Throughout the gospels we see how Jesus teaches, practices, and gives the assignments to practice to his disciples. He taught about His Kingdom in the three chapters of Matthew 5-7. Then he practiced what he …
Our Haitian Education Center in El Pino has been under some pressure to move from the church where they have been meeting. Thanks to our donors, we were able to purchase a property and have the funds to start with the foundation. We will need $25,000 to complete this project; this will ensure 4-6 classrooms for up to 100 children. This Thanksgiving will you consider sending funds to help with the El Pino Education Center and Church Project? Your gifts are tax deductible. Pastor Wilner is committed to helping these children. Without the school many children would not receive any education. Public schools are over-crowded and the Haitian children are last to be offered placement in a classroom. They don’t speak the language, and they may not have proper legal documentation They are part of the immigrant population fleeing the dangerous living conditions in Haiti. Debbie has been raising funds to support 15 schools with over 1000 Haitian children on a monthly basis. She believes it is a crime for a child not to be able to receive an education. Will you consider providing help? For $25.00 a month you can sponsor a child. If you would like to help with this project, or provide on-going support for the children’s programs, you can donate online at www.tmciworld.com
Project Updates:
By the time you read this note, the Limoncito Sanctuary Project will be completed. Downstairs, the Haitian Education Center will finally have its own space for classrooms. A team from Evangel Assembly, MA will be with us to help partition the classrooms, and will minister to children and adults plus provide healthcare.
The El Hatico Sanctuary Project is moving forward and our goal is to have the sanctuary complete before the end of November. We are grateful for the funds we have received for this project. Hopefully within a week or two the floor, electrical, windows and doors should all be in place. This congregation will celebrate Christmas in a new sanctuary!
We are receiving funds for small homes for three pastors. Pastor Frantz of the Barranca project, Pastor Alex of the Sabaneta Project, and Pastor Danes of the Cutupu Project. These ministers work sacrificially and have tough living situations. What a blessing for them if we can help them. We are estimating a need for $11,000.00 each. Material costs are affecting us strongly. We have received $9000.00 thus far. PTL!!
We appreciate each and every one of our partners, whether you are praying for us or are part of the financial lifeline. We are so thankful for you and for God, for what he is doing here in the Dominican Republic. Wishing you a special Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends! Mitch and Debbie Martinez
We have much to be thankful this Thanksgiving! We are praising God for His mercy in sparing Tim’s life. On October 12, 2022 Tim suffered a heart attack. He underwent a heart catheterization here in the hospital in Santiago, Dominican Republic and doctors found a vein 100% blocked and an artery 95% blocked, after angioplasty, two stents were placed. Tim is recovering very well and has been given permission to return to normal activities. This week we celebrated his 69th birthday! Trena has also recuperated from 5 days in ICU with COVID-19.
(Translation: “When we repent with our whole heart a change is made in our lives and we leave the old ways to live a life aligned with the purposes of God”. Tim Johnson)
We’ve been busy about the Father’s business –God’s Word is Not Bound.
Our family was honored…
October 31st, Tim, Darren and I were invited to a special event sponsored by the Santiago Mayor’s office. called “A Night of Rejoicing for the Protestant Church”. It was in special honor of “Reformation Day” when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. What a surprise when our family was honored for our 36 years of overseas mission work and our contribution to the development of society (educational & cultural) in the nation. They adopted us as “hijos of Santiago, Dominican Republic ” for our 27 years here. Ironic for me is, that on October 31st Dominican Republic does not celebrate Halloween but does celebrate the Protestant Reformation (505 years)!
Church Building…
Our son Darren, has completed the trusses and roof for church build #34. We do not pastor these churches but evangelize, encourage and help the pastors fulfill the vision God has placed in their hearts. When we arrived in the D.R. 27 years ago, more than 5,000 villages and towns had no evangelical (protestant) church. Praise God His church is growing and expanding.
Pastors’ & Leaders’ Conference in August…
We were privileged to host at Casa Grande our ‘first since the pandemic conference’ for pastors’ and leaders’ with guest speakers Dr. Delron and Peggy Shirley of Colorado Springs. Theme was: Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (ESV) Approximately 300 attended. We are still receiving reports that they were greatly ministered to and encouraged. To God be the glory!
Casa Grande Roof Project…
When we were moving to Dominican Republic in 1995, God gave us a word through a singer when we were visiting a church in Morristown, Tennessee, The singer, Bill Silver, said, “I feel God is saying that He has a big house for you in the D.R., and I see it getting bigger”. It was an encouraging word as we didn’t know where we were going to live. Little did we know that God would put a sign on the roof saying “Bienvenidos a la Casa Grande” “Welcome to the Big House”. (It was formerly a discotheque). Well it has gotten bigger and is getting bigger still. Our flat cement roof filters water when it rains and we haven’t been able to stop it. Now, Darren is working to put a corrugated metal roof above our cement roof so the rebar in the cement won’t rust and cause a cave-in. Would you like to help with finances for this project? (Label it “Roof Project”). We just housed a group of 17 Dominicans and have several more groups scheduled in the coming months.
We, at Casa Grande, hosted a baptism for one church with 48 new believers.
Thanks so much for your love, prayers and support! We are laborers together in the Master’s harvest and we are so grateful for your partnership. Have a Very Happy,Blessed Thanksgiving!!! May God richly bless you is our prayer.
It saddens me to say, as most of you are already aware, my father went to be with the Lord on the evening of September 2nd. If you are just now receiving this news, I’m sorry for the delay. We sent out an e-mail shortly after his death to everyone on our e-mail list, but we are just now getting something out by mail. These last two months have been very difficult for us as a family. I was in Nicaragua at the time of his death. Traveling back and forth to Nicaragua has been difficult lately, but thankfully I was able to travel by land the following day to Costa Rica and fly out of there to be in Texas with my family and help make arrangements for the funeral. I want to thank all of you who have reached out to us and have been praying for us. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. My father served the Lord in full-time ministry for 52 years. What a legacy he has left behind! Although those of us who knew him are saddened by the loss, we know that he is finally in the presence of the Savior he loved and served. Even though he has left this world, my prayer is that his legacy will live on through the ministries he founded. One of those being New Hope Children’s Foundation, which he founded in 2000 and I have been directing for the last several years. Even though my father traveled around the world in ministry, Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan people always held a special place in his heart and he loved going there. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. That we may be found faithful in everything the Lord has called us to do. Also I would like to thank every single one of you who have faithfully stood with us over the years. Each one of you are so important to us and we do not take any of you for granted. Thank you for partnering with us to reach Nicaragua for Christ!
National day of the bible
On September 25th, we celebrated Bible Day in Nicaragua! This day was recognized and enacted by the government on October 15th, 2002 and it was established that it would always be on the last Sunday of each September. This year our students got together with their Bible teachers, one being myself, and we began to make plans to celebrate this special day. Our objective as their Bible teachers, was that our students would understand on an even greater level how the Word of God is vital to their lives in order for them to have a correct walk with the Lord. We also taught them about the importance of reading the Word of God, practicing it and putting it into action and how it brings many benefits to them. Our goal is that they learn to love the Word of God and the One who inspired the Word. The word we imparted to them was to know that God teaches us that the Word must be the Light that overcomes darkness and illuminates our day to day walk. In the same manner, the Word is food that strengthens our Spirit just as our body needs food to function and sustain life. The Word is the best gift we have in order to be edified and transformed as we put it into action. Our generation must learn to thirst and hunger for the Word of God. We taught them that they must smell of holiness and purity to be a pleasing fragrance before God. They must remember every day that without holiness no one will see the Lord. Our goal is that they learn to love the Word of God and the One who inspired the Word. This day was a beautiful time with our student body. Nicaragua is blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate this great day when in many other countries it is prohibited. As children of God we should celebrate the Bible every day by reading the Word, which leads us into having communication and intimate fellowship with our Father.
INDIGENOUS DAY
On Friday, October 21st, MTC celebrated Indigenous People Day; a day where the indigenous people of Nicaragua are celebrated and the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas is remembered. We begun early in the morning with a fair where students dressed in various typical indigenous clothes. It was an event not only of fellowship but a means to raise funds to support the school. The students brought various typical foods to sell with the goal of donating the profit to New Hope. The idea was presented and coordinated by the administration of MTC so our students and their families could realize the need of New Hope in Nicaragua and could participate in sowing back into the ministry. Students participated from preschool to eleventh grade. This fair was held to have a time of unity and fellowship, but at the same time it was a blessing to see reflected in our students the values that our teachers have instilled in them on a daily basis.
hurricane Julia
Hurricane Julia has left many in Nicaragua devastated in a matter of 2 weeks. On the morning of October 9th, Julia with wind speeds of 85 mph made landfall on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, in Laguna de Perlas, where it decimated into a tropical storm. On one hand it was good that it downgraded from a Hurricane to a Tropical Storm, but on the other hand, as a result of this it moved a lot slower across Nicaragua which brought extreme amounts of rain, causing numerous floods and mudslides to occur; forcing many people to evacuate their homes. As a result of this latest hurricane many people had their homes damaged and others sadly lost their very lives. It has been reported a total of 28 people dead, numerous hospitalized and hundreds, possibly thousands homeless as Julia left destruction in her wake. At New Hope in El Crucero, Nicaragua, we were not an exception for the calamity of Julia. We know that amidst this chaos God was in control. Even though we did not come out of it unscathed, we believe that the mighty hand of God was over us and protected us. Our students, teachers and staff members were all unharmed. Nevertheless, we were greatly affected by the passing of Julia and the many damages it caused. We have damage to different roofs and gutters that were torn off and other damages that need to be repaired. At this time we don’t have the finances to make these repairs and we are not sure exactly how much it will cost. The list is extensive on the repairs that need to be done on the various ministry facilities of New Hope, but little by little we will repair them as God provides. Please agree with us in prayer for the finances needed to make these necessary repairs and also so that we can help others as well who were affected as a result of the hurricane. Your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated.
Finances needed for the month of November
Please agree with us in prayer for the finances we need to operate during the month of November. Our current monthly budget is $9,772. This amount covers just our bare minimum operating expenses. We praise the Lord for those of you who are faithfully supporting New Hope each month. Your faithful giving means so much to us! We cannot say thank you enough. Please agree with us in prayer for the additional $4,249 needed for this month, that in the natural we are not projected to receive, but by faith we believe the Lord will provide! Please also agree with us for the finances needed for maintenance and repairs to the building structures at New Hope. This is something that is not included in our basic monthly operating expenses and especially after hurricane Julia there is much that needs to be done.
Gym Remodel Please continue to agree with us in prayer for the remaining $32,000 needed to finish remodeling the gym. The majority of these funds are to purchase the wood for the supports for the roof that goes around the classrooms. We are believing that we will soon be able to purchase this in Jesus’ Name!
How are you? With a couple Good News Club leaders getting Covid and me needing a root canal (please continue to pray for my tooth as it’s a 3 step process), it has been a bit of a slow start to school term 4. But we are pressing on.
Last week Launceston’s Good News Club had 5 new children! What a blessing!
Longford will resume after illnesses tomorrow. However, I was able to take one of our Longford girls to our church network’s youth group I help with (which is 4 churches coming together to make a youth group) for the first time Friday night as during the last term of the year 6th graders are allowed to come to youth group. That was great to get to spend some time together. She is the one who became a Christian at the Will Graham KidzFest earlier this year and who had a big change in her life at school as a result. She let me know Friday that her step brother is moving in with them tomorrow. Please pray for this transition in an already stretched family and that her step brother (4th grade) would want to come to Good News Club too.
Also, it’s the time of year to now start planning for summer ministry. Directly with children, we will be holding our holiday clubs in Launceston and George Town again. There is much to get ready for that. I will also be training a couple teachers in CEF’s Teaching Children Effectively college-level course. It has been since before the pandemic that I have taught the course in Tasmania although I did help someone else out with teaching the course while stuck in America in 2020. So you can begin now to pray as I brush up on my Teaching Children Effectively skills for that to go well in January.
That is the quick update here. I hope to send the another update around Thanksgiving, but in case you’re one of those families that celebrates the weekend before I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed American Thanksgiving!
I am grateful for our past month, because it was a great month of ministry. We started our box of smiles project and fed many families. It was amazing what we heard, as we took the boxes of smiles to the families: One lady said they bought medicine for their sick child and they had no money left for food; Another person said we are completely out of food, Praise God for answered prayers. Remember it only takes $30 to fill a box with food, so please designate your donations to, “Box of Smiles”. We use all the money that is sent to buy all of the food the first week of each month. Please remember this food goes to the working poor in our churches. These people tithe, they are in church every week, and they are not battling addictions. These are people fighting to survive. Please be generous and pray for this ministry. No child should go to bed hungry. Please help us, and thank you for what you will send. Together we can make a difference.
We are doing so much ministry, and it feels so good. Our men’s ministry is continuing to grow, and the men are raising up and becoming the spiritual leaders of their families. Several months ago, some of these men hardly came to church, but now they never miss a service. They are disciplining their children, doing daily devotions, and these once stern faces, now have loving smiles. Our parenting classes are also changing families. We even have grandparents, and people with no children attending. There is a real spiritual hunger that is growing in our classes. I am also doing premarital classes and next month we will have our first marriage at the ranch.
Finally, we are continuing to fix up our new church at Coquimatlan. This past week I put in the first sink, and now they can stop using the outside hose. This week we will also be putting up a donated TV so we will have words for the songs. We are trying to bring healing to this church that is hurting. I have never been busier. Thanks to your support we are changing our world. We really need your prayers and support. We will leave the lights on for you. Thank you all very much. You are the best.
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