As the waves roll in on the shores of Guibia Beach, Immanuel asks strangers for money and food. The 15-year-old boy is homeless, living on the streets of Santo Domingo surviving based on the donations of random passersby. His parents are living, yet they don’t want anything to do with him.
By age 15, Mackenson (Mac) Admeus had released his first rap album, achieving fame, success, recognition—a dream come true.
This February, Mac met Immanuel on the beach and shared the Gospel with him. As Immanuel read the Bible verses, he knew that with this knowledge about his sin, he needed to make a decision.
Immanuel gave his life to Christ that night, amidst a busy crowd of street kids and young couples enjoying a warm Dominican evening. That week Mac introduced Immanuel to some of his Christian friends, and the two now meet regularly to read the Bible together.
“I never thought God could use me that way,” Mac said. “It's always clear He did the work. All I have to do is be obedient and go out there and share it. Each time He promises me He will be with me.”
Redeemed for Purpose
In Mac’s family, both Jesus and music were highly encouraged. His family believed in and praised God. Not Mac. Music was his God.
“When I was 13, a few friends and I decided to form a band. We had a manager and a promoter. As a teenager I thought I had everything that I needed,” Mac said. “But I always felt that I missed something.”
At 17, Mac looked at the unity, love, and faith he had seen in his family. He believed they were a blessing from God. He decided to say no to the music. No to the fame. No to the pleasures of the world. No to trips and adventures with the band. And yes to God. “I felt that God was calling me, telling me to come home,” Mac said. “God helped me. He showed me that He had something better for my life.” Mac’s repentance was not a surprise to his mother. She never stopped praying because she knew that God would draw Mac to Himself.
“God changed me, and He uses me now for His kingdom, which is a huge blessing and an honor to serve Him,” Mac said. “My life is for Him, and my whole heart is for Him.”
Mission Movement
There are over 7,000 islands in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic is the second largest, boasting over 10 million people.
Mac’s mission field is the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), a campus in the public university system with over 150,000 students. UASD serves as a flagship in the Caribbean, bringing students from all over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. For some, getting to class means traveling two or three hours by bus each way.
Twice a week, Mac and a small group of students meet for Bible study in an open courtyard on campus. They call themselves La Vid, meaning “the vine.” This semester Pastor Sabino and Mac have been teaching the students about discipleship, encouraging them to take steps of obedience and help others understand what the Bible says.
Mac prays about his time each week, asking God to help him make disciples. He has earned their respect by living out what he teaches.
“[It’s] really good to teach them the vision we have. They know, ‘I’m part of that. I belong to this,’ and then they do something about it,” Mac said.
The vision of La Vid Bible is clear: to reach the lost and disciple those that they reach. Multiplication is key. “We understand that salvation is for everybody, as the Great Commission tells us to do,” Mac said. “To grow in numbers and in faith so that we can see the campus reached. La Vid is a movement.”
For Diana De Los Santos, La Vid has spurred her faith, helping her connect with other Christians who teach her how to live out God’s Word. “How can you follow someone if you don't know Him?” Diana said. “I have learned much about Jesus through every Bible study. The Bible has all the answers–all the information that you need to know how to live your life.”
"The Bible has all the answers–all the information that you need to know how to live your life.”
Diana has no desire to go back to her old life. God and His Word have set her free. “Now my life is totally different. I don't need the things that I thought I needed before. I see that the way I lived was empty,” Diana said. “I’m thankful for the people who told me about Jesus.”
Multiplication is happening, with the added prayers and labor of churches hundreds of miles away.
Working Together
While planning to send mission teams to Spain in 2011, Pastor Tim Rude received a call from Herschel Martindale, a pastor who has helped plant churches throughout Latin America. Herschel asked Tim if he would be willing to send teams down to the Dominican Republic to possibly plant a church that would saturate the UASD campus with the Gospel. La Vid was born.
Since 2002 Walnut Creek had sent teams to Europe, including Spain, Ireland and across the United Kingdom, where they faced a culture that was largely antagonist toward Jesus. “People were disgusted with the church and anything associated with it,” Shaly Moyal of Walnut Creek Downtown said.
The Walnut Creek teams arrived in the Dominican not knowing if the cultural response would be similar. They hosted English classes on the UASD campus, and in one week, talked with over 1,000 people.
For many in the Dominican, Jesus is a household name. Yet few understand the implications of the Gospel or the need to repent. The challenge for the teams and the students in La Vid is to take people from a mechanical religion to a personal relationship with Christ.
“People love to talk about God. Most believe in Him but many do not understand the Bible or salvation by grace through faith,” Shaly said. “It becomes a mission to build understanding for the need of fellowship, and unity among the saints, rather than convincing them that God is real.”
This March marks the fifth year Walnut Creek has sent teams to help encourage and support La Vid. Churches in Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, and Missouri continue to come down year-round as well. The American teams have shown Mac and others that the burden of the Gospel is for every Christian, not just a chosen few. He is thankful for the support and wisdom of mature believers. “God used others to see La Vid birthed and continue to grow.”
Devoted Fellowship
La Vid meets for church on the rooftop of an apartment, a 15 minute walk from campus. The apartment owners are Christians who allow them to meet for free. The church service launched in November. Every Friday night the students gather to sing acappella worship, pray for one another, and share in communion. Often Mac will preach. After the service, students stay for a few hours discussing the passage.
The service has helped La Vid connect on a deeper level with students who the American teams meet while sharing on campus. When Americans come, Dominicans flock. They have favor with students and are able to freely share the Gospel. When the Americans leave, many Dominicans lose interest in Christ.
Over the years, the Walnut Creek teams have worked harder to connect students with La Vid members as they've seen the importance of follow up. The teams focus on discipling members of La Vid as they disciple other students. “The Dominicans are on the front lines, we’re behind them, equipping them for the battle,” Alicia Jones of Walnut Creek Downtown said. “Giving those people over to them, entrusting them to the Lord.”
Alicia prays they will understand the vision: to reach the lost on campus for Christ. “We want to find people who don’t know Christ or don’t have a church, and disciple them up in the Lord and build a new church with them,” Alicia said. “Seeds we sow do make a difference."
“Seeds we sow do make a difference."
Miguel Robles is one of those people. On the mission trip last year, Miguel met Heather Greer and Ernesto Escobar, both students in Campus Fellowship at Grand View University, and they shared the Gospel with Miguel. The truth that Jesus loved Him and could be a secure hope directly contrasted the life he knew.
Miguel used to live with his aunt who took care of him, his two brothers, and his mentally ill mother. After many disputes, his aunt kicked Miguel out of the house. He lived on the streets, sleeping in garages. “Then I started to ask: Who am I? Why am I here? Does God exist?” Miguel said. “I started thinking about killing myself. I couldn’t make sense of my life.”
Ernesto spent the week with Miguel, reading the Bible with him, showing Him who Jesus was, and the promises of God. Last month during the mission trip Ernesto got to see Miguel again. Miguel is growing as he is discipled by La Vid. Now he wants to reach out and give hope to others just like Ernesto and Heather gave him.
Burden of the Gospel
As people’s weakness are exposed, short-term mission trips provide a fast track to discipleship for the Walnut Creek teams. “It’s a micro version of the church as you take care of people, shepherd the flock, then look out into the lost and bring them in,” Shaly said. “Helps people to understand the weight they should feel every day for the Gospel.”
Apple Lim, a Drake University student, went to the Dominican Republic for the first time this year. Laboring with La Vid illustrated for Apple the need for close fellowship. “It’s really encouraging to see how firm they stand in their faith, and how much they crave for the Lord and prayer. I was amazed with God’s provision,” Apple said.
“It’s really encouraging to see how firm they stand in their faith, and how much they crave for the Lord and prayer."
Throughout the week, Apple and her team walked many Dominicans through the Gospel and spent one-on-one time with La Vid students encouraging them to persevere in the faith. “Emphasizing the importance that long-term growth and motivation is from the Lord, not from the missionary groups,” Apple said. “They know that they need so much prayer–prayer for people to be committed to La Vid, people to understand the importance of fellowship and discipleship.”
Traveling Seeds
Most members of La Vid live with their families, hours away from one another, working full-time jobs, in addition to school, to help pay the bills. God has used these challenges for good, spreading the Gospel across the island.
This year, Walnut Creek sent two teams to Santiago, a city two hours north of Santo Domingo, to encourage Alexis, a La Vid student who had moved to the UASD campus there. Alexis and the teams held Bible studies on the Santiago campus, gaging student interest in the Gospel. Alexis met many Christian students and shared with them the vision of La Vid, inviting them to read the Bible together weekly as a group.
“We pray that we will see an active community of believers who share and live life together as a family and work to live out the Bible, much like those in the early church did and we do at Walnut Creek,” Greg Baker of Walnut Creek Downtown said.
The members of La Vid in Santo Domingo and Santiago are praying for more laborers. Their greatest need. Praying for more students to come alongside them in reaching their campus, city, and country for Christ.
Mac finds comfort in Galatians 2:20, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” As he and La Vid continue to sow seeds, he seeks to trust and obey.
“A lot of good things happen when we’re obedient, and we say, ‘God, I am going to go, not sure what I will do, but I will go,’” Mac said. “When we start following Christ to matter what.”