- We give thanks for all the short-term mission groups that came to support the ministry here this summer: St. Michael's Lutheran, Ft. Meyer's, FL (VBS and support in Palmar Arriba); St. Luke's, Frankenmuth, MI (MOST Medical and Dental for children with disability); St. Paul's, Lakeland, FL (VBS in Santo Domingo); South Wisconsin District/Bethesda/LCMS World Relief and Human Care (learning trip for support and commitment to the mission work in the DR).
- We give thanks for the opportunity for Pastor Walter and pastoral student Willy Gaspar to go to the Internation Lutheran Council meeting for Latin America. We give thanks for this opportunity to be able to share ideas, learn, be encouraged and give Willy the experience to see the work of the Lutheran Church in the world, not just on our little Caribbean island!
- Willy and Joseph will begin their vicarage assignments in September. Pray for them as they start their house church in their communities of Las Americas and Los Minas, respectively. Pray that the Lord would prepare hearts and open doors, for wisdom, guideance, perserverance, passion, leadership, a servant's heart, and proteccion from the enemy as they carry the Word of Salvation to their friends and neigbors.
- Santa, Willy's wife. We pray for their ministry together and as she leads a weekly devotion and prayer for the employees where she works. We pray that the Lord would protect their marriage and family as they balance their time and resources between their secular jobs, their children, each other and the ministry.
- The church that is forming in Santo Domingo out of the Lutheran Bible Institute.
- The Deaconess program that is in formation and set to begin this Fall.
- The church in Santiago that we will be beginning this Fall. Pray that we find a place for worship and that the Lord would put the plans for the church before us.
- We give PRAISE and THANKS the Lord called Ricardo Santos to study to be a pastor. Pray for his classes with Pastor Walter.
- The youth of Palmar Arriba. Pray that they Lord would strengthen them as they teach Sunday School and reach out to other youth in the community. Pray that the Lord would provide workers for the Harvest.
- CONANI, the orphanage for children with developmental disability. Pray that the government leaders would open doors for the IMPACT project to bring the children a better life. We give thanks that churches want to share Jesus with the children.
- Pastor Walter, who is teaching classes to the pastoral students and mentoring them. Pray for wisdom, vision, and that he be encouraged daily by the Word to be able to serve the students and members.
- Danelle, who will be formalizing and facilitating the new deconess program and developmental disability activities. Pray for organization, wisdom, boldness, and swift feet to carry out the plans made.
- Carlos, our new music volunteer, who is teaching rythmn and guitar in the churches. Pray for him as he is adjusting to the DR, learning Spanish and beginning his classes.
- Pastor Walter and Ana, that the Lord would strengthen their marriage and that Ana can continue to adjust well to life and ministry in the DR.
- Our strategic planning meetings on September 5th and 6th. Pastor Walter, Ana, Danelle and Carlos will meet to plan for 2009 and into the future.
terça-feira, 26 de agosto de 2008
Prayer Requests for September
terça-feira, 20 de maio de 2008
Amigos de Jesus
Dominican Childcare, MANIDI and CONANI
We have partnered with two local Christian non-profits, Dominican Childcare and MANIDI, to help share the Word of God with children an youth with DD and their families. These two organization serve a combined total of approximately 440 families in the Santiago area. They weekly visit the homes of children and youth with DD and provide educational and rehabilitation services for them. In 2007 we worked with Dominican Childcare in providing spiritual life training to 40 members of their staff with the purpose of them sharing a Bible lesson with the children and a family member each week they visit their home.
This year in 2008, we are providing spiritual life training to the MANIDI workers to be able to do the same to the youth they visit weekly. We are also providing parents with spiritual guidance and helping to teach them how to be faith formers in the lives of their children. This is being accomplished at monthly MANIDI parent’s meetings. In sharing God’s Word with the parents and empowering them to share Jesus love and forgiveness with their own children.
CONANI
CONANI is the National Council for Children and Adolescents. CONANI has two large homes for children with DD. Unfortunately, many of these children have been abandoned at birth and there is no record of family, they have had to be taken out of abusive homes, or some families simply can not take care of their child with DD because of economic hardships. There are 140 children total in the Santiago and Santo Domingo homes. Through Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services and IMPACT, in collaboration with CONANI, we are working to establish a pilot project of group homes and family reintegration for the children. We are still in conversation with CONANI regarding the formation of the project.
The relationships made so far in the formation of the project, have opened the doors for our church to share the Word of God with the children in the home. So far, friends and church members have just visited the children in the homes. We spend time with them and sing songs about Jesus. We hope to establish soon a regular ministry where we can more effectively teach them about Jesus and His love for them.
Developmental Disability (DD) Ministry
quinta-feira, 15 de maio de 2008
Blessings in Santo Domingo
terça-feira, 13 de maio de 2008
Missionaries in DR
The first wedding in Palmar Arriba
God in Palmar Arriba
Another thing we have noticed about Dominicans, and especially in Palmar Arriba, is that they all have the gift of hospitality. Now we have service in the church every wednesday in the nithg for the adult peoples the community, about 15 youth people and 20 children come regularly to the church.
Dominican Republic mission work
Hello all.
My name is Pastor Walter Trescher Ries Junior, misionary for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil. This blog is for the show you the God's work in Dominican Republic. This first picture is a map for the location in the world.
Climate:
Always warm and TROPICAL!
Population:
About 9.5 million
Language: Español
Favorite Foods:
Arroz moro y habichuelas (Rice & Beans) and Platanos (Plantains)…made 101 ways!
The DR is famous for…
Merengue music, baseball players and beautiful beaches
The DR’s importance in History!!!! COLUMBUS landed in the DR on his first voyage in 1492. The Island of Hispaniola (DR and Haiti) became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. How big are we? The DR is slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire or 48,730 sq km. About 40 porcent of people live in poverty.
We live in the city of Santiago, which is is the north of the country, south of Puerto Plata.
History the mision:
The member of St. Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Myers, Fla., became aware of the needs of people in the Dominican Republic when they began mission trips a few years ago to Santiago, their Dominican sister city. In 2003, St. Michael approached Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services of Watertown, Wis., an LCMS reconized service organization that serves people with developmental disabilities. Bethesda began providing training and resoucer for the Home of New Hope. This led to work with other local agencies, such as Dominican Childcare, to train workes in sharing Christ's love with children with desabilities.
In fall 2004, LCMS World Mission, LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Sevices, and the Cantral American Lutheran Mission Society (CALMS) signed an agreement to expand the work of St. Michael and Bethesda. This first-of.its.kind coalition sought to bring a collaborative approch to opening full-time mission work in the Dominican Republic.
By God's grace, in August 2005, the partners celebrated the instalation of missionaries in the Dominican Republic, Pastor Walter T. Ries Junior and the missionary Danelle L. Putnam