Until They Know is an organization located in Puerto Plata that supports the surrounding communities. Many of the places were a beautiful blend of Haitian and Dominican. We spent time in 6 different communities doing all of the following: street ev. and outreach, kids programs, small groups with the women, participating in the gathering of the local body, house visits and pray*r. During our time in the DR, we were able to see people respond to the good news of JC and empowered in their faith.
Magiolo
We primarily spent time with the kids in our weekly trips to Magiolo. UTK partners with Pastor Blanco, so we would visit his school every Monday morning. Our kids program consisted of games and dancing, and then a short lesson. In a different visit to Magiolo, we were able to do a program for some women who had gathered and also an outreach for the local kids, while some of the others walked the streets. The hill down into the community (recently paved) is terrifying, but the view from the top is beautiful!
Loma de la Bestia
Loma is pretty far outside of town. About 20 minutes on the main road, then 15 more minutes along a dirt road up into the hills. But if you brave the trip, a kind, close-knit community is waiting for you. The HS transformation that is taking place here is incredible. We were able to pr*y for a man who had been paralyzed on his right side for the last 7 months, and only seeing slow progress through months of therapy. In the following weeks, we saw improvement – not only in his spirits, but also in his mobility and motivation. It was a joy to invest in the growth of the women in the community and empower them, not only in their faith, but also in their goals and dreams.
La Treinta
La Treinta could be considered the ghetto of Puerto Plata, known for drugs and prostitution. Paul, one of our translators was called to plant a ch*rch in the hardest part of town. As commendable as that sounds, we realized how hard that calling truly is. We attended the Creole gathering in this area each Sunday and were able to do house visits and street min. After our first day on the streets, the women we met returned to a women’s program each week until we left. Our work here was often impromptu, but always rewarding!
Munos
Our intro to Munos was a pray*r walk to get a feel for the area, but then we jumped in quick. We spent time with the kids 2x each week, gathering a big group in the field at the center of the community. I also had the opportunity to join Manuelas small group, along with some others from the team. The first week we had 2 girls join us, and the numbers increased each week we showed up!
Cafemba
We went to see “Blanco’s Kids” every Friday. Cafemba is a small community just outside the city where we would do a children’s program. Blanco felt led to start a school for kids who didn’t have the papers necessary for public school. And honestly, they were some of the brightest and well mannered kids we worked with. Their desire and motivation to learn was inspiring. It was an honor to share the joy of the L0rd with them!
Loma Blanca
Toward the end of our time in the DR, the staff asked if we wanted to visit a new community. The answer was of course, YES! It was a small Haitian community, really far outside of town. It was one of the most impoverished communities we had visited so far during our time in the DR, and most unreached by the g0spel. Lynneal and I spent time with the kids, while the others were able to spread out and find people to share with. FRIENDS, this place is RIPE for the harvest. We saw 3 men respond to the good news and shared in Paul’s vision to plant a ch*rch in this community as well.
Awesome – thanks for sharing! Thinking of you daily!
I absolutely loved this video. Thank you so much for capturing these memories!
It was fun to reflect even as I made it!! Yay for free-time and new endeavors!
I thought you would like the video!! Being able to see some of what we’ve been up to 🙂
This is awesome! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into the ministry you partnered with in the DR!