Monday, November 19, 2012

Flood Ravages Two Villages

Recent heavy rains caused a lot of flooding in the Dominican Republic.  The Teachman’s share about 2 affected areas.
   

Flood Waters

The recent disastrous flood waters swept through the homes of almost all the members of 2 of Pastor Apolinaria’s churches in Montellanos and Imbert.  They have suffered tremendous loss. As the pastor of the Montellanos church brought us through the homes, each person told us the same story. On Friday evening the river rose from chest high in some of their houses to the top of the ceiling in others. 


A home hanging over
 the edge of a riverbank

All that is left in many homes are a muddy floor and four walls. They look like small abandoned buildings. In most houses, the beds, couches, clothes, and cooking utensils were either swept away or are not usable. In one of the worst areas affected by the flood, 9 homes are hanging over the edge of the river bank. A little help is coming in the form of used beds, but the local politicians go by a list of who to help. Most of the Christians are being skipped. The pastor has been working tirelessly to help the people.  All of the people left homeless in his congregation are sleeping in the church. 

Many people we talked to told us they know that God spared their lives and believe He can restore their belongings.

People's few belongings laying
in the street

The pastor of the Imbert church said that this stormed destroyed about 750 homes, 10 of which belonged to his church members. His house also flooded and, after getting his family to safety, he went from house to house helping to rescue other families.  Sunday’s church service was cut short as there were still a lot of families stuck inside of their homes.  The pastor went out with a couple of men to bring everybody to safety.

The pastor said he saw a lot of homes being taken by the river and that he had never seen anything like this before.

Please keep in prayer those affected by the flooding, that God would send the desperately needed help to restore these small homes and all the belongings that the flood waters either swept away or ruined.

God bless you,
Rev. George & Sister Candy Teachman

Highlights from the Dominican Republic

Rev. George & Sis. Candice Teachman shared these wonderful reports from their trip to the Dominican Republic.  These are just highlights of some of the things that God did!

They were invited to speak on a Christian Radio Station…
On the radio, the Spirit of God filled the room. So many people started calling in that all four phones were ringing. People with us started answering the phones. Even though people are in desperate need, they mostly want prayer for strength, more of God in their lives or salvation for unsaved loved ones.

We were asked to minister at a school in Santiago…
The principal brought about 300 7th, 8th and 9th graders out into a small courtyard to hear the word of God. Both the students and teachers got involved in this meeting. We talked to them about some of their Dominican heroes, such as the current major league baseball stars. We then ministered to them about our hero, Jesus Christ.

When we asked if anyone would like personal prayer, the first one to step forward was the principal. Then one of the teachers stepped forward. Both asked for prayer for healing of back pain.  After prayer, they were feeling better. They brought one young boy forward who had trouble walking without the use of a machine. As we prayed for him, the presence of God touched him so strongly.  He told us that he felt a burning inside of his afflicted leg that he never felt before. We told him that the healing power of God had begun to do a work in him.

As we left, the principal asked us to come back every time we come to her city. She said that they’ll get a larger place so all 500 students can hear the Gospel at once.

Home Visits…
Pastor Apolinaria took us to several homes to pray for the people.  The Lord moved in a powerful way.  Many people were set free by the power of God in several different homes. Glory to God for his great compassion upon the people. One woman, who was not a Christian, received prayer and was amazed as the lord immediately healed her. She was swollen and in pain and the swelling and pain left.

A paralyzed man, healed during a church service…
When the altar call was given, a man came for prayer who had been in a services accident. He was in a wheelchair, paralyzed, as the nerves had been severed from this accident. The presence of the Lord touched this man mightily. As all three of us, Candy, Rafael the interpreter and I were praying for him, we felt that the Lord was repairing the nerve damage and healing his legs, in which prior to prayer he had absolutely no feeling. After prayer we asked how he felt and he told us that he felt that the Lord completely healed him.  He said that he felt a fire burning in each of his legs and the only reason he didn’t get up and walk was that he felt the muscles were very weak from lack of use. We told him that shortly he will be walking, glorifying God and giving a testimony of His power.

Church Service in the Park…
For several years now God has been working through a man named Pastor Tomas. Every Friday, rain or shine, he has meetings in an urban park here in Santiago. The city government has tried to remove him from this park. The police have threatened him, but he has remained faithful to preach Gods word. People travel from other cities to attend these meetings, and others walk long distance to be there.

After I ministered the Gospel about salvation, a large group of people came forward for prayer. At least 15 people gave their life to Christ

God bless you and thank you for all of your prayers.
Rev. George & Candy Teachman

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

2nd Report from the Dominican Republic

Reaping the harvest!

We went to the children’s hospital in Santiago to pray with the sick children here. We ministered God’s word in each and every room. There are 8 beds to a room and there are between 4 and 10 family members per room. Most of the people wanted prayer for salvation. Mothers and fathers, together, were asking Jesus to become their Savior. Ladies were crying as Jesus forgave their sins. People who barely spoke English or Spanish were getting saved. We ministered in the waiting room, where about 15 people received Jesus.  So many people were asking for prayer that we had to break-up into 4 groups to pray for everyone.  God did a wonderful, powerful, supernatural work in the hospital today.

We were invited to speak in a mountainous area, in the center of a small town that I had never been to before. As we came into town, there were a few people dancing on the street to the worldly music that was blaring loudly. The presence of God came powerfully upon this meeting. It started raining heavily, but we were under cover in this outdoor meeting. In 2 other meetings, when it rained, we prayed and the rain stopped. This time the rain increased, causing all the people to find cover under the area where we were ministering or across the street with the other music. Most of the people chose to crowd into our meeting. After we ministered the Gospel, the people flooded the altar call. We prayed for a large number of people, from the young to the old, seeking God for salvation and healing. The anointing came upon me very strong as we continued to pray for person after person. The Lord started doing physical miracles for the people.

Rev. George & Sis. Candice Teachman

Saturday, November 10, 2012

God is moving in the Dominican Republic!

Rev. George & Sis. Candice Teachman are currently in the Dominican Republic doing minsitry work.  They sent this wonderful report that we just had to share with you!  We know you'll enjoy it!

Pastor Apolinaria told me she has just opened another church in a village outside of the town of Imbert. Her current church in Imbert, of which the members are all Haitians, is full.  The people crowd into the small packed church to sing praises to God in Creole, their native Haitian language. This new daughter church, which is only a few months old, has 7 members coming faithfully to all the meetings. Pastor Apolinaria has two sisters helping her with these meetings and ministering to the new converts when she is not able to make it. When we arrived, the pastor had a wonderful meal waiting for us which would be the Dominican equivalent of an American Thanksgiving. She told me that she took up a special offering in her church and that all her members gladly gave to provide this wonderful meal.

About 1 month ago, I was driving into Hartford on a Friday night when a tractor trailer immediately came into my lane, coming within about 1 foot of crushing me. God miraculously delivered me. When I told this to my interpreter, Rafael, the Holy Spirit came upon him powerfully. He said that just before that date, his pastor and whole congregation were in a 4-hour prayer meeting when God gave a vision to his pastor, Jimmy.  It was a vision of a large truck hitting my truck and crushing me on the highway. He had the whole church pray for me for a long time until the Lord gave him another vision of me being spared. Right after I narrowly escaped that accident, the Holy Spirit spoke to me that I was spared because He had someone praying for me. I didn't realize he had a whole church praying for me about that exact situation. Praise the Lord for His mercy.

Rafael’s pastor, Jimmy Rodriguez, gets up daily at 3:00AM to have prayer meetings in his church. Between 3 and 10 people attend these meetings.  Because of the volume of prayer in his church, in many of his meetings the Holy Spirit takes over with people trembling under the power of God and dancing in the Holy Ghost all over his church. God also had called him to start a new church. He told me that recently he had his first meeting and 18 souls came to Christ. God is moving in powerful way through these dedicated servants in Dominican Republic.

In our Sunday night service the Lord set me on fire. The interpreter could barely continue to translate at one point. He said he felt the fire of God burning inside of him and the presence of God kept overtaking him. God had me warn the people, in the Holy Spirit, to stay in prayer and watch their children closely; that violent acts would he happening in their village shortly. Less than 1 hour after this meeting the police were called and lights were flashing outside of the pastor's house as one of her neighbors attempted to stab his wife to death. If we stay in prayer, the Holy Spirit will continue to warn and protect us. In this meeting, the Holy Spirit was falling upon the people powerfully. Children fell-out under the presence of God at the altar. Several young people, who were backslid when I was there in March, were back in church, established and working for God.

We are all full of joy here tonight. God bless you from the Dominican Republic.
Rev. George Teachman