In Loving Memory
Bill Randolph
{07/16/1941 – 04/01/2020}

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the world;
yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;
yours are the hands with which God is to bless people now.”
{St. Teresa of Avila}

Since our last message to you, Mission Emanuel has experienced tremendous loss. In what would be one of his last meetings with us, Bill Randolph shared the quote above from his morning devotional as an encouragement to our staff. We have taken these words as a charge to press on in our ministry as we serve you and our friends in the Dominican Republic.

This Holy Week, as we reflect upon the suffering of Christ, we are reminded that Christ is near to those who suffer. In the midst of the suffering in our world and in our own lives, we pray that the peace of Christ will dwell with you this week and that you find communion with Him.

It is our desire to keep you updated on how COVID-19 is affecting the Dominican Republic, especially Cielo and Nazaret and the operations of our ministries.

Our Cielo campus remains closed, but our water plant, Provisión del Cielo, is open for community members to be able to safely purchase clean water. The demand remains substantial. Please pray for the staff at the water plant, who are working tirelessly and putting themselves at risk in order to provide this essential service. Please also pray for those in the community who purchase our water, that they may encounter Jesus through our work and experience the hope of the gospel during this difficult season.

Rosa Sierra, our Director of Economic Development in Cielo, updated us last week with some information on the country that we want to share with you:

  • The Dominican government has declared a state of emergency until May 28, and only businesses providing medications, groceries, and medical attention are able to stay open; all gatherings are suspended.

  • The DR currently has one of the highest mortality rates due to COVID-19 in the region of the Americas (5.1% as of April 9).

n our last update, we shared the significant financial deficit we are facing as an organization given trip cancellations related to COVID-19. To date, we have raised $218,335, nearly 38% of our goal! Thank you for your generous response to our call. Our financial needs, as well as community needs, remain significant. We continue to trust in the Lord’s provision. If you have yet to give, we ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting our ministry with a financial gift. It is our prayer that, Lord-willing, our staff and ministry on the ground will endure as a constant presence for the community in the aftermath of COVID-19, proclaiming the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel, that Jesus Christ remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Blessings,
Jim Sweeney
Executive Director