Summer Teams Make Lasting Difference
Composed on August 20th, 2008 by Tracy MullinsA big thank you to all the teams that came down here this summer! Just over a week ago we (more…)
A big thank you to all the teams that came down here this summer! Just over a week ago we (more…)
Just as is common in the States, most churches here in the Dominican Republic vary greatly in both style and traditions. Often times these differences have led to deep divisions (more…)
Some friends joined us from Ignacio, Colorado towards the end of March. They helped El Camino Church prepare the back rooms of the church for (more…)
We’re in the process of some transition as we work to unify all the different aspects of our ministry to be in-line with the same vision; to glorify God by training leaders and facilitating holistic communities of worship. This means a renewed focus on (more…)
The people we visited yesterday in Los Pomos (a barrio on the other side of La Vega) were so welcoming and anxious to share their experiences and feelings about religion. Quite a different atmosphere than before last week’s evangelistic campaign. Bau and Fey
were so right, that by doing a campaign people wouldn’t be as suspicious of why they were trying to get to know people in the area. We now have roughly twenty homes waiting for us to visit them, ready to discuss the bible and pray together. Homes like Sonia’s, a young girl who liked Fey’s rap music. Her whole family welcomed us in; her cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and visiting neighbors; gave us coffee and shared all about what they thought was wrong about religions they’ve seen and churches they’ve visited.
We had a great time sharing scripture with them and looking into what the bible says true religion is. They all agreed how important it was to read the bible for yourself instead of just accepting everything someone tells you. Yet, they added that you shouldn’t read the bible in excess because you would go crazy. We laughed and talked about it a bit then moved on to other important topics.
I can’t stop thinking about this little myth that so many Dominicans truly believe. I’ve been praying for a while now that the people we’re ministering to would have a true desire to study the bible on their own. That they wouldn’t just listen to us, but that they would long to really know God and to hear what God has to say. Yet little lies like this, thinking that too much bible is bad, impedes people from diving into the Word.
The Catholic Church here is similar in that the leaders hinder people from studying scripture on their own. They tell the people to read the bible, yet they’re only supposed to use the bible study booklets they’re given which tells them what verses of the bible to read and how to interpret them. There’s no freedom to really just meditate on scripture and receive from the Lord. Please pray with me that God will give the people we’re ministering to a great desire to study the bible, and that they will be free from these myths and hindrances.