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BCMS Monthly Prayer Letter

 

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

 

Earlier this month we sent out an end of year report on how we finished 2022 in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela. You can read that update at the link below. 

 

https://salgadodrmission.com/2022/12/b-c-m-s-prayer-letter-end-of-year-update/

 

Forgive the tardiness of this update. We have been having some technical issues uploading photos to the website. Hopefully it will soon be resolved. We are set for our focus here in the Dominican Republic for 2023. We understand that the results depend on the LORD, but we are very aware of the responsibility we have of being diligent as well. We pray and depend on the LORD, but we also plan accordingly to not be in the air or without direction. So for us, it is easy. We plan and work to obey the clear teachings of Scripture for the church, and at the same time we pray about the unknown details, simply trusting the LORD. Having said that, the work plan is pretty detailed and includes general objectives, specific objectives, “smart” indicators to measure progress in each of the five departments, logistics and at the school in at least five aspects of holistic development, physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development.  I’m feeling motivated, I have a good team and have been noticing a small change for the better in a few things. Others are noticing it too, praise God. But there is still so much to do, so your prayers are very much needed and appreciated.

 

We have been working on the Venezuela and Haiti plan. This week, I have done video calls with the other workers to discuss some of the details, and there is still a lot to talk about. But they are motivated and their faithfulness despite the circumstances they face has been so encouraging. 

 

Here in the DR, a lot of time and effort is dedicated to the orphanage. I simply have a lot of responsibility there. But it is very much ministry, and every day is an opportunity for Gospel conversations and counseling. With 90% of the children we receive having been victims of sexual abuse, you can begin to imagine the trauma and pain we deal with in these children. So very much of the work must include the Gospel and the consoling promises of God. However, we still receive donations of clothes, food and medicine for distributions in the poor areas in and around the city and use the opportunity for evangelism as well. At the orphanage, I do Bible studies, catechism with the kids, verse memorization, devotionals with the staff, apart from the regular operational stuff that comes with my position. Prayers for wisdom in prioritizing and in time management are very much appreciated.

 

I will be in Indiana in February for an intense week of biblical counseling training. So I am very thankful to the orphanage and Faith Church in Lafayette that is making that possible.  I am trying to extend my stay for a couple of days in Florida to take care of some paperwork and possibly see family, Lord willing. But I am looking forward to the teaching, fellowship and the hope of learning more to be better equipped when counseling those that are scarred by trauma. .

 

We experienced a 5.6 earthquake Wednesday morning. On my way to the orphanage, just after 7 in the morning, I began to receive messages from my team. It was a hectic morning, but no damages or injuries, praise God. The experts say we are in for a big one soon, and there are tremors all over the island all the time. So we will be working on our evacuation drills just in case. Plan A, and a plan B. Since there is a dam nearby, the river, the bridge to get here, there are a lot of things against us if a real disaster were to strike. The buildings are built tough, but if the dam were to break, that’s another story. Pray the Lord would protect these children from such a situation. The head of the red cross here says we are best if we stay put, unless the dam breaks. If that were to happen, I don’t even want to think about what the results could be. We hope for the best and try to prepare for the worst and trust the Lord.

 

In Haiti, brother Leonel is staying busy as usual. Between open air preaching in the mornings, evangelism throughout the week, and working with the children and youth of his church. As of most recent, he has been teaching frequent bible studies with 4 new believers. Please pray for these men and women to grow in grace and in knowledge. Or even as Paul prays for the saints in Colossians, 

 

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully  giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. – Colossians 1:9-12

 

We are now in the process of trying to purchase a motorcycle for Leonel. The one he had is now beyond repairs. And where Leonel lives, there is no electricity, no running water and everything is quite a distance since he lives in a rural area outside of Juana Menthe  called Savange Longe, and even to go get water to cook and bathe can be hard. But Leonel used his motorcycle to take his family to church, visit the brethren at their homes for discipleship, Bible studies at the church building, evangelism, and to work at the border. We are praying now about trying to meet this need for this faithful brother and found a good one for a decent price. Pray that the Lord makes it possible for this to happen. We would love to be able to bless him in this way. Especially since we know it will help Leonel be more effective in his ministry and help his family as well.

 

In Venezuela, brother Rafael is doing quite a bit himself. Apart from the responsibilities within his local church, preaching at another church often, open air preaching, evangelism in different areas of Maracay and Tejerías and where all the flooding happened. He is also preaching the Gospel in another neighborhood near his home now. Just about three months ago, his local church relocated after the blessing of having a property donated for a building. They have quite a bit done on the building already. But what is nice about it is the location. The church building is right in a central part of town and has several apartment complexes surrounding it. There is a potential of reaching so many people that live near there with the Gospel. May the Lord bless the efforts and plans that have been made so far. Please pray for both Leonel and Rafael and the brothers and sisters that serve with them in these difficult places. 


BCMS is growing, and we are still in need of new mission partners for 2023. There is so much we want to accomplish this year, so we are praying for  provisions as we grow, and more needs arise. We hope to be able to support another worker this year, Lord willing. But we still need a few things we would like to accomplish for each present worker and are praying to be able to set up an emergency fund for us, which would be a wise thing to do considering the circumstances in these countries. Things are tough out here and we really could use your help. So pray for us that the Lord would bring new mission partners on board willing to pray for us, those we serve and support the work being done. It’s not easy for me to get back to the States often enough, so we count on the saints back home to pray, share the newsletters, the needs and be willing to help meet these needs. Thank you for your prayers and support and God bless.

In Christ,

Antonio Salgado

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

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.

If the Lord so lies on your heart to give back to Him by supporting this ministry:

You can  donate to this ministry online with Paypal. Click the donate button below to send support of any amount directly to the ministry. This is the fastest option to get funds to us. Click the link below for that option.

https://www.paypal.me/guerofino22?locale.x=es_US

Also,

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

The ministry of (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 room to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and the liberty in making needed adjustments.

You may begin sending your support to the BCMS (Antonio Salgado) 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

For tax exemption, you must send your donation through Central Missionary Clearinghouse (CMC) at the address above. But the Paypal option is the fastest way to get funds directly to the field.

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!

Posted on

B.C.M.S. PRAYER LETTER / END OF YEAR UPDATE

My beloved friends, mission partners, brothers and sisters in Chrst, the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus be with all of you.

End of year updates from the mission fields.

Rafael in Venezuela

Grateful again to the Lord for granting the privilege to be in the Tejerías area again. And to be able to serve these people in this community affected by the disasters that occurred more than a month and a half ago.

We spent the last couple of months taking the Gospel to two affected communities. These were the two communities that received a massive amount of flooding, with disastrous results. Some of the testimonies that we have heard from the victims themselves actually surprised us a lot. They saw how all their efforts of many years was so quickly swept away. In the midst of this disaster, they lost houses, businesses, many material goods and, most unfortunate, they lost even family members. 

We pray to the Lord because we want to continue helping this community (Tejerías) since we identify with their sufferings, and we believe that it’s a good moment to show our love for them by being present and helping them in any way´that we can. Furthermore, we have already done much evangelism since we began visiting the victims here, and they are responding.

Something glorious is that despite the fact that many of them are very affected by the situation, they still want to hear the word of God, Something that we have not neglected at any time, we have spoken to them about their need to seek God and get close to Him through Jesus Christ. We even began to meet with a group who has shown interest in the Gospel and the plan is to continue.

Do not stop praying for the inhabitants of Tejerías, so that they can find hope, consolation and encouragement in Christ to continue forward in the midst of this unfortunate situation, and that the Lord can use us to proclaim the truth of the Gospel so that many of them can know the Lord.

To do this well, we will need the continued support and prayers of the saints back home. Funds for fuel, basic needs are still essential for those who lost everything, bibles, printed material for studies, and support for those doing the work is necessary. Please pray that the Lord will provide the funds in the coming year for the work being done in Maracay and Tejerías, Venezuela. Pray that the work continues, that more people of Tejerías and Maracay would trust in Christ, and even for a new church to be planted if the Lord so wills. Thank you and God bless you for the continues prayers and support.

In Christ,

Rafael Rodriguez

Leonel in Haiti

Grace and peace to all of you. May the lord bless you and your families during this special time of the year.

This year has not ben easy, but it has a blessed year. I thank God for the opportunity to serve him in and out of my church, the privilege to teach new believers, to do evangelism in Savange Longe and in Juana Mendez, and for the opportunity to serve with BCMS which has been a blessing to me and my family.

Through the prayers of the saints in the United States and the support we receive through BCMS, I would like to express my gratitude first to God, but also to each of you. Because through this, know that God has heard my prayers.

The work here in Haiti is difficult. Many people are not working and hungry, my country continues in turmoil, but I can rest knowing God is on the throne and Christ has promised to be with us until the end. Because of this, I am comforted and understand and continue to preach the Gospel and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Apart from seeking work at the border when work can be found, I spend much time visiting new believers and doing Bible studies in their homes and in the church.  Many people generally receive me to listen when I go out to do evangelism, but it is very sad for me at times. Many people have nothing, they seek help and there is little that I can offer them. But we simply face the challenges put before us and we trust the Lord. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.

When we do the distributions, it is a great help for the people I visit, and for the suffering members of the church. Even a bag of rice and some oil is a help for many here in these difficult times, but something so simple can be very helpful, and their gratitude is obvious. There seems to be a better response when they can see that I genuinely care for them. Not only moving from one person I evangelize to the next, but taking the time to get to know them as I  give them hope and ask them about their life, a small bag of food and frequent visits has been a good approach. To me, it is important to show the love of Christ and not only preach about it.

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?

– James 2:16

In my culture, the church can be legalistic about clothing, and many of the people are poor. So there is difficulty sometimes in getting them to attend church at first since they are embarrassed that they have nothing to wear and how others may look at them.

But praise God, that even with these challenges, people are repenting and turning to Christ.  Please continue to pray for me and for my people. Even as creation groans under the curse of sin, God is doing a beautiful work in Haiti, and He will be glorified. Pray for the many needs of the ministry that we have. I trust that the Lord will provide through His church. Pray for my mother who is suffering from a heart condition, pray that my children will grow up to follow Christ, pray that the Lord would continue to provide for us and that the Lord would continue to use me as He sees fit. May God be glorified in Haiti in 2023!

In Christ Jesus,

Leonel Riviere

 Antonio in the Dominican Republic

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

As we close another year, I can’t help but reflect on the fact that this has been year number ten on the mission field! Over the years, the Lord has answered countless prayers, provided for me and many others, and to the glory of God, eternity for many has been changed.

This year was a bit of a roller coaster ride. But as we approached the end of the year, God began answering many prayers. This year we took on another BCMS worker (Rafael in Venezuela) which was a leap of faith. But God has been providing for him and for the many victims of the flooding for a few months now. Thank God for our mission partners.

Here in the DR, I spend much time and energy as the Director of Operations of the orphanage Red de Misericordia (Mercy Network.) During any given day there are countless evangelism opportunities here, moments of counseling troubled youth, and dealing with some cases that would absolutely break your heart. Vulnerable boys, girls and teens that come from the streets, every kind of abuse you could imagine (and sadly some you probably can’t), drugs, prostitution, neglect and extreme poverty. These kids need hope, these kids need Christ.

One thing I really enjoy is the context of the orphanage. It is connected to a solid church here and there are people who work here from several different countries. Italy, Japan, Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, United Staes and Argentina. The Lord has brought the nations at our very  doorstep! I definitely feel as if the Lord brought me here for this. Even when I pastored the church in Hato Mayor, we would come to the orphanage with a group of volunteers from our church to pull lice out of the kid’s hair, help move beds and do maintenance, teach Bible to the little ones and mentor the teens ones whenever possible.

I am very thankful for the liberty I have here to evangelize and make changes as to what the children learn in their devotionals, and that I can choose resources and teaching topics that I know are edifying and are good for the them. There are times I have the opportunity to teach the employees on various topics, other times I translate for visitors from foreign countries, other times I am supervising activities and developing protocols, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each department to make improvements in the care of the children, plan the strategies and make rules that keep the children safe, healthy and learning. It is a 24-hour on call kind of job. It is not your average business that can simply close the doors on at a specific time. The children can get sick, have an emergency, or we can receive a child at any time of the night that comes to us through the police. Please keep me in your prayers for strength and wisdom.

As the director of BCMS, I must do the fundraising for the work we do in three countries, which is not a very easy task since I am overseas too. But this has been the best way to be a better administrator of the Lord´s resources. No one in the states is receiving a salary, so every donation can go directly to the mission field to working missionaries where it is needed.  One of the goals in 2023 is to find someone trustworthy who lives stateside who can help us with this important aspect of the ministry. I cannot make it back home often and the trips are short so help with fundraising would be a huge help and allow me to dedicate that time and energy into something else.

Apart from the work at the orphanage, we still make the time to do food, clothes and medicine distributions whenever we receive the donations. Those are mostly carried out in the barrios and bateys where the people who need them the most live. Please pray that the Lord would continue to provide for this as well.

One of the goals for 2023 is to increase activity, especially in the areas of evangelism and discipleship in all three countries. There are needs like transportation for Leonel in Haiti. The chinese motorcycles are the most economic and efficient modes of transportation in these countries. Leonel´s motorcycle is old and in very bad shape. He lives in a rural area where there isn’t even running water or electricity. And it’s crucial to his effectiveness that he is able to get around. It will need to be replaced soon, and he will need our help for that to happen. A decent one that will last can cost less than 3,000 dollars. One in the Dominican Republic would also help cut costs on fuel. The motorcycle can be filled with 12 dollars. In comparison it costs over one hundred dollars to fill up the van beacuse gas is so expensive here.  Pray about helping with this need.

We will need a supply of Bibles in Spanish and Haitian Creole for the new believers in the coming year. We will need new mission partners for 2023 to help cover the costs of travel, fuel, food and an emergency fund for each coutry. It is important that we reach this goal. In these developing countries, becoming ill without insurance or an emergency fund can be a death sentence. Since i am not able to get to the States very often, it is important to at least have the means to do so in case of an emergency. Please pray about helping with these needs.

Those who pray and give to missions, play a role just as important as those on the mission field.

This is a phrase I often use, and never get tired of repeating. Because if Christians could only grasp this concept and “own” the responsibility of involving themselves in missions, it would change everything! Then, the following fundraising effort would be much easier. Trust me, most missionaries actually don’t like asking for money. Most of us hate it. But, it is necessary to accomplish the task, and there is a very good biblical premise for a missionary making his needs known to fellow believers back home. So here it is.

We are in need of an extra $3000 a month to for the new year. With only 30 new mission partners that could easily happen. That is,  30 new donors for $100 a month, or 60 new mission partners at $50 dollars a month. These amounts will be generally distributed the following way, except in the case of an emergency or if another urgent need should arise. (There must remain some flexibility in the budget when needs are greater in one area than another.)

10 at $100 (or 20 new mission partners at $50) to be designated for the work in the Dominican Republic.

10 at $100 (or 20 new mission partners at $50) to be designated for the work in Haiti.

10 at $100  (or 20 new mission partners at $50) to be designated for work in Venezuela.

These amounts will allow us to financially support workers and meet the needs that arise in each place of ministry from month to month. Literally, to find only 30 people who are willing to be generous towards the mission is VERY possible in just A FEW churches.

This is actually not much at all for the believers back home. And you become a part of what God is doing among the nations! So bear with me for a second..

If only 30 individuals or families could commit to give ONLY $100 each month, it would allow us to do so much more and would give us the ability to work year round without having to  pause or wait to do mini fundraisers for each need or project  planned. That would be glorious!

All we need is the help of brothers and sisters like you, willing to pray and support, and willing to share these needs with friends, fellow believers and their local churches.

It’s not easy for me to get back to the States often enough, so we count on the saints back home to pray, share the newsletters, the needs and be willing to help meet these needs. Please consider helping if and where you are able to. Thank you and God bless.

In Christ,

Antonio Salgado

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

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.

If the Lord so lies on your heart to give back to Him by supporting this ministry:

You can  donate to this ministry online with Paypal. Click the donate button below to send support of any amount directly to the ministry. This is the fastest option to get funds to us. Click the link below for that option.

https://www.paypal.me/guerofino22?locale.x=es_US

Also,

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

The ministry of (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 room to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and the liberty in making needed adjustments.

You may begin sending your support to the BCMS (Antonio Salgado) 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

For tax exemption, you must send your donation through Central Missionary Clearinghouse (CMC) at the address above. But the Paypal option is the fastest way to get funds directly to the field.

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!