Rick and Suzanne York, Missionaries

Dominican Update
Back in the D.R Team Work in
Eastem D.R Bibie Study Net
work " A Great Success... Medi
cal Outreach Program Underway
. . . Medical Outreach in La
Romana... End of Year Activities
January 2004 / Volume 30. Number 1
Back in the
Dominican
Repubiic!
Suzanne and I arrived back in the
Dominican Republic late on September
30th. We left Knoxville at the begin
ning of August and moved furniture to
New Hampshire, visited supporting
churches, packed suitcases and duffle
bags, and got everything, including our
14-year-old cat, Elvira, ready for the
trip back.
We flew out of Bloomington, IL and
we especially want to thank Ken and
Jan Rutledge, our long-time forwarding
agents, for their love and hospitality in
September as we based ourselves from
their home at the Little Galilee Chris
tian Assembly in Clinton, IL
What's it like to be back? It really
feels like "coming home" in a lot of
ways. We have not had too much
trouble getting used to the lifestyle in
La Romana. We are impressed by the
friendliness and openness of the people
in La Romana. The economic situation
in the country is the worst it's been
since 1989. Inflation in 2003 was over
65% and the Dominican peso devalued
from 18 per US dollar to over 40 per
dollar, so the average working person
has had a very difficult year. Everyone
is hoping for a better year in 2004 and a
change in the policies after the presi
dential elections in May.
We were able to find a nice house to
rent the day after we arrived! Suzanne
spotted a rental sign off one of the main
streets in town and we were able to
quickly negotiate a deal and moved in
about a week later. The house is very
comfortable except when it rains there
are lots of leaks. It rained a lot in
October and November, so we quickly
learned where the leaks were and
where not to put furniture!
Team Work in Eastern
Dominican Repubiic
We were especially pleased to see the progress that the work
has made in the past year. The team here, Benito and Rosa
Martinez, Carlos and Ivelisse Diaz, and Alejandra Ortiz, has
made really significant inroads into starting the churches in La
Romana and in Higiiey. They have been using a Bible study
networking system developed by missionaries in Central
America and the Bible-based lessons have proven to be really
effective in leading people to Christ.
Our first week here was spent in meetings -- team building
exercises that Suzanne developed and led. We were aided by
Randy Gordon and Neil Webster from the Northeast Christian
Church in Louisville, KY who spent 3 days with us helping us
decide what ministries and what approaches we will be using in
the establishment of the churches in the eastern Dominican
Republic. We also worked through our roles on the team and the
responsibilities that each of us will have as the work continues
to develop. One of the main points that we are stressing is
developing the church here to reach into the middle class part of
the society and cariying out evangelistic outreaches that are
truly effective. That means we all have to think differently, and
plan activities and projects that we've never done before. That's
hard work! We also will be questioning everything we do and
why we do it that way.
Bible Study Network
- A Great Success!!
One of the keys to sustained church
growth is a simple yet systematic way to
teach people about Christ. One of the
recent church growth books uses the phrase
"pre-Christian" rather than "non-Chris
tian." That puts a very positive outlook on
how we approach people. The team here
has been using, and Suzanne and I are
beginning to use, a Bible study system
developed by Project World Reach and
missionaries in Central and South America.
It is designed as an "^each-one-teach-one"
program where the people who are disciples
quickly begin to disciple others. In Spanish
we ceill it "La Red" which means "a fishing
net." And that is exactly what it is. We are
finding great interest in many people and
these Bible-based lessons lead people to
make an intelligent decision for Christ, be
immersed, and then become an active
member of the church. One such person is
Miriam Morla, a school teacher, who was
discipled by Carlos and Ivelisse and made
her confession of faith and was baptized by
Carlos and Benito in October.
The team here is committed to using
this Bible study network as much as is
possible to reach La Romana and the other
cities of the eastern part of the Dominican
Republic. In La Romana we're praying that
25 members of the church will begin leading
Bible studies using this system during 2004.
Every activity that we have during 2004,
including our work with the teams from the
United States, will be geared toward getting
people involved in the "network." We
should have a tremendous year of growth,
Lord willing.
Medical Outreach Program
Gets Underway
Dr. Polanco and the mission team organized a Medical
Evangelistic outreach program on Saturday, November 29
and over 250 people were treated and had medicine pre
scribed, all free of charge! We were blessed to be able to use
the facilities of the Centro Mutualista and about 15 mem
bers of the medical and administrative staff helped, also free
of charge. We were especially pleased with their participa
tion. Many reorganized their regular schedules to be
available to help. We were excited to have these great
contacts, both with the patients who came and with the
medical staff. As a result of the outreach, three families are
involved in the Bible Study Network and several of the
medical staff responded to our invitation to attend the
church's Christmas dinner. We're hoping and praying that
the consistent contact with the medical community there
wiU open a lot of doors for the church in La Romana.
Pictured below are Suzanne and Ivelisse organizing the
donated medicines (top, left); Dr. Martin Polanco checking
some of the medicines (top, right); and Benito Martinez
passing out the entrance numbers to keep the lines orga
nized - a verv important job when you have free medical
clinics (bottom)!
Medical Outreach at
our New Church Home
In La Romana!!
One of the biggest needs for the church
in La Romana was an adequate meeting
place. The church has been meeting on the
carport at Benito and Rosa's house since its
inception and has outgrown the space, plus
it never "feels" like church when you're
meeting in someone's home for a long period
of time. The Lord has answered the prayer
for an adequate and affordable place in a
BIG way.
Dr. Martin Polanco, one of the church
members, works at one of the local clinics
called El Centre Mutualista. The center is a
non-profit organization made up of 10 non
profit organizations in La Romana that seek
to help the less fortunate part of the city
with medical and educational outreach
programs. They had a large piece of land
and a nice building built by the government
in 1972 to further their causes. Included in
the building is a large auditorium that has
160 seats and can hold about 100 more seats
comfortably.
Unfortunately, as is often the case in
government projects, the non-profit entity
has not had the funds to maintain the
building, especially the auditorium, and it is
in real need of upkeep and repair. The
Board of Directors approached Dr. Polanco
to see if we would be interested in making
an arrangement with them. We would fix
up the auditorium and make it presentable
and the Board will let us use the auditorium
rent free! We were immediately interested
and got the ball rolling among our church
contacts in the United States about getting
work teams involved in the project. The
response has been so great we are already
"booked up" for 2004 and looking to 2005.
The use of the center will be a blessing
in a number of ways:
1. Everyone in town knows where the
center is. Many have remarked how
nice it used to be and they are glad
someone is helping the center with
some of their many needs.
2. It allows the church to show the
community that we care about their
welfare.
3. It will allow the church time to
actively look for property to build
their building on, without having to
worry about rent payments.
End of Year Church Activities
The Christmas season in the Dominican Republic is filled
with activities and church events just like in the States. The
team here organized a Christmas dinner with the Bible study
network in Higiiey the week before Christmas and it was a
big success and we all enjoyed the fellowship. One of our
goals for that outreach program is to have 8 Bible studies
going when we start again in the next few days. We should
be having some baptisms in the next month here.
The church in La Romana organized a Christmas dinner,
which we held in our house. We lost count after 140 people
came several people came from the different Bible study
cells and from the Centro Mutualista. Christmas dinners
here always include roast pork, turkey, and stewed goat meat!
As the crowd got larger and larger, we wondered whether the
food would stretch, but the ladies serving did a very good job
in organizing the distribution and we had more than enough.
We had two of our neighbor families come - one of the
neighbors is Italian and the other family is Haitian-American
from Orlando! Carlos and Ivelisse led the youth group in the
preparation of a drama about the true meaning of Christmas.
9
Plans for 2004
As we look at this New Year we are setting some
exciting and challenging goals for the work in the eastern
section. Here are a few of the goals we have discussed:
1. Get the Centro Mutualista auditorium in present
able shape. We have the following list to get done:
a. Fix the leaking concrete roof
b. Paint the interior - especially the ceiling
c. Cover and repair the 160 theater-style seats
d. Install fans and lights
e. Prepare Sunday School classrooms
f. Clean and landscape the exterior grounds
g. Build bathrooms for the church's use
We're thrilled that our supporting churches are inter
ested in this project several are signed up to come help on
one or more of these projects. Some friends of the ministry
continued on back page
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s u e i d
Rick and Suzanne York, 12:48 PM 3/8/2004 -0400, Re: Greetings from theDominican R... Page 1of 2
From; "Rick and Suzanne York" <ryork@codetel.net.do>
To: "Allen Leddy" <lettucehead4jc@hotmail.com>, "Andy Hansen" <hansen@Giy.com>,
"Barb Hubers" <bhubers@hotmajl.com>,
"Bart Steever" <bartman@parksidecc.org>,
"Becky Ramirez" <BeckyRamirez@cmfi.org>,
"Ben Lutz, Sr." <blutz@ashley.jbc.edu>,
"Ben Zeigler" <bzeigler@edsa.net.mx>,
"Bill Crandall" <Bcrandall@TeamExpansion.org>,
"Bill Gray" <bwgray@hotmail.com>, "Bill Worrell" <cchurch1@lightbound.com>,
"Bob Cherry" <BobGherry@necchurch.org>, "Bob De Voe" <Bob@lifeline.org>,
"Bob Galley" <AWESOMELIFE@juno.com>, "Bob Gunwell" <rgunwell@hilconet.com>,
"Bob Houser" <bobhouser@comcast.net>,
"Brad Ratliff" <ratliff@mountcarmelcc.org>,
"Brent Brewer" <bbrewer@jbc.edu>, "Brent Weaver" <bweaver@ashley.jbc.edu>,
"Alan Tison" <alantison@central-christian.com>,
"Barry Burnett" <barryburnett@earthlink.com>,
"Betsy Raines" <betsyraines@comcast.net>,
"Bill Stothers" <b.stothers@codetel.net.do>,
"Carolyn Proctor" <crproctor@aol.com>,
"Chris Stierwalt" <glassman@cooketech.net>,
"Chuck Harper" <harperchuck@hotmail.com>,
"Dan and Barb White" <barbw26@juno.com>,
"Greg Sexton" <gsexton@consolidated.net>, "Joe Rubino" <joe.pcc@safe-t.net>,
"Joe Totten" <jtotten@collegeparkcc.net>,
"Lois Hargis" <Loishargis@yahoo.com>,
"Marty Klimstra" <MartyKlimstra@hotmail.com>,
"Micki Heaton" <mheaton@missionservices.org>,
"Nathan Chitwood" <natoman777@yahoo.com>,
"Pat Bonner" <pjbonner@earthlink.com>,
"paul Kaufman" <mzungu12@hotmail.com>,
"Rob Kastens" <RobKastens@mountainchristian.org>,
Rocio Montero <rocimon@yahoo.com>,
"Roy and Judy Huskins" <huskins@planetc.com>,
"Ryan Wyatt" <rdubbs75@aol.com>, "Sara Highfield" <sdhighvigor@hotmail.com>,
"Scott Pelton" <spelton@att.com>, "Summer Rulon" <Summer.Rulon@jbc.edu>,
"Tuck Demond" <cdu_mond@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Greetings from the Dominican Republic
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 12:48:55 -0400
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Mar 2004 16:48:57.0484 (UTC) FILETIME=[3FC63CC0:01C4052D]
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 12:48 PM
Subject: Greetings from the Dominican Repubiic
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings once again from La Romana in theDominican Republic. Suzanne and Iaredoing very well and
we're thrilled with the progress of the work on the eastern side of the country.
Wehavebeenespecially busy the past two months with planning and undertaking the remodeling ofthe
auditorium at the Centro Mutuaiista here in La Romana. The Gentro Mutualista is a non-profit organizationthat
approached the church in October about helping to remodel their auditorium in exchange for rent-free use of the
Printed for Georgia Sharpe <gsharpe@missionservices.org> 3/8/2004
Rick and Suzanne York, 12:48 PM 3/8/2004 -0400, Re: Greetings from theDominican R... Page 2 of 2
auditorium and other areas ofthe building. Ourfirst teamcamefrom Cincinnati Bible College, along with
members and leaders from PlumCreek Christian Churchand Christ Emmanuel Church inthe Cincinnati area.
Our second teamcamefrom the Cogan Station. PA area andourlast teamcamefrom Northeast Christian
Church. Xu 1u -j t
The amount of work done was truly amazing. The building was built in 1972bythe government but had not
been maintained, duetolack offunds, for several years. The last time theorganization was able toreally use
the auditoriumwas in 1993! So we had at least 10 years of repairing to do!
Here's a list of what was done by the teams:
The roof was resealed to prevent leaks
The electrical systemwas overhauled and newwiring put in.
All 150 seats were redone with new cushions and covers
Three rooms were preparedand decoratedfor SundaySchool classroomsand a nursery
The large yard/patio was cleaned and grass cut with new lawnmower the first team purchased
Night lights were installed outside the entrancetothe auditorium
All of the interior of the auditorium was painted-theteam from Northeast Christian Church had two
professional painters with sprayequipment!! They did a wonderful job.
Fans were installed in the auditorium
Two bathrooms were renovated to be used by the church
The stage was redone with a 4 inch cap of cement
New lighting installed in auditorium
As you cansee. a lot oflabor and effort went into this project but we're already seeing many open doors
because of our involvement in this area. We had the official inaguration last evening and the most accurate
count wegot ofpeople attending was 2121 We feel that there areso many different ways ofreaching out tothe
community through this open door that we really feel God's leading in this project.
Here are some specific prayer requests for the next couple of months:
1. Pray for continued expansion oftheBible study network-one ofthe church's goals isto have 25leaders
leading studies throughout the city by December 2004. Right now we have about 12leaders but several more
prospects.
2. Pray for continued leadership development. We have8 different ministry areas identified in the church and
leaders for each ministry- pray for their growth and maturity.
3. Pray as we begin to look at neighboring cities toextend our ministry to- specifically Higiiey andSan Pedro-
both about 45 minutes from La Romana. in different directions. Our goal is to see similar church plants started
there as soon as feasible. We're hoping to begin leadership development in Higiiey soon. Prayfor leaders to
rise up there.
4. Prayfor Carlos and Ivelisse Diaz, who had beenworking with us in La Romana. They have moved backto
Santo Domingo and are seeking God's will in their lives.
5. Pray for our plans in La Romana for 2004. We'd love tosee an average attendance by theend oftheyear of
over 150. People are very open to the Gospel!
6. Prayfor ouroutreach planning for the church- we're trying new ideas thatwe'venever done before so
sometimes it's a little uncomfortable but beneficial in the long run!
Thanks for your prayers and support!
In Christ.
Rick and Suzanne York
Printed for Georgia Sharpe <gsharpe@missionservices.org> 3/8/2004
Mickie Heaton Page 1 of 1
To: "Larry Travis" <larry@plumcreek.org>,
"Laurie York" <loritzlaloca@hotmail.conn>, "Linda Fink" <lynn@zoomnet.net>,
<LiveLineD@aol.com>, <living4him222@yahoo.com>,
"Lois Hargis" <Loishargis@yahoo.com>, <margomay@bellsouth.net>,
Subject: Greetings from La Romana
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings once again from the Dominican Republic. Suzanne and I are doing well and
excited to see the ministry here continue to grow and mature. We mentioned in our last e-mail
update that there are now 8 ministry teams in place in the church in La Romana and they each
are beginning to organize and get to work. We're especially excited to see one of the
members, Eddy Marte, assume the leadership in the Bible Study Network system that we're
using. Eddy will oversee the development and implementation of the network and Suzanne
and I will make sure that they have the materials to work with. The network is an "each one-
teach one" type of program. There are three levels, each with 14lessons. Right now there are
about 15 people teaching lessons and oneofthe goals of the ministry is to have 30 by the end
of the year.
One of the real advantages of this program is that many people who finish the first level or
the first two levels are ready to share what they've learned with their friends and family. It's a
blessing to see people getting excited about sharing the gospel with their friends and
neighbors.
We're also thrilled to see the growth in both number and maturity of the young people in the
church. They recently had their elections for officers and they took it very seriously! They
voted in secret and it took about 20 minutes! They are busy this week putting the finishing
touches on Sunday's program for the worship service. They are in charge of everything from
start to finish and are veryexcited about their participation. After that, the next weekend is
Youth Camp in Salcedo and we have at least 20 going to that. They have been working to
earn money to help payfor the camptrip and they have earned over $4000 pesos selling
cookies and juice after church services on Sunday evenings.
Suzanne and I will be gone to the United States from May 4-26. Our younger daughter, Laurie,
graduates on May 22 from Fordham University in New York City! We're really proud of her,
especially being able to graduate in 4 yers after transferring! We'll also be able to see Emily
and visit a couple of churches. We're looking forward to seeing the girls and taking a break
after a very busy and productive six months here.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our work here in the Dominican
Republic. Please pray especially for the presidental elections coming upon May 16. Pray that
the process will be peaceful, as it has beenthe past 4 elections and also that the best
candidate for the country win.
Hope to hear from you soon.
In Christ,
Rick and Suzanne York
Printed for Georgia Sharpe <gsharpe@missionservices.org> 4/21/2004
Rick and Suzanne York, Missionaries
Dominican Update
June 2004 / Volume 30. Number 2
This issue:
Latest News Fromthe New
Church Plant in La
Romana ... Family News
. . . Prayer Requests
Latest News From the
New Church Plant in La Romana!
Greetings once again from the
Dominican Republic! Suzanne and
I are happy to report that the
work here is going very well and
we're especially excited about
what the Lord has been doing and
plans to do during the rest of this
year. We have been able to
identify eight different ministry
areas and prepare leadership for
each of those areas. Each ministry
group is now functioning and
working well and it's a pleasure to
see people step up and take
responsibility for their areas. The
eight areas are:
Leading and developing
the Bible Study Network
Benevolent outreach in the
community and church
Transportation and vehicle
upkeep
Praise team for worship
Sunday school
Building maintenance
Special outreach events
Miscellaneous
Please continue to pray for the
team leaders as they seek to find
new ways to reach the community
around the church.
Family Outreach Event a
HUGE Success!!
Cristina de los Santos is the coordinator for the special
events outreaches and she just organized the first major
event, a family outreach entitled "Building a Healthy Home".
She was able to reserve one of the recreational areas in town
and she and Suzanne began to plan the day's events. The
idea was for each church member and family to invite an un
churched family to come with them. We were so pleased by
the whole event. We coimted between 250 and 275 in
attendance! We also very purposefully had a chance to offer
the Bible Study series to those present and we have over 40
new contacts for
We
to analyze
the also
to divide up the
names to contact
concerning the |||B|r VflH
studies. Good Ij^v
things are W Fi
happening here!! ^ , i
Right: Playing the
balloon game in
an ice-breaker.
Below: Lining up
for lunch!
ft
Benito and Rosa
Martinez Return To
Santiago.
Our long-time coworkers, Benito
and Rosa Martinez will be returning
to their home in Santiago in July. We
are very sad to see them go, but they
go with our blessing. They have been
away from their family for the past
two and a half years and now that the
church here is off to a great start, we
feel that they will be able to return
home and not leave too great of a gap
here in La Romana. Rosa's parents
are in poor health and they will also
be busy planning their daughter
Kayla's wedding in October. We wish
them well and pray that the Lord will
continue to use them in the ministry
in Santiago. Benito has already begun
to use the Bible Study Network back
at the church in Santiago and we pray
that it has the same success as we've
had here in La Romana.
Conference Coining Up
For Leadership Team!
We're excited to be able to
participate in a national conference on
evangelism and church growth with
several churches from Santo Domingo.
The conference is a Willow Creek style
conference that will allow our people
to get new and creative ideas
regarding evangelism and musical
programing, as well as other ministry
related items. We have 11 people
planning to go and everyone is super
excited. The dates are August 3-5 so
please be praying for the conference to
have a real impact on all of us and
provide us with new ideas on how to
reach people here in La Romana for
Christ.
Baptisms!!
Solid proof of growth is seeing people dedicate
their lives to Christ and to be obedient in
baptism. We recently had four baptisms;
Amado Junio
Omar Cedeho
Wanda de la Cruz
Mirta Sabala
We're finding that the people who finish the
first 14 lessons in the Bible Study Network are
much more inclined to make a thoughtful and
planned decision for Christ. At the end of the 14^
lesson there's a strong call for a decision that
really has an impact on the people who complete
the study. There is another group of people who
are reaching the point of baptism, hopefully in the
next few weeks.
Benito Martinez baptizes Mirta Sabala
Our young people were more than excited to
be able to participate in the island-wide youth
camp in Salcedo the last weekend in April. We
had 28 teenagers go and they had a wonderful
time. The boys' basketball team brought home the
trophy from the basketball tournament and were
they ever proud of that! The young people had
been working for several months to make money
to help defray the costs of camp and as a result
almost all the teenagers that went got some type
of scholarship to help them attend. They are
already planning for next year's camp! They also
planned and directed a one-day retreat for
spiritual growth here at the church. They are
maturing and that's exciting for us to see!
Family News
Suzanne and I were proud parents on
Saturday May 22 when our younger daughter,
Laurie, gradu-
ated from Ford- _
ham University
with her B.A. in
Political Science '
and a minor in
Latino Studies.
She was able to
graduate four
years even ^9
though she
transferred after
her sophomore
year from Nyack
College also
Emily was able
to come down Laurie with her diploma!
from New Hamp
shire and be there so we had a great time together
in New York City. Laurie is hoping to find a job in
the city so please keep her in your prayers.
Emily is getting ready to move to Philadelphia
to begin graduate school at Eastern University.
She's planning to study in the International
Financial Development program with the goal of
working in a 3'^'' world country. She's gotten a
partial scholarship and work on campus so she's
off to a great start. She'll start with four weeks of
summer school in July and then full time in
August.
Suzanne and I are doing well. The Dominican
Republic had their presidential elections on May
Emily & Laurie
D o m i n i c a n U p d a t e
B e f o r e y o u m o v e , p l e a s e s e n d t h e m a i l i n g l a b e l w i t h a c o p y o f y o u r n e w a d d r e s s t o
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Suzanne YoTk,fl2:49 PM 11/21/2004 -0300, Greetings from La Romana
From: "Rick and Suzanne York" <ryork@verizon.net.do>
To: "Scott Pelton" <spelton@att.com>,
"Sara Highfield" <sdhighvigor@hotmail.com>,
"Ryan Wyatt" <rdubbs75@aol.com>,
"Roy and Judy Huskins" <huskins@planetc.com>,
Rocio Montero <rocimon@yahoo.com>,
"Rob Kastens" <RobKastens@mountainchristian.org>,
"Pat Bonner" <pjbonner{gearthlink.com>,
"Nathan Chitwood" <natoman777@yahoo.com>,
"Micki Heaton" <mheaton@missionservices.org>,
"Marty Klimstra" <MartyKlimstra@hotmail.com>,
"Lois Hargis" <Loishargis@yahoo.com>,
"Joe Totten" <jtotten@collegeparkcc.net>,
"Joe Rubino" <joe.pcc@safe-t.net>,
"Greg Sexton" <gsexton@consolidated.net>,
"Chuck Harper" <harperchuck@hotmail.com>,
"Chris Stierwalt" <glassman@cooketech.net>,
"Carolyn Proctor" <crproctor@aol.com>,
"Brent Weaver" <bweaver@ashiey.jbc.edu>,
"Brent Brewer" <bbrewer@jbc.edu>,
"Brad Ratliff <ratIiff@mountcarmelcc.org>,
"Bob De Voe" <Bob@lifeline.org>,
"Bob Cherry" <BobCherry@necchurch.org>,
"Bill Worrell" <cchurch1@lightbound.com>,
"Bill Stothers" <b.stothers@codetei.net.do>,
"Bill Gray" <bwgray@hotmall.com>,
"Bill Crandall" <Bcrandall@TeamExpanslon.org>,
"Ben Zelgler" <bzeiglermex@yahoo.com>,
"Ben Lutz, Sr." <blutz@ashley.jbc.edu>,
"Becky Ramirez" <BeckyRamlrez@cmfl.org>,
"Andy Hansen" <hansen@cly.com>,
"Allen Leddy" <lettucehead4jc@hotmall.com>,
"Alan Tison" <alantlson@central-chrlstlan.com>,
"Brenda Hawkins" <brenda@ciy.com>,
"KIrsten Dodge" <KlrstenDodge@necchurch.org>,
"Laurie York" <laurie!ynnyork@univlsion.com>,
"Linda Fink" <lynn@zoomnet.net>,
"LINDA L. WOODWORTH, D.C." <wcc@chilltech.net>, <LlveLlneD@aol.com>
Subject: Greetings from La Romana
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 12:49:23 -0300
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1437
X-OrlginalArrivalTlme: 21 Nov 2004 16:53:30.0975 (UTC) FILETIME=[A15D26F0:01C4CFEA]
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings once again from La Romana. Suzanne and I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving season and hope
that you and your family will be together sometime during the holidays. We have been very busy with many
projects here and we're praising the Lord for the way He is working in this new outreach in the Eastern part of the
Dominican Republic.
We're very happy to have Victor and Yudermy Jimenez and their twochildren, Nestor(4) and Klmberly(6 months)
Printed for Georgia Sharpe <gsharpe@missionservices.org>
11/22/2004
Rick and Suzanne York, 12:49 PM 11/21/2004 -0300, Greetings from La Romana Page 2 of 2
join our team in La Romana. Victor is 30 and has 7 years pastoral experience in the northern section of the
country. Victor will be assuming more and more of the lead pastor role in the next year and we're very excited to
have them. Yudermy graduated with a degree in Fashion Design and has a wealth of decorating ideas that have
already been put to work!
Enthusiasm and attendance is up at the church! We had 140 in the worship service last Sunday! We're seeing
more and more outreach activities planned and we're seeing the results of trying to reach those who are
"unchurched". We hosted a Couples Night last evening at our house with 23 couples, several of whom had been
invited by church members. We had two hours of laughing and reflection on our marriages. We played the
Newlywed Game and everyone got a big kick out of it! Our Leadership team is doing a great job and working well
together. Our main job with them is to keep them "on task" and pointed in the same direction!
We're also very excited that word of the church and its work is getting out into the community. One of our new
families, Ruben and Ana Santos, are natural leaders. Ruben runs a public car route and takes Bible tracts in his
car to pass out to his passengers! Ana is known and loved by all in their neighborhood. Their three sons go to a
public school not far from the church and Ruben and Ana made contacts for us with the school principal. When
the team from Northeast Christian Church was here in October we were able to take part of the team to do some
sports related outreaches and we also took the dental team to begin work on some of the students that had
cavities. That opened the door for more outreaches. The principal asked us ifwe could provide Bible materials for
the school's "religion" class so we are now producing materials for the 471 students so that they have a Sunday-
school type work page each week. Two of the teachers are beginning to attend church so the Lord is working!
We're also rejoicing with our family! Emily is doing very well in her first semester at graduate school at Eastern
University in Philadelphia. She is studying International Financial Development and hopes to work for a relief
agency in a 3rd world country when she graduates. She is planning to do her semester internship next fall in
India! Laurie graduated from Fordham University in New York City in May and just got a job that she is really
excited about with the Bronx District Attorney's office near Yankee Stadium. She starts tomorrow as a Crime
Victim Advocate. It's a city job so her benefits are very good. She was able to come for a short visit since she will
not be able to come for Christmas, which will be the first time we have not been together as a family!
Thanks for your continued prayers for our work. We're really excited to see what 2005 holds for this work! We feel
that the church here is ready to have a tremendous impact in the community where it is located. Please pray that
we will all be faithful in taking the Word to those who are outside the Kingdom. Have a Great Thanksgiving and
holiday season.
Rick and Suzanne
Printed for Georgia Sharpe <gsharpe@missionservices.org> 11/22/2004