Modern Day Slave Trade

The First Lady of Dominican Republic recently spoke out on the atrocity of trafficking and its implications on our island. Check out this article and then view my comments below.

“The Dominican Republic holds the dubious honor of occupying one of the top three slots in the Americas for its modern day slave trade. An estimated 50,000 Dominican women are estimated to be victims of human trafficking, and this figure does not include either men or children. According to Diario Libre, in her address to a seminar ‘Protection of persons affected by the slave trade’, First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez said that this exploitation of migrant women is a crime against the state and its victims are mostly the result of poverty, sexual or racial discrimination, marginalization and unequal development. The First Lady emphasized that the elimination of the people trafficking in all its manifestations is an urgent necessity and a high priority. The keynote speaker listed the factors that promote this treatment of human beings, mentioning economic difficulties, social violence, crime, the hope of a better life in developed countries ! and trickery by people in these countries. In order to eliminate the slave trade, it is necessary to eliminate these causes.
The First Lady pointed out the need to create a well-thought out, well-conceived strategic national plan of action in order to fight this most lucrative of crimes. She said that the Dominican Republic has been trying to combat the slave trade since 1999, starting with the creation of the Inter-Institutional Committee for the Protection of Immigrant Women (CIPROM) which was set up under Decree 97-99 and regulated by law 137-03 which outlaws such dealings.
US ambassador Robert Fannin said that the United States has urged the Dominican government to intensify its efforts to investigate and punish anyone who traffics in human beings, especially government officials of any rank.”


Dona Cedeno believes that “in order to eliminate the slave trade, it is necessary to eliminate the causes”. (i.e. poverty, violence, crime, deceptions, and the hope of a better life in developed nations) While I agree that these are issues that must be addressed, I know with all my heart that the real cause of the slave trade is a sin issue that can only be eliminated by a SAVIOR. With all my heart I am convinced that the only REAL hope for a girl caught up in the bondage of human trafficking is through the SUPERNATURAL authority of God Almighty, His risen and redeeming Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. So while I support every effort by the government to do what needs to be done, my heart longs to see a Spirit-filled, empowered CHURCH rise up in this issue. and bring the power of the Holy Spirit into the brothel, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus redeeming a red light district.

I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name Isaiah 45:3

The Source is the Same...

As we near the end of our year of itineration ministry, we are in our last big push to raise funds. Fund raising is not may favorite part of this ministry gig. But it is a necessary part. And God has always been faithful.
Last year I was so nervous and worried about the whole process of setting up our missions services. One day as I was praying the Lord reminded me that He was my source. Not the churches. Not the pastor. Not my communication ability. Not even the current US economy. He alone was my source so it didn't matter if I scheduled a service in a big church or a small home missions church. He has always been our provider and he remains to be Jehovah Jireh. Our source is always the same.
This past January our family had the privilege of going to Philadelphia, PA and learn about the history of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We came back from that trip inspired to write our own Declaration. Ours is a Declaration of Dependence.
I thought that I should share it on my blog, especially since we still lack the necessary funds to return in August. Our target date is the 18th of August. I find that I need to remind myself about that word from the Lord. (everytime we fill up the gas tank.) You, my dear reader, may need to hear it as well. Your Source is still the same.

de Freitas Family Declaration of DEpendence
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia!
Oh, yes!
Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)

We believe
That the same God who provided a financial miracle for the provision for the purchase of Cima del Rey will provide it again.
We believe
That the current state of the economy in the USA bears no influence on the economy of heaven.
We believe
That the provision for us to return to the Dominican Republic does not depend upon our talents, abilities, or our opportunities.
We believe
That every offering and ministry opportunity is a testimony to the working of the Spirit within us and the Glory goes to God alone.
We believe
And stand upon the truth of Ephesians 3:20 that we serve a God who can do anything and can do far more than we could ever imagine, or guess, or request in our wildest dreams.
We believe
That no matter WHERE we go—bigchurch /little church, big crowd/ small crowd, no matter who the pastor is, or what the circumstances or the situation
Our Source is the same.
Signed and respectfully declared, this 24th day of the year of our Lord two thousand and eight,
Nelson, Rennae, Troy, Alexander, Marcus and Nicolas de Freitas

Peninsular Florida Girls Retreat (formerly Missionette retreat)-- My experience as special speaker

Girls retreat is over and I finally have a moment sitting with my coffee, my new MacBook named Maxi (name inspired by my new friend Sara who names everything) to reflect on a week of sharing the Word and the powerful Presence of Jesus with my sisterchics. 

Deborah Chapin, who happens to be one of my favorite people in this world, asked me to speak back in December. Looking back on it now, I don’t know what she was thinking!!! I have spent the last 15 years of my life in a small third-world country speaking spanish. On top of that, I am the mother of four BOYS, hello?  I honestly had NO CLUE as to how to minister to girls in the USA in ENGLISH!!! 

So as it got time to prepare I started to despair, I WAS TERRIFIED! And anytime that I get terrified -- you probably do this too-- I get down on my knees. I asked Jesus about it and he reminded me that I had been a missionary 15 years and that after 15 years I am pretty much an expert at studying culture and adapting. He reminded me that we have spent a lot of time working out the practical ways God’s Word must impact our lives within the good and the bad of culture. So.... it was time to study the culture of american girls and young women.

(lauging out loud here--while I type Nelson is doing the hula hoop on Wii Fit!!!! hahaha!! Composure.. ok...sorry... back to the story) 

So my first step was cable television, I watched Hannah Montana, iCarly, Zoey101 and the only thing I really learned from them was that my teenage wardrobe from the 80’s is actually in fashion again!!! I can truthfully say that I can live the rest of my life without watching Hannah Montana. So we had the wardrobe down...

Then I began to observe the girls at church and that’s when I God spoke to me. I got to know a girl whose family has been having a rough time financially, she’s a little socially awkward but she has become my friend. I noticed that the other girls at church ignore her. Then one day I heard a girl who loves Jesus and really is a great girl say to my socially awkward, financially struggling friend, “Didn’t you wear that shirt to church yesterday?” I watched my friend’s countenance change. Her face turned red, she fidgeted, she nervously tried to explain that it was a clean shirt... My soul was grieved. I began to look into this. I could see that there was something going on with girls that needed to be addressed by the WORD of GOD. 

Then God worked it out with my very own BFF, Rhonda Gray,  to help me. Boy did she help...She has a daughter, age 11 and she knows all about this stuff. We wrote a story together with the Holy Spirit. I love ministering with story -- just like Jesus did with the Parables. We felt led to hit the topics of friendship, bullying, cyberbullying, gossip and revenge. 

Rhonda and I became teenagers, Lexi and Chloe. Please, I know its weird to see two women in their thirties try to be teenagers. I hope that there is no you tube video that will come back to haunt me!! We had a blast and God moved in EVERY retreat. 

The small girls were so fun! We adapted the story a little bit but they actually were very engaged and they really loved the characters. I believe that even some of the little girls received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was beautiful to see them flood the altars when we gave an altar call. Nobody held back. I love that!!!

Then we ministered to 12-18 year old girls. Big Jump, but God showed up in a big way! One girl asked me, “Please pray that God will give me a friend, I am always left out.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. 

The morning of this retreat, I was reading about Zaccheus and the Word jumped out at me of how Jesus looked up at Zaccheus and he called him by name. I felt impressed that the Lord would look at these girls, even the ones who were outcasts like Zaccheus. During altar call as we prayed, I looked over and my eyes met with this teenage girl and I got goosebumps, it was electrifying!!! I felt like a vessel and Jesus was looking at this girl. We prayed together and IT WAS POWERFUL! 

The Holy Spirit was poured out, several girls received and one girl stayed and stayed and stayed all by herself with just her leader. I mean she practically missed lunch. She was NOT gonna go home without the baptism. She didn’t!!! She was so excited. 

We also had a message in tongues. I had been really praying for the gifts to be in operation. THIS WAS AN ANSWER TO MY PRAYERs! Yay! An adult gave the message and I explained to the girls what it was all about. In my spirit I KNEW that the interpretation would come from one of the girls. I actually started to tell the girls, “the interpretation could be in one of you, it does not have to be an adult” but I didn’t say it thinking that I did not want to influence the work of the Spirit. It turns out that He does not need my help!!!! And sure enough a young girl came forward with a message! The Lord spoke through her saying to the girls, “You are not too young to influence your church, your school or your community”   Wow...so cool! 

Stars retreat was the last and in this one we ministered to the upper elementary girls. This is probably my favorite age. They were really in to it. They listened intently and really connected with the message. In all the retreats I felt passionate about communicating to the girls that God’s Word really APPLIES to our everyday walking around lives, even our friendships! (especially our friendships!) It is better than a teen magazine!!! 

They really went after God and it was awesome. LOTS of girls were filled with the Spirit and there was a beautiful healing presence. God did a lot of work healing emotions and heart hurts in all the retreats and it wasn’t just the girls. There were several leaders who told me that had to get free of past hurts. 

One last testimony. It was wonderful feel the gifts in operation. Gifts of knowledge and prophecy. But I especially asked the Lord to let his Word speak into the lives of the girls. Often as I ministered in the altars the Scriptures would flood my prayers. As I prayed over girls in the stars retreat I kept reminding the girls that the Lord God never would forget them. I prayed Isaiah 49:15-16

Can a mother forget her nursing child?

      Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?

   But even if that were possible,

      I would not forget you!

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

In the altars as I ministered this scripture a little girl fell out under the power of God and she just wailed. It was almost gut-wrenching, yet I knew at the same time Jesus was doing a beautiful work. It turns out that this child has been in and out of foster care and most recently her Stars leaders had to turn in her step father for child abuse. Big time stuff that ONLY JESUS can really heal. And in that moment the Holy Spirit hovered over her and it was as though He was holding her in that altar and healing her.

Well that is my story. Jesus did his thing and I got to be a part of it!!! Except for the few times that I forgot to pray in English with the girls (crazy--I am so used to ministering in Spanish in the altars) and for the demons in the sound system, (but I’m used that) it was a week of victories for everyone myself included. 

Oh and one last thing-- Pray for me, I am working hard to remove  “like” “totally” “awesome” and “cool” from my every-other-word vocabulary. You should have heard me in church yesterday!!! lol!!!

Human Trafficking in Dominican Republic

The Persons in Trafficking report was just recently released and it doesn’t show much improvement on the part of the government of our beloved island of Dominican Republic. The fact of the matter is that I know that the hope for children of our country will never be found in any government solutions. The real hope for a little girl in the bondage of prostitution in the tourist zones of our island can only be found through the power of Jesus Christ. That power is most often presented to those girls through a walking and talking and loving and “being with” relationships with Spirit-filled believers. It is my passion to see the church, the Pentecostal church, in particular become a powerful force for transformation in the lives of boys and girls who live in the filth of bars and brothels. 

Today I am thinking about my friends in Boca Chica. Angela, Natalie, Jaquelin. Their journey towards transformation was just beginning when I left. I am wondering about the three girls in a little town where the traffickers are very active. Their aunt had been taken to Argentina and was dying of AIDS. She would never return to her homeland because of the disgrace that it would cause her family. I’ll never forget 16 year old Miseidy asking me “When will we see you again? When can you come back to visit us?” 

We have just a few months left to raise the remaining part of our budget to be able return in August. Please pray for God to provide and pray for the boys and girls in Dominican Republic that are victimized EVERY DAY, yes even TODAY.

Below I have posted a summary about the report from the Dominican Republic’s English news website www.DR1.com

Persons Trafficking report


The 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report from the US State Department highlights the DR as a Tier 2 country and urges the country to increase efforts to bring human traffickers to justice. The report also urged the DR to emphasize pursuing "complicit high-ranking government officials" who partake in this illegal activity." The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. A large number of Dominican women are trafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in Western Europe, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, and other Caribbean destinations. A significant number of women, boys, and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude." The report indicates that the Dominican government has made some attempt to curb the illegal trafficking of people. "The Government of the Dominican Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so." 
For more information see: www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/

The Source

This morning I woke up with a headache and I went directly to my medicine cabinet and picked up the Tylenol. I didn't even take a moment to ask my healing Savior for help. I didn't really need his help I guess because I had Tylenol. Kinda sad, huh?

Yesterday I was talking with a woman and her daughter after our church service and her daughter was excited about a missions trip that she was going to be taking in the summer. The mother commented that she thought that it would be good for her daughter to see places and people that have to rely completely on the Lord because they live in meager circumstances.

Living in the Dominican Republic I often find myself in those places and with those people. Our conversation reminded me of a time when I learned the importance of faith in the healing Savior and not on medicine or some gringo missionary. I shared it with this mother and daughter and I thought that I should post it today...
The Source
The baby’s fever was high. His little body was lethargic and limp. The mother’s face was familiar to me. I know it. I have lived it. If you are a mother, you have lived it too. It is that appearance that comes with worry for your baby; the expression of having your child’s well-being totally out of your control and so you look for a source of healing.She went to the doctor. It took all of her resources, she spent her last peso, but this is what you do when your baby is sick. The doctor wrote the prescription and sent her on to the pharmacy to get the medicine that would cure the fever. It was easy. She just needed medicine. But she spent her last peso… And so she returned home with the source of her babies healing written on a piece of paper.

When I heard the mother’s story I was ready to get that piece of paper and buy that medicine because this is what a mother does when her baby is sick. Yet the Spirit of God spoke so clearly to me, “I am the Source, you are not.” We prayed. When my hand touched that baby’s forehead that lay upon his mother’s shoulder I felt the burn of the fever. We said Amen. The baby was still hot. Doubt arose within me and the still small voice that I know so well repeated in its still, small way “I am the Source, you are not”.

I began to talk to the mother she told me that she fell away from God and her soul was really not at peace with Him. We prayed. We asked God to be the Source of forgiveness, salvation and healing. We said Amen. The baby lifted his head from his mommy’s shoulder. I touched his forehead once again; the fever was gone! He smiled and so did we because in that we moment we all had experienced a personal encounter with The Source.

I am so glad that when Tylenol doesn't work or the money runs out, if the doctor is not in the village or the diagnosis is inoperable... there is a Supernatural Source for anyone, anywhere.

Sam's Three Dollars

After our service at Treasure Coast Assembly of God, a little boy named Sam handed me three dollars. He looked at me with big blues eyes welling up with tears and said, “It’s not much but its all I have…” The Holy Spirit had clearly spoken to his heart as we shared about our work with the children of Dominican Republic in his children’s church. No one passed an offering plate and nobody told him to go give the missionaries his money but his heart was touched and he had to do something to help a place with so much need.

When Sam pulled those three dollars out of his pocket, it was like I was standing with the little boy with five loaves and two fish. (You know the story found in John chapter 9) The Bible doesn’t say how old he was but I can just imagine him like a ten year old boy. He could have thought that his lunch was nothing compared to so much need, so much hunger. Yet he decided that he could give it to Jesus. I wonder why. Could he see the possibility of the miracle? Or was he simply obedient when given the opportunity to participate in meeting a need? Who knows but I like to think that maybe it was the latter. He simply obeyed. When Andrew found him, he was willing to do his part.

I love this story. I love the miracle. I love that I serve a God with the power of multiplication. That is why my meager gift is meaningful. He didn’t need the lunch to do the miracle yet he gave that little boy an opportunity to participate. And that opportunity had nothing to do with his credentials, he was just a little boy, or the quantity of his offering, obviously he barely had anything to offer. It was all about participation.

Over this past year we have received a lot of offerings. Every offering is a blessing and gift from God. But this one was extra special. Maybe because it the gift was from a ten year old, but mostly because it was all he had. Sam could thought “why give such small gift when there is so much need?” He could have thought that his three dollars would be better spent on something for himself, yet instead he decided to participate. I believe that Sam is doing his part in a miracle of multiplication.

At the end of children’s church, we gave all the kids a peso coin and a prayer card. We asked the children to pray for us. Sam told me that he would make sure and pray for us. I got a letter from Sam just this past week. Let me share a portion…

Dear Mr. and Mrs. deFreitas,

When you came to Treasure Coast Assembly, it was great. I learned

a lot about your missionary service. I liked it very much. You were very

kind to me, too.

Your sermon was very nice and I liked the message that you gave to us.

I liked your talk so much that I decided to change the subject of my research

paper to the Dominican Republic. I thought it would be good to know

more about your area of the world.

It is really important that you keep on preaching and helping others turn to Christ.

I am taping the peso that you gave me in the notebook. I would tape your prayer card in also but my Mom washed it in my pants pocket. We're hoping that Miss Peggy can find someone who isn't using theirs every day so we can copy it at Staples.

Your friend from Treasure Coast Assembly,

Sam

The Witch in the Bathroom

My last week in the Dominican Republic was probably one of the most special weeks of my life. For the past couple of years I have been working with a wonderful woman Ketty Figueroa. Ketty is an educator, pastor’s wife, and minister who began a small school in a barrio slum of the capital city of Santo Domingo many years ago. Since 2004, Ketty has been a part of the outreach we have been doing to reach girls involved in prostitution. It was through this outreach that Ketty felt the need to begin a children’s home to receive children of prostitutes and abandoned kids that we were finding through our contacts in the red light districts. Ketty had no funding except from her local church where she and her husband were pastors. The church found a home to rent they relied on donations of clothing and food for the children.

The home that she was renting was really falling apart and not an adequate place for the children. The bathrooms had plumbing problems and they always smelled like urine. Yet at least in this home the children were loved, fed, educated and taken to church. I began to dream with Ketty about a new home for the kids. It was my sincere desire to help her purchase a home so that the church’s money could provide for the needs of the girls. In response to our prayers God sent the Women’s Ministries of Colorado and Utah to help us. The women raised enough money to pay for one year’s rent on a better and bigger home. They also came to paint and fix it up.

After one week of renovation work on the new house, we would bring the kids in to see their new home and celebrate with a party for all the children of the home. The women had brought new clothes and shoes for all the children. They also brought a brown baby doll for each one of the 17 girls and trucks for the 2 boys. Needless to say the children were elated and thrilled with all the blessings. Each girl found their bed full of gifts and began to play with the baby dolls and try on their new cloths.

For me it was one of the BEST days of my life. It was as though the combined joy of each one of the children was heaped inside my heart. I laughed and played with the girls as they looked over their gifts. One of the girls, Daysi, caught my eye as she admired the beautiful new purple butterfly dress that was given to her.

Daysi is eleven years old and the oldest of three sisters that came to Ketty through contacts in the brothels of Boca Chica. She is one of the quieter girls in our home. She LOVES to get attention and longs for it, but she would never demand it. It is as though she feels unworthy of any special attention. So I wanted to make sure that I shared with her this special moment.

“Daysi, would you like to try on your new dress?” I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

“Let’s go change in the bathroom.” I responded.

A worried look replaced the excitement in her face. “Will you come with me?” she asked.

“Of course.” I found it somewhat strange that she wanted my help to change in the bathroom but I was delighted to share with her this special moment. As we entered the bathroom she almost froze with fear and explained with a quivering voice, “I’m scared to go into the bathroom alone.”

“Why Daysi? What’s wrong?”

She then began to explain that before Sister Ketty had taken her in she lived in a horrible place that had a witch in the bathroom. All of the sudden our giddy happiness was replaced with the haunting past. I had so many questions about this “witch in the bathroom”. Yet I sensed that these answers and explanations could never erase the fear that I saw in those beautiful chocolate brown eyes---only the powerful work of Jesus could erase that fear.

“Daysi,” I responded, “I want you know that this place is nothing like the place where you used to live. The place where you used to live may have been filled with many awful things and awful experiences but this new home if filled with love. There is love in the kitchen and love in the bedrooms and even the bathrooms are filled with love. I want to pray right now and ask Jesus to erase your memory of the witch in the bathroom.

“Jesus,” I began, “by the power and authority of your mighty name I ask you to remove every awful memory in the mind of my precious Daysi. Come in this moment Holy Spirit and may your presence erase the haunting image of the witch so that it could never enter her thoughts again. I come against the enemy and his wickedness and I remind him that this home is dedicated to the glory of God alone and that these children are precious treasures that belong to Almighty Father God. I pray that every day Daysiwill grow in the knowledge of her Heavenly Father’s love and may that perfect love take away every fear. In the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.”

Tears were glistening on both of our cheeks when I finished praying. The fear in Daysi’s face was replaced with a big smile. “How about trying on your dress?” I asked. She nodded with excitement and quickly changed her clothes.

Looking at her with that pretty butterfly dress, I reminded Daysi that the butterfly was once an ugly caterpillar. His past was ugly but his new life is beautiful. I told her that she is very much like that butterfly. The past may have been ugly but now everything is new. She has new home and a new life and her future is certain to be beautiful.

The Empowerment Event - Three days of prayer and fasting

The above photo is one of our Castle teams posing in this year's T-shirt. Our theme for the year has been "Make your best play!" We are challenging our evangelism teams to do give their best for Jesus. As you can see we drew inspiration from the national sport of Dominican Republic; that is baseball.The leader of this team sent us the following is an e-mail to our Castle offices after we had concluded our three day prayer and fasting event. We call it “Empoderamiento”. (empowerment) This year’s theme was “Get in shape--No Pain, no gain!”

HI SUGEILY! (Our administrative director)

GOD BLESS YOU A WHOLE BUNCH!

I have to tell you that I always enjoy the empowerment fast and I just have to share with you a testimony that happened the day we left the event. My team and I went to pick up a bus to return home to Santiago and on the way to the bus station there was a motorcycle accident and we saw a woman passenger fly of the motorcycle. It was horrible and none of us will ever forget it. When we got on our bus there was a group of people drinking, speaking vulgarities and making a lot of noise. We just ignored them and since the bus wasn’t playing any music on the radio, we started to sing and worship

About halfway through our trip we saw that another accident had just occurred, also a motorcycle accident. The man was dead and his body was in bad condition. It was really impacting to see that. I was filled with so much sadness, because the Lord had directed me to think about the conditions of their souls and that most likely they did not know Him.

So, a few of my youth felt the same and we decided to share with the people in the van. Especially those who were so vulgar and drinking. It was amazing that when I got up to speak there was this great silence and everyone paid attention. One of the other girls on my team picked up her Bible and started to talk about the love of God and the rest of us began to intercede. To make a long story short, seven adults accepted Christ on the bus. Some of them were from the vulgar group. We also shared with the children individually and many of them accepted Jesus.

Sometimes we think that the place for preaching is only in an outreach, or in a pulpit but the truth is that God can be glorified anyplace or anytime.

Take Care and love you lots,

Maria Virginia “Getting in shape”

The Accident

It was a breezy Caribbean afternoon as we arrived in Santo Domingo and left the airport baggage claim with our four boys, 11 suitcases, 1 guitar, 1 saxophone, two laptop computers, 1 ipod, and 3 Nintendo Gameboys. (It takes a lot of gadgets for the modern family to travel successfully.) Little did we know that it would be a day of miracles; both the mundane and the extraordinary. After all our years of travel we give God the glory for safe and timely arrivals at the airport and we feel especially blessed when ALL of our luggage arrives with us.

Jose Climaco, our Master’s Commision director and beloved colleague was waiting to take us to our home sweet home in the Dominican Republic. The boys were really glad to be getting home, but I must admit that I was dreading all the work that was waiting for us. We would be getting ready for a big move in the next six months as we are preparing for our year of itineration beginning in July 2007. The transition was overwhelming to me. I secretly wished that it would be possible to skip the next six months.

Jose, Nelson and the big boys packed the van as I got the little boys settled in a seat. This is where we experienced what would be the first miracle. Marcus, our wiggly five year old decided out of the blue that he wanted to sit up front in between Daddy and Jose. It seemed strange to me that he would choose to be up front in a seatbelt rather than in the back seats free from restraint, so I asked him if he was sure that he wanted to do this. He said that he was sure and so we put him up front in the seatbelt. The rest of the boys joined me in the back. Jose hopped in the driver’s seat with Nelson up front and we were on our way home.

We were merrily rolling along when about 10 minutes into the trip we heard the squealing wheels behind us. It had just begun to sprinkle rain when this car traveling at a very high speed lost control and was spinning behind us. I saw Jose look in the rearview mirror with great concern and then immediately tried accelerate and move our van and avoid what would be an inevitable accident. The impact of the car sent us toward a cement barrier along the median of the road. Jose turned hard to miss a head on collision and then a tire blew and we lost control. Our van spun around a couple of times and then hit the barrier on the side which caused us to tip and then we slid down the road with the van on the right side for about 20 meters before finally coming to a complete stop.

As the van began to tip, almost in unison we all cried out “Jesus” and “Cristo”. I can still hear my boys little voices calling on our Savior. In that moment, Nicolas fell toward the window and I knew that I needed to prevent my boys from falling onto that window that was sliding on the highway. So as we tipped I put one hand on the window and another in the back of the front seat to brace my body and use as a shield to keep the boys heads or anything from hitting that window. As a result my hand was chopped up and friction burned by the broken window and asphalt sliding underneath my hand.

Finally the van came to a stop and the presence of God filled the vehicle as we discovered that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WAS ALIVE AND WELL. I looked back at Troy (15 years old) covered in the luggage but with bright wide eyes he yelled “I’m ok mommy are you ok?” There was an amazing sense that we were in the middle of a miracle.

Instantly our car was surrounded with people banging on the front windows. They were trying to break out the windows to get us out. It wasn’t necessary because the driver’s side door opened easily and we all were able to climb up through it and walk away from the vehicle. My hand was filling with blood, but I felt no pain, just immense gratefulness as I saw each of my dearest treasures on this earth get out of the van and walk to my side. But at the same time I was feeling relief, people were approaching Nelson and I about the danger of people looting our car. This was a blessing because it was hard for us to even give a thought to worry about passports, laptop computers or anything else with blood, tears, chaos, and anxiety all around us. Nelson and Jose were able to secure our stuff, since neither was hurt, and as a result we did not lose anything. It was just another one of the miracles.

At this point I began to feel like I was going to faint. I have no idea who was holding me on the side of the road at that moment, but God bless him for being there at that moment. He held me steady as my hand spewed blood and Nicolas cried in desperation at my side. Alexander also held me steady. Alex has always been a calm and loving force in our family. God used his beautiful, peaceful temperament to get us through until we could get to a clinic.

Ambulance service is not always easy to get here in the Dominican Republic. Even as we were crashing, I wondered what we would do to get to a clinic. I knew we may need an ambulance. It turned out that God has his own sort of Ambulance service, he sent us two angels named China and Cesar to take us to the clinic. They pulled up in their clean, modest car and told me that they would take me to a clinic. I remember getting into the backseat with my dripping, bloody, hand and seeing that the interior of their car was cream colored. I was humbled by this amazing gesture, yet not really surprised because I knew this was a part of the goodness in the Dominican culture.

Nicolas and Alexander came with me in the car, they also were bleeding and were scraped up, especially Nicolas. We were about fifteen minutes from the nearest clinic and as we drove Nicolas began to panic desperately. He kept screaming, “Mommy, I’m bleeding!!! I NEED TO WIPE IT OFF!!! I NEED A WIPE MOMMY!!!!” It seemed that in his little mind that just by cleaning off the blood everything would be ok. He was really upset, I couldn’t seem to get him to calm down. At the same time, my hand was swelling and I had a ring (a mother’s ring) on one of my fingers. China, my God-sent angel, advised me to get the ring off quickly. It was excruciating, but I managed to get it off. As I was dealing with all this Alexander was helping Nicolas to calm down. I remember his words, “Nicolas it’s ok, we’re all ok. Jesus was with us. Jesus loves us so much. See, he took care of us Nicky. Nicky sing, sing with me Nicky…

Jesus loves me this I KNOW

For the bible tells me so

Little ones to him belong

They are weak, but HE IS STONG

Yes Jesus loves me!

Yes Jesus loves me!

Yes Jesus loves me!

The bible tells me so.

Alexander has a beautiful voice and he sang with all his heart. Later China told me that it in the midst of this ugly tragedy, she experienced amazing beauty in these moments. This simple song, maybe the first song that I learned to sing, filled our hearts with peace and strength. Nicolas finally calmed down as he sang.

It seemed like it took forever to get there and the pain was horrific for me. I felt pain but mostly I felt gratitude. I just had to praise the Lord. I kept saying, “Thank you Jesus, Gracias Señor” But even these two languages were not enough. I began to speak in tongues. The Spirit language just seemed to roll out of my gut. I remember hearing Cesar say to China “They must be Pentecostals.” (this made me smile) Later as I reflected on these moments a couple of things came to mind.

First was a phrase from one of my favorite hymns, the phrase says; “What language shall I borrow to thank thee dearest friend?” Truly, even with the benefit of being bilingual, no regular earthly language was enough. Second, was a passage in Corinthians where Paul writes about speaking in tongues. In 1 Cor. 14:17 he says that when we speak in tongues we “give thanks well enough”. This just proves to be another great benefit of spirit filled living.

We arrived at the clinic and it seemed to be a busy day. I remember lots of people in the emergency room. But they took us in right away. I had a terrible pain in my shoulder and I was scared that it was dislocated or fractured. They took Nicolas and Alex to different beds and started to work on them. I laid in a bed across from Nicolas and I watched as China’s 8 year-old son Cesar Augusto stroked his arm and comforted him. By this time I was in so much pain that I couldn’t think straight. They began to work on my hand and they gave me some pain medication. Just when it all seemed like too much to bear alone, my precious husband walked in and he came to me and held me so that my shoulder was not hurt while they cut all the damaged skin off of my hand. Meanwhile, China and little Cesar stayed with Nicolas and Alex, while they took them to get x-rays. The clinic did not have all the medication we needed; so we soon realized that Nelson would have to get to a pharmacy to buy medication. (not uncommon here) Cesar once again kindly offered to take him in his car. Troy was able to stay near Nicolas and my little Marcus (five year’s old) came to my side and prayed for me. After he prayed he resumed to using his hands as imaginary airplanes and making airplane noises. Marcus was totally fine, not a scratch. I knew that I was watching a miracle make airplane noises.

They also did x-rays on my shoulder and we were elated to find out that NONE OF OUR BONES WERE FRACTURED. It was the same for Nicolas and Alexander--no broken bones! Another miracle!

While we were at the clinic the police came by and assured us that they had secured our stuff. A high ranking officer, the General in charge of the prisons here, happened to be passing by at the time of the accident and controlled the mob that had built up around our van. He came by the clinic and gave us his card and told us to call him if we needed anything. This was just another one of the miracles. Our mechanic, who is also in the reserve military police, came right away to be with José to take care of the van and get it towed off the highway.

By this time Jaimie and Berly Bello, our missionary colleagues came by to get us to take us home. We hadn’t eaten all day, so Jaimie took the boys to get something to eat. Nelson, Nicolas and I went with Berly. Since the clinic was a small clinic with limited resources, we decided to go to another clinic, (one that we have used in the past) with emergency room doctors to get a second opinion. It proved to be a good idea because they could see that my wounds were serious and they called a hand surgeon to examine my wounds. The doctor told me that I had third degree friction burns on my fingers and that I was lucky to even have fingers. He was concerned that one of my fingers would need plastic surgery, but he said that it was too early to tell. We also learned that Nicolas and I would have to the ER everyday to have our bandages changed because of the risk of infection.

When we arrived home we were greeted by Pastor Bello and Milagros, Jose Climaco and his family and the Anonbys, our other missionary colleagues. Elena Anonby had dinner ready for us. This was such a blessing. We hugged and gave thanks to the Lord together. It felt so good to get those hugs!

The next day was Sunday and we had visitors all day! It was so good to share the amazing testimony and embrace the people we love so much. We prayed and sang together and the theme song turned out to be “His eye is on the sparrow”

Feliz cantando algres-- I sing because I’m happy

Yo vivo siempre as--i I sing because I’m free

Si aún la aves cuidan--For his eye is on the sparrow

Cuidarán támbien de mí--And I know he watches me

Today my bandages are off and my fingers are covered with skin. I have yet to regain mobility in my fingers but they tell me that with therapy I will be able get back full movement in my fingers. Nicolas still has a couple of patches of skin that we have to bandage but everyday he looks better. So many people have been praying for us and praising with us as well. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful support of so many family and friends.

Experiences like this help us to remember that every moment is valuable, even times of transition. We have a renewed passion for reaching the lost. I often think how horrible it would be to have gone through this experience with out the assurance that God would hear us when we called. We were completely sure that he was with us because we knew Him, because we all were friends of God. I want every Dominican to have that assurance. I have been so grateful for these scars on my hand because the bandages have opened up doors to witness and share about God’s amazing grace.

Just before we left the US we spent sometime with Rhonda and Gary Gray, our close friends who pastor in Venice, Fl. Gary has a recording studio and just for the fun of making a memory together; we recorded our families singing the chorus “I am a friend of God”. Nicolas probably sang the loudest and with the most heart! He loves that song. The first day that we went back to the ER was pretty difficult. It was a very painful process. Nicolas was not too happy about it, so I suggested that we sing a song. He chose to sing, “I am a friend of God.” As we sang we came to the part about Jesus hearing us when we call. Nicolas commented, “You know mommy that is really true Jesus heard us when we called out to him in the van.” Of course I whole heartedly agreed. It really is true.

Dick Nicolson's World Summit Testimony

This testimony was written by our Latin America Regional Director Dick Nicholson.


Communiqué—August 2006

There is no doubt about it—last night’s King’s Castle Leadership Summit in La Vega, Dominican Republic, was pretty special!

The event, planned (excellently) by Nelson and Rennae DeFreitas, was attended by over 300 young people from eight or nine countries around the region. It was something to behold!

First, the fact that these many young “warriors” paid $100 to get into the campground at La Vega, and raised that amount plus airfare ($700 or more in some cases), was impressive. Talk about being motivated!

Then, the energy released in every part of the gathering was amazing. It’s always impressive to see hundreds of young people, all wearing special T-shirts with Scriptures on them, jumping up and down and shouting praises to Jesus—though I’ll surely never be able to keep up! The chapel rocked. I felt that same energy in the World Missions (Chi Alpha) Summit in Louisville over New Year’s and a year before that in Buenos Aires at the Global Student Encounter.

They were excited about winning the world for Jesus! It was missions-emphasis night, and the platform was draped with the huge posters we see in the U.S. churches during missions convention time. The thing is, it is fresh in Latin America, still a novelty. I had to tiptoe around five young people with digital cameras who were taking shots of the posters!

About 200 of the 300-plus young people responded to the call to missions. An hour later, as we left, they were still weeping and letting the Harvestmaster know that they were ready to go—“Here am I; send me!” Today on the flight back to Miami I was reflecting on last night’s happenings and recognized a deep-down ache in my gut as this thought gripped me: it’s been a long time since I have seen anything similar to that in any American church, at least with the young people!

I had seen about 75 people respond to a similar call in Managua, several hundred in Buenos Aires a while back, scores in San Salvador, but very little of that kind of missions passion do I see released among our youth here. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not pounding on the American church. I just sometimes wish this awesome missions passion we are seeing throughout the region were more common at home. It is contagious, however, and many groups are coming back from AIM trips to the nations and pumped by what they’ve experienced, so maybe something good is happening after all . . . .

They had special prayer for Haiti, Indonesia, India, and Israel. We heard challenges from several missionaries from LAC to other nations, and it had its effect. The passion to reach the lost is undeniable.

I loved watching the youngest DeFreitas boys jumping up and down, singing the songs, praising Jesus, and pumping their fists in the air as they joined the excitement. Several of the MK teens were fervently praying with a Latin or Caribbean colleague or joining in the skits. I just know the future is bright if our MKs are helping by leading the way in reaching the nations for Jesus! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.

I’m not sure how big this missions thing is going to get in our region. It might be greater than anyone has imagined until now, but I’m grateful for your involvement in King’s Castle, Masters Commission, and a host of youth and children’s ministries. Their passion for loving God and answering His call are a means through which the Spirit is preparing a generation of youth, some of them our own kids, to shake the nations.

This is going to be amazing to see!

Blessings, Dick

Kings Castle World Summit

If you’ve ever been to a championship game, whether it is little league or major leagues, then you know the excitement about the BIG game. There is energy, there is cheering and there is expectation. And that is exactly what it was like in La Vega, Dominican Republic.

In August, we spent five days in La Vega with over three hundred young people from eight countries in Latin America and we experienced the energy, heard the cheering and felt the atmosphere of expectation. The energy, cheering and expectation had nothing to do with a sports event; rather it was a spiritual event.

The Kings Castle World Summit takes place every other year and it was our privilege to host this year’s event. The purpose of the event is to share evangelism material, vision, methods for reaching the lost as well as experiencing a life-transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit. For many of the Kings Castle warriors the event was a place of miracles. That is true for Rosemary, Miguel and Oriali.

When Rosemary got off the plane from Peru she couldn’t even believe that is was real. She was only able to raise $650 for her plane ticket; and the lowest price that she could find was over $1000. The day that she purchased her airline tickets to come to the Summit was a day where her only hope was a miracle. She prayed as approached the ticket counter. Nervously she explained her situation to the agent. It turns out that the agent was a Christian. The agent searched and searched, it took so long that Rosemary was sure that it was not going to work out and finally the agent looked up from the computer. She said “It’s a miracle! I found a ticket for $630!!!” That was just the beginning of Rosemary’s miracle. During the World Summit Rosemary was called to missions. She will definitely be purchasing airline tickets in the future. Now her faith can take her to other continents.

Miguel is called to Haiti. Miguel’s heart is broken for the children of Haiti. Miguel is a warrior. And to be perfectly honest, it takes a warrior to live in Haiti. Haiti is the poorest nation in Latin America. Most Haitians would do anything for an opportunity to live in Dominican Republic. Miguel will do anything to live in Haiti. He came to the Summit to share his vision with warriors from all over Latin America. We planned to take up an offering for Miguel on missions night. So many were praying that God would provide in a BIG way. Yet the reality is that we were taking up an offering in a chapel full of students from third world developing nations. Honestly, I was just hoping for more than $100. Yet it is amazing what God did with a group of students whose hearts are broken for the nations. The offering was counted and we could scarcely believe the result; $800!!! I’ll never forget the smile on Miguel’s face that night when he came to know personally that the God who calls is also the one who provides.

Oriali studied Television production and broadcasting in college. She had a degree and a good paying job in the television industry here in Dominican Republic. Yet she told us, “I was miserable because I knew that God had called me to be a missionary”. Yet Oriali, like many other Dominican students, don’t know have a clear path to missions, there are VERY FEW Dominican missionaries that serve as a model to follow. Oriali knew she was called, she just didn’t know how to follow that call. During the World Summit, God put into motion direction for her life and finally the “path” that she was praying for. Kings Castle will begin filming children’s television this year. Oriali will be going to El Salvador to help begin this new area of ministry. She is excited for the opportunity to use the talent and education to reach the children of Latin America with the gospel. Her path is clear now and the impact is immeasurable.

Oriali, Miguel, and Rosemary are just three examples but there are so many more stories that have come out of the Summit. Basically, we just kept hearing the same thing over and over again, “God has called me to missions” , “I am going to Bible school because I want to preach the Gospel”. Yet my favorite testimony was expressed is just a few lines but I believe it is a true reflection of what God is about to do as a result of the World Summit.


“Every day of the Summit, I felt more and more love for the children that live in the forgotten, unreached countries of the world and now I believe that we will be able to accomplish our goal of reaching one million children very quickly.”

Rescuing Angela and Yolanda

Angela

Her name is Angela. She is fifteen years old. Her face still displays the innocence of childhood. Yet her swollen abdomen will tell you that this is a girl who never really had the opportunity to be a child or know true innocence, because Angela is a child prostitute.

At a young age, Angela’s mother sent her to the streets into prostitution to earn money. She took every penny that she made and often would beat her. She was abandoned by her father. She was beaten so much that finally a “client” helped her runaway from home. He kept her in a small room and brought other men there to have sex with her. He told her that he would be her husband. This man was 45 years old and the supposed father of her baby. Once he found out that she was pregnant, he kicked her out of the house.

Angela was alone, pregnant and living on the streets when a beautiful Christian woman found her. Nieves works at a clinic for adolescents in Boca Chica. It is a government funded clinic and a place where the young prostitutes know they can get free medical care. When Nieves met Angela and saw her terrible situation, she knew that she had to something to rescue her. Nieves took her to a children’s foundation in Boca Chica.

Caminante is a children’s program in Boca Chica that is working hard to get kids off the streets. They are mostly involved in prevention programs but they are a point of contact for kids like Angela who need help. They are very well respected in the community. The Alliance against Trafficking has been involved with the institution since we began. When Nieves took Angela to Caminante, they immediately called us. (The Alliance against Trafficking)

When we were called about Angela’s situation we had actually been planning a visit to Boca Chica that day. It was as though God had it all planned for us. We met her and took her to the Alliance home. Angela is eight months pregnant and infected with venereal disease. As I write this she is being taken for more medical tests and we are working on a plan for the birth of the baby. She will have to a C-section because of the STD.

We are all so excited about this opportunity that the Lord has given us to participate in the transformation process in Angela’s life. I believe that the curse of sin and poverty will be broken and will change the course of generations because Angela was rescued.

Pray for Angela and her unborn child. Pray for her health and for her heart. Pray that she will come to know a real, personal friendship and faith in Jesus.

Yolanda

When Yolanda was six years old, her mother died of AIDS. Her mother was a prostitute who was regularly trafficked in to Haiti. As a result of her mother’s very unstable lifestyle and eventual death, Yolanda has been raised in the home of her paternal grandparents in Boca Chica. Ever since the horrible death of her young mother, Yolanda’s grandfather has told her that she would die of AIDS like her mother. She is sixteen years old now and is living her days in this involuntary pursuit of the fulfillment of that prophecy. She spends the nights in the brothels making money in prostitution to support her drug habits. She sleeps most of the day. She is in and out of her grandparents’ home because her grandfather beats her and verbally abuses her. Her grandfather tells her regularly that she is a piece of trash.

We have been visiting Yolanda for over a year now, because she has shown such an interest in getting help. During my last visit, her grandfather yelled, “I hope that you will get that piece of trash out of my home!” We are now in the process of formalizing our long term shelter at the home and we trying to rescue Yolanda out of her situation. In her heart, I know that she is screaming, “Somebody please rescue me!!!!!” but reality is that her addictions are very STRONG. She is scared.

We told Yolanda that we will give her one week to make a decision to leave, so I want to ask you to pray for her this week. Pray that she will make the right decision. In the name of Jesus SHE WILL NOT DIE LIKE HER MOTHER!!! She will live for Jesus.

Finally please pray for my work with the Alliance against Trafficking. I am so excited as God is finally opening the doors for us to offer a long term shelter and life recovery program for adolescent girls. This has been a dream of mine for two years now. The program is in its birthing stages and we are learning along the way. We have a great financial need but we are trusting that God will supply every need. We are estimating that it cost us at least $200/ month for each girl that we take in. Pray for wisdom for me and the other members of the Alliance board as we begin this totally new area of ministry.

Praise and More Praise

Praise!

We just came back from a short trip to Dallas, Texas for a convention with the men and women who work with Construction, Planning and Development for overseas projects in the Assemblies of God(formerly MAPS department). We were so thrilled that this year our project was chosen as the focus project for CP&D. At this convention, they were raising funds for our CIMA del Rey ministry training center project and also recruiting teams to be help us build on the property.

The result of this amazing weekend is nothing short of a miracle. The final total came to $220,000 in cash offerings and pledges!!! Most of this will go towards the construction and development of buildings on CIMA del Rey, but also $42,000 was raised in pledges to help pay off the purchase of the property. We are so excited!!! This is a HUGE blessing and relief. If this all comes in, we are basically finished with raising the purchase funds.

Now we are working on raising the development funds. We are already working on the plans for the dorms and dining hall. At the convention, 13 teams made plans to help us with construction, but we are hoping to find 37 more teams in order to complete all the buildings.

It is impossible for us to doubt for even a moment that God has His hand on this project. We are praising the Lord for his amazing provision. It is so wonderful to be a part of what God is doing and to be where He is working. In this faith journey to purchase this property, we are so grateful to all of you who have prayed and given offerings to make this miracle possible.

More Praise!

So Nelson jumped off an airplane and less than 24 hours later Nelson is on a bus headed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He spoke to the national conference of Assemblies of God Pastors about the importance of reaching the youth and children. Nelson was accompanied by Miguel and Maireny Ovalle. This young Dominican couple have a call on their lives to the children of Haiti. They are presently missionary candidates raising funds in our churches here in the DR to live in Haiti as missionaries. They were among some of our first King's Castle warriors.

It was exciting for Nelson to work with Miguel as they were asked to minister to a group of youth leaders that came to the conference. For the first time the Haitian church is organizing youth and children’s ministries within their churches. Nelson was thrilled to cast vision for these ministries among the youth leaders.This was an amazing opportunity.

It would bore you to elaborate on all the details that have demonstrated that the kingdoms of darkness were opposed to this trip. We believe that this was a momentous time for the Assemblies of God in Haiti and Dominican Republic. We know that as we see the racial, social and cultural barriers broken down between these countries there will be no obstacle to the MAJOR SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION in BOTH countries. The final night the Haitian church presented our young Dominican missionary, Miguel with a beautiful Haitian painting. The Superintendent shared that the painting should serve to symbolize a pact unity and service and between the two countries.

My Father's Miracle

Have you ever had a testimony that you just wanted to SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS? That is how I (Rennae) feel today. I want the world to know about my miracle working God. We had a miracle in my family and I just want to give God glory because it is only by his grace that my father was saved from a fatal fall. (the photo to the left is Rennae's parents Larry & Donna Sjostrom.)

On Tuesday my daddy was at the Fire Station up 24 feet on a latter doing some electrical work. When he finished the work he began to come down and as he came down, the ladder gave way and my 59 year old father cam crashing down 18 feet. He was rushed to the emergency room. I could try to go into detail about x-rays, cat scans and orthopedic doctor’s assessments but in the end; MY FATHER DOES NOT HAVE A BROKEN BONE IN HIS BODY! It is a miracle. Daddy walked away from this fall with a severely sore arm.

God is so good. He protected my daddy and I am so grateful. I told daddy that God must have some big plans for his life. Daddy is pretty excited about those plans to say the least.

I am so grateful to the Lord for giving me wonderful Christian parents and an amazing Pentecostal heritage. They have always supported God's call on my life. God used them to form my destiny as they always directed me to follow Jesus. It sounds cliche but if it weren't for them... I sure wouldn't be here today. What a blessing to know (especially being so far away) that they are protected by the Lord's loving hand.

Rennae

Testimony from ministry at Pastor Pedro's church

Sunday night my husband was ministering in a little church in Villa Altagracia just outside of the capital here in Santo Domingo. It was a busy Sunday and I knew that we would get home late so I was packing PJ’s for the kids and stuff as we prepared to go (one hour trip). Anyway as I was busy packing I thought to myself that I should grab my CD with my soundtracks so that I would be prepared to sing if the Pastor asked. But in all my busyness I forgot and we ran out the door to church.

When we arrived, sure enough, Pastor Pedro (who is on our ministry staff and a very close friend) sat next to me and asked if I came prepared to sing special music. I looked at him with a nice smile and I just simply said, “NO.” He said, “No?” and I again replied, “NO.” Well the service started and I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, “That was kinda ugly, Rennae.” (that is just how He talks to me sometimes!) I responded, "well I am not prepared, I don’t know what to sing." Then the Spirit reminded me of the morning service. In that service someone spoke about the problem of divorce in Dominican society and as they talked about it, I felt such a burden because I have seen how the enemy is tearing up the family of this society. I left that morning with just a new determination to intercede for the families in our churches and society in general.

So I felt as though the Lord would have me to share this burden and then the Spirit put a song in my heart. “Yo tengo un Nuevo amor”. So at the time my husband is about to minister, he calls me forward to give a greeting and I just shared my burden with the congregation. I told them that the Lord had given me this song, “I Have A New Love” but when I finished the song I wanted to intercede for unity in marriages and families. The Holy Spirit came and people were weeping tears of intercession and one woman in particular just wept and wept.

After the message we had a time of ministry in the altars and this same woman who was weeping came forward with her husband and two girls and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully and the whole family fell under the power of the Spirit. After they got up, the father looked at me with tears in his eyes and just smiled and went to his seat. I just thought, "how wonderful to see the whole family in the altar receiving such a blessing." That was it. So I thought.

After service I was speaking with Pastor Pedro (apologizing!) and he told me “the rest of the story”. Pedro was so excited after service. Evidently, that was the first time that that man had been in the church! His little girls were faithful to go to church and the mother had just started coming here and there. A few weeks back, one of the girls had asked the Pastor to pray for her daddy because he was an alcoholic and he would fly into rages and beat her, the sister and her mother. She also told Pedro that God gave her an idea that whenever her daddy would get really angry, she should get her Bible. She would tell him, “Come here daddy let me read to you from my Bible.” And you know, she said it worked every time! He would always calm down. Well this was softening this man’s heart and Sunday night he finally gave in and came to church. with his family! Sunday night he gave his life to Jesus!