Dear mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. – Philippians 1:3-5
We have been back in the DR now for about three weeks and settling back in. This month we celebrate exactly seven years on the field. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving and especially your prayers over the years. We are eternally greatful for each of you.
We have an opportunity to teach again and have decided to begin teaching English at another school to help supplement our income until we are able to go home for a longer period of time and do some fundraising. Quite frankly, we just really need the money right now. It is only part time but Christen and I will both be teaching. I will also be helping at the previous school we have served for the last two years, but more in the area of counseling, meeting with the youth (and anyone else willing) for Bible studies after school hours and evangelism in that community. And although we need the money, I cannot commit to full time work either with all the other ministry responsibilities we presently have.
If I seem to have been more silent than usual in communicating in recent months, it is due partly to thew fact that most of my time and energy has been invested in the BCMS (Biblical Christian Missionary Society) project. For this reason I would like to apologize for a gap in time between communication and newsletters. But we have also been dealing with personal issues in the family, both here and back home which urgently needed our attention. We have served on the mission field for seven years now this month with no furlough, and it has it’s way of taking a toll on everyone. Please forgive me for this lack of communication. I will certainly make an effort to be better at communicating.
We still are present and financially supporting the work that was started in Hato Mayor. The church there will always be home and the brothers and sisters there are family near and dear to us. Recently, a Dominican brother named Victor Dominguez was installed as the new pastor. He is a godly man who loves the Lord, is a good teacher and we are very happy with him and his wonderful family and their willingness to serve. We ask that you please pray for him.
There are still challenges as there are in any ministry, and although the work will celebrate five years this December, the church is still very much an infant church and there is still much work to do there. But brother Victor truly has a servant’s heart, and is more than willing and aware of the challenges he will face. He has also expressed his desire for our continued help in the ministry. We remain in a supportive role and continue helping in ministry endeavors there, whether it be evangelism, providing resources, organization, edifying conferences with visiting pastors and teachers and/or helping raise money for projects and needs.
As I mentioned, we are not only working together with the church of Hato Mayor, but also on a national and international level too, investing in men in the DR and Haiti as well, bringing them resources, teaching and much needed encouragement. In fact we not only support and help with the financial needs of the church of Hato Mayor, but also support another pastor in Santiago, a sister teaching English for us at the church, a brother working as an evangelist in Haiti and several other individuals we help in different ways as donations and resources that come in allow.
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, – Philippians 2:25
The website for BCMS is up and running (biblicalchristianms.org). Although we had a few hiccups getting it started in the beginning, and are still experimenting with different themes for the site, we have begun posting updates and profiles about the men we support. The main purpose of the this ministry is to invest in faithful men that can teach others as well, whether they are presently in ministry or preparing for ministry. We certainly believe in the local church and do not want to interfere in other churches and their work in any way. We only wish to invest in, and help the men there to better serve right where the Lord has planted them. There are many faithful men here who lack resources and guidance and much needed encouragement.
Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, – Colossians 4:7-8
We are planning to help the children of Hato Mayor and another church with school supplies this year as we have in the past. In this country, even for public school, if the children do not have the necessary uniforms and school supplies, they cannot attend. Unfortunately, many kids do not receive the education they need due to the family’s lack of resources. Please pray about helping with this important need.
I am also continuing my own studies in seminary now, which has unfortunately been put on the back burner several times when things got too busy with work in the church. I was actually in Santo Domingo last night discussing with one of the directors what I will need to graduate by next year. Please pray for me for wisdom in time management with a consistently busy schedule.
We have never stopped helping the church and many others we serve behind the scenes, but we do not really like announcing everything that we do either. We have received criticism in the past from both sides of either “not sharing enough” or “sharing too much.” There is always the existing tension of serving and helping without receiving the recognition, (“not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”) coupled with the fact that we are missionaries and have a very real need of being good at communicating well with supporters, sharing updates and the work concerning the ministry. I have often felt that I find myself on one side of the spectrum or the other. The balance isn’t always so easy to identify and maintain. I have always struggled with exactly how much to share and how much to leave between us and the Lord. Prayers for wisdom in this area are certainly appreciated.
After a difficult year of health problems that Christen and I experienced, and worries of the declining health of our parents back home, and a season of other trials that just come with the territory of being in a foreign context, we are refocused and moving forward with several ministry plans. We are both much better in health and trying to take better care of ourselves now. Since we have been awaiting approval for Yeison to travel, and are at a standstill as far as a furlough for now, we have been working hard on organizing the details to make these plans happen, Lord willing of course.
On the Salgado DR Mission website, I will continue sharing updates and important family/ministry needs and prayer requests. As the ministry grows, the needs do too, but there are still needs we have as a family.
For example:
In past years, we have often done fundraisers specifically for the cost of the kid’s schooling. But for at least two years now, we haven’t had to do a fundraiser due to some generous individuals who helped cover a major percentage of it. And by God’s grace, we were able to cover the left over amount. But this year, we have not had anyone give specifically towards this need yet. They are already enrolled and the school will be expecting money soon. This need is very important to us and our children. PLEASE pray for this and consider helping by giving towards their education. There may be a fundaraiser coming if we do not have anyone help us with this soon.
We are preparing for another visa application for Yeison. But before we do, we will need to have many proofs that they (the US embassy) require that will guarantee his re-entry if he were approved for a visa. This time, with much prayer and guidance, we are doing everything we know to present the strongest case possible showing our ties here and his guaranteed return. We must do this until we can officially start the adoption process which is still a couple of years away. But we will have to begin meeting with the lawyer again to obtain documents of proof of intention to adopt according to an immigration specialist for a State Senator back home. That is apart from the legal guardianship papers we presently have. Lawyers do not work for free either as we all know. Pleas pray and consider helping towards this as well.
We have not been able to take a furlough mainly for this reason, and we very much desire to be able to travel with him on our visits home. We soon will need an extended stay in the US for rest, time with family, but also for some serious fundraising. We are presently at our financial limit and need new ministry partners in order to meet the new budget. Please pray about this and consider joining us as a ministry partner.
The ministry van has been a huge blessing in many ways. It has been used not only for the ministry of the local church, but we have also been able to serve several other pastors and their churches who do not have resources by making it available to them for transportation for various activities. And of course, for transportation when visiting pastors and teachers come with their church members to teach and serve with us. But at times, it too comes with a hefty price tag of maintenance and repairs. We do everything needed to keep it running like new in order to be able to go to any part of the country at any given time. We may even be taking it to Haiti soon and are presently investigating what forms the government requires in order to cross the border with a vehicle. But it’s maintenance is costly (as most vehicle maintenance and fuel is here), and the terrible road conditions certainly do not help. Any help towards this need is also is very appreciated.
On the BCMS website I will be sharing updates and needs more specific to that ministry’s vision and mission, Being primarily a 2 Timothy 2:2 ministry focusing on coming alongside and equipping the nationals. We have also begun working on writing original articles and resources for supporters and those we are serving, and translating them to make them available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
We have a list of worthy candidates we desire to help and support in different ways, but until we acquire more commitments and/or new ministry partners, we are limited. Presently we only have posted those that we support on the website. But Lord willing, we will also post profiles of the candidates so that others can learn more about each individual and their own personal and ministerial needs too.
In the mean time, we are planning to help by taking the teaching to them through workshops and conferences that a couple of pastors here and I will teach. And though in a sense this is their most important need, their needs do go beyond that. Anyone serious about studying about the Word and ministry will need a computer, books, and other helpful tools like the internet for example, for ease of access to online resources. Internet access will also help for ease of communication between us (video calls and virtual meetings.) This also cuts down on the costs of travel until absolutely necessary. Most of these men also have basic needs for their own ministries like bibles, tracts etc., that we would love to help provide as well when possible. Please pray about helping with any of these needs.
Be on the look out for updates from our family and the brothers of BCMS, and please remember to pray for each of us. Pray for Yeison’s visa. Pray for grace and strength. Pray for wisdom. Pray for God’s provision in the often overwhelming amount of needs. Pray.
In Christ,
Antonio Salgado and family
We do not use a sending agency that gets a percentage of the money donated, so you can be sure that your gift goes directly to the mission field to meet real needs.
If the Lord so lays on your heart to give back to Him by supporting this ministry, you can send your tax deductible gift to:
CENTRAL MISSIONARY CLEARINGHOUSE
P.O. Box 219228
Houston, Texas 77218-9228
1-800-CMC-PRAY (1-800-262-7729)
Office: 281-599-7411
Fax: 281-599-7511
CMC serves hundreds of missionaries, but they ONLY receive the funds for us and in no way have control over how the funds are to be spent, or what we are to do as a ministry. This gives us liberty to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and make decisiones about present and urgent needs. This is one of the reasons why we went with CMC to receive and get donations to us. They also only charge a tiny fee for administrative purposes (about 2%).
You may begin sending your support at any time at the address above. Simply include a note a separate piece of paper with “Antonio Salgado or Salgado DR Mission”(Checks should be made payable to Central Missionary Clearinghouse or C.M.C.)
You can also now give to the ministry online through the new giving solution called “click and give” at the CMC website.
To get started you just need to click on the link below and register the first time. Just a simple click on the donate button on their page (see link below), and then click the “click and give icon/button”.
*Note – On the list of missionaries there, look for Antonio Salgado.
https://www.cmcmissions.org/donate
You will then have a private giving solution that comes with many benefits to you the donor. If you have any questions please call the office (tel:1-800-262-7729 or 281-599-7411), and they very kindly will walk you through what you need to do.
You can also donate to this ministry online with Paypal. Click the donate button on the home page of this site and you can send support of any amount directly to the ministry. You can choose the option of doing a one-time donation, but this is the fastest option to get funds to us.
Unfortunately through Paypal we are not set up for receiving recurring donations. But the other online giving option above does have the recurring monthly donation option. Simply register one time and that’s it.
For tax exemption, you must send your donation through Central Missionary Clearinghouse (CMC) at the address above.
As stated above, we do not use a sending agency that gets a percentage of the money donated as other ministries do, so you can be sure that almost your entire gift goes directly to the mission field.
Whatever you decide, thank you for praying for us and helping this ministry take the Gospel to the Dominican people, God Bless.