Reach Out and Believe…He’s Passing By

As I sit on my favorite chair in my special spot on our massive wrap around porch, I can’t help but rejoice in the sounds outside my gate. Little girls running and laughing and not far behind them, I hear their mom. She’s laughing too.

The mom who no one believed in. The mom who simply yearned for someone to tell her that she was valuable.

She stood at my gate a few days ago and called. My heart leaped to see that it was her. This one. The one who has been extremely unapproachable. The one who wasn’t interested in looking me in my eye. The one who walked by and never said, “Hello.” She was at my side gate calling me. “Vicki, thank you for helping my son. Thank you for teaching him what’s right and what’s wrong.” She held her head up,  “And thank you for helping me to be different, for teaching me that I’m a treasure. I’m not the same anymore. You told me I have value and I believe you.”

My eyes welled up in tears. She believes me.

I remember her walking pass my gate in the past and yelling at her girls the entire walk to their small house which sits hidden within our sweet Dominican jungle. I remember how she spent her days doing nothing as life continued and her children roamed. I remember how the neighbors talked and talked and talked about her infidelities, “She’ll do anything for money,” they’d say.  Not anymore.

Simply because she believed me.

Like the woman at the well. She believed. She believed that she could be different. She believed that this man could give her living water. She believed and her belief caused many to come to the loving arms of Our Savior. What if Jesus hadn’t passed through Samaria that day?

Like the woman with the issue of blood. She believed too. Her belief caused power to flow from our Savior. Her faith made her well. What if He didn’t choose to go with Jairus to heal his daughter that day?

The passing by of our Savior brings life. He brings HOPE. He brings change.

What if I hadn’t come to live on this mountain? In this jungle? What if I had chosen to stay put and comfortable?

For that mom’s sake and for my own-I’m so overjoyed that I made the right choice.

What about you? Where do you see Him passing by in your life? Grab on to where He is and don’t let go. His presence brings transformation which yields a metamorphosis of ashes to beauty in the lives of everyone around you.

What should you believe right now?

Your shift in your convictions will cause the trajectory of so many lives to alter. Make the hard choice today to believe that His HOPE is evident and available to you at this very moment. Do it now. Don’t wait. He’s passing by, reach out and believe.

One Mom’s Legacy

You’ll find me at our mountain community’s “Mother’s Club” each Tuesday teaching a class. I’m teaching the moms about their value as woman and practical ways to teach these concepts to their daughters, granddaughter, nieces, etc.

The ladies have responded extremely well to my class. Throughout the week they ask me if I’m teaching the next week and their faces light up when I tell them that I will.

Some pull me aside to tell me about how this class is changing their lives.

Every one of their lives matter. Each story gives me the push I need to keep going back each week. Each lady is absolutely precious. But there is one who takes me breath away.

One sweet thirty something year old woman who has cancer. A quiet gem who attends each week. She listens, she participates, she even takes notes!

So many other women  don’t come yet are physically able, but this lady walks each week to hear me say that she is valuable. She walks every week to hear me say that she can leave her children a legacy.

She wants to teach her children what she wasn’t taught. According to her doctors, she doesn’t have much time left. Everyone in the community talks about how she is a walking miracle. The doctor that lives up here can’t understand why she is able to walk. “Her numbers show that she should be on her death bed,” he says. “Yet she is up every day. I don’t understand why.”

This is the woman who never ceases to ask for prayer and who takes out her worn bible when we go to her house to pray. This is the woman who cries in God’s presence and is willing to accept whatever He allows in her life. This young woman of small children wants to leave them a legacy of truth.

She listens in order to speak. She learns in order to teach. She is unique. She fights to live each day. I’m thrilled that H.O.P.E Dominican Republic reached her before it was too late.

Every Tuesday afternoon our mountain school room is full of heroes called Mom. It’s an honor to serve them.

The Calm During and After the Storm

There were strong winds beating down on H.O.P.E Mountain last night. The mighty gusts caused me to ponder on the power of the God who controlled the storm. His presence was in the midst of each heavy breeze. I could hear Him say, “I’m here. I’m in this tempest just as I’m in the whirlwinds of your life and others.”

The drum beats on my tin roof, the melody of the howling wind and the racket of loose objects bashing upon my windows didn’t stir me.  I was actually grateful for the rain. It was nice to hear the flow of the river once again.  Despite the furor outside, there was peace in our home.

We ate snacks, watched movies, caught up on the presidential debates, drank tea and laughed with one another. It didn’t feel like a storm on the inside.

God kept us calm. He is our peace in every situation.

Those strong winds definitely reminded me of the battles I’ve faced in life. I’ve often looked at myself in the mirror just to say, “Had it not been for God, where would I be?” He is always forever faithful in every cyclone of life.

Then I contemplated the lives of those God has given me the grand honor to serve in the Dominican Republic. Some like the little boy who lived alone and ate scraps from trash was able to reconnect with his mom because of our center. Or like the teenaged girls who have a safe place and are not pressured to move in with adult men, simply because we are there. Or like the women who live on my mountain whose lives are being changed just because they are now learning about how valuable they are.

There was also the single man who longed to marry a godly woman and the single woman who longed to marry a godly man who found one another at our church! There was also a woman who never thought she could leave the clutches of adultery until God sent us to her.

Like the young man who knew he was called to pastor, but had no one to support him until we came along. Or like the other young man who everyone knew was called, yet ran from his assignment until we stepped in. Or like the family who had no place to call home until we arrived.

The list goes on and on.

God was in their storm. God didn’t let the tempest take them away. He sent them help at the right time. He is there in the midst of torment. He is also there when life is calm.

I woke up this morning to the same birds chirping as always. I heard the same rooster I hear every day. I saw the same sun shining that brings radiance each morning. The storm didn’t take away the calm for the calm was in the storm.

There really is no need to fear. Regardless of what we face, He is there. Trust Him.

It Wasn’t Too Late

The sun beat down on us as we trekked through our small village of Juan Lopez in Moca to pray for the neighbors around our church. We divided ourselves into groups of two. Both groups were a mixture of Dominicans, Americans and children eager to share the love of Christ.

Every household we approached was accommodating and thrilled to have us pray for them. They offered us chairs and some even awakened from their afternoon siestas to join us. It was a pleasant experience.

As we walked I marveled in God’s goodness and faithfulness for I remembered when this very village was a dirt road lined with shanty homes. I remember when it rained how the gushing water would actually knock down wobbly homes. I remembered how flies would invade our existence to the point that we covered our mouths while we spoke.

To God’s glory, it is now a new place! The road is paved. New sturdy homes have been constructed. Flies are still there, but nothing like before. Most of all, the people were receptive to our message of truth. There was a time when no one wanted Christians there!

As we advanced upon a humble home, a sweet young lady asked us to pray for her ailing grandmother. We walked into the room and I remembered my grandmother on her death bed. The precious lady told us that she was alive, but she sees death. She was frail and too weak to lift her head.

We prayed for her.

As we prayed I could hear God say that we were there to lead her to Him. He wanted her to spend eternity with Him. So I talked with her about Christ. I shared the gospel with hope knowing that she would respond positively. She did! She gave her life to Christ and her countenance changed. I knew that she was sure of what she did and I’m confident that I will one day see her in glory.

As we walked away for her house, I couldn’t complain about that stinging sun any longer. It was worth every burn! A life now belongs to Him and there is no greater joy for me than to see the lost come to know our everlasting God!

The day served as a testimony to the Dominicans, Americans and children in our groups to know and to see that it wasn’t too late for any of the ones we ministered to that day. God is an on time God and we must trust in that truth. He will accomplish everything that He promises to do.

Uncontrollables

A beetle buzzed around us as we talked in the pavilion tonight. A bat or two swarmed out in the dark in search for fruit. Freshly picked bananas rested on a dish in our midst and a crisp cool breeze graced us with refreshment as we shared from our hearts.

We discussed the stretching involved in missions. The disappointment in plans that change because of things we can’t control. The letdown in adjustments to schedules can not only be discouraging, but downright depressing as well.

Things happen on the field that don’t make sense to our American minds. Things like having to cancel family camp because the town decided to shut off the water for the entire day. Things like having to conform to habits and attitudes that are completely distinct to your own. Things like the bus breaking down on the way to an activity and sitting in the hot sun until help is found. Things like eating the same food every day in different ways. Things like constructing new edifices with two or three workers at a time and mixing cement by hand! Things like clearing grass with machetes. Things like living in a small house with a few twenty something year olds for the entire summer and just wishing that the giggling would end!

I could go on and on. The list really is long.

As one of our guests swatted the beetle, I pondered on how that beetle and all of the things that don’t remain the same in my life have changed me.

The unknowns have caused me to trust God like never before. Watching Him move in a life because I chose to not let these uncontrollable changes drive me insane keeps me going. It takes our willingness to be uncomfortable in order for God to do the miraculous in the lives of others and our own.

As the bats hunted for fruit, I was reminded of my own quest for enrichment. God fills me more and more with His presence as I take the time to seek Him.

Those bananas prompted me to remember God’s faithfulness. He provided for this land that already had those banana trees here. He will continue to provide for He is faithful.

The breeze was a simple indication of His presence. He is always here. He is always near.

H.O.P.E moves forward!

Now that we are property owners, its of great importance for us to obtain the title of the land. The government currently recognizes our ministry as the land owners, but the title will ensure the security of the property for future generations. Our H.O.P.E is that the seed we currently plant into the lives of children and teens will grow into mature trees of God’s servants. These strong trees would eventually be branches of H.O.P.E throughout the Dominican Republic way after we are gone.

We were blessed with the ability to pay half of the title costs, which included the legal fees, surveying and transportation costs.

We still need $5,000 to finalize the process. The $5,000 is a government fee that would issue the title since the preliminary work has already been done.

Will you please become a part of the process of building H.O.P.E for the next generation? This property will soon become the home for needy children. It will continue to be a place of refuge for troubled families, children and youth. It will also be a training ground for pastors and ministry leaders. You will be a seed planter for future trees that yield H.O.P.E to the hopeless.

Christmas for Cien Fuegos

Sweet little faces represent the joy found behind the doors of Centro de Esperanza de Cien Fuegos. These lovely faces will more than likely see Christmas come and go without experiencing the happiness of the season if we don’t act now!

Remember that these precious ones live at the city’s trash dump. Their parents make very little money. They live under tin roofs with holes which cause rain to pour into their homes. The meal they eat at our center is the only meal that most of them will eat for the day. They bathe in a filthy river that is riddled with trash. The lives of these children are at risk just because they are poor.

But you can make a difference in their lives by a simple act of giving. A donation of $20 will give one child a gift and Christmas dinner for their family.

Twenty dollars transforms into smiles of joy. Twenty dollars transcends the unworthy mindset and lifts the child into the truth of who they truly are, children of the Most High God. Twenty dollars doesn’t seem like it’s so much when you know that H.O.P.E is attached to it. This H.O.P.E speaks into their destiny and tells them that really are loved. It tells them that they really are deserving of what is best and lovely.

Please click here to give today!

 

 

 

Our daughter Starr loving on a child at the center

H.O.P.E for Cien Fuegos

English camp certificate

Dirt roads ridden with potholes, a filthy river overcome with trash, no clean drinking water, prostitution, drug dealers, severe fungal infections, hunger and desperation are a few descriptions of Cien Fuegos.

Driving to church from Cien Fuegos

We drove some visiting pastors from the states through this territory a few weeks ago and my heart ached once again for the people who dwell there. The children were playing and bathing in the same river where others were throwing their trash.

We stopped by the house of a family that is a part of our center. The mom called her children in from the river where they were bathing. Their clothes were filthy! My heart sank.

VBS

Since God has wondrously provided for us to purchase H.O.P.E Mountain, we were able to host various camps this summer for the children in our center. It was a joy to see them play in a clean river and a clean swimming pool. They laughed, prayed, learned English and most importantly experienced the love of our Heavenly Father!

Meal line at H.O.P.E Mountain

As this new year begins, please continue to give towards the Cien Fuegos H.O.P.E Center. We have over 90 children enrolled this year, classes began this week. We always need school supplies, white t-shirts for their uniforms, Spanish bibles and lots of prayer!

VBS

This year will be the first year that we’ve demanded the parent’s participation. We are doing this in hopes to bring transformation to the entire family. Thus, Sunday morning church services begin at our center very soon and the Saturday evening bible study will continue. Parent’s have also been encouraged to work at the center during school hours during the week. Please pray for this new initiative as we aim to bring H.O.P.E to a place where much H.O.P.E is needed.

 

 

A HOME FOR CARLITOS….

Cien Fuegos is beginning to change. I remember the dirt roads that once dominated the barrio. We had to wash our van after each visit! Now many of those roads have pavement. Our center has electricity and running water; a treat that we could not enjoy previously. These re-modifications are great, yet they don’t reflect the heart of the community. All of this makes our work there a lot easier in a sense, yet the work continues to multiply.

One of our moms recently gave birth to baby #5. She doesn’t know the father’s name because he was just another trick. The sad reality that the children of our center face each day is too much for many of us to bear. One of our dreams is to build a home on the property we wish to own in hopes to provide a safe place for some of these children.

Do you remember Carlitos? After such a great response from God, His mom brought him back to his grandmother. This only means that he is once again living with people who are not giving him the nurture and care he needs.  These are real stories! This precious child could have a safe and loving home if we could purchase this property.

Please join us as we endeavor to bring a true heart transformation to the Dominican Republic by purchasing 8 acres of land in the mountains. Our time is running out. If we don’t purchase the land by the end of December, the deal is off. Remember, 8 acres of land with fruit trees, rivers and a four bedroom home for only $110,000. We are still $70,000 away from our goal.

This property will be a safe home for children like Carlitos and the five children who don’t know their dad’s names.

Together, we can Help Others Pursue Eternity in the Dominican Republic.

PLEASE SEND YOUR DONATION TODAY!

HOPE to Cien Fuegos

“One hundred fires” is a great way to describe Cien Fuegos! The fire of pain that consumes the broken hearted flames throughout this community. The fire of poverty blazes within the homes and mindsets of its inhabitants. The fire of confused self worth and low standards spread like wildfires in this community.
What do you do with a populace of deteriorated hopes and dreams? How can we rebuild from the ashes of the many fires that have ravaged these hearts and minds?
The answers to these questions lie within the heart of our God. The fire of His Spirit reigns where we, His children, abide. The scorching of His sea of flames invades and overpowers the inferno that the enemy has drenched upon Cien Fuegos.
Our God is able to rescue each child at our center from the fires that engulf them. He is more than able to use His own FIRE to change the trajectory of Cien Fuegos and to use its own name against itself!
And He is using you and me to make it happen!
We must continue this course of igniting the charring of God’s HOPE within these children. We cannot back down in our pursuit to allow the FIRE of God to consume each of them. He is able and He will do this and more as long as He has willing vessels to do His bidding.
Please continue to join us. If you have not yet begun to support our center, please start today. We simply ask for a small gift of $16/month to keep each child at our center. In addition the $16/month, we need volunteers to teach English, art and music. We also need uniforms, school supplies and books.
Thank you for your support!