Update / prayer letter from Antonio in The DR

Greetings mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. I am eternally grateful for the grace and provision the Lord has shown us through generous people like you. Here are this month’s updates, prayer requests and needs. 

Mercy ministry:

We have three boxes of donations, mostly foods and clothes that have been delayed in getting to us. They were shipped weeks ago, so I am sure they are in the country by now, but I am in touch with the brother who sent them to locate them and get those donations distributed to those who need them as soon as possible. Pray that there won’t be any more setbacks there.

 

Family:

Yeison struggled in school. He needed a lot of help and he did better with a tutor studying virtually to reduce distractions, but it looks like he is passing to the third grade. Unfortunately, this year his scholarship runs out, so I must make a tough decision soon. Unless we receive help with his enrollment and tuition for the next school year, I don’t have many more options than to put him in a public school. I pray we won’t have to do that. Yeison is a special kid that needs lots of help, and I’m sure he won’t do well in that environment.  The public school system here is very poor and education has been a priority for me, with him and our other children. Apart from the poor education, Yeison’s attention deficit and learning disability, there are several other reasons I don’t think he would do well at all in a public school at all, and it really concerns me for him. Please pray about helping with this need.

Giving:

Donations have dwindled significantly right before things opened up here without all the restrictions after the pandemic. I find myself struggling to keep things going at times and working full time at the orphanage just to make ends meet. Even though my job is very much ministry, I work more due to necessity. In the past I have worked with the orphanage and schools for free teaching English and ministering to and evangelizing the kids and employees, apart from all the work I did in the church plant and in the barrios, doing Bible, clothes, food and medicine distribution, in Haiti where I also worked. Even in the pandemic, I worked A LOT. I am praying to get back to that without abandoning the orphanage. The Lord is doing a good work there and I hope to stay involved in the future. But there is a great need for new mission partners in order for us to continue working with those we are committed to and more. It is difficult for me to get back to the states to speak and share what the Lord is doing here. That certainly doesn’t help. As the saying goes and is unfortunately true, it’s out of sight, out of mind. Thank God that social media has helped me stay somewhat connected to friends and donors. But the need is still great. Pray about sharing the work this ministry does with others and about becoming a mission partner.

Please pray that the Lord would bring more mission partners on board to help the financial strain we are experiencing or pray about joining our efforts by sharing the needs, praying and/or financially supporting this ministry. 

New projects and opportunities:

About six years ago there were thousands of Venezuelans seeking refuge here in the DR fleeing from poverty, violence, and lack of resources because of the dictator Maduro and his regime. A one time rich and prosperous country became poorer than Haiti. The poverty in Venezuela has tripled (over 75%) since Maduro took charge. Since then, I have shared the Gospel with, and helped many who came here with little more than the clothes on their backs. Some who are still close friends and brothers or sisters until this day. I have stayed well aware of the situation there and it isn’t getting much better. Professionals with degrees make about 5-7 dollars a month! Imagine that for a minute.

 


(A home that some friends of mine in Venezuela live in.)

 

Having said that, we are doing a fundraiser for Venezuela. We need to raise 3,000 dollars within this next month to cover travel and supplies costs. There are risks and lots of planning going into this, but we still need lots of help meeting our goal. Please pray about joining us in this effort through prayer and giving.

At the orphanage a new young man recently began working in the boy’s department. He seems to be a solid and trustworthy brother and I’m pretty excited about working with him and teaching him to see what the Lord will do through him. Pray for Wilfren.

Pray that the boxes that were shipped will show up soon. I have already identified the area and people who will receive the donations. 

Pray for the Bible studies and devotionals I am preparing and sharing with the personnel of the orphanage, especially the evangelistic aspect of the job. Pray that the Lord would use me in the orphanage, out of the orphanage and in the other places we are working. Pray.

In service to Him,

Antonio Salgado Jr.

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  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 and you can send support of any amount directly to the ministry. You can choose the option of doing a one-time donation and this is the fastest option to get funds to us. Click the link below for that option.

https://www.paypal.me/SalgadoDRMission

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!

 

 

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