Neurons needed 9.11.13

Remember, one of those weeks that you thought your brain was about to explode? well I'm kind of there. 

A couple of weeks ago I started a training with Miguel dealing with three main aspects: Vision, Communication and Pastoral Ministry. The main reason behind these trainings is so that by the time The Shauls have to leave, I´m capable of overseeing most of the ministry happening in San Juan. I´m glad that God honors me by letting me serve others in this way. (Soli Deus Gloria)

The first part has to do with Vision. The goal is to define/clarify the Vision and Mission with Dominican Rising and the strategies, objectives, values, plans of actions, projects teachings that we, as leaders, need to implement so that in the end we have glorified God through this ministry. I´ve learned the importance of having a clear vision, not only in ministry but also with marriage and life in general. God has opened my eyes to see that Vision he had for me several years ago, and HE is helping me see the road to get there more clearly now.  

Fundraising needs some work too. Patria has too more semesters to go in College. We would like to have a heir on our arms by the end of 2014. That means we need to start  saving some money from now on. Our current budget doesn't allow us to do that. So, Once I´m done with Vision developing, the next step is to contact people willing to support us financially. 

Logistics for DRising Misions trip in May have started, we are getting in touch with some contacts in Asia. The team will be spending a year there, and our main goal is to train them in everything they might need for that trip. 

Patria and I are serving with Heroes de la Fe too. A local youth ministry in which we assist as counselors and mentors for the students. I´d say this role is the easiest and we enjoy it. This is an area in which we serve God that doesn´t have to do necessarily with sending people to unreached groups. Here we have to deal with dating, missunderstood bible verses, emotional ups and downs, or how to pray to choose their career once they enroll in college.

This is not all, Patria now travels three days a week to Santo Domingo for her classes!!!

Being without her and having to deal with all this makes me feel like I need some neurons. God has been my shelter and my fortress, my helper in times of need and my provider. God is my strength and the power that helps me glorify HIM despite all of the obstacles I get to face. I hope this post encourages you to give God your best. Blessings 

Pastoral Ministry 8.10.13

It´s 6 am and I missed saying goodbye to Shannon Brown who had been working with us the whole summer; that was sad. It´s Saturday morning, supposed to be our Sabbath is going to be a long day. 

I´m taking a group of Pastors and some of my disciples to a workshop for pastors in Santo Domingo. Taking this group of busy men to SD can be a little overwhelming at times. But this is part of the encouragement that Pastors need, and the training that new pastors should be imparted. It´s obvious that I´m thinking about pastoral ministry a little too much.
While I was in Haiti, God spoke to me through scripture about what it means to be a pastor. I guess it includes more than I would think. Being a Pastor is more than preaching and definitely more than teaching or knowing about what the bible says.

When I got back, there was the opportunity for me to put that into practice. However; my goal is not to have a position but first to learn how you love people the way Jesus did. In the end HE is the shepherd and we are simply sheep like all others. So Patria and I focused our ministry on Guachupita, which has been a little challenging lately.

This week, our senior pastor and our associate pastor are in the States and is basically me and a bunch of other leaders in charge of the different areas in the congregation, and today I´m taking the rest of the leaders to this training in SD.

At first I was worried. Because there are some events that won´t be canceled and some things that need to happen. But how will they happen if the leaders are not there? Simple, I just had to understand that is God himself doing the work, and that we are just helping Him. That he has the power to do the impossible.

This leads me to think how there are plenty of people prepare to do his work. Nevertheless, being a pastor is not an easy thing. 
Patria and I are assisting in the youth department 

and we have experienced what taking care for the souls is. It is a sweaty work, very spiritual, intercession is the main task, and counseling is a big part of it. Let us not think that good programs or great activities or plenty of games will help our generation grow towards Christ. It is Christ himself that will help his kids grow, our goal is to let Christ work in and through us so that his growing happens. 
To know that our task is to present before God an offering consisting of saints that glorify His name is a high standard for an offering, but is God himself helping us to accomplish this.

So, we are not only sending missionaries from DR to the nations but we are helping a generation to be disciples of Jesus in every area of their lives. Please pray that we do this boldly. We´ll pray that you may do so too. 

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience - by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God - so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Romans 15:14-21

God´s Provision 7.22.13

Going through my support account, I see a pattern that is not that pretty. Income is becoming shorter.

This coming semester Patria will go back to college. She only has a couple subjects to go, and these classes have to be taken in Santo Domingo. That means I'll be three days a week by myself (the hardest part) and that she would have to pay for housing and transportation besides what we have budgeted.

Outcome grows, income shrinks. What am I to do? Just trust God.

God provided us with income that we didn't plan. Money that has been saved and used for patria's school. God has been faithful, and we haven't lacked anything.

This week Patria and I will be visiting the American Embassy. We will be applying for a visitor´s visa for her. This is the most difficult part. Chances are that she will not get her visa. Again I will trust God for the impossible.  Sooner or later we would have to do this. The only issue is that it will cost us about $350 US dollars. That, again, was not in our budget.

Most leaders in our local church will visit our mother church in the states. Patria and I were invited. We are in a tight budget and cannot afford two flights and the costs of applying for a visa. Suddenly the opportunity for patria to cook for a team showed up. She made some money. Then somebody approached me and said "hey I think I owe you $xxx dollars do you want me to pay for your guys flights because I can do that with my credit card".

Filling out the appointment with the embassy I realized that my passport was expired since May. I go to the Passports office and I'm told that my new passport will come in three days. In spite of that I still paid for it and asked the lady if there was a way to get it sooner than that. She told me it wasn't possible but she would see if something could be done. Long story short, two hours later passport is in my hands.

The original document for our marriage got lost (don't ask me how). I go to the office were you'd get such document and the first thing I'm told is that "if you need a copy you should have brought the original one". Patria and I searched the whole house and we didn't find it. The only thing we had was a receipt that said I had paid $50 dollars to get married. I go to the office with this receipt. The guy there takes it, walks away, comes back and tells me go over there and ask for it. Five minutes and $10 dollars later I have my marriage document with me.

Nevertheless, like I said, chances are that she doesn't get a visa, but we cannot tell. The impossible here would be that she gets it. We don't want to get discouraged, nor will we suffer if we don't get it. God is sovereign and He will do what He wants.

This morning I'll meet with The Dominican rising team. We will work on this week's schedule and logistics for the next team coming. We had a great week and we know greater things are to come.
 

keep in touch. more to come soon. 

Summer Started 6.14.13

Summer has started and the Dominican Rising team is up and running. 

Mission trips, translating, setting things up, hiring people, cleaning the house one week and then again the next week. So you can guess we are really busy. 

Summer is an opportunity for us to minister along with the teams, recap with some of the ministry sites, and make some money. Once the trip s finished we need to go back to our own ministry scenarios and continue where we left it. 

This last week we had, for the third time, Lanier Hills church which is working with Pastor Rigoberto and Manuel at Cerros de Mogollon. Mayi, Horlyn, Connie and myself were translating while the team engaged in a ministry that was not only a blessing for the church but for the church planting area. 

I remember when first started hiring interpreters, one of the rules was this "let them minister, you are just their voice". I didn't`t imagine that our interpreters would be Dominican Missionaries.Sometimes they would want to jump in into the conversation and talk for themselves to the people we are ministering to. This time I broke the rule. 

I don`t mean to boast about this in any way, God forbid me, but there were two times in which I felt the need to interfere in the conversation and share my own testimony and the gospel to the people we were with. Once was with a group of Haitians we ran into. Contrary to previous opportunities, they were very open in talking to us (probably because they saw that a Dominican spoke their language). I was able to encourage them to continue following the Lord despite living as illegals in a foreign Country. 

The second time I was able to share the Gospel with an old lady and her neighbor. This is a weird one because while I shared the gospel with Her I remembered having a dream about it about two months ago. In my dream I was preaching to an old lady but I realized that the younger lady was the one needing to hear to what I was saying. As this dejavu happened I focused on the younger lady to tell her to continue seeking God. I referred her to Pastor Rigoberto and Manuel so that they continue with the follow up. 

In the end it was a huge blessing for us to minister this week with Pastor Rigoberto and Manuel, and we hope that the rest of the summer continues like this. 

Just a quick note, Because we are so busy it might be that I don`t post that often (which I barely do Anyways). 

REST 7.14.13

This morning I grabbed my cup of coffee, my bible and my phone. Went up to the roof and played some music while I started praying. 

"God, please, show up. I need you" - I whispered

I had a sip of my coffee and right then I was led to proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight.
 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
 Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
 It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.

This last week had been really busy. I was working for my local church and a team they were receiving. This time I wasn´t in charge of all the logistics but I tried helping as much as I could. It was fun though getting to know all these people, working with them and seeing most of our youth coming to help. There were times in which we stole the work they had to do. Relationships were built, seeds of the gospel were planted. It was evident that God was in this, regardless of our business craziness and last minute changes. 

It hasn´t been the best week though. Family issues, marriage worries, physical exhaustion, stress by a thousand other things Patria and I need to work on, can make  things hard, and difficult. Tony, Pedro and I dropped the team at the airport came back showered and went to help at a local graduation. we won´t have a day of rest until two or three more days.

There are tough decisions I need to make soon. There´s a lot to do with Dominican Rising. Our pastoring work in Guachupita....and more and more and more....

"God, please, show up. I need you"- I whispered again

The sunshine on the trees seemed brighter, the chirping of birds was louder, the morning breeze was fresher and suddenly God´s presence was so tangible, so real, Tears started to come out and His words pierced my heart:

Trust me with all of your heart
Do not realy on your own sight

Acknowledge me and I will make your path straight
Do not think you are wise or that you know alll things
Fear me and turn away from what is wrong

I will heal you
I will give you REST