Search Results for: sabaneta

Making Headway on Projects! Fall 2022 Update

November 1, 2022 By admin

We appreciate each and every one of our partners, whether you are praying for us or are part of the financial lifeline. We are so thankful for you and for God, for what he is doing here in the Dominican Republic. Wishing you a special Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends!
Mitch & Debbie Martinez, Missionaries to the Dominican Republic

Project Updates

By the time you read this note, the Limoncito Sanctuary Project will be completed. Downstairs, the Haitian Education Center will finally have its own space for classrooms. A team from Evangel Assembly, MA will be with us to help partition the classrooms, and will minister to children and adults plus provide healthcare.

The El Hatico Sanctuary Project is moving forward and our goal is to have the sanctuary complete before the end of November. We are grateful for the funds we have received for this project. Hopefully within a week or two the floor, electrical, windows and doors should all be in place. This congregation will celebrate Christmas in a new sanctuary!

We are receiving funds for small homes for three pastors. Pastor Frantz of the Barranca project, Pastor Alex of the Sabaneta Project, and Pastor Danes of the Cutupu Project. These ministers work sacrificially and have tough living situations. What a blessing for them if we can help them. We are estimating a need for $11,000.00 each. Material costs are affecting us strongly. We have received $9000.00 thus far. PTL!!

El Pino Needs a Building!

Our Haitian Education Center in El Pino has been under some pressure to move from the church where they have been meeting. Thanks to our donors, we were able to purchase a property and have the funds to start with the foundation. We will need $25,000 to complete this project; this will ensure 4-6 classrooms for up to 100 children. This Thanksgiving will you consider sending funds to help with the El Pino Education Center and Church Project? Your gifts are tax deductible. Pastor Wilner is committed to helping these children.

Without the school many children would not receive any education. Public schools are over-crowded and the Haitian children are last to be offered placement in a classroom. They don’t speak the language, and they may not have proper legal documentation They are part of the immigrant population fleeing the dangerous living conditions in Haiti. Debbie has been raising funds to support 15 schools with over 1000 Haitian children on a monthly basis. She believes it is a crime for a child not to be able to receive an education. Will you consider providing help? For $25.00 a month you can sponsor a child. If you would like to help with this project, or provide on-going support for the children’s programs, please email Debbie at lavegaschool@gmail.com or call her at 1-809-696-9928 or 863-248-1119. You can donate online at https://www.tfaforms.com/4840424 (under Donation Designation select “DR Schools – LaVega and Haitian”

For Info on how you can give, CLICK HERE TO GIVE
call us at 863-248-1119. Your gifts are tax-deductible.

Fall 2019 – News from Your Missionaries Mitch & Debbie Martinez

November 28, 2019 By admin

As the Holidays approach, we want to give thanks to the many who so faithfully have prayed and given towards the work that is being carried out here in the Dominican Republic. We cannot fully express the joy we feel in knowing that your hearts are with us. After 27 years we still count it a very special privilege to have you as friends and partners in this ministry. It is God working through you that has helped us to touch so many lives here. May the Lord richly bless you!

Debbie translating for a medical volunteer with Caring Partners

It was exciting to have a visit this November from Caring Partners, an international ministry focusing on people’s medical needs and sharing the Gospel. Working with Pastor Gemuel Delgado in the Rieles area, and Pastor Roberto Hernandez at La Vega Christian School, they examined 930 patients at the respective church locations in four days. The pastors and volunteers also prayed with over 70 people to receive Christ into their hearts. What a blessing to partner with them that week.

It was so nice to have a visit from our good friends from South Carolina here last month. Calvin and Barbara Fortner came with Sharon Gossett and Grace M. Bell. It is always a blessing to show first hand the progress being made in the ministry. They have been supporting this work for many years

Pastor Leomar Sirit and his daughter Daniela

Rose of Sharon – Sunday October 27th we had 30 attending, our best turnout yet for the morning service. This is a struggling new church plant in a poor community where we had filled in as pastors the past year and we still attend. It needs prayer. We been blessed with a new Pastor Leomar Sirit who is committed to this congregation. He is an answer to prayers!

PROJECT UPDATES:

Cutupu – Church and school: Walls are up to bondbeam height (Top of windows) and columns have been poured. The next step is to lay three lines of block above the bondbeam and start on the roof. We have funds on hand for the roof and are looking for help with the floor, windows, and doors. Later comes plumbing. electrical, and kitchen. 130 children are truly needing this new building. $8000.00 still needed.

Sabaneta (Pastor Alex) – The school wing is almost complete. We are finishing up the kitchen and the electrical work still needs to be done. The new bathrooms and kitchen are functioning. The cook gave me the biggest smile for her new kitchen. Previously the director’s office had been the kitchen for the 70+ children. $ 1200.00 for electrical.

Limoncito – This school is functioning great with 45 children. Pastor Pettit Techner has moved into the parsonage and is leading the congregation. The next stage for this project is to move the sanctuary to the 2d floor, and leave the school on the first floor. The slab is already in place for the new sancturay, we anticipate $15,000.00 needed to complete this 2d phase. This is a great project for a missions minded church (hint).

Ranchito – Sunday School Addition This church has a great sanctuary but no classroom facilities for Sunday School. They have been using the Sanctuary for four makeshift classrooms every week for the past six years but conditions are tough as only blackboards divide the classroom spaces. We need $5000.00 to start this project. This is for the foundation of the new wing.

For Info on how you can give, call us at 863-248-1119. Your gifts are tax-deductible.

Summer 2019 – News from Your Missionaries Mitch & Debbie Martinez

September 9, 2019 By admin

Summer short term missions teams continue to have a great impact in local churches with outreaches and construction help. Special thanks to Living Water Fellowship, Kissimmee, FL, Greenville First, SC, and to New LIfe AG, Grand Ledge, MI. Also in May, a team from the Univ. of Maine (Augusta Campus) kicked off our summer.

Health Awareness Talks. The University team from Augusta, Maine, did an outstanding job helping children in various schools understand the importance of dental hygiene and other health issues. They were well received by the parents and school staff attending. It was their first visit to the Dominican Republic, we hope they will visit again.

New Life A/G worked in Villa Altagracia where they dedicated their time to the construction needs of the House of Prayer Church. They were responsible for adding the 2d story to the administrative wing of this church. They did some heavy work under very hot conditions.

They also teamed up with a Dominican construction crew to put in all the divisions in cement block for the office and bathroom areas of the church on the 2nd story. We so appreciated New Life’s positive attitude and strong work ethic. It was great to see the results after a hard week of work. And they also ministered in area churches while in the country.

The Living Water Fellowship Team was on here for the end of the year party for the 14 Haitian education programs. There were 700 children at this event. Debbie was so happy to have this team with their servant attitude assist her. They also ministered in area churches, and put on work gloves and helped with the foundation work of the Cutupu church mentioned on our header above. It was hot grueling work and they never complained. Thank you Living Water!

Greenville First conducted Vacation Bible School at various local churches and also helped with construction needs. There are many churches in this country that cannot afford a special summer program for the children.It is a great blessing to help the kids learn the Bible lessons that they can apply in their own lives. We encourage churches to come and host the VBS programs here in the Dominican Republic. The team also poured the floor for the Good News Haitian Church in Sabaneta, and helped with the foundation work of the Cutupu church.

Volunteers will be missed!
The Palmer family returned to the United States after serving the Haitian Schools and the International Church for two years. They will be greatly missed.

We will also miss Sallie Wham who faithfully worked with the English program at La Vega Christian School, and also worked with the Children’s program at Rose of Sharon Church in Barrio Inco. Debbie will surely miss her help in that program.

La Vega Christian School (LVCS) is always on the look out for volunteers willing to give a year or more of their life teaching English in a Christian environment. At LVCS they have freedom to impart spiritual truth as they teach. Our volunteers don’t have to speak Spanish to teach here. If you are interested in applying for a short term mission at LVCS contact us today.

Short term missions teams are encouraged to network with us to impact local churches, schools, and communities! We cannot overemphasize the impact that church teams have had on our ministry here in La Vega. There are more than 40 building projects over the years that could not have been accomplished without the help of these gracious US teams. The Cutupu project above needs help today. If you or your church would like to help, visit our Dominican Republic short-term missions trip webpage for practical guidelines to prepare for your visit.

Congrats to Pastor Aaron Rios
Aaron Rios was installed as Lead Pastor at Garden City Church in Beverly, Mass. He is our daughter Sarah’s husband. It was great to be on hand for this event during our summer visit to the U.S. Previously he was an associate pastor for 4 years at New Life Church in Leominster, Mass.

1,800 Missionaries Attending
We found ourselves attending a world missions event in Orlando with 1,800 other missionaries. The Assemblies of God World Missions organization said history was made as missionaries from 160 nations gathered for encouragement and edification. Outstanding speakers such as Dick Eastman from Every Home for Christ challenged us to prayer.

Haitian School Update Spring 2019

March 14, 2019 By admin

Dear Haitian School Sponsors,

Haitian Student working diligently! — MORE PHOTOS BELOW!

I wish you were here to see the joy and excitement on the faces of these children! In spite of difficult circumstances, crowded classrooms, hard benches, and long walks, the kids love to be in school. They are happy to have friends and a safe place to learn. And they love to eat, too!

At one school we visited this week I saw a lady with one leg, on crutches, with a basket on her head. The director told me she lost her leg in the earthquake in Haiti. She brings snacks for the kids to buy, and then cleans up the playground afterwards. I wish I had taken her photo, but I was too choked up. My ankle is still bothering me, and it’s hard to walk, so I can understand her discomfort and admire her initiative. That school does not have a sponsor. We are praying about helping the director with $480 a month to pay the teachers.

When the Calvary Academy students were here last month we visited several schools, where the students performed skits and songs, and did crafts with the kids. They loved it! They also painted Alex’s school and church in Sabaneta, and came for an evening service. They were so moved when the Haitian congregation prayed for them. They couldn’t understand all the words but they knew the Spirit was there.

In Barranca the students painted decorations that Pastor Frantz wanted. The new computer lab is finished and the new classrooms are painted. The students there were so happy with the toys the Calvary students brought. Such joy all around!

We hadn’t visited the Ciudad Universitaria school in a while. They meet in the afternoons. The students did a program on the basketball court and then they did their crafts. It just takes a little bit to make a huge impact in the lives of these children.

We had a big disappointment last week when we went to fence in the new property in Cutupu. A lawyer was waiting for us, claiming that the property belonged to her grandfather’s inheritors, and she was going to bring a lawsuit against the people selling to us. That was a shock! We spent more days looking, and God willing, will close this week on a much bigger property with space for the church, school, a soccer field and garden. Please pray for the funds needed to complete the building.

Thank you for your sponsorship, which makes it possible for over 800 children to receive a Christian education and nutritious food. We are honored to be your missionaries.

See below for photos.

God bless,

Debbie and Mitch Martinez

100% of donations go directly to pay school expenses for the children. Your tax-deductible offering may be sent to:

TMCI

PO BOX 1761

Columbia, SC 29202-1761

or call about automatic drafts. 803-799-0502

Calvary Academy students painted the Sabaneta church and School

This sweet girl wanted a picture with me

Calvary ministering to students at Ciudad Universitaria.

Two classes in Cutupu currently meeting under a tarp.

Child Sponsor Update February 2018

February 13, 2018 By admin

Dear Sponsors:

We have a lot to share with you this month. Thank you for opening your heart to enable a poor Haitian child to attend school. We recently received a grant to start feeding the children in the schools where that wasn’t happening. It has meant a flurry of activity for us, and lots of smiles and warm bellies for the children. First we had to buy plates, spoons, cups, dish drainers and boxes to contain the food. We had tables made and are still buying more. One of our Haitian pastors, Odima, found a man who makes stoves for the big pots they use, so we purchased one for the Rancho Viejo school and another for Limoncito. We had to buy those big aluminum pots with lids, spoons for stirring, and gas tanks. Then pitchers for making juice and serving trays. Everything is so colorful! The pastors found women to cook within their churches.

At first we were buying food weekly until the cooks knew how much they needed. Now we are trying to buy the food monthly or twice a month. The menus include rice with black beans and sardines, (delicious, a little girl told me last week), chicken soup, cream of wheat, corn meal with milk, oatmeal, bread and hot chocolate, crackers and cheese, spaghetti with cheese or salami, and more. Thankfully I have the help of other missionaries to help with all the shopping and delivering. Believe me, when you start adding 30 pounds of rice, 10 pounds of dried beans, 20 pounds of sugar, and all the rest, that shopping cart gets heavy!

Some prayer concerns:

We still need to finish the classrooms in Barranca. Mitch recently posted a short video about the work there. (Watch it here)
The new classrooms in Sabaneta are full of happy students. We need funds to finish off the sidewalks and the stucco work.
Idovil’s school is overcrowded with 110 students in a three bedroom home. We are trying to find a bigger place for the school to meet. His wife is pregnant with their 4th child and due any day. Thankfully they were able to move into a nice little house just a block from the school.
Pray that the teachers apply what they learn in our workshops.
Many of the families are so desperately poor. This month we were able to donate washing machines to 6 Haitian families. The men need work. The women need hope. They all need Jesus.

Again, thank you for being part of this ministry. I pray the Lord rewards you for you generosity.

For the children,

Debbie and Mitch Martinez

Send donations to Your Missionary Outreach, PO BOX 1761, Columbia, SC 29202

Write Debbie at lavegaschool@gmail.com or call at 863-248-1119.