Learning about the Dominican Republic
On Sunday 4/13/08 our church will begin to engage with the Bethel Child Development Center in Rancho Arriba as we start the child sponsorship process. There is a high level of enthusiasm and anticipation; people want to get engaged. This is very exciting!
What can we learn about the Dominican Republic? There are a good number of resources online:
- Wikipedia
- CIA World Factbook
- UNICEF
- The World Bank
- Operation World – includes prayer topics
- For kids, the Montgomery County library kid’s catalog has some titles that you can order and have sent to your local library
One item that struck me: as of 2004, 42 in 100 Dominicans are considered poor, and 16 in 100 live in extreme poverty and are unable to meet their nutritional needs. This Sunday starts our journey in partnering with God to make in difference in the lives of those most vulnerable.
Do you have other resources? Please share them in the comments.
Be The Church 
Thanks for doing the research to locate information about the Dominican Republic. As we understand more about the area, we will be able to fully appreciate the difference we can make in the name of Christ.
We live in a community where we have been given a lot and I count myself as blessed beyond measure. We are to contribute our time, talent, and treasure to help others. Well, I do struggle with how to best allocate these among the many needs.
As the managers of these resources, we budget to make the most of what we’ve been given. I know that Bob, my husband, and I sit down on a regular basis to review our spending and to determine to whom and how much we can afford to give. This discussion usually occurs at dinner in a restaurant, so I suppose we could give more.
I am watching as our local community begins to feel the impact of this recession; friends with concerns about job security and/or mortgage obligations. We may all know at least one family, perhaps more, that has lost a job or has started to experience other financial challenges. In times of recession, the number of people in need will increase while those able to give will decline. Not a great equation; the available resources will be spread thin. We should consider planning to support others locally as well.
I’m really struggling with this and need some insight. How are others handling this decision on how to plan for needs locally while also providing for the essentials for others in our global community?
va
I have lived a considerable number of years in developing countries, where I’ve been surrounded by staggering poverty. As we open ourselves more and more to our world and become acquainted with need, and even as need comes closer to us in times of recession, job loss, foreclosures, etc. a couple of responses seem to come naturally, guilt or withdrawl. Neither is helpful. For me the best responses grow out of relationship. Acting out of a sense of guilt often leads to acting impersonally in ways that do not meet the deepest needs. What we are doing in Rancho Arriba is attempting to form a long term relationship so that we can truly help. The same must be true for local efforts. One of the great differences that I’ve found between the poor that I’ve lived among and the rich is that the poor often have something that we do not- community. Wealth and advanced technology has a tendency to isolate us. So when someone here loses their job or their house, they often face the crisis without the network of relationships and support that I have seen in developing countries. The needs of our friends seem so overwhelming that we do nothing because we cannot do everything. We are indeed “blessed beyond measure”, but we have more to give than money.
Yes, some friends from work that grew up India have noted on the lack of community here; a few have chosen to return and work from there. Community and support systems are high on the list of reasons. I do see community within the church; don’t small groups build a foundation for this growth? The smaller group discussion allows for more personal sharing.
Virginia, I think your questions around supporting others are healthy. How much, to whom, where are the greatest needs — these are all good questions. I feel challenged when I start thinking about what I consume; if I consumed less, then I might have more resources to give away. If I consumed less, would I live more simply and perhaps be more receptive to the needs around me, whether locally or globally?