God’s Will And Open Doors

Brandon 0:04

His will is so much better than what we could imagine for ourselves. And the plans that he has and the things that he's doing are so high above what we can possibly imagine.

Mark 0:24

Sometimes following God means moving forward with a clear sense of direction. And sometimes it means watching a door you were certain would open only to remain closed. And learning to trust that God may be doing something different and better than what you had planned. Welcome to Kingdom Without Borders, where we share the stories of God's work among the nations. Today, I'm talking with Brandon Bell, who, along with his wife Regina, and their family, have served for nearly 12 years in the Dominican Republic. Brandon is a church planting missionary, currently serving in La Vega, where their ministry centers around evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and planting a church that can eventually stand on its own. But the Dominican Republic wasn't where Brandon and Regina originally thought they were headed. In our conversation, we talk about what happens when God redirects our plans, what it takes to build genuine relationships across cultures, and why gospel ministry often requires more patience than we expect. We also talk about team church planting, raising children on the mission field, and the joy of watching the people you've discipled begin reaching and discipling others themselves. And through it all runs a simple reminder. God often sees possibilities we can't see yet. Here's my conversation with Brandon Bell.

Life And Ministry In La Vega

Mark 1:48

Hey Brandon, it's great to be sitting down with you. And uh as we get started, I just wanted to uh kind of introduce your family and ministry uh to the folks that are listening. Uh so for someone who's never been to La Vega or even to the Dominican Republic, could you kind of take us there for just a moment and tell us what life looks like for you and your family and where you serve there in the Dominican?

Brandon 2:12

Well, it's a pleasure to be with you, Pastor Mark. Thanks so much for the invitation. We, my family and I are missionaries serving with Baptist World Mission, and we are church planning missionaries here in La Vega, Dominican Republic. Uh, Dominican Republic is a country uh with a population of about 10 million people, but we are on an island that is roughly half the size of the state of South Carolina. And so where we are in La Vega, we are right in the middle of the country. Okay. And so it it takes us about two hours to get down to the capital. Uh, we are about 30 minutes away from the the second largest city in the country, which is Santiago. And and so we are uh in a in a uh a very neat location, uh about 200,000 people here in our city. And there are only two independent Baptist churches here in our city uh that we that we know of. And so we and our teammates, uh the Fourias, uh Cleverson and Stephanie Faria, we have uh as a team been here for three years in in La Vega, and we're very excited about what the Lord is doing. But when we first got here, we had virtually no contacts and basically started from scratch. And it's been very exciting to see uh the doors the Lord has opened and what he's been doing uh here in La Vega over the over the past few years.

Mark 3:49

In preparation of our conversation today, you told me that you guys have been serving now uh there in the Dominican Republic for 12 years, for almost 12 years. Yes. Um, when you look at what you're doing today, your evangelism, the discipleship, leadership training, the church planning, all these parts of your ministry, is it anything like what you imagined missionary life would look like when you first surrendered to missions?

Brandon 4:14

Uh that is a good question. Uh obviously, it I guess I can say that it has certainly had challenges that I didn't expect. And so I wouldn't say that it doesn't look anything like what I what I imagined. I would say that to some degree, it it is what I what I imagined and envisioned, and especially in terms of our philosophy of ministry and the things that we're doing, that that hasn't really that hasn't changed, but I would definitely say that some of the challenges and also some of the opportunities that the Lord has given us uh have not been what we expected at all. For for example, I didn't expect that we would be involved in using English as a second language to reach people with the gospel, but that was a door that the Lord has has opened and

ESL As A Gospel Bridge

Brandon 5:16

given us some opportunities with and and and through ESL has allowed us to build relationships and get to know people and to present the gospel. And so that wasn't something that that we that we set out to do, but that was an an opportunity that the Lord clearly uh put into our lap.

Mark 5:35

Very cool. Um, so it's one of those things that just kind of it was what it came about organically, basically, as a result of like what was the what was the catalyst for even considering doing something like in English as a second language ministry?

Brandon 5:51

We saw that a lot of Dominicans were very interested in learning English. And so we had people come to us uh over the years, we've had different people that have come to us asking for ESL classes. Uh, when I was in Puerto Plata, I had the opportunity to teach in a language school. And in doing homeschool with my kids, uh, I have been for the past few years helping them with their with their language arts. And so as I was teaching English to my kids, you know, I really developed more of a love for it. And I was like, you know, this is this is something that that I could do. This is something I could use as a way to to reach out. And at the same time, our teammate Stephanie uh was kind of having the same thoughts, and the Lord was kind of putting the same desire in her heart to use this as an opportunity. And so we've been thinking about it and praying about it, but not quite sure how to get it off the ground, how to go about it. And I was uh I had been invited to preach at uh Marinath Baptist University uh several years ago when we were on furlough. And after chapel, a young lady came up to me and she said, Um, I'm in the uh the uh teaching English to speakers of foreign languages uh program. It's my minor, and I have to have an internship as part of my program. Would you all be uh interested in having me as an intern uh one summer? And I said, Well, it's it's uh pretty pretty amazing that you asked that because that is something that we have been very interested in getting involved with, but we really haven't known where to start. Sure. So that was that was last summer that she came. And since then, we have had some opportunities. Um there have been some challenges with that as well, because uh the way people are here, they'll they'll tell you that they want to do something, and then you mark a time, and then then they'll show up. Uh but I I this this past uh school year, I had the opportunity to teach a brother and a sister, uh, teenagers who already have a very good base with English. And I went to their their house uh several times a week in the afternoons and was doing ESL with them, and it was a really neat opportunity to get to know them and get to talk to them and share my testimony and at times share the gospel with them. And we plan to continue to do those classes, and you know, if Lord would allow that, we would be able to expand those classes and uh and as Stephanie gets back, uh that'll that'll help as well as uh, you know, with continuing on the ESL classes.

From Brazil Plans To Dominican Reality

Mark 8:48

Sure. Um, I think you would agree with me when I say this next statement, but when I was reading over um your notes in preparation, uh I wrote down here that your path to the Dominican Republic wasn't exactly a straight line. Um you originally believed God was leading you all to Brazil. And um, and so could you kind of take us back to those early missions trips? Uh tell us how God began putting missions in your heart, and then uh that whole process, or I don't know, process is the word I want to look for. Um, the how everything unfolded from Brazil to the Dominican Republic.

Brandon 9:25

Well, I didn't grow up in a Christian home. I got saved when I was 18 years old. And a few years later, I went to Bible college because I really had no idea what the Lord wanted me to do with my life. And so, you know, after I'd gotten saved, I had a few years where I kind of just did my own thing and finally I surrendered to the Lord and said, okay, Lord, I'll go to Bible college at least for a year. And when I got there, I just started studying the Bible because I I really had no idea what what I was going to do. But I had the opportunity to go on several short-term mission trips. And it was through those mission trips that the Lord really laid a burden on my heart for uh for missions and for church planting. And several of those trips were to Brazil, and I just fell in love with Brazil. I uh and really felt uh a strong desire to uh go as uh as a church planning missionary to Brazil. Uh Regina and I met uh in Bible college. Uh she grew up in Brazil. Her parents were uh church planning missionaries, uh, her dad is a missionary pilot uh on the Amazon in Brazil. And so she had a love for missions, felt like the Lord was was calling her to the mission field, and uh obviously had a love for Brazil having grown up there. And so we began heading in that direction. We uh uh our our sending church was was in agreement with this, uh with us going to the mission field and and confirmed that that call and we began raising support to go to Brazil. And we were raising support for about four years, and after four years, we only had about 30% of the support that we needed. And and what we constantly heard uh from from pastors was uh well, we already have missionaries in Brazil. And you know, and we thought, you know, it's it's sad because there's such a huge need in Brazil, and uh it's a country the size of the continental United States. And so so that that desire didn't change. You know, we we really wanted to go, but we we came to the point where where we said, okay, Lord, we want to go to Brazil, but we know that you know best. And if you have something else for us, uh we're we're we're willing to do that. Uh we just pray that that you would show us what that would be. And in the summer of 2013, the pastor of our sending church had the opportunity to travel here to the Dominican Republic with a with a group on a on a short-term trip. He met a national pastor while he was here, and and and he saw firsthand the need here in the Dominican Republic. So when he got back to the States, he uh shared with us what he had seen here and the need that he had seen. And and we had several other uh friends in our ascending church that were also raising support to go to Brazil. And we had planned to uh all get down there and and work together in Brazil, but they were having the the same experience that that we were, that their support just wasn't coming in. And so when our pastor got back and and started talking to us about this, uh he said, you know, look, I'm I'm not trying, I'm not telling you that you have to do this, I'm not telling you you have to go to the Dominican Republic, but it is uh an opportunity, it seems like an open door, so it's something to consider. So we uh we began praying about this, and uh several of us from our from our church uh organized a trip to to come down in September of 2013 to meet with this national pastor and see the need. And as we as we got down here and we understood better the the need here in the Dominican Republic, we we began to become convinced that the Lord was indeed closing the door in Brazil and opening the door to come to the Dominican Republic. And we finished uh uh raising the sport that we needed, uh really the bare minimum, but uh just the bare minimum that we that we needed to get to the field in about uh about seven or eight months. And so by the next summer, we uh were already here in the in the Dominican Republic. That was the summer of of 2014.

Mark 13:46

Thinking about like how all of that came about, and of course you had plans, and it even seems like obviously your plans for Brazil were kind of well-laid plans. I mean, it was like a four-year, I think you said four years you guys were raising support. Um, so it wasn't like an immediate um switching of gears, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Um, but with all that being said, what did that experience teach you all about the difference between um you know being called to a particular location or place versus uh being called to missions work in general?

Brandon 14:21

Yes, sir. I I I think that's a good question because when we we look at Paul and Barnabas in uh Acts 13, uh it's interesting that that Paul and Barnabas and uh three other leaders in the church at Antioch were were praying uh and fasting, and it looks like they were praying specifically about where the Lord would have the gospel to go next, uh, because it had started in Jerusalem, gone to Judea, gone to Samaria, and uh and then to Antioch, following the pattern that Jesus had laid out in Acts 1.8. And and so it looks like they're they're they're asking the Lord, okay, where where to now? And then the Lord said, separate unto me Paul and Barnabas for the work thereunto I have called them. And so as they were serving in the local church, the Lord made very clear his calling. Uh, the Lord confirmed that calling uh by the local church. But there were there those other three men, uh, they they didn't receive that call, and and we understand that they continued on in the church of Antioch, and the church at Antioch uh became Paul and Barnabas's sending church and was holding the rope, so to speak, for them as they as they went to the mission field. But that that call uh was was a call to a to a specific uh uh work, but uh we see that even when they finished their first missionary journey, because at the at the end of Acts 14, they returned to the church at Antioch and it says uh that uh that they they returned uh completing the work that the Lord had called them to. But it wasn't like uh Paul's ministry was done by by by any means. Uh the he he continued on, he would eventually uh return to those churches and continue to strengthen them, he would go on to new locations. And so the call wasn't just to uh a particular location, it was to a a particular ministry. And and so, you know, we're convinced that the Lord has called us to be involved in planting churches. And so the call was to a ministry, not necessarily to a particular geographic location. And so if at some point the Lord would close the door here in the Dominican Republic for us and send us somewhere else, uh, you know, we're we're we're willing to go. Uh, we want to serve the Lord wherever he would uh direct us.

Called To A Ministry Not A Place

Mark 17:04

Sure, to follow his leading uh wherever that might be. Um a question for you. What surprised you most once you actually began living and ministering among the Dominicans?

Brandon 17:18

When we arrived here in the Dominican Republic, we had our pre preconceived notions of of what life and the culture was going to be like. Uh Regina had, as I mentioned, had grown up in Brazil uh all her life, grew up speaking Portuguese. I had traveled to Brazil several times, but I had I had traveled to uh several other parts of the world as well. And so I I kind of had an idea of of what I thought life and culture was going to be like, and it was not what I had what I had imagined.

Culture Shock And Slow Trust

Brandon 17:52

And it wasn't exactly like Brazil. And the the people here in the Dominican Republic, they are uh just a very warm people. They're they're very welcoming, very, very open. But but one thing that you find in Brazil, for instance, one thing that we've observed, and I've had other people, I've heard other people observe as well, that when you meet a Brazilian, generally they are very open and you can form a quick relationship with them, and it can be a lasting relationship. Uh, it can be a relationship that that continues on. They are they are open and to the point that uh you can quickly form a uh a deep bond and relationship with them. On the other hand, what we've experienced here in the Dominican is although many Dominicans are are very uh kind on on the surface and very open on the surface to actually build a close relationship with them where there is uh mutual trust and to the point where they are actually going to be willing to listen to you and and and listen to the gospel and accept the gospel, it takes a long time, longer than than we expected. And so we we had a a challenging time, I would say, in the first few years really forming solid friendships with people. And and we we were trying, we just felt like it it wasn't reciprocated. And that has been a really neat thing as we as we came here to La Vega because you know when we came here to La Vega, we knew that. We knew that it was going to be challenging. And but the neat thing is that the Lord has brought along people who were interested, who were looking for friendships and and looking for relationships. And so we've been able to develop some relationships even with uh with unsaved people and develop a friendship with them. And and we have had uh some folks, some of those who have have come and gotten saved and are now part of the church. We've had others that haven't gotten there yet, but we continue uh uh a friendship with them, feel like we have a genuine rapport with them. And uh, and so that's that's been really neat to see and very encouraging uh to see as we as we've arrived here in La Vega.

Mark 20:23

Well, now that you've been there for 12 years, it's probably very different for you as far as uh your expectations uh going into meeting, you know, when you meet new people and things like that. But definitely at the onset, there was definitely a lot you had to learn about the culture that you maybe just assumed would have been like any other Latin culture um in general. Very, very interesting.

A Home Break In And Fear

Mark 20:47

Um, you did mention uh that there was one particular difficult experience uh about a year into your time there as a family where you had someone break into your home while you guys were there, I think asleep, right? Um can you tell us what? I mean, if you're comfortable sharing with us, can you tell us what happened and uh how how the Lord used that or what that um did for you all in relationship to your ministry there in the Dominican?

Brandon 21:13

When we when we first arrived into the Dominican Republic, there were a lot of stories in the news about uh foreigners, particularly Americans, who uh had come to the Dominican Republic and uh terrible things had happened to them. And and there were a number of national news stories. And we had friends and and family members, uh members from supporting churches who were contacting us and asking us, you know, are are you safe here there in the Dominican Republic, you know, because we're hearing all these stories. And we always told them, you know, look, we we we don't feel unsafe here. And ultimately we understand that the Lord's in control, uh, but but we feel that just like in the States, if if you're careful about About where you go and and kind of are aware of your surroundings, it doesn't seem like you're you're really gonna have any trouble. So we really didn't, uh again, we really didn't feel unsafe here in the in the Dominican Republic. But we had just moved to uh to uh a new city, uh the city of Puerto Plata, up in the northern part of the country, and uh and had gotten into a new house. And just a few months after we had gotten there, uh one night Regina woke me up in the middle of the night and said, Somebody in the there's somebody in the room. There's there's somebody in the room. And and I woke up and you know, I didn't have I didn't have a firearm. I I I had nothing. And my my initial reaction was to try to uh to just scare these people who were in the house. And so I got up and I just started yelling and uh and and and yelling in and you know, actually I'm not sure if I was yelling in in English or in Spanish. Uh whatever I was saying, uh, you know, I was saying, who's in this house? Who's in this house? And uh and and apparently it did startle them because they bolted and uh and they they ran. I didn't get a good look at them, it was dark. Uh, and they uh they ran out the the front door. Uh, like in a lot of Latin countries, the the houses here in the Dominican Republic usually have a wall around them. And uh and there were footprints going up the wall where they had where they had darted out. Scaled the wall, yeah. And uh and and they they got away with uh with some money that we had taken out for rent uh for for that month. They got away with uh several electronics. Uh but we were so thankful that they didn't hurt us. They it looks like they they didn't go into our kids' room and uh kids were asleep. They had no idea that it that it had happened. Uh but that was extremely challenging for me because for the next few nights, uh I I had a hard time going to sleep. And and I was just very, very concerned, you know, thinking, what if they come back? And I I came to realize that I had to trust, I had to trust the Lord. You know, the Lord had brought us here to the Dominican Republic, and and and I had to to trust that he was going to keep us safe, just as he he protected us in that situation. He allowed it, but he but he kept us safe. And it could have been it could have been so much worse. And and so I I had to understand that you know, although um the the the horses prepared for the day of battle, the the victory is of the Lord, and and um it's it's the Lord who who keeps the house. And and so so uh I you know had to go to the Lord and multiple times say, you know, Lord, I just confess that you know I'm I'm worried, I'm afraid, uh, and and you know, I know that I shouldn't be. And you know, I just uh put this to you and pray that you would keep us safe. And I and I still have, you know, there's still times where where I have that thought of, you know, as I'm locking up the house at night, and you know, I just I just put it to the Lord and say, you know, Lord, keep us safe, watch over us. And uh, and and he has. But on the one hand, there were some things that I realized through that. I realized that we hadn't been securing the house as much as we could have because I just wasn't, I didn't think about it, you know, and I and I made I made some mistakes in terms of of security. Uh and so now, you know, we have German shepherds, we have locks uh on the doors and windows that you know we we didn't have before. Uh but but all that, you know, we understand that if somebody really wanted to get in, they could they could get out. And and ultimately it's it's the Lord that's that's going to keep us safe. And so it was a challenging situation, but but one that the Lord brought us through and uh and and taught us through. And and and I can say that you know we're we're not afraid here in the Dominican Republic. We're we're content here, we're we're happy with where the Lord has has put us, and um, we know that he's the one that's that's going to continue to watch out for us.

Relationships That Lead To Salvation

Mark 26:27

Amen. Um, you shared with me a little bit about Carolina and her daughters. Um, can you share with me how did that relationship with that family begin? And kind of just tell us our story a little bit.

Brandon 26:39

Back last year, our teammates, Safrias, were we getting ready to go on furlough, and we were looking at the prospect of being here for a year by ourselves, and it was a little intimidating. And uh, you know, we we had not experienced that before. We always had uh had teammates with us, and and so we, you know, we're praying about that and and praying that if the Lord would allow that he might bring uh some a family along who would be able to help us, you know, even if it would be uh a Dominican family that could uh work alongside of us and help us during this year. And right after the Frias left, we got a call from a uh a friend of ours in the city of Bani, that's the the city that that we lived in for a year when we first got here. Okay. And she uh she told us that the Lord had been putting in her heart to leave Bani, which was her city where she grew up, and uh and come and help us, along with her her three daughters who are uh are range in age from 14 to 22, uh to come and help us in the in the work here. And we were like, that that's awesome. You know, if if if that's really what you want to do, we would we would love to have you. The Lord opened the door for Carmen and her daughters to to come, and they moved into uh the Freya's house to watch the Frea's house while they were on furlough. So you'd ask about Carolina. Carolina and her daughters uh uh uh were neighbors of of Carmen's, and so Carmen met them and invited them to church. Carmen's uh uh two younger daughters uh began coming to our youth group, and uh one of them, Julian, uh seemed very interested in in spiritual things, and uh my wife offered to begin doing an evangelistic Bible study with her. And so Regina started going to her house once a week, studying the Bible with her, and particularly focusing on on the gospel. And this is Carmen's daughter. No, this is this is Carolina's Carolina's daughter. Gotcha. And but it was but it was it was Carmen that the Lord used to invite Carolina and her daughters to church. Okay. So Gina started doing this Bible study with with them. Um in the meantime, uh Julian, Carolina's daughter, uh, started coming to youth groups, started coming to church. And the neat thing was that in during the Bible study, uh Julian's mom, Carolina, and her uh her older sister, Glady, would sometimes sit in on the Bible study and uh and would be listening. And one night after about three months of Gina doing this this Bible study, Carolina started asking uh a bunch of questions about the gospel. And and Gina had the opportunity to uh lead her through a gospel presentation and and clearly present the gospel to her. And at the end asked her if she uh wanted to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior, and and she did. And so she she prayed and accepted Christ. And after she did, Catalina uh looked at her daughter Julian and and was kind of like, hey, Julian, what about you? Do you want to do this? And Julian said, Um, mom, I already made this decision several weeks ago. And uh, and and and we didn't know, but but she had she had understood and she had accepted Christ on her own. And so Carolina then began coming to the church regularly. We were very surprised because we didn't think that uh Carolina had much spiritual interest. She was very Catholic, and we we didn't uh expect this to happen, but uh unbeknownst to us, the Lord was was working in her heart, and she began to come to church faithfully. We began to see a lot of changes in her life, it was clear uh demonstration of of the Holy Spirit's conviction and and working in her life. And uh Catalina's other daughter, Glady, was coming along, but she had not made a profession of faith. And so we we all had been praying for for Glady that she would uh come to this point of of making a decision, but we didn't want to put any pressure on her anyway. And uh just a few weeks ago, uh Sunday morning, Carolina and her family came into church and and Glady came up to me and she said, uh, Pastor Brandon, uh can I tell you something? And I was like, I was like, yeah, what do you want to tell me? And she said, uh I'm I'm your sister in Christ now. And uh and I said, Oh, that's so awesome. We've been we've been praying for that. That's uh I'm so glad to hear that. And she said, Can I share that with uh with everybody else in the service? And I said, of course. And uh, and so so that has uh just been so uh so exciting for us to see because this was was obviously something that that the Lord did. We were were were careful not to put any pressure on them, uh, but but we we saw the Lord do something in in their family that that only that only he could do.

Mark 32:10

That's really exciting uh to hear how God used um this lady, Carmen, obviously, through her connections with Carolina and her girls to create this um opportunity for them to come and hear the gospel. It's really neat to hear how God uses these moments uh in our lives, because you were saying that Carmen isn't from there originally. This was someone that is this someone she met when she moved there or someone that she had known before she moved there.

Brandon 32:38

No, she she she met Car Carmen met Carolina uh and her family after Carmen moved here. Okay. But because Carmen is a Dominican, even though she's from a different city, uh Carmen has been able to not just because she's a Dominican, she also has uh has an ability with connecting with people and bringing people along. Um, you know, uh kind of like an Andrew. Andrew brought brought Peter uh to Jesus and and and Carmen is is that way. She she's a person that that brings other people along. And and and so it was really neat to see how the Lord used her. And and that's been kind of a a theme over the over the past year is uh the Lord using uh individuals, uh not just Regina and I, but but using the the the people that he has brought to our church to reach others. And that's so exciting for for us to see because we our job is to train others who will then train others uh also, and it's been exciting to to see that already happening uh here at the outset. I could also tell you a story of uh another lady in our church whose name is Suleika. Suleika uh came to us and she had uh made a profession of faith uh years earlier in another church, but the Lord brought her uh to our church and her and her three kids. And she uh has uh become become very involved. Uh Regina's been doing a discipleship with her because even though she had made a profession of faith, she'd never really grown in her in her walk with the Lord, she had invited some children of a family that lived across the street from her to come to church with her. And uh the two of uh of those young people began to come regularly. They were coming for several months. And just about two weeks ago, uh the the brother whose name is Sadiel and his sister Isabella they came to uh to us separately. Sadiel came to me and Isabella came to Regina and both told us that they were ready to uh accept Christ. Wow. And and the neat thing was that the Lord used Suleika to bring them to church. And Suleka is also working with them during the week and uh is is doing a uh a Bible study with uh with the young lady Isabella and and they're spending time in her house, and and she's so excited to see how the Lord is is using her in the lives of these young people.

Mark 35:32

It's really neat when you begin to see fruit-producing fruit. Um, that's very, very encouraging uh to watch what the Lord is

God’s Provision For A Meeting Place

Mark 35:40

doing. You know, you mentioned that the place that your church currently meets in itself is a story of God's provision. Can you share a little bit about that story?

Brandon 35:48

When we first arrived in La Vega, we started looking for a building to rent. And we're looking, looking, looking, and nothing was was coming up that uh was in our price range that seemed to be in a in a good location. And when we moved into the house that that that we're in now, we we realized that right next door to our house is a church building that's for sale. And so we began looking into that. Uh my teammate Cleverson and I, we met with the owner and we uh we began uh it seemed like a good opportunity. He was the price he was asking seemed very reasonable. Uh, we began raising funds to uh to possibly buy this property. But we we didn't want to we wanted to take it slow because we we have been warned by by many people to uh be very cautious about purchasing property here in the Dominican Republic. It's very common for foreigners to be taken advantage of. And the Lord provided uh somebody to come alongside of us and help us, uh a member of uh another church in uh in a town about uh uh 30 minutes away from us. He is an attorney and he also works as a as a surveyor. And so he he came, he surveyed the property for us, he looked at the title for us, and and uh met with the with the owner along with us, and uh, and afterwards he uh he pulled us aside and he said, something's not right here, because the name of this man who was supposedly selling the property is not the same name that's on the title of the property, and something's not right here. And so we we talked to the owner about it. He uh couldn't give us a very clear explanation, and uh, and so we we felt like the Lord was very clearly closing the door on this property. And and the Lord had had already brought in some funds uh towards towards uh towards uh a future church building. Um and so we were you know kind of wondering, you know, Lord, what are what are you what are you doing here? You know, what would you have for us? And a week later, uh we found a uh a building that was for rent. It's a house that was that was for rent. We went to look at it, and when we first went in, we said, this place is ideal. Uh in fact, this house looks just like a church building. And in fact, in the architecture and everything, it it looks like a church. And we've had multiple people tell us that. And so the the price was was very reasonable. And uh so we we decided to begin renting that that property or and that house. And and so the neighborhood that it's in is a is a uh a lower, say uh kind of a lower class area, and and uh there's a lot of traffic uh by by the church all day long. And the neat thing is that I have uh met people and and told them I'm a pastor, told them where the church is, and they say, Oh yeah, I know I know exactly where that is. I've I've I've ridden by there, I've seen your sign. And so it's it's really neat that the Lord provided us a building in a in a central location, and we are already uh beginning to outgrow uh the our space there. And so we're already beginning to look at the the possibility of of purchasing a property to eventually build our own building. And and again, we already have some money uh saved uh towards that that purchase. And so we certainly appreciate uh prayers for that, that the Lord would continue to direct in regards to his will for a uh a future uh church property for uh for the church plant here.

Patience And The Joy Of Fruit

Mark 39:58

Sure. Um, you mentioned a 14-year-old young man who recently came to Christ and said something to you that kind of uh stood out to me. You said that he said basically along the lines, um, if you hadn't come there, he may have never heard the gospel. Uh, what does that do to you after being there for 12 years in ministry?

Brandon 40:20

This young man, Sadiel, he he is the neighbor of one of our church members, Suleika. And he began coming and he he kind of clicked with uh with with my with my two sons. And we we started get to getting to know him, building a relationship with him, and it took some time. He was having some problems at school, that he was um, he had actually gotten suspended from school, and so we were alongside his parents trying to work through this stuff with him and and trying to uh to help him, and and all along continuing to present the gospel to him and praying that that he would get saved, because we we understand that that's that was his his greatest need. And and as I mentioned earlier, uh just a few weeks ago, he he approached me and said, Okay, Pastor Brandon, I'm I'm ready, I'm ready to accept Christ as as my Lord and Savior. And and uh last Sunday we had uh some friends of ours from the church in Puerto Plata who were visiting us and and they came to uh lunch with us here at our house, and we had some others from the church that were here, and Sadiel was was uh was sitting at the table with us, and and he had mentioned to our friends, uh, I'm just so happy that uh I was that I was invited to to church and and came to church because uh if I hadn't, I probably would have never heard about this. And and and that is exciting because we don't know the end of the story with with Sadiel. Because Sadiel is is a young man that to us seems to have a lot of potential, uh, maybe as a as a pastor or or future leader uh in the church. And and with with all the problems that that he was having in school, someone could look at him and say, you know, this kid is never going to amount to anything. He's a troublemaker, he he has all these problems, but we never know what the Lord can do in the the the heart and the hearts and lives of of individuals if we're willing to take the time to to work with them and build relationships with them. And and again, sometimes uh it's it's not immediate. Sometimes it may take months or or years for that person to come to that point, but it it reminded me of the need for for patience. And and uh, you know, you think Sadiel is is 14, so he was just a few years old when we when we first came, first arrived here in the Dominican Republic. But uh the Lord allowed our our our paths to cross, and and who knows who else is is out there that is going to hear the gospel and and get saved. So so yeah, it certainly encourages us to continue on, be patient, don't be discouraged. Um in due season, as Paul says in in 1 Corinthians 15, in due season you shall reap if you faint not.

Mark 43:29

Yeah, that's really encouraging because you know you think about the fact that um for those that are listening, um, it's not just this really isn't just a testimony of a missionary. It's a testimony of any believer who's faithful to share the gospel. Um, we like we never know um how a person will respond to the truth of the gospel. We never know even where that person is spiritually. That they may be, you know, uh Paul tells us that some plant and some water and some you know reap the harvest. And so the reality is we never know exactly where that person may be spiritually speaking. And uh what a good reminder for us to be bold, uh to share our faith and to uh reach out to others. And even as you said, it's not even necessarily primarily uh for the purpose of uh evangelizing or or I maybe proselytizing an individual. It's really honestly caring for them as a person, developing that relationship, and then naturally that becomes something where they see there's a genuine love and concern and they open up to the truth of the gospel, I think, because of the fact that we're just uh just care about them as a person. People know the difference whenever you're just trying to get uh some sort of a religious um convert, if you will, out of a out of a can out of a conversation versus caring about them as an individual and uh makes a big difference in the kingdom work that God's called us to.

Team Church Planting In Practice

Mark 44:59

Uh, Brandon, one of the things that you said you want to talk about, and I want I want us to discuss it, is uh this model of team church planning that you guys use there in the Dominican. And um uh I'm gonna kind of throw some things out there and then you you make it clear for us. When you guys went there, it was four couples or five couples, correct?

Brandon 45:19

Yes, we initially had had five couples that that came and we we each uh got our support at different times, but we eventually were all together in the city of Puerto Plato working together in a in a church plant there.

Mark 45:34

So since that time there's been um some uh uh breaking up, but not in a bad way, breaking up, uh just uh uh uh separating uh to multiply uh the opportunity. Um, because you said like three years ago, that's when you guys moved down uh to La Vega with the Fourier's. Now, where you were at in Puerto Plata, there's still original team members there, correct?

Brandon 46:01

Yes. Okay. So when we first started working together, as I mentioned earlier, we are all uh sent out of the same sending church in Wednesdays, North Carolina, Heritage Hills Baptist Church. And our our plan from the beginning was to have a concerted effort in one church plant and then eventually split up and uh plant other churches. And and so particularly with with our with our philosophy of ministry, we we focus a lot on on young people. Uh, we we understand that children are dear to the Lord. We understand that they are the next generation. And so we in our services, we always try to have children's church so that the the kids can have teaching on on their level. And one thing that that I think sometimes people don't think about is, you know, okay, we do that, we do that in our churches in the states, right? And we'll have whether it's Sunday school or whether it's, you know, you have your morning service, and in the meantime, you have a children's church going, but you have workers to be able to do that. Well, when you arrive on the mission field, uh you may want to do that kind of thing, but if it's just one missionary, that's going to be extremely challenging. Uh and and so because we had our our our teammates and we were all working together, it allowed us to be able to have uh separate uh classes, several uh levels of of children's classes, uh, be able to have youth group, be able to do um a uh a Bible club on on Saturdays. And we were able to do uh way more than uh one couple would have been able to do. But but after a few years, uh the Lord really started to put on our heart and also in the Faria's heart hearts to start another church, and we didn't know where. And we began praying about that. And the logical place seemed to be the city of Santiago. Uh Santiago uh is is uh in the center of the country, it is about an hour and a half uh south of Puerto Plata, and it's a city of uh of about a million people, second largest city in the country. And so we were getting ready to go home on furlough for a year. The Ferrias uh were their contract was up on their house. And so we thought we had talked and we said both couples feel like the Lord is is calling us to is directing us to plant another another church. And uh, so let's try in Santiago. So we got in touch with a uh a national pastor that we that we knew there, and he uh he showed us around town and and he was a great resource as we were uh looking at the possibility of a moving there. And the fries began looking for a place to rent, couldn't find anything. And it seemed like Lord was just closing door after door on on places for them to live. But then they then they thought, okay, well, La Vega is only about 25 to 30 minutes south of uh south of Santiago. Let's let's check it out. And uh, and so they were able to find a house here. We went with them to check out the house right before we went home on furlough. They the very day that they looked at the house, they said, hey, this house looks great. Uh, we're gonna sign. And they signed a contract, and that's how uh the Lord got them to uh to got got us as a team here to to La Vega. We went home on furlough for a year. They got here to La Vega and began building relationships and uh looking for uh looking for a uh a place to rent for the church. But uh but when we came here, we left our two other couples uh in uh Puerto Plata, the Dwalds and the Pittmans. One of our couples, the the PVs, uh had to go back to the States several years ago because of health issues. And we continue uh to have a good relationship with them. And uh, for example, yesterday uh we were able to get together with the the youth group, their youth group and our youth group got together at uh at a river about halfway between us, and we got to spend the day uh at the river. And so that's that's really neat that we're able to have that fellowship with uh with the church plant uh there in Puerto Plata.

Mark 50:44

And I'm sure it's probably encouraging too to the Dominicans to find other Dominicans uh that are Christ followers, um, you know, involved in church in church ministry and other places throughout the country. Now, I can imagine that working in a team uh probably has some of its challenges. Uh, how have you guys worked through some of those?

Brandon 51:05

Uh Proverbs says that where uh where there's no ox, the stall is clean, but much la much increases by the labor of the ox. And whenever we we work with anybody as human beings, there's inevitably going to be conflict. But uh one one key that we see biblically to that uh we find in Philippians 2 with the example of Christ who humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant. And and so in order to have in the in in the context of that passage, we see that in order to have unity, whether it be in a church or or uh on a leadership team, there has to be humility. And and the the neat thing is that uh we don't always agree on on every single thing uh with uh with our teammates, but we have been able to sit down, uh pray together, and come to a consensus. And being able to to to build a consensus uh on things and uh and and and understand that you know it's it's not always gonna be my way, it's not always gonna be Gina's way, it's not always gonna be uh our teammates' way. You know, we've got we've all got to be willing to compromise. And and that's been the neat thing that we have seen happen over the years is that we've been able to arrive at consensus, we've been able to cooperate, and we're so thankful for for our teammates, particularly now, the Furrias and the friendship that we've been able to have with them, because it's challenging when when you are uh on the field and you don't have that that camaraderie, that companionship. Now, you know, you can have friendship with uh with with the church people. And and we're very thankful for the friendship that we do have and we've been able to develop with our church. But but yes, to have um to have uh folks in ministry that that have the the same philosophy of ministry and and have the same goals and the same mindset, uh that's that's huge. We're convinced that that team ministry is is is biblical and and you know, and we've we've seen it work. And as you said, yeah, it it has its challenges, uh, but uh we we know that uh the Lord can accomplish much more through us working together than uh than if we were working by ourselves.

Training Locals So Churches Stand

Mark 53:54

Another thing I was curious about um how does a team ministry uh avoid creating a church that becomes dependent upon American missionaries uh with such a large number there?

Brandon 54:07

That's uh that's that's a good question. And we have one thing that we have constantly tried to do as a team is to train our our people and put them into positions uh according to their spiritual gifts. And it's really neat to see uh in the church in Puerto Plata, uh there are young people there now that are teaching in the the children's ministry and and serving as leaders in uh in their Bible club that uh were little kids that came over to our house to play and were playing around in our in our yard and and came to church with us and uh and they got saved. And now they're they're growing and and being used in in their local church. And and and that's that's so exciting. And my my pastor, Steve Pittman, who served as a as a missionary in Brazil for uh 15 years, he has uh something that he always says. Uh he says, I never do anything for myself that somebody else can do for me. And uh I have tried to put that into practice, and I and as a team, we we've tried to to put that into practice because uh you know there are there are many things that that I could do, but I have to focus on the things that that only I can do. And so the things that somebody else can do, I need to let them do it. For example, if uh if when Cleversone here is here, if Cleverson's preaching, I could be in the back working the sound booth, clicking through the PowerPoint, but why would I do that when uh Patrick can do that or uh or when uh Julian can do that? And uh, and they are the the the missionary doesn't have to do everything, you know. I right I have a responsibility here and and I I can do these things. And you know, Ephesians 4 is very clear that that that God gave uh pastors and missionaries to equip the people for the work of the ministry. And and and that's what we're striving to do. And as we as we do that, the the the hope and prayer is that they won't be dependent on us because uh as is often said, our job as a missionary is to work ourselves out of a job. Sure. And and you know, even though we've only been here in in La Vega for for a short time, short time, this church plan has only been going for it for a very short time, uh, we're already looking at the future and and looking towards training uh our people and looking for people that the Lord might be uh raising up to serve as leaders in the future, and maybe even among some of these, some of the kids that we that we bring in. Sure. And uh and so so that's the that that's that's the desire, that's the goal.

Mark 57:12

That's exciting to watch folks uh get plugged into ministry and um owning it, making it their own, and it just uh and and um serving learning to serve uh with joy and uh and learning to serve others in the church is a great a great thing.

What Churches Miss About Missionaries

Mark 57:30

We often talk about missionaries going somewhere to minister to other people, but Brandon, how has God used the Dominican people to change you?

Brandon 57:40

There are there are people that that I think back on that have been a huge encouragement to us and and continue to be. There's a there's a sweet lady in the church in in Puerto Plata named uh named uh uh Maribel, and she she came near the end of our time in in Puerto Plata, but every time I see her, she she calls me pastor, she comes and gives me a hug, and she is just uh such an encouragement.

Mark 58:17

What's something, Brandon, that you wish churches and Christians back home understood about missionaries that maybe often they don't?

Brandon 58:26

I think the biggest thing that uh I I would would hope that the churches would would understand is that uh missionaries are not these uh superheroes or larger than life individuals. Uh we're we're just people. And as uh I think you made reference to earlier, each of us, whether the Lord's called us to full-time ministry or simply called us to serve in the local church, uh God desires each of us to to simply walk with him uh and uh and and have a relationship with him and be producing fruit. And and so in in that sense, we're we're no different from anybody else. As believers, we're we're simply uh trying to uh to walk with the Lord day by day, to to be faithful, to produce fruit, to to be growing, to look more like Jesus uh day by day. Uh the only difference is that God has has has called us to uh to do that, to to work in the ministry full time. Yeah and and you know, and and we face we face struggles here, you know, even after 12 years uh here in this country, you know, there there are still times where uh the traffic, you know, you look at the traffic and the way people drive, and it's just like, uh what, you know, what what what what's what's going on here? And uh and and to to some degree you get used to it, but then things happen and and you you see things and you see things that the motorcycles do, and you you just don't get used to it, and you just uh remain in awe of uh the things that happen on the on the road. And uh, you know, and I I remember when when we when we first arrived here, the thing that amazed me is I would go out to run an errand or go out to run errands and I'd have a list of things that I had to do. And I would come home not having gotten any of the things on my list done and having added two or three things. And uh, and you know, that's uh that that still happens from time to time. It's not as bad as it as it used to be. I think the Dominican Republic even has has progressed uh some over the the past 12 years. And uh, but but there's still times where where we get frustrated and we have to to go back and and and remember that, hey, the Lord has called us here, he's able to sustain us, and we're able to be content in uh whatever whatever situation we're in.

Meaningful Support And Remembering Kids

Mark 1:01:07

What does meaningful support uh from ascending church or people back home look like after being on the mission field for 12 plus years?

Brandon 1:01:19

I would say that, you know, this may sound a little trite, but but it's it's it's absolutely the case. One of the most important things for uh for our supporting churches is is prayer and and and them holding the ropes in prayer for us. And I I remember when when I was in Bible college, uh our our missions professor would uh get a group of us together uh uh during the week, early in the morning, to pray for missionaries. And and he and he always told us, he said, uh we meet here and we pray for these missionaries because when one day when you guys are on the mission field, you're gonna want people back home doing this for you. And I still think about that and I say, yeah, uh, absolutely. Uh I want to know that there are folks in our in our in our churches that are that are praying for us regularly, and and we're so encouraged to know that they are. And and you know, there's it'll be it'll be very interesting, you know, if the Lord would allow us to to know one day uh the the prayers that were prayed and and how he he answered them. Uh, but there's just times where you know we we have peace and we and we have joy and and and you know we see the Lord orchestrating situations in a certain way, and you know, and I just stop and say, you know, uh I wonder if if there's somebody, if there isn't somebody that's praying, and and the Lord is specifically using the the prayers of of his saints uh in our lives here on the mission field. And and so that that's that's so important. But but also uh simply just little notes, sending us uh sending us a postcard or sending us an email or uh sending us a message, uh just just saying hi and asking how we're doing. You know, that that means so much. And and that's you know, it's a little thing, and it doesn't have to be long, you know. It doesn't have to be, you know, you don't have to to write a novel, you know, but but simply just just um messaging your missionary and saying, hey, just want to let you know that love you, praying for you. So that's that's huge. And it's it's it's such a it's such a huge encouragement. And and that goes back too to the fact that, you know, we're just people, you know, we we're just normal people. And and I'm I always remember the example of of the apostle Paul and how he he continually asked for prayer from the churches that he was writing to. And and I I believe it's Ephesians, that he he asked the Ephesian church to pray for him for boldness, that he would preach the gospel as he should. And I'm just always amazed by that. And I think, you know, the apostle Paul, when you when you look at him and and the personality that he had, you know, you don't think that this is a guy that lacked boldness, but he realized that that he was human, that that he needed the prayers of these people in these in these supporting churches. And and you know, that's that's something that that I'm reminded of uh as well, that we we are constantly in need of the prayers, not just the financial support, you know, that that's that's huge, and we're so thankful for that. But but uh just as important and in some ways more important is uh is the the prayer support of those back home.

Mark 1:05:00

You did mention specifically uh notes to your kids. Help us understand you know, uh kids being raised in the mission field. Why is it also important that they are not forgotten or remembered and along the way as well?

Brandon 1:05:15

One of the things that Gina and I are have always been concerned about is that our our kids would love their life here on the mission field, that they would understand the privilege that they have of growing up in the on the mission field and not become bitter in any way when they see things that uh their their friends have back home and and see experiences that they get to have. Uh they would they would understand that they and and and genuinely believe that they have a great life here and they have uh great opportunities here. And and we our our prayer is that they would in no way become become bitter uh growing up on the mission field and and you know our our our desire has has been to to raise them in such a way that they would be at home and comfortable here on the mission field and be able to fit in here but also when they go back be able to be at home there and and be comfortable there and uh and and that's that's what we have tried to do but when uh churches or or individuals in churches reach out to to our kids uh that's huge for them because it it makes them feel like oh they they remember me they're they're they're thinking about me and and they and they care about me and and you know I I I I love that I love that when when our our kids get get letters we have there is a uh a family in one of our supporting churches in in Pennsylvania who have kids about our kids' ages and they are very faithful to uh send our kids uh birthday notes every year and and uh they they just get very excited and and because of the mail situation here sometimes uh the the letters get here about a month after their birthday but

Next Steps For Future Missionaries

Brandon 1:07:17

it doesn't matter they're still they're still excited and uh in and you know that even makes it more special because sure you know birthdays already passed and and all of a sudden they get a they get a a birthday card yeah um suppose brandon that someone uh believes that God is calling them or leading them towards missions but they're afraid to take that next step what advice would you give them well my my my first reaction would be to say go on a short-term mission trip uh I am a a huge proponent of of short-term missions and and we love having uh short term teams here we're very happy to uh to have a team recently from from your church from Berean we loved having the the whole team here we had a great time with them and and and and let me just say in in that regard that it was it was very refreshing to see the team from Berean come down and just jump in and serve everybody from the leaders to the the young people uh we just saw them just being willing to come and and jump in wherever they could uh without complaining without uh questioning and and and that was that was just so great and and we've had we've had very good experiences with uh with short-term teams and and uh I know there's missionaries that have had not so good experiences but uh but as we as we as we said earlier the uh in regards to another subject the uh the the benefits outweigh the uh the the the the the the shortcomings and the the difficulty so um so so I would say you know if if you can go on a short term mission trip come to the Dominican Republic uh but but then secondly I I would say I I would I would ask if you feel like Lord is calling you to the mission field how are you serving in your local church? What are you doing right now? Because if you aren't willing to use your spiritual gifts at home in your local church uh what makes you think that you're going to be able to do that overseas in a in a totally different culture uh where where things are are are very challenging uh at times and and um and you have a a whole new set of problems to deal with so so that would be that would be uh a big thing that I would say is is get involved uh serving in your local church and and figure out what your spiritual gifts are and and use those and and whenever anybody especially young people talk to me about about God's will you know I always encourage them that you know we we see in scripture a God's revealed will uh the things that that scripture has clearly told us are his will for us we need to spend time in his word we need to pray we need to attend church we need to uh serve in our local church we need to uh give financially to our local church we need to uh evangelize and and many other things uh uh rejoice um you know so pray you know pray so many so many things the Bible makes very clear uh are

Specific Prayer Needs And A Van

Brandon 1:10:40

his will for believers for everybody and and so so as we put those things into practice in our lives then God is going to direct us in regards to uh those things that are not clearly revealed in in scripture how would you encourage people to pray for your family and the ministry there of the Dominican Republic and what maybe would you specifically ask them to pray for uh for our family I would I would encourage you to pray and ask you to pray for for our kids that they would continue to grow in their in their walks with the Lord and the Lord would continue to direct them in regards to his will for their lives. We're so thankful that uh each of our three kids have made professions of faith and follow followed the Lord in believers baptism and now are are serving here in in the church in in in in different ways but we our our constant prayer for them is that they would remain surrendered to him and and follow him in regards to his will for their lives and if Lord would call them to the mission field whether it'd be back here to the Dominican Republic or somewhere else we would love that but uh we constantly tell them we want you to do what what God has for you. And uh secondly a big prayer request we have right now is for families uh to be added to our church and and particularly men uh we have uh our our core group right now are are all ladies and so we have some young men that are coming I mentioned uh Sadiel who is 14 who who accepted Christ recently uh and we have some some some other um young men uh children and and preteens that that are that are attending uh church but but we're really praying that we might see some some men um uh saved and some families saved and and added to the church and and and that's just a a challenging it's it's challenging here to uh to to reach men uh ladies will come ladies are interested in coming to to activities and but but it's uh it's a challenge sometimes to uh to see men uh come and not only come but then get saved and and actually be become committed followers of Christ so appreciate your prayers for that uh another uh another uh thing that we'd ask prayer for is for our children's ministry we have our uh cessp uh bible club starting back up and so we'd ask you to pray for these kids and we we have uh a good group of kids that we are uh bringing in to church right now we are cramming them in my Honda pilot and so uh sometimes I have to make two trips uh we'll have like 11 or 12 kids in a load in the in the in in the uh the SUV and so we're we're praying that uh the Lord would provide a uh a van for for us to purchase and so we're very thankful for uh the the fact the Lord's already provided almost half the funds that we need for that our goal is uh thirty thousand dollars we saw the Lord do this in in Puerto Plata we had a need for a church van there and we began praying about it and the Lord provided and so now that that band stayed there to uh be able to be used in the ministry and and they're continuing to uh bust kids with that and uh and and we're praying now that we have this need here that the Lord would would provide and so we're excited to see what he's gonna

The Biggest Lesson About God’s Kingdom

Brandon 1:14:26

do with that. Amen.

Mark 1:14:27

There's one question I've been asking everyone as we wrap up the podcast and uh it's this and we'll close with this question.

Brandon 1:14:36

Brandon from where you stand today uh what have you learned about God's kingdom that you could have never learned if you would have stayed at home I would say that as the the Lord has brought us to the mission field that one thing that he has continually showed us is that his his will is so much better than what we could imagine for ourselves and the the plans that he has and the things that he's doing are so high above what what we can possibly imagine. And I was just reading in my my devotions uh just the other day in Isaiah 55 that um your thoughts uh are are not my thoughts my thoughts are not your thoughts and uh your my ways are are so much higher than than your ways and and and that's something that that we've continually seen uh here on the on the mission field and and we can have our ideas and our plans of of what we want to do uh but uh the Lord constantly is is is showing us that hey it's it's not about what you want it's about what I want and and uh that is something that we have continually seen here on the mission field over and over again and and probably in in in in ways that that we wouldn't have been able to see if we had stayed at home.

Mark 1:16:12

That is a great reminder to us that God's kingdom and the work that he's doing is far beyond our comprehending and I think one day when we get to heaven we'll be surprised to see all that God was doing behind the scenes and what he had you know just like how he even prepared things well before we ever even knew that he was at work. He was already moving pieces into the puzzle he was moving them to accomplish his purpose far beyond what we could even ask or think. It has been really good talking to you and I am super excited about the ministry there. Of course I know my kids came back uh just having had a blast and um their lives I think were probably deeply impacted by the time they got to spend with your family. But um thank you very much Brandon and uh Regina and the rest of the crew um for being faithful and just sticking by the stuff. And can't look for I'm looking forward to what the Lord will do in the next 12 plus years through your ministry there. And uh it seems like he's doing a great work and keep up the good

Final Takeaways And How To Connect

Mark 1:17:14

work. Thanks Best Mark appreciate the opportunity I'm grateful to Brandon for taking the time to share his story and I'm glad you joined us for this conversation. One of the things that stayed with me was Brandon's reminder at the very end God's will is so much better than what we can imagine for ourselves. Brandon and Regina had a plan. They thought they knew where God was leading them but looking back over nearly 12 years in the Dominican Republic you can see how God was working through closed doors, unexpected opportunities, relationships that took time to develop and ordinary believers who began reaching other people with the gospel. And maybe that's one of the lessons of missions that applies wherever God has placed us. Faithfulness doesn't require us to see everything that God is doing. It simply requires us to keep following him with what he has placed in front of us today. Be sure to check out the show notes for more information about Brandon and Regina and ways that you can connect with their ministry. You'll also find there are some specific ways that you can pray for their family and the work in the Dominican Republic. In addition you can also find more episodes and resources at kingdomwithoutborders dot orgation has encouraged you would you take time to share it with someone who might benefit from it? And be sure to follow Kingdom Without Borders wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next time remember this God's kingdom knows no borders and he is still writing his story among the nations