Over the last year a realization has been building in my mind as to the purpose and look of North Coast Missionary Services here in the Dominican Republic. The Non-Profit Charity of NCMS is multi-faceted and has at least two stages of operation before the full realization of God's purpose is revealed in NCMS. Primarily I believe entirely that God's purpose for using a business model for establishing this Mission is wholly centered around talents that He has ingrained within both Laura and myself. We are hospitality people, we are caterers and restaurateurs; essentially we feed God's people. With that said, at first I could not entirely understand why He wanted me to build this type of Mission, I mean there are other ways to feed people, especially Missionaries and is feeding Missionaries really the whole point of the Mission He has sent us here to fulfill? I suggest to you that God has had an idea for North Coast Missionary Services since He birthed the vision in my mind...this is how it looks to me now.
Each Mission team that will stay in Rio Vista Mission House is part of a larger community of Mission Teams who visit the Mission Field in the Dominican Republic every year; there are literally hundreds of groups that work with different Mission Groups in every Mission Field you can think of, or should I say more precisely, the Mission Fields that God has thought of. I want each of you who read this to put Missions in another perspective right now, a perspective that might look a little different than what you might think is a traditional Mission Field. This is what I refer to as The Real God Market.
The Real God Market is specifically about Missions, or more effectively, the "WHY?" anyone does Missions. The Real God Market is what God has been telling all of us since He gave us the great commission to "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matt 28:19 NIV. The Real God Market is about the people, all of them, even you and me.
Everything else is the World's Market, not part of the Great commission, but nonetheless, still belonging to God for it is written, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:16 NKJV.
This means what exactly? This means that we must use the resources from around us, in our world, from our earth, all things and anything that He has provided for ALL of humanity to live in order to do the things that He has commissioned all of us to do. What we do with the blessings we have, with the wealth we have made is entirely important here and now, actually this has been the rule since God created it. This actually means that you are the proud owner of nothing, you may think you are but in reality, you are using everything you have on "Loan" from the Lord. Think about it, we all trade time for money so we can buy the things we need to live; and sometimes we sell those things we have to make more money to buy other things. So while we live we are all trading stuff back and forth among each other, using just about anything for currency since the dawn of recorded history. Today, money is the current form of currency, however, it could have likely been fruits and vegetables or even chickens at one time in history. Money is just easier to handle today instead of chickens. The point is, we are called to be good stewards with what we have been blessed with and to continue to bless those around us with our blessings. This is the way it was supposed to work from the beginning. So what happened? In a word...Greed. Sin and temptation entered as wealth was discovered, resources were dug up and poured into molds and called ingots. Man turned away from God's edict and began to write his own history. We all know it, history is full of war and conflict, nation after nation has conquered and been conquered all in the name of Greed, again since the dawn of recorded history.
So what about today? Can we change? Are we changing? What can we do now that we see our history laid out behind us like a finely plowed field. What are we supposed to plant in this newly furrowed field?
The rules are still the same as they were then, "Therefore go and make disciples of men,"
But what can you do you ask? Each of us has a part to play in our lives on earth. We just have to understand what the part is, and even then not fall to the temptation and snare of the World around us; the trappings of the World that cause us to trip and fail, trappings like drugs, alcohol, pornography, crime, and a myriad of other vices. Those that are not ensnared by these trappings might like to think you are doing OK competing with the Jones'; newsflash, it is not a competition. Hear it again, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:16 NKJV.
You came into the world with nothing and you will leave with nothing, it is what you do with God's property in between birth and death that is important.
Here is another suggestion for what to do in between life and death:
God gave us His promise when he said through Malachi, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out you a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi3:10 KJ
God is telling us in this scripture to "test" Him on this, if we tithe back to Him a portion of our blessing, He will open up the taps on us and we will receive more than we can handle!
How many have the Faith to do that?
Giving to Missions is also considered as tithes and offerings, you see, God created this edict to establish a revenue source for Missions to the poor, to the orphans, to the lost, to The Real God Market.
The Mission Field in itself is becoming very specific in nature as Ministries are defining "How" to do God's work in many different ways, largely because of the size of the problems we all face in differing Mission Fields.
The biggest God Market that most of the world is not engaged in entirely is the Economic Empowerment of People. It is compassion for people that we are driven to do more for them than we do for ourselves. The Mission Groups that are working here in the D.R. and for that matter anywhere in the world, are all involved in some form of Economic Empowerment of the People. Each Mission group involved in programs that provide improvement in Education for a nation; Mission Groups involved in programs that create training for vocational jobs, even those that provide micro-loans for people to get started in a business. Mission Groups that are involved in providing medical services, even Mission Groups that are involved in feeding orphans, widows and the elderly. You see each of these Mission Groups is fully committed to God's plan of Economic Empowerment of the People, and these groups survive in the Mission Field by bringing teams of individuals to their respective Mission Fields every year. Year after year these teams will continue to bring needed resources, finances, and God's love for the people.
This is what we are doing here in the Dominican Republic. We are assisting those that are involved in the Real God Market with fulfilling God's will, to "feed His sheep", "to be with widows and orphans in their time of need", and "to make disciples of men."
We have looked into the Mission Field here and "Filled a need". The Mission House can assist Missionaries at what they are called to do, we can do this by providing a safe, secure, private, Christ centered environment; a "refueling station". These teams can return each day from the Mission Field and "refuel" for the next day. At the same time Rio Vista Mission House will support itself and all other programs the Non-Profit of NCMS will be involved with in the future. In essence, a Mission that can survive economic downturn because Missionaries will continue to come here to work in the Real God Market.
What we are building here with Rio Vista Mission House is a place for us to do a better job for all of these Mission Groups who are involved in His work.
I cannot express to you enough how important it is for all of you to understand that this is the "Why?" in my life, in my wife's life, in my life with God.
We are not quite finished building the Rio Vista Mission House, we need a few more support dollars in order to complete some of the projects before we can receive Mission Teams.
The full list is available here.
Water well $2500
Backup Power, Inverter $500
Security Wall $10,000
Bathroom fixtures $2500 for six bathrooms (toilets, sinks, taps, tiling)
Security Protection on Windows $2000 (15 windows)
Electrical Wiring, Lights and Fans $3,000
Bedroom furnishings $3800 (six complete rooms @ $440.00 each)
Dining Room Furnishings $500
Kitchen Equipment $1000
Two Hot Water on Demand
Includes Propane tanks $1000
Green Program: (wish list)
Solar Power Start up $6000 includes 10 Kyocera 210 Watt Panels, Inverter, Batteries System
Support us as we continue to support all of the Mission Groups that are sending teams to work in God's Market, The Real God Market.
Praise God queries of bookings are starting already!
Your gifts are tax deductible, we are so close.
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=Donate
Bendiciones
Michael and Laura
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