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.
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!