Dear Eric and Hannah,
May the manifold grace of God be with you and your beloved ones!
I am Juan Francisco de la R. P., pastor of the Templo Biblico Capotillo Church, ministering to Jefry in the Child Development Center, Caminando con Jesus (Walking with Jesus).
We are grateful to God and to you for the many sponsored children who attend our Center. This Center has currently over 370 sponsored children, including Jefry.
God has called us to minister in one of the most crowded areas in the city of Santo Domingo, specifically in the Capotillo neighborhood where we have over 50 thousand families living in extreme poverty. This is one of the most frequently mentioned neighborhoods in our country for the high crime rate that characterizes this populous area. This neighborhood is suffering of high unemployment, a lack of schools, malnutrition of many of its inhabitants, and a high number of single mothers.
As a Christian assembly, we have had to grapple with sorcery, witchcraft, demonic actions, much idolatry, and unbelief among other conditions that the enemy uses to darken the understanding of human beings. Thanks to God and the partnership with Compassion, there is a before and an after. We now have the tools to reach the homes of the poorest children of this neighborhood.
The vision of our assembly is to release parents and children from poverty in the name of Jesus. All our efforts are aimed in that direction. It has already become a reality in many household which used to live in overcrowded conditions and who are now living in their own homes. This happened because the parents of children participated in the Center, believed in the Lord, and have acquired their own little home. They have found stable jobs, their children are studying, and they are able to see the blessings abound.
As an assembly we are using several methods to reach the households: early morning prayer every day, evangelic cells in households across the community, Vacation Bible School, couples meetings, discipleship, and evangelistic celebrations. Every Sunday we have Sunday School for the children and their families. All these ministries have allowed us to count more than 10 families of sponsored children in our church. How great a blessing God has given us!
We continually pray so that each sponsor will write to their sponsored child. We encourage every sponsor to write letters to their sponsored child because we noticed the the children feel happy and appreciated when they receive a letter from their sponsor. We also noticed that those who unfortunately do not receive letters feel discouraged and think that no one cares for them. Therefore, we ask that you please communicate with Jefry on a regular basis.
We ask you to pray a lot for us, for God to continue using us for His glory and honor, and that He will allow us to see many more families transformed, baptized and serving the Lord Almighty.
Many blessings from above,
Pastor Juan Francisco de la R. P.
If you would like to sponsor child from the Dominican Republic, please consider adorable Kisairy who turned 6 on July 8. She has been waiting over 315 days for a sponsor!
Kisairy makes her home with her grandfather and her grandmother. Making beds and running errands are her household duties. Her grandfather is sometimes employed as a laborer and her grandmother maintains the home.
For fun, Kisairy enjoys playing house, playing with dolls and playing group games. She attends church activities and Bible class regularly and is in primary school where her performance is average. To sponsor Kisairy, click here.
