MONTE CRISTI, Dominican Republic (BP)–God is at work in the aftermath of the worst flooding ever to strike the Caribbean island nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti — creating opportunities to minister to communities that lost thousands of residents in late May.
Storms dropped as much as 10 inches of rain in one hour, sweeping away crops and livestock, even entire families and villages, said Southern Baptist missionary Donny Barger, leader of a team that took relief supplies into flood-ravaged towns in the Dominican Republic.
“In the southern border city of Jimani, about half the town was washed away. Where there once were neighborhoods, now there are just mounds of sand,” Barger said. “The latest estimate is that more than 1,000 people were killed. I have yet to speak to anyone here who has not lost family members.”
At least 3,300 people were dead or missing and thousands more homeless in the Dominican Republic and Haiti after what one official described as the worst natural disaster in Caribbean history.
QUICK RESPONSE
Barger and missionary colleagues Adam Hammond and Fernando Abella were able to respond quickly to the disaster with food, clothing and supplies provided by $5,000 in Southern Baptist hunger and relief funds.
They saw God’s hand at work right away in Jimani.
The governor’s office sent Barger to a branch of the reserve bank, where Barger was allowed to connect a water purification system to the bank’s well. When a bank official arrived and learned Barger needed plastic pipe and a 250-gallon water tank, he ordered up the pipe and two 500-gallon tanks. The governor brought in a truck to transport the purified water throughout the town.
Those timely provisions got the purifier online quickly to meet a critical need in the community, Barger said.
“Here we are in an unknown community with no contacts, and God provided everything we needed and more,” Barger said. “He did this at just the right time. What a mighty God we serve!”
MULTIPLYING SACKS
Two Dominican Baptist believers saw God’s power as they distributed sacks of food to villages throughout the area.
Each bag contained enough food to supply an entire family for at least a week. But with so many people in need, one of the Dominicans was concerned that they didn’t have enough sacks to help everyone they would meet, missionary John Randolph recounted.
“When we left Los Peynados, we had 50 sacks,” Randolph said. “And even though we kept giving out sacks along the way back, every time we stopped and counted we still had 50 sacks.”
The Dominican worker “said he started to become afraid because he didn’t know what to do with so many sacks that just wouldn’t go away!”
NEW INSIGHT
Working as a missionary in a hands-on relief effort gave Randolph a different perspective on the offerings he promoted when he was a pastor in Nevada and Washington.
“For years, I led the churches I pastored to give to the World Hunger Fund,” Randolph said. “While meaningful, it was remote.
“Now I was experiencing firsthand how God is glorified by the sacrificial giving of Southern Baptists. When I saw the first sack come off the truck into the hands of a hungry family, a jolt of joy and praise surged through my heart.
“I was overwhelmed that God had allowed me the privilege of being part of what He was doing.”
FACING THE GRIEF
As major relief operations by the government and humanitarian agencies were being organized, the missionaries turned their attention to the grief that survivors were suffering. Steve Lyon, a missionary who is a professional counselor, came in to train pastors, public school teachers and other missionaries in techniques to help people work through their trauma.
The crisis counseling ministry began immediately — in the training sessions.
A pastor from Jimani described the terror his family experienced when they awoke to find water filling their house. When he went to get his daughter, the force of the rushing water prevented him from opening her bedroom door. He called out to neighbors for help, but they also were unable to reach her.
“He cried out to God in the night and tried again to open the door,” Barger said. “He got his foot in, and the force of the water tore the door from its hinges. He was able to rescue his sleeping daughter and lead his family to safety.
“Since then, he had been unable to sleep, and when he did close his eyes he saw horrible scenes of the corpses he had seen while a part of the rescue effort. He benefited from the debriefing, and is eager to have Fernando Abella return with the video, ‘Trauma y Familia,’ by missionary Hebert Palomino, to help him and others minister to other victims.
“I am praying that the Lord can use this effort to minister to victims and to start future home Bible studies,” Barger added.
Southern Baptist workers and their Dominican partners have other prayer concerns on their hearts as well, said Barger’s wife, Jennifer.
“Prayer is fundamental to anything we do here,” she said. “Please remember the children who have lost their parents in this flood. Pray that doors will be opened for the Gospel through our efforts with the people of the southwest Dominican Republic. Pray that God will be glorified.”
–30–
Outreach in the Dominican Republic: http://www.pray4dr.com.
World Hunger and Relief Ministries: http://www.imb.org/worldhunger.
Give online now! http://resources.imb.org/worldhunger. (BP) photos posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo titles: DESPERATE FOR HELP, CLEAN UP, PACKING IT IN, SALVAGE EFFORT and WELCOME SIGHT.
