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News: February 2002 | |
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| We Remember Ruthie | Third Annual Memorial Run | |
| What is a missionary mom to do? How do you find good in the senseless death of your oldest daughter, so beautiful, full of life and potential, who died just a week shy of her 21st birthday? After the initial shock, denial, questioning, depression, painful grief... when the healing begins, what do you do with your daughter? Forget she ever existed? Hide that painful chapter of your life and carry on as if you are "over that now"? We have chosen to honor the memory of Ruth Maria Martinez, 3/6/78- 2/28/99, with the establishment of the Ruthie Martinez Children's Fund to help children in the Dominican Republic. This fund provides scholarships for deserving children at La Vega Christian School, where Ruthie was a teacher. Some have given a one-time gift, or a monthly offering to help one of the 70 children needing a full or part scholarship. Half scholarships are $18 monthly. |
 For more information, visit our website at www.DominicanMissions.com or write us at Your Missionary Outreach P0 Box 1761 Columbia, SC 29202. further contact info |
On February 23, Ruthie's family and friends will again participate in the 3rd Annual Ruth Memorial Walk/Run Team Event in Titusville, Florida. Money is pledged for each lap around the track. If you would like to participate, contact us at 321-264-0872 or 321-230-0232. All proceeds go to Ruthie's Children's Fund. |
| Construction Continues | ||
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A team from Anderson University, Indiana spent their Christmas vacation
working and ministering in La Vega. They built the wood structure to support the roof for the new cafeteria area at La Vega Christian School. The Lord then supplied the needed funds for the actual roofing material through Helping Hands Ministries. The roof was put on in January. Mitch traveled to the Dominican Republic to oversee this project. |
Also started was work on the Science Lab for the high school. This is far from finished. There are always construction projects in the Dominican Republic! If your church would like to send a team to help, please contact us. We will send you a team packet to help you plan the trip of a lifetime. You can download this information at our brand new website, www.DominicanMissions.com |
| Thank You! | ||
| A special thanks to Verle and Shirley Stutzman, who served as interim directors at the school until December. They are now ministering in Nicaragua. Please pray for the new director, Pastor Francisco Acosta. |
Praise the Lord for another new teacher, Laura Girard, who joined us in January. We still need teachers for next year! Please contact us for more information. Pray for us to reach the necessaiy support level to return in August. We're at 50% now. |
 Special Thanks to the Anderson University Team |
| Prayer Walks and Spiritual Warfare | ||
| Every February "Carnaval" descends on the cities of the Dominican Republic, but the queen of all carnivals is held in La Vega, where we have lived since 1992. Every Saturday in the month there are parades, concerts and parties. On Sunday, nearly everyone takes to the streets to see the demon teams cavort in their wildly expensive and elaborate costumes and masks. Beer and rum runs freely. There are often fights, some ending in deaths as old resentments are remembered and revenged. The demons whack passersby with a cow's bladder filled with flour. The incessant beat of the drums is heard all over this city, population 250,000. The month of February is set apart to pay homage to the devils and demons. What is a missionary mom to do? Give in to the oppression? Stand aside while even some of the church youth give in to temptation and join the crowd downtown? |
 Not this mom! In coordination with our daughter Sarah's youth group, we began a prayer walk along the carnival route early every Sunday morning in February. This is the third year it continues. We pray for the Dominican Republic, we pray for La Vega. We pray for the churches to be strengthened. We pray for the youth. We pray they will resist temptation. We pray for the children, that they would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and be instructed in his Word. We pray for the parents, that they would lead and guide their children to the truth, that they would be strong and resist temptation and do what is right. |
We pray for the poor, the hopeless, the sick, the dying, that they may find hope in Jesus Christ. We pray that we will all obey the Lord's command to love each other. Will you join us this February? Will you dedicate a part of your week to walk the streets of your neighborhood, interceding for the children, youth and their parents? Pray for the families that bring the gospel to the far corners of the world in the midst of fierce spiritual opposition. Pray for yourself, that you would be disciplined, strong, devoted to prayer and the Word of God, patient in tribulation, rejoicing in the Lord always. Pray for your country and its leaders, that they would hear God's voice and follow Him. We all need prayer. And we all need each other. Love, Debbie |
