Last month the high school principal of Santiago Christian School spoke at the graduation of Amaury's classes at the men's prison, and a comment he made afterward about how seeing each of the men made him curious to know their stories inspired this month's blog. So, Amaury wrote the blog to do just that - share one of those many stories and how God is working in these men's lives. Each paragraph is translated into English right below it.

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Hola
Mi gente bella, quien le escribe es el hermanito Amaury Gracesqui del ministerio de ustedes aquí en Rep. Dom. Le pedimos escusa por el tiempo que tenemos mi esposa y yo que no escribimos una nota en el blog. La verdad es que la culpa es mía pues ella me había pedido que lo escribiera, pero ustedes saben que mi mente camina con gasoil y mis inspiraciones son lentas como el Internet dial-up, pero segura.

Después de un día acalorado la temperatura a 94 F y una noche un poco fresca, nace la inspiración de hacer el blog.

Hello
My beautiful people, your brother Amaury Gracesqui from your ministry here in Dominican Republic is writing to you. Please excuse my wife and I for the time we have not written the blog. The truth is that the fault is mine because she had asked me to write it, but you know my mind runs on diesel and my inspirations are as slow as dial-up Internet, but they are real.

After a hot day of 94 * F and a cooler night, the inspiration came to write the blog.

Esto ultimo meses hemos estado trabajando fuertemente en todas las área del ministerio. El Marte de la semana pasada en la prisión, empezamos un nuevo curso, mejor dicho un nuevo proyecto, llamado Persevera y Triunfa y trata sobre debatir diferente temas y esto motivar a la persona a estudiar y aprender de la Biblia y de la vida real.

These last months we have been working hard in every area of ministry. Last Tuesday at the prison, we started a new course, rather a new project, called Persevere and Triumph that discusses different topics, and this will motivate a person to study and learn from the Bible and real life.

También, el viernes precisamente comienzo el curso de Autosuperación y Autoestimas con un nuevo grupo de estudiantes en el cárcel. Después que leemos la Biblia y hacemos la oración para empezar, yo acostumbro en este curso a darles un test de autoestimas a los estudiantes. Entre ellos esta una persona que había hecho los cursos Etiqueta y Protocolo y Principio de Negocio para Hombre Íntegros en Enero y Febrero. Cuando esta persona termina su test, comenzamos hablar.

Also, Friday began the Self-improvement and Self-esteem class with a new group of students in the prison. After we read the Bible and prayed to start the class, I gave a Self-esteem test to the students, which is something I have become accustomed to do in this class. Among this group is a person who had completed the Protocol and Etiquette and Principles of Business for Principled Men classes in January and February. When he completed his test, we started talking.

Después de un momento, el comienza a contarme su historia. Me dice que anteriormente, el había durado 9 años preso y esta no era su primera vez, y que el había viajado 12 países ilegalmente. Yo continuo escuchándolo. El no sabia porque estaba vivo. El se levanto su polo shirt y me enseña las cicatrices de las heridas que el tiene en su cuerpo y me dice que esa cicatrices son de 5 disparos, incluyendo uno que me enseño en su cabeza. El sigue hablando y yo mirándolo a los ojos. Me dice que un día estaba en una fiesta con su hermano y comenzó un tiroteo y su hermano que estaba a su lado murió de un disparo. Las familia comenzaron a llamar pensando que era a el que lo habían matado su hermano. Su hermano era un hombre de trabajo y mucho decían que por que Dios no se lo llevo a el en vez de su hermano. También, me dice que tiene un hermano preso a 168 años en los estados unidos.

After a moment, he began to tell his story. He told me that this was not his first time to be in jail and earlier he had spent 9 years in jail, and he had traveled to 12 countries illegally. I continued listening. He did not know why he was alive. He raised his polo shirt and showed me the scars from wounds that he has on his body and told me that the scars are from 5 shots, including one that he showed me on his head. He kept talking and I looked into his eyes. He told me that one day he was at a party with his brother and people began shooting and his brother who had been standing beside him was shot dead. The family began to call, thinking that it was him who had killed his brother. His brother was a working man and many questioned why God took his brother instead of him. He also told me he has a brother in prison in the United States serving a 168 year sentence.

El me dijo que tiene 11 años preso y es gastado 20 años de su vida en la cárcel. Se quedan 9 mas por cumplir. El dijo que sabe que es sido un hombre malo en esta vida por que ha hecho de todo. Pero ya se canso como dicen aquí “ya guinde los guante.” Yo lo único que le dije “¿tu sabe cual es el propósito por el cual que Dios te tiene vivo? Dios tiene un propósito en usted. Piénsalo.”

He told me he has been in prison this time for 11 years and has spent 20 years of his life in prison. He has 9 more years to finish his sentence. He said he knows he has been a bad man in this life because he has done everything. But he got tired of it, and as they say here "hung up the gloves." The only thing I said was, "Do you know what the purpose is for which God has you alive? God has a purpose for you. Think about it."

Aquí viene lo bueno. Otros estudiantes me llamaban y cuando regrese el me dijo, “Profesor, usted puede creer que yo en los años que tengo solo he ido como 3 veces a la iglesia y nunca me he detenido a leído la Biblia. Esta es la primera vez que lo voy hacer.” Me enseñaba el folleto que tiene en las manos y era el folleto de la 100 pregunta de la Biblia que le entregue para debatirla la semana próximas. En ese momento sentí una alegría grande dentro de mí por que poco a poco, Dios esta haciendo la obra.

Here comes the good part. Other students called me, and when I came back he told me, "Professor, can you believe that in all these years I have only gone to church 3 times, and I've never stopped to read the Bible. This is the first time that I will do it." He showed me the packet in his hands and it was of the 100 questions of the Bible I had given him to prepare to debate next week. At that moment I felt a great joy inside me that little by little, God is doing His work.

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Thank you for all you do to support our ministry! We would not be able to be here following God's leading into the "deep waters" without you!

Below are some other pictures from the last two months of other areas of our ministry. We hope you enjoy them!

Dios te Bendiga! God bless!

With love in Christ,
Amaury and Catherine


Amaury teaching a Protocol and Etiquette in January to the "jovencitas" or "young ladies" of the Cuerpo de Cristo (Body of Christ) church in Hato del Yaque.












Our Drama Group practicing for "La Eleccion" or "The Choice," which is Romeo and Juliet meets The Good Samaritan! We started meeting in February and the production will be on May 20!









SCS held its induction ceremony for the National Honor Society on February 18, and these are the new inductees! Several of them are Catherine's student and she is very proud of them! They all clearly show the NHS values of character, leadership, scholarship, and service!











Amaury leading a Bible Debate on Thursday February 24 between youth groups from four different local churches that he organized with plans for more to come!