Dominican Update
Rick and Suzanne York
La Romana, Dominican Republic
November 2005

Dear Friends in Christ,

          Greetings once again from the Dominican Republic. Suzanne and I are excited to be able to share the news of the Lord’s work in the eastern section of this country. We sat down the other day to make a list of the information we wanted to share and we will have to eliminate some of the items because so much is going on or has happened since our last newsletter.

TEN YEAR AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH THE CENTRO MUTUALISTA!

          We’re happy to report that we just signed a ten-year agreement with the Centro Mutualista in La Romana to continue to use the auditorium and other areas of the complex and to help the Board of Directors there to develop the full potential of the property. We have a list of eight different major projects that we hope to see finished in the next ten years. The idea is to develop the property into a real community-based outreach that will impact the lives of those living in the area both spiritually and as a community. Some of the projects are:

• A multi-purpose covered gymnasium
• Dormitory rooms and offices for Eastern Dominican Christian Mission
• A community Library
• Vocational schools
• A computer center

Please be praying for these projects as the Lord leads US church work teams here to help with these projects, and many more.

ADVANCED TRAINING CLASSES NOW OFFERED IN LA ROMANA!

          One of the greatest needs of growing mission works around the world is better training for national leaders. The quest for training sometimes presents more problems than solutions! For example, we have four, married leaders in the La Romana church who have each expressed a real desire to study theology/scripture at a deeper level. It’s impossible for any of them to think of leaving their families, all with children at home, to go to the USA or somewhere else to study for four years to get a Bible College degree. None of them speak English well enough to do university level classes in English. Plus, when we have sent students in past years, as often happens in other mission fields as well, they never return!
          Our best hope is to develop a program here that can be used in any country. We’re working with one of the Christian colleges in the US now to develop a 16-course program that will allow the students to stay in their respective countries and complete this course of work with teaching and supervision done by the missionaries on the field. Certain academic requirements will be in place for the missionaries and students as well as  a set curriculum to be followed in order to give validity to the program. We started in May and offered “The Book of Acts” and “Bible Life and Times” and we had 7 students complete the first two courses. They really enjoyed the challenge and the learning experience. They had papers to do, quizzes to take and exams to prepare for. We are now in our second section with “Introduction to the Gospels” and “Old Testament History”. As always, the professor learns as much as his/her students! Suzanne is the organizational brains behind this endeavor, working on the syllabi and coordinating the Spanish texts to match the English texts used in the states. Please be in prayer for this project. We’ll be meeting with college leaders and other missionaries at the National Missionary Convention in Atlanta in November to further promote this program.

 EASTERN DOMINICAN CHRISTIAN MISSION BOARD MEETS IN LA ROMANA!

          We were especially pleased to have several members of the board here in July and August for our annual Board meeting. Carol Finley, from Danville, IL was here on vacation with her family in July and then four of the Board Members were here in August for three days of meetings with us. The members attending were:
Joni Colle, from West Side Christian Church in Springfield, IL
Larry Travis, from Plum Creek Christian Church in Butler, KY
Randy Gordon, from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY and
Neil Webster, also from Northeast Christian Church

          We discussed the past two years and reviewed our mission statement, goals, and plans of action for the next year. Probably the most important topic of discussion was the plans for expansion of the work in the eastern part of the country. We have been praying about this decision for a long time and really feel the leading of the Holy Spirit to the Bavaro/Punta Cana area on the far eastern tip of the country. This is the center of the tourist area. The economy there is booming and jobs are plentiful. More and more Dominicans are moving to that area to be able to work there and there are very few established churches. Our game plan is to continue to live in La Romana and when we get back from furlough in the fall of 2006 to establish an office in that area and begin spending 3 days a week there and begin making contacts for the Bible Study Network that has been so effective here in La Romana. The next step would be to recruit a young Dominican couple to move there to lead the work and try to reproduce what the Lord has done here in La Romana. Please pray for these plans and that the Lord will open doors in that area in the next year or so.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO HELP

          Eastern Dominican Christian Mission has asked three members of supporting churches to be on the board and they have said “Yes!” They are:

• Becky Dobbins, a schoolteacher from First Christian Church in Tarpon Springs, FL.
• Jeff Lane, a paramedic and elder from Old Union Church of Christ in Danville, IL
• Scott Mulhauser, a Financial Advisor from Parkside Christian Church in Cincinnati, OH

We’re thrilled to have them and receive their advice and suggestions. Also, many thanks to Carol Finley, who rotates off the board for a while.

RICK AND SUZANNE MOVE INTO NEW APARTMENT
         
          We began looking for a place to purchase shortly after we arrived here in September of 2003. We found a new apartment being built in a nice section of town so we started the process of negotiations and made a down payment in December 2003. The apartment was supposed to be done by the end of August 2004, but the Dominican reality is not the same as in the USA so we were able to move in by the end of May, 2005. It’s very comfortable and we are getting things organized, little by little. We’ve already had several guests and would love to host you some time.

ENGLISH AS  A SECOND LANGUAGE OUTREACH AT CENTRO MUTUALISTA.

          We were asked to start some English classes for the medical personnel at the Centro Mutualista where the church also meets. We are having classes twice a week for 90 minutes each class and have had a consistent group of 12-15 students. Almost all the ones that have stuck with the program are progressing nicely and have learned a lot. We try and vary the classes and make the students speak in English. We also try and make it fun and the students really enjoy the classes. It’s also a great time for us to get to know the people on a more personal level and share what we believe and what the church is doing in the community.

FAMILY NEWS     

          Our older daughter, Emily, arrived in Bangkok, Thailand at the end of August,  where she will be spending the next several months working with Habitat for Humanity. She is doing her internship for her Master’s Degree from Eastern University and will finish and graduate in December, Lord willing. She’ll be working in the areas that were affected by the tsunami in January and traveling to different areas of Southeast Asia. We’re still able to keep in touch via e-mail and phone so it doesn’t seem that she is so far away!
          Laurie was able to visit over Labor Day weekend and we enjoyed her short stay. She continues to do well at her work with the Bronx District Attorney’s office as a Crime Victim’s Advocate. She got very high ratings on her first yearly evaluation. Both Emily and Laurie will be here for Christmas, an unexpected treat!

LEADERSHIP TEAM CONTINUES TO MATURE!
          We were able to have a couple of special events with our leadership team in the past few months. We attended the annual conference in Santo Domingo that is sponsored by the Willow Creek Association concerning the church’s impact on the local community. This year’s theme was entitled “The Butterfly Effect” and was based on the scientific idea and law that every action has a reaction. The movement of a butterfly’s wings in the jungles of the Amazon has an effect on the whole earth, even though it may be very small and hard to measure. Our work as a church has an effect on the community we live in and how we affect the community should be of utmost concern to the local church.
          We also had a short three day retreat with our leadership and their families at one of the local hotels in Punta Cana. That was a lot of fun and a great time of relaxation and planning for the next six months.

Two Special Projects Completed!!!
          A team from Northeast Christian Church in Louisville was the first week of October and one of the big goals was to install a video projection system. Go plan but the new projector the team brought would not work!! After much scrambling and phone calls they were able to locate another one in Santo Domingo and got it installed and working. It is so nice-all the songs and announcements are now projected on the big screen. Thanks Northeast!          Northeast helped with part of the cost and Eastern Dominican Christian Mission spent $2500 on the project.
         
          Our second project is also up and running. It is a battery back-up system called an inverter. The inverter has 8 deep-cycle batteries that provide power for the lights and sound system for the church when the power goes off- which happens every day, sometimes for several hours a day. The batteries are then charged when the lights do come back on. It works automatically and cleanly, because we do not need to run a generator to provide lights for the different church services. This system is costing a total of $2700 US so again, any help you can give will be a blessing for us and the work here. Please feel free to use the envelope enclosed in this newsletter for your contribution.

THANK YOU!
         
          Many thanks again for your continued financial help for the work here. We do appreciate it! Suzanne sends a “thank-you” letter and receipt for every contribution made. We’re humbled to be serving such a Great God that uses His people and His church to provide for our needs. We are truly blessed! We’d love to hear from you! Our e-mail is ryork@verizon.net.do and our home phone number is 809/550-9695 and our cell number is 809/458-6840. It’s really simple to call from the US- just dial 1 and the number!

God bless each of you