In 1995, T.E.A.R.S. was established in a La Vega, Dominican Republic. The T.E.A.R.S. team worked and living in one of the poorest barrios in this third world country. The founders Roderick and Twila Davis setout with the goal of transforming communities. The vision of this grass-roots organization is to “To glorify God through church planting, equipping, and connecting churches and individuals to engage in evangelism – discipleship and ministering to human need. ” T.E.A.R.S. has been organized to improve the livelihood and quality of living in underdeveloped regions, particularly in the Dominican Republic. T.E.A.R.S.’s principal goal is to transform communities by training leaders to plant evangelical churches and schools in these regions. Currently T.E.A.R.S. has established an internship program, training schools, church planting program along with an elementary education (pre-school through seventh grade), and five churches. We are also operating a model school in a poor barrio of La Vega in the Dominican Republic. T.E.A.R.S. is in the organization process for it second school that is focus on Haitian migrant workers children and future programs such as a Leadership Training Center – Training missionaries from the U.S., Training indigenous leaders, International Conference Center, Technical Trade Training, Printing Press, Short- and long-term theological training. The land has been purchased and the office buildings are almost compete.
The problems that the poor ghettos of the Dominican Republic are facing are replete with suffering of the poor. Some of the prevalent problems are those of broken family structures, spiritual drought, drug abuse, child prostitution, hunger, and disease. This is a vicious cycle of poverty that will not be destroyed unless measures are taken to resolve the root cause of this problem, sin. How do we then brake the cycle of spiritual poverty and restore families, which restores communities? Spiritually, we understand that Christ is the only one that can set people free. Proclaim Christ as Savior and the freeing power of the gospels. Secondly, to break the chains of physical poverty, there has to be education and empowerment. Our belief is that should happen at the beginning stages of childhood development. That is why the two main elements of T.E.A.R.S. Ministries are Church Planting (to address the spiritual need) and Education (to address the physical cycle of poverty). These help to establish a solid functioning community.
Starting as a family run grassroots ministry that has now grown and expanded, T.E.A.R.S. recently received independent 501©3 status and thus trying to strengthen T.E.A.R.S. organizational structure and fundraising base. TEARS has organized a marketing team made up of volunteers and missionaries that has projected a strategy for promoting the ministry and giving interested people an opportunity to contribute. T.E.A.R.S. is currently implementing about 60% of this plan. The ministry has developed informative brochures, Cd’s, and videos and are maintaining a website. T.E.A.R.S. sends out quarterly newsletters with a donor reply envelope as well as sends monthly e-mail updates.