News & Stories

Living the Call Together in Punta Cana

August 15, 2011

By Zac and Julie Stutler, serving in Dominican Republic

The following is adapted from Zac and Julie’s Web site.

We minister in Punta Cana, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean. During the past 10 years, the population in this area has grown dramatically as families have moved there to work in the tourism industry and the corresponding infrastructure. In 2009, God opened a door for us to move to Punta Cana Village, a growing residential community for professional people and their families. This community has the busiest international airport in the Dominican Republic, a bilingual school, shops, restaurants, medical and dental offices, and other businesses. Cap Cana, another high-end neighborhood just three miles away, also has shops, offices, a bilingual school, and even a university. Yet neither of these areas had an evangelical church.

In July 2010, Jeff and Deborah Climie joined our ministry team. Through a variety of creative outreaches—including baking classes, movies, and more—God has allowed us to build many great relationships in the area, and doors have been opened to present practical seminars in local schools and the university.

From the start of this project, we dreamed of having a ministry center in Punta Cana—a place to offer meaningful services and activities to the families such as classes, seminars, and pastoral counseling as well as worship times and Bible studies. By using innovative methods to serve the community, we desire to bring enrichment and hope aimed at meeting specific felt needs of the people, thus connecting them to Christ.

Last fall, we began the process of finding a location in order to establish an identity and have a visible presence in the community. In December, we signed a contract to rent a commercial location to serve as a center for community outreach. God provided in wonderful ways, and today the dream of having a ministry center in Punta Cana is a reality.

The name of this ministry is “Alianza” (Alliance)—which implies unity and working together for a common goal. The mission of Alianza is to motivate and equip the families of Punta Cana to live in an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ and to reflect His love toward others. Our prayer is that from the very beginning, Alianza would be a source of great blessing to the families of these beautiful communities that make up the Punta Cana area. On April 2, 2011, Alianza officially opened its doors.

An Amazing Day

On Sunday, July 10, under the bright Punta Cana sun, Alianza celebrated its first baptismal service. Four people enthusiastically declared their heartfelt desire to love and serve the Lord all their lives.

After a wonderful Sunday morning service, we headed over to a pool belonging to one of the women of the church, who happens to live near our ministry center. Before being baptized, the believers briefly shared about the difference Christ had made in their lives. There were four very different but wonderful testimonies of God’s work in these lives.

One of the women baptized—a young professional who is also a wife and mother—had found Jesus as a teen but never had an opportunity to grow in her faith. She had prayed for seven years for a church in Punta Cana. In her testimony, she shared that being able to follow Jesus in baptism had long been a deep desire of her heart.

Another woman shared how the Lord had filled her life with such joy and peace. It was a delight for her to have her son and daughter-in-law present to hear her testimony.

For one young couple, it was a day of double blessing and celebration. They were celebrating their second wedding anniversary and were baptized together. The wife had known the Lord for a time but never had the opportunity to grow. When Alianza opened, she and her husband began to attend faithfully. She was very excited about an opportunity to grow in Christ. Her husband was seeking the Lord and on May 12 prayed to receive Christ. He shared how knowing Jesus had brought new meaning to his life and how Jesus is now his best friend.

It was truly an amazing day. Those who attended the service were blessed and challenged to follow Jesus in a new way. Some, who are just beginning in their relationship with Christ, told us that they want to be baptized soon. Even some who are not yet followers of Jesus were touched and want to know more about this wonderful Savior who transforms lives and fills us with joy.

God is doing many amazing things in Alianza! The Sunday attendance has averaged around 50. New people are visiting all the time. In addition to the young husband who was baptized, another couple gave their lives to Christ in early May and is beginning discipleship. We have started some new discipleship classes and will start more in the coming days as there are various people desiring to follow Jesus with all their hearts. These are only a few of the great blessings that are happening in Punta Cana.

Your partnership with us in this ministry makes all this possible. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and giving to the Great Commission Fund, the Punta Cana Church Plant Approved Special, and our Work Special Funds. God has exciting plans for the days to come here in Punta Cana, and He is using you to change lives and bring joy here in Punta Cana.

Thank you for living the call together with us.

You are an important and an amazing part of the Alianza team!

What You Can Do

Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. Partner with Alliance workers, like the Stutlers, to introduce families around the world to the joy and peace of Jesus.

Bringing the Light Invites a Fight

The following is compiled from adapted excerpts of reports written by Kevin Oberg and Andrew Schaeffer, Alliance field workers who recently accompanied a short-term outreach team to Kenedougou, Burkina Faso’s westernmost province.

A youth group from the Moses Lake (Washington) C&MA Church has adopted the village of Samorogouan. For several years they’ve invested in this village through prayer, giving, and sending two short-term teams to minister.

During the group’s recent trip to Burkina, one of the activities on their itinerary was to visit the chief of the village of Djiguan, which is next to Samorogouan.  We—Kevin, Toby Hull (another Alliance worker), Andrew and his sons, and Abigail, an intern—accompanied them.

Upon arriving in Djiguan we were treated to a royal welcome—benches and chairs had been set out for all 28 people! (We learned that the chief had encouraged all villagers who weren’t in their fields to attend the meeting.) After the customary greetings began, the Moses Lake youth presented the chief with gifts—a shirt, a soccer ball, and a flashlight.

“We Were Living in the Dark”

We were absolutely amazed at his response. He thanked the team and then proceeded to tell us that the flashlight was a very appropriate gift.

“It’s as if we were living in a dark hut without any windows when, suddenly, someone opened the door and let the light shine in,” the chief explained.  He was referring to several months earlier when an evangelistic team of Alliance workers and pastors had spent a couple of nights in Djiguan. They had shown the Jesus film and announced the good news about His substitutionary death on the cross for our sins.

“Settle Here and Teach Us”

“This light helps us to see,” the chief continued. “We want it to remain in our village; so we offer you land in our village so you can settle here and teach us.”

After the meeting, we followed the village elders to a large property next to the main road and across the street from a little market—an ideal spot for a church and pastor’s house. As we began touring the land together, one of the Moses Lake team members, Nate, suddenly bent over with sharp abdominal pains.

Concerned that he might be suffering an attack of appendicitis, Andrew agreed to take Nate back to Ouagadougou (the country’s capital) for a medical consult to rule it out. We praise God that the illness wasn’t serious!

So what caused this excruciating pain? We can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t the enemy doing everything in his power to resist the entry of the Light of the World into Djiguan. Much collaborative work is taking place to push back the darkness in Djiguan and throughout the Kenedougou province. But the enemy yields his ground so reluctantly.

More Challenges  

Many on the Moses Lake team shared that they were sensing God’s leading into ministry. Yet there were many setbacks on the trip—lost luggage at the beginning, the scary moment when Nate became ill, and then a delayed flight that caused the team to miss their flights in Paris and London and arrive home about 48 hours after they were supposed to.

Was this more work of the enemy, trying to discourage them? Our prayer is that through these trials, each team member has become stronger in his or her faith and drawn closer to God.

As we advance into the enemy’s camp, we are wielding the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Yet we are also desperate for your prayers for protection as we preach the good news and claim imprisoned souls for Christ’s Kingdom.

What You Can Do

Pray for safe travel, good health, and fruitful ministries for the many short-term teams visiting Burkina Faso this summer and other sites worldwide.

Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries online. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers like Andrew and Kevin, who are bringing the light of Christ to those whose communities have dwelled in darkness for centuries.  

Learn More

Check out exciting, short-term missions opportunities through The Alliance. 

Read how many Burkinabe are being wooed to Christ through the witness of joy-filled believers.

Illness a Prescription for Young Man’s Calling

August 4, 2011

By Lisa Nicky, RN, serving at Bongolo Hospital, Gabon, West Africa

The following story is an adapted excerpt from Lisa’s recent newsletter entitled “Together With You.”

I could hardly believe it when I heard that a short-term summer team comprised of rehabilitation specialists, including a physical and occupational therapist, was coming to Bongolo! Since their arrival, I’ve been translating for the team (and learning from them!) as they’ve worked to improve the quality of life for our patients who are weakened by disease and trauma.

Davy, who is in his early 20s, suffers from hemophilia (a bleeding disorder in which it takes a long time for the blood to clot). Recently, he came to us completely paralyzed after a fall that caused bleeding to his cervical spine. I remember praying with him and his family often that first week and asking him a question that I typically ask my patients, “Do you believe God can help you recover from this?”

His answer was a determined and heartfelt, “Yes!”

Timing is Everything!

Little by little, Davy regained the use of his arms and his legs. (You can continue to pray for him, as he is still quite weak.) Once again I see God’s perfect timing in that we have rehabilitation specialists to work with him daily during the period in which he is most in need of their expertise.

It was a great joy recently when Davy said, “Madame Lisa, I plan to be a part of the next class of nurses at Bongolo Hospital!” Isn’t it just like God to use a difficult disease and accident to inspire a young man to serve as a nurse for His Kingdom?

What You Can Do

Give to the Great Commission Fund online. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers like Lisa, who is helping children recover from severe physical challenges and sharing Christ’s eternal hope with them.

Learn More

Read another article about how Alliance workers are helping save lives—physically and spiritually—at Bongolo Hospital.

Check out how you can get involved in a short-term missions trip.