Oral Story May 2019

What does the Joy of the Lord look like?

The church leaders in the Dominican Republic express it vividly. In the above picture, Daniel is re-enacting blind Bartimaeus seeing for the first time. Jesus in this scripture is being re-enacted by his son, Dariel. Daniel and his wife Rosa pick lemons to pay for their life expenses and provide food for every visitor to their home.

This was the first time to introduce oral training to this group. They were as excited to have a teaching tool and curriculum as this picture illustrates because in an oral training, scripture comes alive and they see themselves in the people of the Bible.

Twenty-nine people attended the first day of training; by the third day, the president of their association of churches considered how to go forward with the training. During the last day of training, Daniel said, “We will start seven classes right away and the next time you come down you will see the fruit of this training.” It would be best if they start three or four so that they can keep up the momentum for the full two years of training, but Daniel described his joy of the Lord and his hunger to be trained in the Word of God. The doors are opening up for this training and it will spread quickly.

Dariel was the translator for this introduction to the oral strategy in the Dominican Republic and he has the joy of the Lord. He graduated from college with a bachelor’s in science. He is currently an assistant teacher as well as serving the Lord in ministry. He is hoping to pursue a master’s in biology or geology.

Adelaida works for a local business and serves her church in her free time. She would come directly from work to participate in the training. She has a keen grasp on the method and is planning on teaching her first lesson to a group from her church on Friday.

Ilario is 79 years old. He didn’t know how to read until he became a Christian. Since then, he has become a diligent student of the Bible, excited to be a part of the training and a part of the dramas to act out the scripture.

Thally was the youngest one in the class at age 14. She memorized the stories and led the group of adults with confidence. Since the teaching is done through questions, even a young girl can lead those older than her through thoughtful respectful interaction. Everyone participates in the learning process of memorizing the stories of the Bible.

These are some of the people that are longing to learn God’s Word through a method that transforms their minds, hearts, and their lives. All of them are bi-vocational workers. They pay the expenses for life through various jobs that they have, and they serve the Lord with the energy that remains. Pray for the work to continue in the Dominican Republic and that the Joy of the Lord will be their strength.