Government Finally Sets Price for Land
 DR Team Given Three Weeks to Pay Deposit

Left: Taking a walk into the future. Doug Hodges walks over part of the 46 acres for the DR Vision.

The size of the land is 46 acres.

The land is located five-ten minutes outside

the city of San Pedro de Macoris.

The price is $175,000.

We have until September 18, 2006 (about three weeks) to put down a 35 percent deposit ($61,250) on the land.

We already have in the bank $32,000. That means we are only $29,250 away from making the deposit.

Upon receiving the deposit, construction is allowed to begin immediately! The government has provided options for financing the balance. We are trusting the Lord that we will not have to use the financing option for long, as it is at 12 percent interest.

Would you join us in prayer that the Lord will lay it on the hearts of His people to give toward this project? September 18, 2006 is a very big deadline. If you know of someone that may be interested in supporting the DR Vision please feel free to forward this email to them.

Money for the DR Vision can be sent to:

Daystar Baptist Missions

PO Box 1193

Barboursville, WV 25504

Please attach a note or write in the memo: DR Vision Land. A tax-deductible receipt will be sent.

 

 What is the DR Vision?
 Core Ministries Will Make Significant Impact on Country

Left: These guys are still not sitting there from last week's email! The 46 acres however, is still there and still flat. What a great piece of property!

Overview: The DR Vision is a long-range plan for significantly and strategically impacting the Dominican Republic. The key to the longevity of the vision rests in having a strong, local church at the nucleus of the vision. Out from that, the DR Vision extends as a web or a network to impact the lives of young men and women through the various ministries and train them to be leaders in the home, in their churches and in society. The DR Vision is about training up a generation that has a Biblical world-view and unleashing them to fulfill the Great Commission here in the Dominican Republic.

Significant Church: The vision is to raise up a strong, healthy church that can one day be responsible for planting other churches across the island. However, as it has been said, “the light that shines furthest, shines brightest at home.” In a city of 217,000 and surrounding population of nearly 83,000 more people, there is much to be done in San Pedro de Macoris. The church is off to a good start, having begun in August of 2003. The DR Vision will help the church continue to grow, as its ministries will be tied to the local church.

Bible College: One of the problems the DR Vision addresses is the need for a Baptist college on the level of Christian colleges in the United States. Sadly, many of the country’s sharpest Dominicans leave to go to Bible college in the States and never return. This has resulted in a lack of leadership to lead national churches. The Bible college will adequately prepare students for a life of service and will have dormitories to house students from outside the city and country. Students will receive practical, hands-on experience in local church ministries as well as be able to help in other parts of the DR Vision (coaching, mentoring, etc.).

Christian School: The vision is to have a bilingual, Christian school that offers a wide range of subjects taught by American and Dominican teachers. Providing a Biblical world-view to the students is critical if we are going to impact the society. These future leaders must understand their responsibilities in the family, the local church and in society. The school will also provide an effective means to reach families with the gospel and introduce them to the church and other ministries.

Orphanage Ministry: By providing a loving, Christ-centered, home environment to abandoned, orphaned children, this ministry seeks to give forgotten children an opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. These children will be enrolled in the Christian school and be a part of the church and will have every opportunity to enter society as productive citizens as they grow into adulthood. By design, children will be placed into homes with house parents as opposed to an institutional setting. Currently, the ministry already has one boys home, with plans to open another home soon after the property is purchased.

Baseball Ministry: Baseball is an effective “key” or “tool” to reaching the heart of the people. Already, the ministry’s baseball program has had an impact on players, families and the local church, not to mention being a great example to city officials. On the land, we seek to build a first-class baseball complex with two fields, one large and one small, and other training facilities. The baseball ministry is automatically connected to the church and will one day be connected to the Christian school.

Camps: During the summer, we can utilize the facilities for summer day camps for children in the city. Again, this is a great opportunity to introduce children to the Lord, reach their families with the gospel and then network them into our other ministries.

 

 What Makes the DR Vision Go: Teams of People
 God is Calling and Empowering People to Work His Harvest

So, you like the idea and you are excited about us buying land, but how can we really do all of this? Well the answer and the strength of the DR Vision lies in our people, Dominicans and Americans. As excited as we are about the land and the vision, we are more excited about the people that the Lord is moving this way! Philosophically, we believe the only way to effectively accomplish this task to impact the country is by the utilization of the team concept.

We define team as a small group of people who have complimentary spiritual gifts and acquired skills who are committed to a common vision, work together to best effectively minister, and who hold each other mutually accountable for the carrying out of the vision.

Right now, we have three missionary families (Hales, Hodges, Mercedes) already in place here in the Dominican Republic. And praise the Lord for the work that has already been done. (No one has been idly waiting for the land, to begin ministering). We also have two talented single ladies (Boley and Melrose) and a dynamic couple on deputation (Justices). And then, there is a host of people that we are hearing from on a regular basis that feel the Lord may be leading them this way. This is as exciting as the land, as we know that the Lord is preparing workers for the harvest.

Will you pray that the Lord continues to prepare and send workers for this great task? In addition to team members, we are praying for the Lord to give us a team leader for each of the major ministry divisions. We need wisdom, as we feel it is critical to get the right person in the “leadership” circle. Right now, we are praying for a team leader for the Christian school (an administrator that will help get the school started) and a team leader for baseball (this ministry is already growing and is in need of full-time attention and leadership). In the Lord’s timing, we also will need leaders for the orphanage, Bible College, and camp ministries.