deep down some likely relished this tragedy. This will be one less Haitian causing “trouble” for Dominicans (never mind how much Dominicans benefit from the daily presence of inexpensive labor in their own country). Had this victim been a Dominican citizen you can, rest assured, count on them having been rushed to the hospital and treated with no resistance, because when a Dominican is hurt they are considered a person.
This spiritual sickness (the three headed monster of racism/nationalism/classism) lies mostly just below the surface in the Dominican Republic. An event such as this reveals how deeply the monster is rooted in the culture. When a Haitian commits a violent crime against a Dominican (or is just accused of it) the nation is inflamed with rage and results in countless reprisal killings. We have felt the affects of this reality personally. A few years ago a Haitian had been accused of attacking a Dominican family in a community 2 hours away. Daily, Haitian bodies were showing up at the morgue all over the Dominican. Among them was a friendly Haitian day laborer I had had an opportunity to get to know a little bit. We had worked on a few construction projects together. He and his cousin had been walking down the street, lunch in hand, heading towards a job site (unrelated to G.O.) and had both been gunned down by a Dominican passer-by in a pick-up truck. They were murdered simply for being Haitian. It happens more than most would care to admit, without much of an investigation to follow.
These stories are difficult to hear and tell but they must be told if we are to properly understand the daily dangers of being Haitian in the Dominican Republic. They need to be told, especially to those who Partner with Haitian pastors in the Dominican Republic. These men and flocks they serve in Jesus’ name are daily potential victims to random acts of violence for no other reason than that they are Haitian. The attack of the Haitain man in our neighborhood and the subsequent ignoring of his situation by Dominican bystanders served to underscore the seriousness of the possibilities facing Moise Jean, the Haitian pastor that Crosspoint Community Church partners with. John Martinez was gracious enough to recount his experience on Crosspoint’s behalf, that they might be admonished to pray for Moise and his flock regularly and intensely. Please join them in those prayers both for Moise and all of the Haitians attempting to make a living in the DR.
They entered the hospital and the Dominican staff asked John, “Why did you bring him here? It’s dangerous.” They did not respond to this situation as if it were a real emergency. They mostly argued over who would pay for the treatment before they would even give the man a second look though John made it clear that he would cover the cost of everything. Once that was settled they cut away the man’s clothing. This revealed a significant wound to his abdomen that had exposed his intestines. The doctors explained that he would need a surgeon and that there wasn’t one on duty at this particular medical facility. They would have to take him somewhere else by ambulance, but not before the service was prepaid. At each turn John and Will were met with resistance from people who were supposed to be committed to serving the sick and injured. In tearful and prayerful frustration they got the ambulance paid for and sent the man off from there.
After reflecting on the general attitude of all of the Dominicans they encountered in the entire process Will and John now doubt this decision in the chaotic moment. They fear that without the proper supervision, this man may have just been dropped off at the morgue to die.
We do not know why the man was attacked for certain. It may be that he was attempting to steal something; it may be that he was caught up in some dispute with another Haitian. Regardless of the causes for his injuries the response to his critical needs by those that could have offered him aid is inexcusable. It is inexcusable and also to be expected of a culture in which the Gospel has not cured its heart of the disease of racism, nationalism, and classism.
Many of the Dominicans did not act out of fear of the police. When there is an assault or a murder the police typically arrest everyone around and take them in for a day or more of questioning. No doubt this is part of why Will and John were greeted at the hospital with, “Why did you bring him here? It’s dangerous.” But regardless of the danger imposed by the police real or assumed, inconvenience is not an excuse to refuse aid when one is in such desperate need.
Some did not act out of a lack of concern. At best, this bloodied Haitian collapsed in the street was only a spectacle to behold. There is little doubt that deep down some likely relished this tragedy. This will be one less Haitian causing “trouble” for Dominicans (never mind how much Dominicans benefit from the daily presence of inexpensive labor in their own country). Had this victim been a Dominican citizen you can, rest assured, count on them having been rushed to the hospital and treated with no resistance, because when a Dominican is hurt they are considered a person.
This spiritual sickness (the three headed monster of racism/nationalism/classism) lies mostly just below the surface in the Dominican Republic. An event such as this reveals how deeply the monster is rooted in the culture. When a Haitian commits a violent crime against a Dominican (or is just accused of it) the nation is inflamed with rage and results in countless reprisal killings. We have felt the affects of this reality personally. A few years ago a Haitian had been accused of attacking a Dominican family in a community 2 hours away. Daily, Haitian bodies were showing up at the morgue all over the Dominican. Among them was a friendly Haitian day laborer I had had an opportunity to get to know a little bit. We had worked on a few construction projects together. He and his cousin had been walking down the street, lunch in hand, heading towards a job site (unrelated to G.O.) and had both been gunned down by a Dominican passer-by in a pick-up truck. They were murdered simply for being Haitian. It happens more than most would care to admit, without much of an investigation to follow.
These stories are difficult to hear and tell but they must be told if we are to properly understand the daily dangers of being Haitian in the Dominican Republic. They need to be told, especially to those who Partner with Haitian pastors in the Dominican Republic. These men and flocks they serve in Jesus’ name are daily potential victims to random acts of violence for no other reason than that they are Haitian. The attack of the Haitain man in our neighborhood and the subsequent ignoring of his situation by Dominican bystanders served to underscore the seriousness of the possibilities facing Moise Jean, the Haitian pastor that Crosspoint Community Church partners with. John Martinez was gracious enough to recount his experience on Crosspoint’s behalf, that they might be admonished to pray for Moise and his flock regularly and intensely. Please join them in those prayers both for Moise and all of the Haitians attempting to make a living in the DR.
Crosspoint Partnership: A Reason to Hope
Sheila, a member of Crosspoint, plays with a boy in The FlyI (Jeff) joined Crosspoint this past March to help with the continued construction of Moise’s church. This is the first Haitian Church that G.O. has helped to build in the Dominican Republic. We are building it in an emerging Dominican neighborhood.
Brian Alexander (an elder from Crosspoint) and Pastor MoiseOur hope is that this church will serve as a potential bridge between divided cultures. Moise breaks every Haitian stereotype held by Dominicans. He is extremely intelligent, speaks English, French, Spanish, and Creole fluently. He is tall and respectful and addresses everyone with dignity. He also understands the spiritual illness of racism/nationalism/classism that divides his people from his Dominican neighbors who he would also have as his people if they would only have him. He has a desire to reach out to both communities and it is our hope that our work alongside of him will help to build his credibility with his Dominican neighbors in the vicinity.
Our work brought us to the beginning of a new phase in the construction. With some 1800 block and all the columns poured in 4 days we are now ready to put up forms for the pouring of the ceiling/second level floor. To celebrate all that has been accomplished thus far we held an Easter service there on Sunday with Moise’s Haitian congregation.
Our work brought us to the beginning of a new phase in the construction. With some 1800 block and all the columns poured in 4 days we are now ready to put up forms for the pouring of the ceiling/second level floor. To celebrate all that has been accomplished thus far we held an Easter service there on Sunday with Moise’s Haitian congregation.
First Easter worship on the new site
Songs of praise
A Dominican at Easter serviceI was surprised and pleased to see three adult Dominicans wander in and stay for the mostly Creole service. It made sense to me that they would come in out of curiosity, but that they stayed for the entire event was truly amazing! I will not make too much of this incident but will only pause to give thanks and affirm that it is a good start, however humble and seemingly trivial. This, friends, I hope and pray, is only the beginning. May God’s Kingdom grow in this community, may its authenticity be affirmed by the healing of old grievances, real and perceived, may Crosspoint's passion, service, commitment and God's blessing upon it help to fuel all of these things. May the ministry of reconciliation frustrate the division rendered long ago by the adversary!
Ryan Bult, a Crosspoint Staffer, preaches with Moise translating
Vic's February Trip with Dave Stone's Bible Study...
When the girls were in the hospital, Dave and Beth Stone (pastor of one of our supporting churches, Southeast Christian) entered the NICU with tears in their eyes and prayed over our girls. I will never forget the incredible encouragement we received from them knowing there were 20,000 other members in our church. They have an incredible gift of remaining very personally involved with people in such a large church. In February, they took over 30 people from their Bible study on a trip to the Dominican to open their eyes to what God is doing around the globe.
I (Vicki) had the incredible opportunity to return to the Dominican with them. They helped build a church and nutrition center in Hoyo de Bartola (The Hole) and Hato del Yaque as well as children’s ministry and feeding the kids. I was reminded of God’s love for Israel as I watched them feed the children in the nutrition center; “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love, I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.” Hosea 11:4
I also had an incredible opportunity to fit a 14-year-old boy named Melvin, with hearing aids. The girls’ audiologist, Dr. Sue Windmill, programmed a pair of donated hearing aids for him and showed me how to fit him. After explaining the process and fitting him with temporary molds, I turned the switch on and the soft spoken teen smiled from ear to ear hearing clearly for the first time. It was an amazing experience and we are looking forward to more opportunities to bring hearing and resources to children in the DR and Haiti with hearing loss.
Bitter Sugar
We have long supported the work of William Decena, a former cane cutter of Haitian descent, in Batey 9. G.O. has helped him construct a church and establish a nutrition center there for the children suffering the most from malnutrition. We have recently broken ground on a new church in his community and just completed a dormitory there for facilitating short-term teams so that they may serve in the surrounding Bateys. This community consists of a people group of Haitian descent brought over from Haiti to be economically exploited in the sugar fields of the Dominican Republic. Poverty is difficult enough when it is circumstantial. In the Dominican sugar industry poverty among the peoples of the Bateys is the result of the bitter threads of nationalism, classism, and racism having been woven into a bitter cord of injustice. James 5 makes it clear that such injustice will not go on forever.
The Price of Sugar is a documentary chronicling the suffering and economic injustice placed on one particular Batey owned and run by a Dominican family. A Spanish Catholic Priest who has invested his life among these people has helped to organize the making of this film in an effort to bring to light the suffering of these people without a voice. The Bateys G.O. Ministries works in do not suffer to the degree that this Batey does but unfortunately there are many parallels and commonalities.
The Price of Sugar is a documentary chronicling the suffering and economic injustice placed on one particular Batey owned and run by a Dominican family. A Spanish Catholic Priest who has invested his life among these people has helped to organize the making of this film in an effort to bring to light the suffering of these people without a voice. The Bateys G.O. Ministries works in do not suffer to the degree that this Batey does but unfortunately there are many parallels and commonalities.
Please make an effort to see this film.
If you live in Louisville, Ky it is coming to Village 8 from January 18th to the 24th.
Here is the trailer:
Here is the link to the films website:
http://www.thepriceofsugar.com/
If you live in Louisville, Ky it is coming to Village 8 from January 18th to the 24th.
Here is the trailer:
Here is the link to the films website:
http://www.thepriceofsugar.com/
A Ministry Overview of 2007
Much has been accomplished in 2007 on the island of Hispaniola for the sake of the Kingdom. A church and nutrition center have been completed as well as a dormitory for facilitating teams in Batey 9 in the Southwestern part of the DR. In addition to that four new churches and nutrition centers are under construction. Below is our Christmas video highlighting some of that work. We are blessed to have a full year of ministry behind us and a very exciting year ahead. Thank you for your prayers and support, both financially and through your friendships.
God's Blessing and Provision for Our Family
We came back to the states in the summer of 2005 to very difficult circumstances. Our daughters' lives were threatened by a rare high risk pregnancy as well as a dramatic two and a half month premature birth. It is many of your prayers and the prayers of our Dominican and Haitian friends and family that helped to sustain us and the girls. They continued to sustain us through the discovery of our daughters' profound hearing loss and it's consequences. We have put a video together to commemorate both their survival as well as one year of listening with their Cochlear Implants. You have been a blessing to us. We hope this blesses you.
Grace and Peace,
Jeff & Vicki
Grace and Peace,
Jeff & Vicki
Tropical Storm Olga Strikes...
As we prepared to celebrate the holidays Tropical storm Olga made an unfortunate turn. It cut right through the center of the island of Hispaniola from east to west. Typically these storms pass across the southern coast, failing to threaten the center of the island. Tremendous amounts of rain lead to record flooding in Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. The receding waters will likely leave vulnerability to water born diseases as well as explosions in the mosquito population likely leading to a surge in mosquito born illnesses. The poorest of the poor live near streams and rivers. They are the most severely affected. But even those living a little higher up in the valleys were also overwhelmed by the loss affected by swollen and raging waters. The local churches affiliated with G.O. have been quick to respond to needs for clothing and other necessities. The video below was shot by Isiais, one of the Dominicans we work with. He was kind enough to go down to The Hole to survey the situation. Watch below.
Please pray for those who have suffered tremendous loss due to this storm. Those who lost everything already had especially difficult lives. This disaster will be an obstacle to overcome.
Scroll down to view other photos of Santiago under water in the right hand column.
Please pray for those who have suffered tremendous loss due to this storm. Those who lost everything already had especially difficult lives. This disaster will be an obstacle to overcome.
Scroll down to view other photos of Santiago under water in the right hand column.
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