The last Pastors’ meeting of the year is always one to remember. It is a time where everyone takes a moment to share stories from the past twelve months and a time to celebrate all that God has done and is doing in their communities. In our December pastors’ meeting, we listened to testimonies of hardened hearts melted by God’s love, families mended, and communities transformed. Our pastors take joy in not only being a witness to their fellow Dominicans, but also to you, our teams coming down to build and serve.
Pastor Humberto got up to share and spoke these words with passion and conviction, “Casas por Cristo is not someone else’s ministry. It is OUR ministry. It is OUR churches’ ministry. I have brothers from my church continuously asking me, ‘Is there a house this week?’ It doesn’t matter if the houses are an hour away or right down the road, they want to be a part of God’s work in the lives of families too.” Humberto continued, “My favorite part is when teams leave saying, ‘See you next year!’ or ‘See you in 2020!’ It means we have done our job. We have brought those teams into our lives and allowed them to see Jesus through us. That way we are doing our part to further OUR ministry, Casas por Cristo, so that more lives can be transformed by the Gospel.”
I left that meeting humbled and inspired. THAT right there is exactly what we prayed for five years ago when we built our first home in the Dominican Republic. Our pastors are our heart and our backbone. They not only disciple and minister to those in their churches and communities, but they also take it upon themselves to reach out to each and every one of you who come and serve here in the Dominican. I pray we all learn from Pastor Humberto’s example. As we begin a new year, we encourage you to go out of your way to be Jesus’ light in a dark world.
Allie Crabbs
Dominican Field Coordinator