Author: Pastor Jerry Park

MIDDLE EAST

We were meeting on Zoom due to lockdown restrictions early this year.  When the lockdowns eased, we began to meet in person and resumed our mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting in person.  We also resumed our food, clothing and literature distributions to 250 holocaust survivors.  It is the time of Passover; so we are giving out holiday foods, such as matzah flour (as bread and wheat flour are not eaten during the Passover week), as well as holiday gifts.

During Passover, the Jewish people need to exchange their plates and utensils for special ones that are not used during the year with “leavened” products (products containing yeast); so we are giving a gift of a cutting board, two good quality paring knives, and a set of wooden spoons for cooking.  In the package, we have inserted a card that says Happy Passover with a verse, Isaiah 46:4, talking about God being with us into our old age.  The youngest holocaust survivor is 80 years old. The distributions around holiday times are our most costly distributions for the year; so we are very grateful for the ongoing support.

We also resumed our food distributions to MBBs who have had difficulties getting jobs because of their faith and the lockdowns.

We have had some new believers joining our congregational services.  One elderly lady, who has been searching for God, was in tears as she shared how she had found what she was looking for.  She prayed the prayer of repentance in our midweek Bible study.  Also, a Ph.D. student from the nearby university started coming to the meetings.  He is a believer but had gotten far from the Lord.  He has renewed his commitment to the Lord and is very happy to be in fellowship.  He had been invited by a brother who is very active in our congregation and who is also a Ph.D. candidate.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

From Tabernáculo de Salvación

In order to keep the number of COVID cases under control, the country is under curfew from evening to early morning.  Restaurants, businesses and public offices must be closed during that time.  The Dominican Republic received 1 million vaccines from China, which will be administered to public health workers, seniors, and others.

Our church office is now open from Tuesdays to Fridays.  We are currently holding our services and meetings virtually, via a Facebook group.  Our church reopening is scheduled for Sunday, April 4th (Easter Sunday).  We are prepared to follow social distancing guidelines as the congregation resumes meeting in person on Sundays.  We will continue to have our virtual services for those members who will not be present physically.  Our prayer meeting and ministry meetings will still be held virtually, until further notice.

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • During Holy Week (the last week of March), many go on vacation and have celebrations. There is a concern that coronavirus infections will rise considerably during this time. Please pray that all will use wisdom and that the number of cases will not rise.
  • Pray for Maria Y, who has been battling depression since the loss of her newborn baby towards the end of January. Please pray for God’s grace and emotional healing for her and her husband, Moises.

PRAISE REPORT

  • Thank you for praying for Rafael, Pastora Cristina’s husband. He was recently hospitalized and in critical care due to internal bleeding. He was released for treatment as an outpatient.  Recent tests have shown that one of his prescribed medicines had been causing severe intestinal inflammation, which was the cause of the severe bleeding.

Thank you so much for your prayers, as we do not stop to pray for you, our Pastors and church family!

P Cristina, P Milly, Rhayna and the Tabernaculo family