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Friends and Family of CDMM,
It has been a busy and ministry-packed spring here in the Dominican Republic.
We had the privilege of working with my brother Joseph Klein, who was here volunteering for a few months this spring and is currently planning and preparing to return to the field full-time next summer. Please pray for him as he prepares for this move and raises support to re-join the CDMM team here full time in the summer of 2011.
Joseph has prepared the following update for you:
All growth is exciting to witness, to see people mature in Christ doubly so. Like the first fruits of your very own garden or your baby who has begun to trust his legs and leave the crutch of crawling, so is the Christian who begins to contribute to the work of reconciling others to God.
I'm excited to share with you, partners and friends of Christian Dominican Medical Mission and the Christian churches in the Dominican Republic, that this spring has seen profound growth in the whole Church network and especially within the youth movement. More and more people are sharing in the joy of knowing Jesus as their Lord, as many believers are beginning to really mature in a faith that motivates participation.
A young church plant project comes to mind in Salamanca. Adopted as a little sister project by Los Casabes Church, the Way of Jesus has begun to take hold since February when a new youth group was started (lead by youth who travel from Los Casabes, over an hour away). A special combined baptism service was held two weeks ago where six youth from Los Casabes and two from Salamanca were baptized into Jesus, and each has enthusiastically continued to participate and invite friends. One of the new believers is a close friend to a youth who lives adjacent to the church building in Salamanca, Oscar (one of the first baptized of the town), is always enthusiastic to share his faith and get more youth from the neighborhood involved. He really shows leadership qualities although sill quite young. The Salamanca church has begun to hold Sunday services (held by Ernesto Javier and the ministry team of Los Casabes). God is at work through these efforts as evidenced by the welcomed response of many, both youth and adults, and of course the children. The most exciting thing of all is the glimpse of spiritual growth that is beginning to transform some of the Los Casabes youth from children into leaders and mentors.
Many of the Dominican churches have seen similar growth beginning with noticeable spiritual growth and enthusiasm within the youth groups spreading through the rest of the church. This is due to the recent focus CDMM has placed on the monthly Youth Leader Training, where youth leaders from each church meet to learn and work though the four or five lesson plans of the next month, learn new songs, games, bible verses, skits, and new techniques in growth and ministry development. Organizing and planning the materials and training is well worth the time and effort and such a blessing to begin to see true maturity sweep the youth groups willing to let God work in them. The enthusiasm these young leaders bring is contagious. The monthly Youth Leaders training has been going on for a little over a year this Spring, and has sparked the start of five new youth groups, all entirely youth led (under the leadership and direction of CDMM and adult Christians).
God is truly bringing to fruit the seeds planted in the Los Casabes neighborhood just over ten years ago, when Gary found a woman in tears on a pile of rubble, which was her house, in wake of Hurricane Georges. Rebuilding homes at the mouth of the city garbage dump led to a church plant, the church in which Ernesto Javier and his family came to know Jesus. This has grown into a congregation of believers which has begun to show maturity in Christ. Los Casabes has now become the launch pad for a whole movement with adult growth groups, healthy leadership and a strong youth group. The Casabes youth group has now decided (on their own) to start small growth groups with three Christian youth in each group to help give opportunity to evangelize and share with more non-Christians.
This week is an especially exciting one for which the church family of Los Casabes and CDMM have been doing a lot of preparation. It is a special week-long evangelistic revival with a visiting evangelist and recording Christian music artist. We set the church building up with a new paint job, flowers, new lighting, and a banner, and the church members have been bathing the event in prayer. Everyone is so excited and looking forward to the opportunity to share this revival with all of their families and neighbors. God is working though the believers here in the Dominican Republic and through CDMM. With His spirit working among us, we expect a full house for the revival this week and for weeks to come.
This growth is God at work in people's lives, transforming souls, homes, and whole communities, and it is our privilege (yours and mine) to be able to join God in His great work here in the Dominican Republic.
* in regards to CDMM assistance in Haiti, we plan to continue visits over to Haiti in response to the tragic earthquake, as funds provide. As we are able we will aid in Haiti, working though a Christian church in Carrefour. CDMM feels our example of sacrifice (of time, rest, and personal resources,) and interest in the lives of others is an essential element of Christian life for us to model to our Dominican churches what it means to love God and love others, through service.
God bless,
Joseph M. Klein
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