The Dominican Republic Lutheran Mission (DRLM) is now 12 years old. Five missions have been planted in Santo Domingo and Santiago, which are the two largest cities, and five more are planned. Two Lutheran schools are functioning alongside those mission churches, with a growing number of students.
Concordia the Reformer Seminary was established in the Dominican Republic in 2017 in order to raise up a new generation of Dominicans and other Latinos who might serve their church as pastors and deaconesses. The first graduating class, eight men from four countries, is beginning to serve across Latin America as pastors. One of those men, Yban Navarro, a Dominican, will bring the total number of Dominican pastors to three.
In June of this year, a program was implemented to provide continuing theological education for teachers through our seminary. In addition, twenty Dominican women are preparing to be deaconesses through the seminary’s deaconess program. The deaconess students are already serving people in and around local missions, through visitation, acts of mercy, and prayer.
Alongside the seminary, the Mercy Center provides educational conferences, facilitates disaster response training, and serves as a collection and organization point for the distribution of essential supplies needed by families affected by hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and other natural disasters across the region.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Homes (HLBP), a foundation which serves people with disabilities throughout the country, maintains a group home of six individuals. All of these individuals are fully integrated in church, school, work, and community life. This home serves as a showcase to the government and community, what care for individuals with disabilities looks like.
Your gifts for the Dominican Republic Lutheran Mission are not only impacting those who live in darkness in the Dominican Republic, but all across Latin America, through various DRLM institutions.
At a recent VBS in Palmar Arriba, a little boy, Carlos, had never attended church before. Because of what he learned at VBS, he was able to share the Good News with his parents and invite them to church. This past week, they were in church, worshipping together as a family. We pray that the seeds of faith that are being sown, would bring a bountiful harvest. Thank you, in Jesus’ precious name, for your partnership in this extraordinary work.