The Visions That Brought Us Here # 2

Well this was a little later than I intended it to be. Life and ministry have been very busy this year. We have had some great groups with us already this year and are in the heart of our busy season, summer. The girls have finished their second school year in the Dominican Republic and after 2 awesome years in San Pedro our family made the move east about 30 minutes to La Romana where we have always felt called and drawn to.

This brings us to vision #2 that brought us here. When we first visited the Dominican Republic for the first time in February 2015 we met a Pastor by the name of Jean Mede. Pastor Mede was born in Haiti and came to the Dominican Republic in 1980 to minister to Haitian immigrants in the DR. After a few years of being a single man and working alone he pleaded with God that He would give him a partner to do life and ministry with. God so kindly obliged and sent Estella his way. So for more than 30 years now they have been ministering to “the least of these” as God commands us. Along the way God provided them with two children, Bry and Bryanna. Now together as a family the seek to serve others. Without many resources they look to give of themselves. They advocate on behalf of the people that have no medium to advocate for themselves. They advocate for the poor, for widows and for orphans.

People have people that they look up to. Growing up you might look up to a famous person, one of your parents or a teacher. As we grow in our faith we look up to people as mentors in “the faith.” I like to call them my heroes of “the faith.” Pastor Mede is one of my heroes in “the faith.”

For almost 38 years now he has looked for ways to serve God’s people. He has pulled together whatever he could to help the people. In 2014 God gave him a vision to build a church. A temple for his church to grow. A resource that would further their ministry for the Lord. Pastor Mede shared that vision with me in 2015. I was very compelled by his desire to leave the next generation a healthy church to continue serving the Lord. He is praying that he will preach in that church before he meets the Lord. By faith he walks every day depending on God’s provision. After I left the DR on that first visit I had a desire to help him but I wasn’t sure how I could help or if I was supposed to be involved at all. Well I got my answer on March 8, 2015. It was a Sunday morning and we were worshiping at Crossroads in Pittsburgh, PA. On that morning I was worshiping with my eyes closed and God gave me a vision. It was a building being built. One by one blocks were stacked upon each other and forming walls and He said, “Build my church.” Now I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with that. I was pretty sure that He meant Pastor Mede’s church but I wasn’t certain and I certainly didn’t have the money to build it. So over the next year I just prayed and I felt after talking with pastors and friends that the Lord’s desire was to build Pastor Mede’s church in La Romana. I felt that this was one of the reasons that God sent us here, to help facilitate the building of the church. To connect God’s people and accomplish his desire.

At the end of 2016 one of our friends asked if we had a project that they could give to. Immediately I thought of the church and this vision. In early 2017 almost two years after I first stepped foot on the property where the future church would be built we began clearing and leveling the lot with that donation. After that without anymore money we hit a pause for a few months. We were praying that God would continue to send the resources to build His church. The next step being the foundation is a big one. It is the single most costly step of the entire process. Then in the Spring God sent resources in the form of two churches and an awesome family. All in his timing God provided. Today with one of those churches we will put our hands to work and begin to lay out the rebar for the foundation. I don’t know when God will provide the funds to finish the project or if I will be here to see it but I know that God is faithful and He will fulfill his promise to build the church.

We serve an awesome God and He doesn’t make false promises! I am prayerful that I will one day see the completion of this project and lift my hands to him in “His House.”

We operate off of the generous support of God's church and his people. If you would like to support our ministry, you can do so with the link below. Select our names from the staff list (near the bottom).Click here to donate.

The Visions That Brought Us Here- Part 1

Hello all, welcome to this multi-part series called The Visions That Brought Us Here.

Early one morning in early September 2014. God began to plant the idea of a crazy adventure in our hearts and minds. Many of you have heard the story of how we got here but have never heard the story about some of the specific visions that God gave me on the journey leading up to moving here. These visions are grand, require years of work and are only able to be accomplished by God. I think that is why I have failed to share them with very many people. I feel like I have lacked the faith to share them because I wanted to ‘hedge my bets’ per se. I didn’t want to be seen as a failure when things didn’t come to pass in a certain time frame. Over the last 8 or 9 months I have felt convicted by this and have shared them with people here and there. This series will focus on some of those key visions that brought us here and that after 18 months in the Dominican Republic I feel the Lord wants me to share with the world.

On the morning of October 26, 2014 I was kneeled in my living and God gave me a vision. He was standing a ways away from me and calling me to come to him. As I got within arms reach he embraced me. I was as close to him as I’ve ever been in my life at that point and God was showing pure love like only he can. I felt loved and accepted and in deep relationship with the Creator. As I basked in his warm embrace other people started to come and join in the embrace. We were in a large group hug when God said to me “Love my people.” As I sat in my living room meditating on what that vision might be about I was overwhelmed with emotion and tears began running down my face. I believe that emotion was 2 part. On one hand I had experienced the presence of God on my living room floor in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. He showed up to me that morning and I knew that I wanted more of this. I didn’t want the work day to start. I wanted only to focus on him. But on the other hand, I was overwhelmed with what this might mean and how I would be faithful to his desires. I was left with a burning question in my mind. How exactly does one go about the task of loving God’s people? Now sure some would say, “oh that’s easy,” be kind and just with others. While I encourage everyone to be kind and just with those you encounter I had a feeling deep inside of me that this was more personal than that. However, I had no clear understanding of the meaning at this time.

On February 20, 2015 we would step on DR soil for the first time. We were on a search for answers and clues to what was next in this journey. On this trip we would fall in love with the country and the people of the DR. We felt at home and accepted here. We knew we were on the right track. On February 23rd, almost 4 months after the original vision, God revealed to me the meaning of this vision. I had never realized in the original vision and subsequent times thereafter that the people’s faces around us were all blurry. But on that day he revealed that to me and then he said, “but can you see the faces now.” He showed me the faces of the people we were serving that week, the people nestled amongst the sugar cane in bateyes on the eastern side of the island. I knew then the people I was suppose to love but I still didn’t know how.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series coming soon to a computer near you. May God bless you and yours abundantly. Scott

We operate off of the generous support of God's church and his people. If you would like to support our ministry, you can do so with the link below. Select our names from the staff list (near the bottom).Click here to donate.