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Salgado DR Mission Newsletter

Dear mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,

First of all, thank you everyone for your prayers and support over the years. It is truly appreciated more than you will ever know. We believe that those who pray for and support missions play a role just as important as the missionary on the field.

An update on our daughter Maya:

As I write this had to taker her to the hospital  last night for a consistently high fever over the last three days now. With today  (Saturday) four days.

When we got to the hospital and they examined her, they said there hasn’t really been much dengue fever around this area, but a few cases of chikungunya are showing up again. (For those unfamiliar with the terms, we are talking about mosquito borne illnesses). But we were recently far from the city in an area with lots of lagoons and Maya did get bit up pretty good. More than the rest of us at least.

They did some blood work on her it came back showing that it was viral and the doctor started saying that it actually might be dengue, but they would need another blood test. At first they said in 48 hours, but within minutes they said it was much  better to get it done and compare the results within 24 hours just in case.

Her blood pressure was a little low and she was somewhat dehydrated. So we need to control the fever the best we can until then, keep her hydrated and pray until the next blood test to see what’s going on. Thank you everyone for the prayers.

In less than 24 hours, our daughter’s blood test results got much worse (her levels of her white blood cells and red blood cells etc.) The doctors said it is a possible dengue or it could be a couple of other things but she needs to be hospitalized according to her bloodwork.

There is a specific test they can do to know for sure. All we know right now is that she is getting worse. Usually we treat dengue or chikungunya just keeping hydrated and controlling the fever with Tylenol, but there are some dangerous strains of dengue that can cause you to hemorrhage, so she needs to be watched closely by doctors and have bloodwork done every 24 hours. The private hospitals wanted a $1000 deposit up front, but since we do not have insurance we had to take her to a public but decent children’s hospital. The same doctors from the “good” private clinics also work here though. The difference is you only pay for the treatment, meds and/or materials needed if operated, but not a hospital’s fee for the stay in a room if hospitalized or doctor’s fees. For now we wait another 24 hours for another blood test to monitor what’s going on. Prayers for Maya are very much appreciated.

As we approach Summer we are considering a short but necessary trip to the States. It has been about a year and a half since our last visit and we have some serious needs. Fund raising from the mission field has proven to be very difficult. We would love to visit and report back to those who pray for and support us. But we are honestly are very behind in raising funds for usual yearly needs such as the kids schooling, funds for the ministry itself and many personal needs as well. A lot due to the difficulty we have with Yeison’s visa situation. It has simply proven difficult to raise funds when out of the country.

We try to be very active concerning updates by personal interaction with donors online, newsletters from our website shared on social media, and in emails, and of course, Facebook with the most frequent updates on our ministry and personal pages. Perhaps it is due to this unfortunate gap in reporting and fundraising in person that giving has dwindled.

It happens over the years, times when we are getting by well financially, and others when things get much harder for us. We have survived using love offerings and such that come to us. But our actual monthly budget needs are no longer being met, and the needs and bills keep coming. When things are good financially, although there will always be needs, and some things that are not in our power to resolve, with what we have received in the past we were able to do much for others and pay the bills. When giving takes a hit (due to the many commitments here) many times we must use personal funds to cover the needs. But you can only do that for so long before the well starts to run dry. Between the needs of the brethren, the bills and needs of the church,  our family, even cutting corners on some of our own  needs, we have come to difficult spot financially.

Two or three months of unexpected and expensive medical bills, repairs, and needs that come up on top of the usual expenses is all it takes. Then comes the tension of our reality here.

 

We depend on the support of the saints back home. We have to live, we have bills to pay, but we are here to serve them. How do we not help them? When things get tight the temptation is to buckle down and go into survival mode. But it isn’t that simple. We have food and clean water, clean clothes and for now at least, our health.  While some dear people we know, brothers and sisters in Christ even, don’t have the basic necessities often times.  Or they can’t afford the medicine they need to stay alive. It does something to your heart. It does something to your conscience. At least it does to mine. When we can’t help as much or are running out of money, it isn’t very easy to be here.

The kids schooling is a hard thing as well. It’s time to enroll for next year and we don’t have the money right now. We are thinking about moving to a cheaper home but there are lots of costs involved in moving, including first and last month’s rent which we don’t have right now. We need to get home and do some serious fundraising but we can’t as a family stay long because of Yeison’s visa situation.

Even on extended stays in the past, (just the way it has played out), I have spent much time reporting and preaching wherever I am invited, but run out of time and don’t get to fundraise  as much to “new” audiences for new supporters. And honestly, it is just very difficult to ask for money, or anything else for that matter! I really struggle with this even though we have been here seven years.

It also gets expensive really fast staying in the States and trying to travel with a family. It’s been by God’s grace and the generosity of the saints who open their homes to us and lend us vehicles that has allowed us to get around by in the past.

In a praise report, thankfully one pastor and his church has graciously invited us to Louisiana to share about the ministry, and offered to cover our trip there. There may be some support coming from that. Praise God, we are very thankful for that! But we would also like our kids to at least have a short visit home as well to visit. It’s been two years for them and they would like to see the family and we totally understand and would like them to have a break as well. We would need to fly our kids to Florida and find our way there from Louisiana which we cannot afford at this time. There are some churches and dear brothers and sisters we should (need) to visit in different states to report to and thank for their support and prayer over the years. I am not sure how I will get there as of yet, the Lord has always provided a way in the past. Please pray about helping.

Our newsletters are usually not this transparent about the hard side of things personally and financially. We share much about some hard things happening in the lives of people around us and in the ministry. But very few know the many difficulties we have faced secretly and quietly suffering over the last seven years, and some even presently as a family. So I am just going to say it. I am pretty concerned about our financial situation and we need your help! We are certainly praying for the Lord’s provision. Yet I know He ordains the end as well as the means, which is no other than the bride of Christ, the church itself. Brother, sister, will you please pray for us and give if you can?

We need new monthly mission partners. People have been good about occasional love offerings and such in the past,  and many times are specific answers to prayer that come in just in time, but it is difficult to build a budget around that. We need an increase in monthly funding to catch up and cover the extra costs of the church and the brothers we support here personally. There’s the church’s electric, water, supplies and mercy ministry fund come from our offerings. The medical insurance for a very sick sister here, the maintenance , insurance and fuel for the bus, an evangelist in Haiti  and a  pastor here that we support personally. These are just some of the needs above and beyond our children’s schooling and other family needs.

How can you help?

By praying, we have no doubt that in a major way the prayers of the saints back home interceding on our behalf have played a major role in sustaining us this long on the mission field. The Lord has answered those prayers time and time again. We have seen the Lord touch the hearts of some saints back home and seen His faithfulness to provide in big and unexpected ways through those prayers in the past.

By giving, if you are already a mission partner, would you consider sacrificially giving above and beyond your current commitment for X amount of time to help ease the financial burden we currently have? 

And also by sharing, would you be willing to share these needs with your local church, friends and other believers in your own circles who understand the importance of missions and have a passion for the Gospel?

We purposely do not use a sending agency with large overhead costs that retains a significant percentage of the money donated, so you can be sure that your gift goes directly to the mission field.

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, which gives us liberty to make real needs a priority and yet have room to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. This is one of the reasons why we went with CMC. There are also three trusted pastors which sit as our mission board.

You may begin sending your support to the Salgado DR Mission at any time at the address above. (Checks should be made payable to Central Missionary Clearinghouse or C.M.C.)

You can also now give to the ministry here in the DR 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”.

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 below and you can send support of any amount directly to the ministry. You can choose the option of doing a one-time donation and in emergencies this is the fastest option to get funds to us.

Unfortunately through Paypal we are not set up for receiving recurring donations at this time. But the other online giving option above does 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. 

Again, 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.

Whatever you decide, thank you so much for praying for us and helping this ministry. God Bless You!

 

 

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Salgado DR Mission

Dear mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,

The month of March was somewhat difficult, but by God’s grace we are feeling refreshed and much better than last month. In good news, the work at the school has gone well. Well in the sense that there constant opportunities to share the Gospel with teachers and students alike.

I began meeting again with anyone who will come on Tuesday nights for a Bible study. It resulted that a large group of youth began showing up although it was open to everyone. So pray for those who are coming and others at the school who have heard the gospel as well as for me, that God may continue to give me boldness and love and that He would continue to give more opportunities to serve.

The other side of the coin is the sad and utter depravity we experience and deal with in ministering in hard places. Just below and around the school is a very tough area. The school goes through teachers pretty frequently. It is hard work, stressful, emotionally and spiritually tolling work. Very few children and youth there are easy to deal with, they challenge your authority and call you vulgar things, the older ones fight a lot and bring weapons to school,  but we are patient to correct and love them.

You have to understand their world and be merciful. People raised there, and other places like it are regularly exposed to acts of debauchery and even perversion in some  homes and neighbors homes. They begin to imitate and speak about these things from a very young age. It is hard for them to even see or better yet even imagine above and beyond the horizon of their immediate context and the only little world they know. A lot of these kids are basically raising themselves and their younger siblings. Pray for them, that at some point the Lord would graciously allow them to hear the Good News, and respond in repentance  and faith in Christ.

The church in Hato Mayor has several members who need much prayer. Sister Arelis who cared for her husband Pedrito who needs lots of help himself after his stroke, is now down herself after a knee surgery. Their daughter is there helping and caring for them both. Another sister in church has had a string of difficult trials after a bout with cancer, please lift up sister Fidelina.

Unfortunately we have had to make several expensive trips to the mechanic for maintenance and repairs. The amount spent was very significant and unexpected so it hit us pretty hard. We have only a few more repairs to do that are necessary.

But, our overall health has improved greatly, praise God that we are healthy now, aside from a few stress related symptoms, we are very thankful. But many brethren here are not so fortunate and are suffering from illness that have no near end in sight, please pray for them.

There is always a tension one feels as a missionary when the needs are overwhelming and people fall between the cracks because time and resources are so limited. I want to encourage the brethren back home, that within your own circles of influence, to not go throughout your day (work, school, home, next door, or out somewhere) without being intentionally praying and seeking for someone to help and share the Gospel with. We miss too many opportunities to bless others and be faithful to our calling in announcing the Gospel, often times because we get too consumed with…ourselves. May we remember the words of John the baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

But praise the Lord, that in even spite of much temporary suffering, the brothers and sisters of Hato Mayor are united and committed to move forward in the work of the Lord and soon, Lord willing, I will be helping evangelize and bring in some brothers from other places (apart from those currently helping us with preaching, among those is Daniel Toribio) and help organize some activities with other churches that we fellowship with to help encourage the brethren as well. Pray.

We are financially supporting (and will be for a while) the work in Hato Mayor as a local church, who are not near being ready to financially be independent. As we begin supporting national pastors and evangelists as BCMS, we will need the help, prayers and resources of our brothers and sisters back home. We are praying for more mission partners to come alongside of us in order to teach and equip these men with the resources they need.

We have begun officially supporting one Dominican brother, Daniel Toribio  and will begin supporting a Haitian brother, Leonel Riviere now in this month of April, both of which we have known for years. As the Lord provides the funds, we desire to support other like minded and faithful men,  who can teach or preach.  It is important that we or other trusted brethren can also testify of their walk and integrity.

This is a huge but very important  task and commitment of equipping, discipling, encouraging, praying for and visiting these men. Doing what we can to help them become men of God who can properly handle the Word of God. We want to encourage and help them to be effective right where the Lord has placed them, proclaiming the Gospel and faithfully teaching the saints.

But in order to do this well, and enable us to come alongside other men that the Lord is raising up, we will definitely need your help. We are presently completely stretched as far as we can be financially each month. But this is a project you can take on as an individual or as a church.

We want to help poor or financially struggling candidates who really cannot afford anything, but truly desire to serve the Lord and can teach others.  Some we will help on a monthly basis with $8000 Dominican pesos , which is the equivalent of only $160 US dollars.

For example, a church can support two men for $320 dollars and know the money is going directly to them, or to help purchase things they absolutely need like resources such as bibles,  some online seminary, good books, tracts, or a laptop to mention a few. All in an effort to elevate the quality of  the teaching and preaching to be more biblical right  in the places these men are presently ministering for the glory of God, and in the context of their local churches of course.

There is much work to do and this is an opportunity to help invest in the men the Lord is raising up to work in His harvest, to care for His people. Please pray about helping. The new website with the men’s profiles and backgrounds is in the works. Pray.

“Those who give and pray for missions, play a role just as important as the missionary on the field.”

We purposely do not use a sending agency with large overhead costs that retains a significant percentage of the money donated, so you can be sure that your gift goes directly to the mission field.

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

This ministry (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, which gives us liberty to make real needs a priority and yet have room to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. This is one of the reasons why we went with CMC. There are also three trusted pastors which sit as our mission board.

You may begin sending your support to the Salgado DR Mission at any time at the address above. (Checks should be made payable to Central Missionary Clearinghouse or C.M.C.)

You can also now give to the ministry here in the DR 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”.

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 below and you can send support of any amount directly to the ministry. You can choose the option of doing a one-time donation and in emergencies this is the fastest option to get funds to us.

Unfortunately through Paypal we are not set up for receiving recurring donations at this time. But the other online giving option above does 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. 

Again, 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.

Whatever you decide, thank you so much for praying for us and helping this ministry. God Bless You!

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭

 

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Salgado DR Mission: update

 

“Those who give and pray for missions, play a role just as important as the missionary on the field.”

 

Greeting friends, mission partners, brothers and sisters in Christ,

Now that our donations will be handled through Central MIssionary Clearinghouse, you can now give to the ministry here in the DR 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”.

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.

Thank you for the prayers and support, God bless!

https://www.cmcmissions.org/donate

 

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭

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Salgado DR Mission: update

“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭

Salgado DR Mission will soon be associated with and working under the “Biblical Christian Missionary Society”. We are the the first american family on the mission field serving under BCMS. This ministry will be helping and serving outside of our local church on a more national and international level.

The focus apart from the local church that has been planted (who we still work with and are supporting and still has many needs themselves), will be the scouting, supporting and teaching of these men, creating a network of nationals who are called, have gifts such as of evangelism and/or teaching and preaching, and ultimately help them by getting the necessary tools and resources they need to reach their people with the Gospel.

Be on the lookout for the new BCMS website where you will find pictures and profiles of the men who are being helped through receiving necessary resources and/or supported financially.

There is a lot of work and prayer that is going into this 2 Timothy 2:2 ministry. 100% of donations will go directly to the mission field to working missionaries, evangelists and pastors and teachers. No overhead fees, like in the larger organizations. Please pray for wisdom in this process and for more mission partners to come alongside this important ministry to help these men.

For our friends back home who preach and teach, there will be opportunities to come and serve by teaching for conferences and workshops organized in different parts of this country and Haiti as well. Please pray for this ministry, our family and everyone involved in this project.

Thank you and God bless!
Pray.

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭

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Salgado DR Mission

Dear friends, mission partners, brothers and sisters in Christ,

Recently, a few of us went out evangelizing again in the barrio closest to the church. Please pray for several people who heard the Gospel that night.

The kids at the school are catching on fairly well with English, and there are several opportunities for evangelizing to the staff, students and the parents. There are plans for a new bible study which would be held there at the school. I had a meeting with the director and there will be some teachers and students attending. But I also  intentionally throw in Bible for english lessons sometimes. Pray for all of that and for Trinity who is in Malaysia serving now for a while.

In Hato Mayor, right now there is a rotation of preachers from churches we fellowship with for Sunday mornings. There are several the Lord has raised up in a few churches we know of, and they have been very gracious and helpful to us. They are coming in to help as I step back a bit from the leading pastoral role there.

This also allows me the necessary time to focus on some other very important areas, like my personal physical and spiritual health, the family´s and other needs, and future ministry plans. If He wills and as He leads of course. We are still present, supporting, serving and helping in many other  ways.

Others are stepping up and assuming responsibilities. Brother Carlos has really stepped up and is leading meetings and the evangelism. It is good to see that the core, is very united and committed to the continued growth of the church. Praise the Lord for that and the work he is doing in Carlos.

So we will be on a sort of ¨in country/on the field furlough¨ at least until we get Yeison’s visa. We are due for a break, some tell us  way overdue for a break, but our situation with Yeison is very unique and unfortunately hinders us from all being able to travel as a family together. So limiting some things we do for a while gives us a chance to get some much needed rest and to pray for and tend to so many other things that have unfortunately been unintentionally thrown on the back burner.

Some of you who have supported and followed from the beginning may remember when we got here and hit the ground running with pastor Jose and the three churches there , because I already spoke the language. Those who have followed us know we have stayed pretty busy, many times too busy for our own good. More than a handful of well meaning brothers and sisters have told us to slow down for a while.

In fact, we hit the ground running in 2012 since we were familiar with the culture, after many prior visits and our established relationship with Pastor Jose and the churches in and near Esperanza. But all that running hard over time takes it´s toll,…. has taken. This August will be seven years on the mission field by God´s grace. Many of you know how in the beginning we came here with almost nothing and very little support. The Lord has sustained and blessed us beyond what we imagined over and over again through the years.

But just as many enlisted soldiers serve for 4-6 year deployments , missionaries very similarly usually come home on furlough between extended times on the mission field. This is for several reasons. For their health, (spiritual, mental, physical,) for their longevity on the field, for much needed rest and healing and encouraging.

And usually, even when on furlough in the states, a missionary must often work hard reporting to churches and supporters, fundraising for much needed support for family and ministry needs. Which usually means much traveling for necessary speaking engagements (whether it be preaching, reporting, teaching,)  which is expensive and an added financial strain. It can be exhausting and stressful traveling with children and constantly living out of a suitcase, and many times literally only trusting the Lord to provide a vehicle or place to stay.

Our little budget doesn’t cover all of it. As a matter of fact we need to get back soon to do some fundraising. We still need new mission partners to be able to continue the work. There is still much we want to do, to help ESPECIALLY in the area of coming alongside and making available help and resources for men called to the ministry. We still need funds for projects, an emergency fund (currently non existent) etc. For this to happen, we need more churches and individuals, willing to partner with this mission. Please pray about giving or sharing the needs here with others.

We certainly pray and need more than ever more prayer and support during this time of attempted rest, spiritual recharging, and honestly some healing. We still have many needs, our family´s, as well as the church. We want to continue supporting in every way possible, and we have some special individual cases of brothers and sisters with special needs we wish to continue helping with. There are no shortage of those here.

The christian life is very much an intense battle, every christian must fight and knows it. But be sure that the battle is fiercest for the minister and those closest to him.- unknown

Please continue to pray for Yeison’s visa to be approved. Please also pray for us as we will be switching very soon, (Lord willing) to Christian Missionary Clearinghouse which a ministry that helps independent missionaries like us for a very very small fee and they presently help hundreds of missionaries like us.  We have been told to be patient since this is a very busy time of year for them.

Please be aware but do not worry, we will be emailing everyone immediately as the switch takes place officially so that your donations can be sent to the new address.

The same tax write offs will be available to donors and the processing of checks should be much quicker and smoother.

Our paypal account for online giving, you can reach on our website and still functioning the same for quick online giving or one time gifts. There should also be a click and give button on the website of Christian Missionary Clearinghouse for us as well once we have officially switched.

We do apologize for any  inconveniences this may cause, and  we are eternally grateful for Romeo and the support and love they have showed and continued towards our family. They will always be a very special group of brothers and sisters to us, especially since the Lord saved us there, I was ordained there and we were commissioned out of there. Pray for Romeo, Pray for Pastor Rob, pray for our family, pray for the church here  . Pray.

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Salgado DR Mission

Dear friend, mission partners, brothers and sisters in Christ,

The last week of October we did a massive medical clinic that extended over four days and was in three different locations. The first two days  were at the church, the third day was at the school San Lucas, the fourth day we did at a christian clinic in downtown that helps people for very low costs and can sometimes offer some medications for free. Over all it went very well. All praise and glory to God.

Before that we had Brother Kenny Rodrigue from our friends at Woodside Baptist in Ocala, visit us and do an excellent three day conference on the church being the temple of God. A wonderful and edifying time of preaching and teaching. Praise God for that time of teaching and fellowship!

Just a week later, A wonderful young couple (Anthony and Stephanie Willis) had been wanting to do something with medical missions for sometime. They were put in contact with us through a good brother who had visited us on a trip a couple of years back. We had never met and it was going to be their first mission trip that we knew of. And although we have been part of countless medical trips and and likes, it wasn’t something we had ever set up completely on our own like this one. So it was a first for both of us in that sense. We have organized all kinds of different trips ourselves but as far as the medical ones, we were usually called in to help organize, translate, or share the Gospel with those coming through. Thankfully we had the help of experienced friends who did help guide us in certain areas we needed a little more knowledge in.

In all of the teams we have received over the years, (and there have been a lot), we have never had an issue getting the meds through customs since they were very obviously for helping the people here of their country , and thankfully in the past they have been usually gracious and appreciative about that, usually. Unfortunately on this occasion, like always customs had no problem and released the meds to be allowed in the country after a short explanation about who we were and what they were for and where we would be working.

This time though a woman from public health got involved and really complicated the situation to the point  that we still haven’t been able to obtain the medications. we spent money sending a rep´representative of the mission to the capital with the paperwork they gave us to the office they told us to go, but after investing the time and money, still to to no avail. Upon returning to the customs office at the airport here in Santiago they were again very gracious and nice (even repeatedly apologizing for the other department’s  behavior)and said that according to them they were released but there was now a conflict between customs and public health officials about what to do with the meds in  the capital city. A simple non issue suddenly became an issue.

We then were instructed in a confusing process to supposedly properly be able to obtain the meds. At this point, and very frustrated to say the least, I personally asked the public health representative herself to guide me through the steps online, that according to them were so very simple. Now she as the government representative of the Dominican public health department was not able to answer my questions or show me exactly what we had to do but assured us it was as they said , (although she was not able to even to it herself, and getting frustrated stopped attempting to try to show us herself!)

We are still trying and will be making a trip to the capital soon to hopefully finally resolve this. But a side from all of the problems, the Lord was glorified and the Gospel was preached and many were people were helped. At the end of the day that is what mattered.

Aside from that , we have been taking a much needed break from ministry. A sort of in country furlough, at least until we get Yeison’s visa. The convention and other churches we fellowship with have been very helpful in helping the church and supplying a rotation of preaching men to help with pulpit supply. We were even able to help people out in Piedra Gorda, a much needed area, with many left over meds to people we know needed them. We are very thankful for Anthony and Stephanie and their willingness to come and serve and do such a  massive project with us, basically with the funds from their own pockets, no team, no other churches involved, just a couple who love the Lord and decided to come and serve needy people instead of taking a nice vacation for themselves. Certainly an example worth imitating. The Lord is has been very gracious over the years to bring such people across our path.

Please continue to pray for Yeison’s visa to be approved. Please also pray for our sending church “Romeo Baptist” which is dwindling as a church. We will be switching very soon, (Lord willing) to Christian Missionary Clearinghouse which a ministry that helps independent missionaries like us for a very very small fee and they presently help hundreds of missionaries like us.  Pray that the transition will be quick and not difficult. Please be aware and we will be emailing everyone immediately as the switch takes place so that your donations can be sent to the new address. The same tax write offs will be available to donors and the processing of checks should be much quicker and smoother. Our papal account is still functioning the same for quick online giving or one time gifts and there may also be a click and give button on the website of Christian Missionary Clearinghouse for us as well.

We do apologize for the inconveniences of the past, but we are eternally grateful for Romeo and the support and love they have showed and continued towards our family. They will always be a very special group of brothers and sisters to us, especially since the Lord saved us there, I was ordained there and we were commissioned out of there. Pray for Romeo, Pray for Pastor Rob, pray for our family, pray for the church. Pray.

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Salgado DR Mission

Thank you to all of our friends, mission partners, and brothers and sisters in Christ for your ongoing prayers and support. This month I will briefly share some urgent prayer requests and share an article I wrote a couple of months ago from personal experience in the ministry which was originally written in Spanish, but due to some encouraging and  positive feedback, I decided to translate it to share it here for everyone in English as well.

But first and foremost, Pray!

Our entire family has been under attack in every way imaginable. Our marriage, our children, the church, an all out war of the worst kind. Sadly, we feel at times that we are barely remaining afloat but desperatley desire the prayers of the saints back home. Please pray for us during this time of difficulty. We have been affected spiritually, emotionally, physically and it has been just all around draining. Enduring the storm is never easy, and we don’t recall a time it has grown to this intensity, but we know that the Lord walks with us through it. I ask that you please intercede specifically for each of us by name when you remember our family.

Antonio Salgado Jr, Christen Salgado, Trinity Salgado (although not present with us here), Maya Salgado, Antonio Salgado III, Sahira Lora, Yeison Rosario, and our nephew Dominic who is here spending a few months with us. May the Lord protect us, strengthen us, and teach us in this process for our own good and His ultimate glory. Pray brethren. Thank you and God bless.

 

The article begins below, and I pray some pastor or preacher out there may be encouraged by it. Also that some brother or sister out there would stop, think and come to a realization to show the love that they may be lacking in situations as the one presented. If the shoe fits…wear it.

 

“For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing.””
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The apostle Paul was an extremely intelligent man. To Him had been revealed the mysteries of God hidden to those generations before him. His letters and sermons were extremely deep and theologically weighty.

However, we see it had ironically been said about him, “his presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing”. (really!?)

Even with the incredible amount of knowledge he had, by God’s grace of course, there were critics (and we all have them, especially preachers), that simply did not like his preaching or way of speaking. He would speak true and beautiful things, pure words from God, nothing unbiblical in any way. But perhaps he was not as eloquent as other preachers or even the philosophers of his day. You should remember this before we are so quick to judge your pastor, or any other preacher of the Word of God.

God has given us pastors and teachers as gifts to His church for our edification. At the same time, just like with the different human authors of the gospels, each of them have, (and each of us too) will have a unique way, due to our different characters, personalities, education, etc. of communicating the same truths. Some may just sound better than others, some may have more passion that others. Some are certainly more eloquent and academic or teacherly than others. Each one of them are their own individual persons as God created them. And its is quite probable that none of them may ever meet your own persoanl standard, please you in their way of thinking or philosophy of ministry, according to your personal preference, opinion, or tradition perfectly. (NONE of which ultimately matter anyway).

The question is , are they preaching the Scriptures or not? Do they love the Word, do they love the Lord, and do they love and care for His church?

They may or may not preach exactly to your preferred method, they may fail at times. We all have those days where we just preach a bad sermon, or miss a point of the text or a certain detail you thought should have been emphasized more in the text here and there.

But he question is, is the Lord using this man to grow and edify the church or not? This is not about if he will have his own weaknesses, struggles and even sins? Of course he will! Someone once said that even the best men are still just men at best.

Will they perhaps even have even a few different (hopefully secondary) theological views on certain things that you may understand differently in the Scriptures? Yes of course, and if you don’t see it now, eventually you will.

Almost always, there will be something you eventually will disagree with for sure. But guess what…its ok! Its good and well so long as they aren’t missing the mark on the fundamentals of the faith. Isn’t it time we show ourselves mature? There should always be unity in the main things, liberty on the secondary issues, but love in everything. And there is truly an amazing beauty in such a diversity.

We have examples in Scripture of men who preach or tell of histories correctly, but in slightly different ways or with some different details. Many men praised Apollos for his great eloquence, while others despised or at least had no appreciation for Paul. Some preachers today include some details and applications that others don’t. So what!

But again the question is,  “are they preaching the Word in such a way that what they are saying can be seen and understood from the text, and is the congregation being edified and benefitted from the teaching/ preaching!?”

Are people in the church joyful and expressing so after the preaching, as God has spoken and taught them something new through His living Word that they now understand that something should change in their life? Are giving thanks to God for those same sermons that others despise and judge?!

Just look at the men that God has used greatly in the past and compare their sermons. Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Whitfield, Pink, Tozer, Piper, MacArthur, etc. Everyone preaches the Word, and most with excellence! Some with different methods, some with more passion. Not only in the communication of the message, but also in the way of organizing it.

But it is beautiful how God, through different men and in different ways, always does His will through His Spirit to speak through a man and edify His people. Anyone familiar with Spurgeon’s sermons could attest that many times they sounded more like poetry than anything else.

When we cry out to everyone that we all must cling to only ONE single method, and in our useless way, try to limit the Holy Spirit of God by saying that only in SUCH a way should a sermon be delivered, and if it is not, then people will not be edified, we are showing nothing more than a deep pride in our hearts and very much immaturity. (And this is coming from a person who is an avid promoter of good, sound exegesis and expository preaching.)

Now, THE most important thing in any message of any preacher is that God is being glorified and Christ is being lifted up, … but also brothers, there is much wisdom in the following verse. Dont miss it…

“Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

It is true that there are better and more accurate methods of preaching than others. There are ways to preach more effectively academically than others, but when we place ourselves as the judge of these things, (especially when it comes from those who are not pastors), we do not know the inner struggles of each man, or when we are not appreciating the time and effort that man dedicated  to be able to preach that message to the best of his ability at that moment, the time spent in prayer and mediating on the text….. we are doing just what the Word forbids. Just being a discontent hater and, murmuring…

“Do everything without grumbling and arguing,”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
(For my theologians out there- yes I understand the immediate context of this text, however this can easily be applied to every aspect of the Christian life)

Oh how easy it is to judge another man instead of loving him and receiving the much good of the message that was preached! Mature people eat the meat and spit out the bones. But sadly, it seems that for many it is far too easy for them to desire another church, another pastor, or a better specific method of preaching, INSTEAD of loving and serving the church they have, loving and helping the pastor they have, and looking for the good in what was preached instead of judging with arms crossed as the expert that most certainly are not. There seems to be at least one in every crowd these days. Especially moreso among certain circles that shall not be named. That overly critical spirit is one of the ugliest personality traits a child of God can show, ESPECIALLY when its towards another brother or sister in Christ.

Let us be very careful as to how we treat our spiritual family. Philippians 2 teaches us that the humility of Christ is what brings unity in His church. And the lack of humility in any member of the church for any reason, will only bring division and the opposite of what Christ wants from us.
Pray.

“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭‬‬‬‬

“A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:2‬ ‭

“The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a person of understanding.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:27‬ ‭

 

 

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Pastor, su manera de predicar es despreciable

 

“Porque ellos dicen: “Sus cartas son severas (pesadas) y duras, pero la presencia física es poco impresionante, y la manera de hablar despreciable.””
‭‭2 Corintios‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NBLH‬‬

 

Pablo era un hombre de tremenda inteligencia. A él se le habia revelado los misterios de Dios. Cosas que en los tiempos de antes fueron ocultas. Sus cartas y sermones eran de profundidad y de gran peso teologico.

 

Sin embargo, se decía de el, ¨la manera de hablar era despreciable¨. Aun con el conocimiento que tenia, muchos no le gustaba su forma de hablar o de predicar. Decía cosas verdaderas si, puras palabras de Dios, nada que era no biblico. Pero no era tan elocuente como otros predicadores, o aun los filósofos de su dia. Debemos recordar eso cuando juzgamos a nuestros pastores, o cualquier predicador de la Palabra.

 

Dios ha dado pastores y maestros a Su iglesia como regalos para edificar. A la vez, igual a los diferentes autores de los evangelios, cada uno tiene su forma distinta de comunicar las mismas verdades. Unos suenan mejores que otros, unos tienen mas pasión que otros, unos mas elocuentes y académicos de otros, cada uno es una persona individual. Y ninguno va complacer tu estándar de preferencia, opinion, o tradition o preferencia perfectamente.

 

La pregunta es ¿si están predicando la Biblia o no? ¿Aman la Palabra y el Señor y la iglesia? Tal vez no predican de la manera que es su preferencia. Tal vez fallan en un punto o se les escapa un detalle de un texto. Pero la pregunta es si ¿Dios esta edificando Su pueblo o no por medio de ese hombre? ¿Tiene sus debilidades? ¿Tiene sus luchas y pecados? ¡Claro! Van a tener algunas diferencias teologicas con lo que tu entiendes de las Escrituras en ciertos aspectos tambien, si!

 

Casi siempre, por lo menos en algo por seguro. Pero esta bien y normal mientras que no son cosas fundamentales de la fe en donde ellos fallan.

Debemos siempre tener unidad en lo principal, libertad en lo secundario, pero amor en todo. Y hay verdadera hermosura en esa diversidad.

 

Tenemos varios ejemplos en las Escrituras de hombres que predican o cuentan historias correctamente, pero de diferentes maneras. Muchos adoraban a Apollos por su elocuencia …. mientras que otros despreciaban a Pablo. Algunos incluyen detalles que otros no y vice versa. ¿Pero estan predicando la Palabra del tal manera que se ve claro lo que ellos dicen en el texto, y los hermanos en la congregacion estan siendo beneficiados y edificados por medio de las enseñanza? ¿Estan gozosos y te lo expresan de como Dios les ha hablado y enseñado algo que ahora entienden deben cambiar en su vida, dando gracias a Dios por esos mismos sermones que otros desprecian y juzgan?

 

Miran a los hombres que Dios ha usado grandemente en el pasado y compara sus sermones. Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Whitfield, Pink, Tozer, Piper, MacArthur, etc. Todos predican la Palabra, y con excelencia! Algunos con diferentes metodos, algunos con mas pasion. No solo en la comunicacion del mensaje, sino de de la forma de organizarlo tambien. Es algo hermoso como Dios, por medio de diferentes hombres y de diferentes maneras siempre hace Su voluntad por medio de Su Espíritu para hablarle a y edificar Su pueblo.

 

Los sermones de Spurgeon sonaban mas como poesía que cualquier otra cosa.

 

Cuando nos aferramos a un solo metodo, y en nuestra inutil manera tratamos de limitamar el Espiritu Santo de Dios por decir que solo de tal manera debe se un sermón, y si no es asi, el pueblo no va ser edificado, estamos mostrando nada mas que un orgullo profundo en nuestros corazones e inmadurez.

 

Lo mas importante en cualquier mensaje de un predicador es que Dios es glorificando, …pero también hermanos, hay mucha sabiduria en el siguiente versiculo.

 

“Esto, hermanos, lo he aplicado en sentido figurado a mí mismo y a Apolos por amor a ustedes, para que en nosotros aprendan a no sobrepasar lo que está escrito, para que ninguno de ustedes se vuelva arrogante a favor del uno contra el otro.”
‭‭1 Corintios‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭

 

Es verdad hay metodos mejores y mas exactos que otros. Hay maneras de predicar mas eficaz académicamente que otros, pero cuando nos ponemos como el juez de estas cosas, especialmente cuando no somos pastor, no conocer la luchas interiores de cada hombre, o cuando no estamos apreciando el tiempo y esfuerzo que da ese hombre para poder predicar ese mensaje lo mejor que el pudo en ese momento, estamo haciendo lo que La Palabra prohíbe. Quejándonos….

 

´ “Hagan todas las cosas sin murmuraciones ni discusiones,”
‭‭Filipenses‬ ‭2:14‬
(Para los teólogos- si entiendo el contexto inmediato de este texto, sin embargo esto se puede facilmente aplicar a cada aspecto de la vida cristiana)

 

Cuan facil es juzgar el otro en vez de amarlo y recibir lo bueno del mensaje que se predico. Cuan facil es desear mas a otra iglesia, otro pastor, o un mejor metodo especifico de predicar, EN VEZ de amar la iglesia que tenemos, amar el pastor que tenemos, y buscar lo bueno en lo que se predicó en vez de juzgar con brazos cruzadas como el experto que ni somos.

 

Cuidado como tratamos a los hermanos, Filipenses 2 nos enseña que la humildad de Cristo es lo que trae unidad en Su iglesia. Y la falta de humildad en cualquier miembro de la iglesia por cualquier razon, solo traerá division y lo contrario de lo que Cristo desea de nosotros.

 

“Sobre todo, sean fervientes en su amor los unos por los otros, pues el amor cubre multitud de pecados.”
‭‭1 Pedro‬ ‭4:8‬

“A los necios no les interesa tener entendimiento; solo quieren expresar sus propias opiniones.”
‭‭Proverbios‬ ‭18:2‬ ‭

“El que retiene sus palabras tiene conocimiento, Y el de espíritu sereno es hombre entendido.”
‭‭Proverbios‬ ‭17:27‬

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LA CENTRALIDAD DE CRISTO EN TODAS LAS COSAS

“Entonces él les dijo: —¡Insensatos y tardos de corazón para creer todo lo que los profetas han dicho! ¿No era necesario que el Cristo padeciera estas cosas y que entrara en su gloria? Y comenzando desde Moisés y siguiendo por todos los profetas, les declaraba en todas las Escrituras lo que de él decían.”

“porque si creyerais a Moisés, me creeríais a mí, porque de mí escribió él.”

Por que Cristocentrico? Hay mucho en las redes sociales entre los cristianos que usan este termino, muchos libros, sermones,  canciones. Pero que significa y exactamente, y porque se usa? Por que tanta enfasis? Tal vez la pregunta mas importante será,es bíblico darle tanta enfasis a la persona y obra de Cristo? Este tema es uno cual es simple pero a la vez muy profundo y tiene que ver con la teología del “cumplimiento” y es un tema que el mismo Antiguo Testamento da prioridad. Es el mensaje que Juan el Bautista predicó,Jesus y los apostoles predicaron, y es el tema que llega al mismo corazon del evangelio.

El Apostol Pablo declaro que Jesus vino cuando el tiempo fue cumplido. Por lo menos esto implica que hubo un tiempo de preparación. Preparación de algo grande anticipado. En el plan de Dios progresivo, todo de lo que había sucedido tenía su proposito y meta de señalar hacia, y exaltar a Cristo. La era de Moises puntaba a este momento de cumplimiento y dio enfasis a ese momento venidero. El envío del Hijo de Dios indicaba la culminación de ese tiempo. Hasta este punto en la historia, esto había sido la meta de TODO que había sucedido en el pasado. Hablando de las promesas de Dios, todos eran de, y son para Cristo.

El Señor prometió en varias ocasiones un Redentor, Salvador, el Mesias, el mejor y mayor profeta y dador de ley. Todos los tipos y sombras en el Antiguo Testamento eran solo sombras De el que ha de venir.  Se puede decir que nunca ha existido un verdadero rey, un verdadero,  profeta,un verdadero juez, un verdadero maestro. Por que en un sentido todos del pasado eran nada mas que sombras del Verdadero, el Señor Jesucristo!

Desde Genesis a Malaqúias hay algunos 353 profecias acerca de Cristo cumplidas en el Nuevo Testamento!

La Biblia fue escrita y preservada para nosotros, pero no es acerca de nosotros, las Escrituras dan testimonio de Cristo! Todas las promesas son a Él, a Cristo, y somos herederos de esas promesas por fe en Él.

“porque todas las promesas de Dios son en él «sí», y en él «Amén», por medio de nosotros, para la gloria de Dios.”

Agustín es que está acreditado con decir, “el antiguo está en el nuevo revelado, y el nuevo está en el antiguo ocultado”.

Desde Genesis vemos en el ‘protoevangelio”, la primera promesa de redención, que se cumplio en la cruz.

“Pondré enemistad entre ti y la mujer, y entre tu simiente y la simiente suya; ésta te herirá en la cabeza, y tú la herirás en el talón.”

En Deutoronomio vemos la promesa de un profeta como Moises… Pero mejor, mayor.

“»Un profeta como yo te levantará Jehová, tu Dios, de en medio de ti, de tus hermanos; a él oiréis.” Deuteronomio‬  18:15

En el Nuevo vemos El Padre decir lo mismo de una nube de gloria en la transfiguración.

“Y se les aparecieron Moisés y Elías, que hablaban con él. Entonces Pedro dijo a Jesús: «Señor, bueno es para nosotros que estemos aquí; si quieres, haremos aquí tres enramadas: una para ti, otra para Moisés y otra para Elías.» Mientras él aún hablaba, una nube de luz los cubrió y se oyó una voz desde la nube, que decía: «Éste es mi Hijo amado, en quien tengo complacencia; a él oíd.» Al oír esto, los discípulos se postraron sobre sus rostros y sintieron gran temor. Entonces Jesús se acercó y los tocó, y dijo: «Levantaos y no temáis.» Cuando ellos alzaron los ojos, no vieron a nadie, sino a Jesús solo.”

Moises y Elias, quienes siempre han representado a la ley y los profetas, en este instante muy significante, desaparecen y el texto dice que alzaron los ojos, y no vieron a nadie, sino a Jesus solo! ¡A él oíd! Esto es el mensaje de la Biblia. Jesus es el verdadero Profeta, el verdadero, Rey, el verdadero Maestro, el verdadero Juez, el Sumosacerdote de el mejor y nuevo pacto basado en mejores promesas, y el verdadero y mayor dador de la ley, Su ley, ¡la ley de Cristo!

Todo punta a Cristo, los sacrificios, el templo, el tabernaculo, el Sabado, y podemos escribir ejemplos inumerables de los tipos y sombras de Cristo en el Antiguo Testamento. Pero el Nuevo lo declara con mas claridad.

Cristo está-

“sobre todo principado y autoridad, poder y señorío, y sobre todo nombre que se nombra, no solo en este siglo, sino también en el venidero.”

Cristo es-

“Él, que es el resplandor de su (Dios) gloria, la imagen misma de su sustancia y quien sustenta todas las cosas con la palabra de su poder…”

¡Es Cristo que sustiene todo en la creación!

En Cristo-

fueron creadas todas las cosas, las que hay en los cielos y las que hay en la tierra, visibles e invisibles; sean tronos, sean dominios, sean principados, sean potestades; todo fue creado por medio de él y para él. Y él es antes que todas las cosas, y todas las cosas en él subsisten.”

“Todas las cosas por medio de él fueron hechas, y sin él nada de lo que ha sido hecho fue hecho.”  San Juan‬

¡Cristo es todo! Y en la infinita sabiduria de Dios el Padre, el lo decretó asi y El Espiritú lo glorifica y nos guia hacia Él.

Como critianos, debemos tambien ser Cristocentricos por queCristo es el centro y en la Palabra de Dios es asi.  Y si Cristo es el centro de la Biblia (Y el universo) entonces debe ser el centro de nuestras vidas tambien. Nuestra nueva identidad está en él y en todo momento debemos adorar y dar gracias que por fe, y con un corazon humilde podemos acercarnos a este Rey de Reyes y Señor de Señores a quien merece toda honra y gloria y poder por los siglos de los siglos amen.

El gran misterio en todo esto es esta hermosa verdad:

Pero Dios demuestra su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aún pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros.Romanso 5:8

Arrepientate de tu pecado y de confiar en ti mismo.  Venga a Cristo, crea en Cristo, confia en Cristo.  Tendras paz para con Dios, perdon de tus pecados,  descanso para tu alma. Centre su vida en Cristo, porque él verdaderamente es el centro de todas las cosas.

 

Antonio Salgado Jr.

Fundador de Sociedad Misionera Cristiano Bíblico,

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SALGADO DR MISSION NEWSLETTER

Dear mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,

First we want to thank everyone who prays for and  financially supports our family and ministry regularly so that we can serve and continue to bring the Gospel to the Dominican people. We are thankful to the Lord for you and your faithfulness.

There are many things to report this month, but in this letter I would like to share some important prayer requests:

Please pray for Christen, over the last few months she was diagnosed with elevated blood pressure. A couple of months ago it got so high that she was not allowed to leave the clinic until they got it under control. She is now taking medication for it. But recently she has had pain in her chest, jaw and the back of her neck. We had many tests run and everything came back fine, thank God. But the symptoms come and go. The heart doctor said it is stress related. She did pull a muscle in her chest picking up Yeison with one arm, but other than that, all the symptoms she has been experiencing seems to be from stress. Between the school, the family and ministry, things seem to be catching up with her and affecting her health. Please pray for her.

Please pray for Yeison, last Friday he swallowed a large coin. We have been back and forth to the hospital with him many times this week. He is acting fine but the coin still has not come out. Every X-Ray shows progress but he has been constipated which really slowed things down. It’s been over a week and we still have yet to confirm that it has come out. The doctors said that as long as he does not have pain, and there is no swelling of the belly not to worry. But it’s been over a week and it’s hard not to.

We are giving him medicine that stimulates the intenstines and helps him “go”, but please pray. We are going very soon to do another X-ray to see if it has come out or not. It is possible he went to the bathroom and flushed without us knowing (which would be great if it is gone), but as far as we know it’s still in there.

Aside from that, we need to start taking him to physical therapy for his legs again. We are noticing one of his feet is turning outward more than it used to. We especially need prayer that the US embassy here would approve a visa for him which would allow him to travel to the states with us. It’s been over six years now with no furlough and it’s time for a break. But we can’t leave him behind. He has a passport and we have papers showing legal guardianship, but we just need the visa. Please pray for this.

Please pray for me as well. I had become ill and have had lots of symptoms which had us a little worried. I lost almost 25 lbs., had sever pain in the abdomen, vomiting and stomach issues. The doctors ran lots of tests and even an endoscopy and biopsy which cost us almost $400 since I do not have insurance. My hair has begun falling out too. The results… a mild case of gastritis!? That is all they could find! Now this didn’t make much sense to me and I expected worse news,  but the doctors said this too is mostly stress related and it has begun to affect my health.

The last few months have been a whirlwind of problems between the church and all the worries that come with pastoring (especially in this context), the discouragement from the sinfulness of sin  and how it slowly destroys people you love, shortage of resources, carrying such a large burden here and how it is now impacting even our health, expensive vehicle repairs, it seems to just be catching up to us and it is finally showing. Please pray that the Lord would allow Yeison to be approved for a visa. Only then could we go home and rest for a season. We realize that we really need it.

The church is doing well and we are seeing significant spiritual growth in a few people and regularly seeing new faces, that is good news! Our series in Philippians seems to be edifying many, certainl myself in my study and preparation. I am very thankful for what the Lord is teaching us as a church, us as a family, and  personally through this absolutely rich and wonderful letter.

Pray for Trinity who is in the states working for a while trying to save money. She is still planning on going to Indonesia but is still quite a way from reaching her goal and January is coming faster than we know it. We regularly share her fundraiser from our Facebook page. You can also find it on gofundme.com under “Trinity serving in Indonesia”.

We are also at a point where we really need the classrooms at the church property. Please pray that the Lord would provide the resources to be able to finally begin building. During service the children are in the kitchen or sitting outside in the the sun. We hope that a church or group of churches would be willing to take this on as a project. Pray and consider if this could be something you can be a part of. Please pray and share these prayer requests with your churches and friends. Thank you and God bless!

In service to our Lord and King,

Antonio Salgado and family

Salgado DR Mission