Rick and Suzanne York, Missionaries

Dominican Update
Aoril 2003 / Volume 29. Number 1
This issue:
Rick & Suzanne set plans for re
turn to the Dominican Republic
... Bible study network produces
results! . . . Mid-September de
parture planned!... Monthly sup
port nears 70% ... Family news
r
Rick and Suzanne Set Plans
>
For Return to the
L
Dominican Republic!
J
As many of you know by now, Suzanne and I have
decided to return to full-time mission work in the
Dominican Republic. We will be basing our work
out of La Romana, on the southeastern shore of
the island. The decision to return was easy and
difhcult at the same time! We have enjoyed our
stay at Johnson Bible College and feel that we
have contributed to the growth of the mission
program here but, in reality, our heart has always
been with the work in the Dominican Republic.
Tcp-
7^
Suzanne and I first began planning to work in ^
this new area back in 1997. When we left on ^
furlough in y
2000 we were
recruiting
Dominican co-
workers to go with us and we praise the Lord that
those workers have been there and made a great be
ginning. Benito and Rosa Martinez and Carlos and
Ivelisse Diaz moved to La Romana in the summer/fall
of 2001 and have made significant headway in getting
the church started there.
^ Bible Study Network Produces Results! J
The La Romana team has been using a Bible-study network system that has pro
duced some excellent results in the months they have been using it. The idea is to not
only teach and convert non-beUevers, but also train them to teach others. Thus the team
is able, in a sense, to multiply their efforts. They recently had 14 baptisms as a result of
the first phase of the studies in La Romana and the nearby city of Higuey. Their "gradua
tion" dinner after completing the first phase of classes had almost 100 in attendance.
The team is now irTthe^second^ase of clas^s^hd^so seeing the^"second genera
tion" of teachers being produced recent converts who are stepping out in faith and be
ginning to teach others. We're so thankful for faithfiil workers in this effort. We're ex
cited about getting back to be able to assist in this program.
^ Mid-September Departure Planned! j
We are hoping to be able to leave the United States in mid-September. We are hop
ing that Emily and Laurie will be able to use our furniture and other household items that
we don't want to sell. We have several pieces of nice furniture that belonged to Suzanne's
parents and we want to keep those in the family. We will be setting up house in La
"Romana basically from scratcHTso we heed a lot of prayer support and also some addi
tional financial support. Let me give you our estimates of cost:
Cost for relocation, furniture, apartment deposit, and purchase of ve
hicle: $33,000.
# We have about $12,000 reserved for this fund as of April 1.
# Central Christian Church in Ironton, OH has committed another
$7,000.
# $14,000 still needed for this relocation fund.
# Please find enclosed a return envelope for your special gift.
# Thank you for your help with this need.
Monthly Support
Nears 70%!
Suzanne and I have been so pleased with
the way that our supporting churches have
responded to our plans to return to the mis
sion field. As most of you know, the mission
funds we have received for the past several
years, really since 1995, have almost entirely
gone to the existing work in the northern and
central parts of the Dominican Republic. We
have not drawn a SEdary from mission funds
for several years. As we plan to go back we
still are supporting the existing works with
$3,000 per month. That has been reduced
from $4,000 in 2000 and will be reduced every
year until the existing works no longer receive
funds from American churches, paving the
way for the churches there to be completely
independent and self-sufficient. That's been
our goal for a long time and we're thrilled to
see that come to pass.
We are estimating a monthly budget of
$4,500 for our work in the eastern section of
the country and we have, as of April 1, about
$3,000 of that monthly income confirmed. We
have churches that are interested in support
ing this new project and we are confident that
we will be close to having our full budget when
we leave in September, Lord willing. If your
church does not support us, we would encour
age you to speak with your Mission's Commit
tee. We have some time available to travel to
speak with your church about this exciting
new project!
Emily
Emily, now
23, is living
and working
in Manches-
ter, NH.
She is work-
ing for Mass
Mutual, an investment/insurance
company and really enjoys the area,
except for the cold weather! They
have had a ton of snow this year and
she's had to dig out her car on sev
eral occasions.
Laurie turned 21 on April 4 and
is a junior at Fordham University in
New York City. She is studying
Pohtical Science with a minor in
Latino Studies. She's especially
excited about a study program she
will be in this summer in Cuba!
She'll be there for over a month and
get credit for the classes she takes.
She should graduate in the summer
of 2004.
Suzanne is finishing her work at
the Christian Church Foundation for
the Handicapped and will be taking a
(continued on back page)
D o m i n i c a n U p d a t e
B e f o r e y o u m o v e , p l e a s e s e n d t h e m a i l i n g l a b e l w i t h a c o p y o f y o u r n e w a d d r e s s t o
M I S S I O N S E R V I C E S A S S O C I A T I O N , P O B o x 1 3 1 1 1 , K n o x v i l l e , I N 3 7 9 2 0 - 0 1 1 1 .
M i s s i o n a r i e s :
R i c k & S u z a n n e Y o r k
7 9 0 0 J o h n s o n D r i v e
K n o x v m e , T N 3 7 9 9 8
8 6 5 / 2 5 1 - 3 4 8 7 - h o m e
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R e t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d
F o r w a r d i n g A g e n t s :
Y o r k D o m i n i c a n M i s s i o n
K e n & J a n R u t l e d g e
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Rick and Suzanne York, Missionaries
Dominican Update
This issue:
Almost ready to go... New name,
same mission . .. Analyzing our
prioritiesforthe new work... New
mission board organized... Work
teams for 2004 ... Family news
... Sad news... Pray for us
September 2003 / Volume 29. Number 2
Almost Ready
To Go!
Suzanne and I have been "on the go"
since the end of July, getting ready for
our move back to La Romana in the
Dominican Republic. We moved our
furniture up to Manchester, NH, where
our older daughter, Emily, is living and
then spent a couple of days in New York
City with Laxirie, our younger daughter.
We then returned to Knoxville so that
Suzanne could take her Tennessee State
test for her Certified Nursing Assistant
certificate. Then we headed to Ohio to
begin visiting supporting churches and
have been traveling ever since!
We've shipped boxes and duffel bags
to the Dominican already via our mail
courier and work teams. We have 20
more bags travelling down in October
with a group from Northeast Christian
Church in Louisville, so we are slowly
getting all of our books and other
personal items back down there. We'll
acquire furniture and appliances when
we get back. Trjdng to ship major
appliances or furniture back to the
Dominican is just too much hassle and
way too expensive.
We've been busy here in Illinois for
the past two weeks getting business and
beinking done, working on English as a
Foreign Language lessons for outreach
programs in La Romana, writing letters
and e-mails, and getting ready to go.
Please remember us in your prayers
as we prepare to leave Bloomington, XL
on September 30, Lord willing. We are
really excited about what the Lord has
in store for us over the next several
years in the eastern Dominican Repub
lic. We pray that we will be well used
by Him for His Kingdom's sake.
a
)
New Name, Same Mission
As we began organizing the new mission work in the
eastern section of the country, we felt that a name that
reflected that change would be appropriate. We have
decided to incorporate under the new name: Eastern
Dominican Christian Mission. The maihng address for
funds remains the same: Rt. 2, Box 266
Clinton, XL 61727
Ken Rutledge, who has been our forwarding agent for
over 20 years, will continue to do his fine work. What a
blessing Ken and Jan have been for our work and us
personally! Hianks, Ken and Jan!
Starting immediately, any funds sent should be ad
dressed to Eastern Dominican Christian Mission. All of the
support that is used for Dominican leadership will continue
to go exactly as previously dictated. Thanks for your help
in this matter.
f New Address for
^^Personal Correspondence
We have a new mail service for personal correspon
dence. That address is as follows:
Rick and Suzanne York
DMG # 14772
7990 15th Street E.
Sarasota, FL 34243
This service is provided weekly by Agape Flights, which
serves missionaries to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
They bring mail in once a week and what a huge blessing
that is! Please do not send boxes or heavy items via
this service! Any box we get we have to pay $1.00 US per
poxmd.
Our e-mail address is rvorkl3@hotmail.com. We will
hopefully be able to have internet service at our new home,
so we will inform you of om new e-mail address in om: next
newsletter or via e-mail. If you'd like to receive an e-mail
update, please let us know.
Analyzing our Priorities
for the new work
We're eager to sit down with the Dominican team in
La Romana to analyze the next steps to be taken in the
new work. Benito and Rosa Martinez and Carlos and
Ivelisse Diaz have done a tremendous job breaking
ground in a brand new area. If you've ever tried to start
a new church, you'll know that it's not an easy job! We're
so proud of what they have accomplished in the past two
years.
We're sure that one of the first steps to be taken is to
seriously look for a new meeting place. Average atten
dance at Sunday evening worship on Benito and Rosa's
carport has been 70-80. The carport is quickly becoming
inadequate. Would you please pray with us that the Lord
would lead us in the right direction for this need? We're
sure that He will!
We'll also be looking for adequate housing for us,
planning the next year's work for the church, and getting
ready for work teams coming in 2004. So our plate will
be filled as soon as we get there!
Work Teams
for 2004
We will be focusing the efforts of work
teams into reaching out to the community,
making contacts for Bible studies, and
getting those contacts involved in church.
Everything we do in this new work will be
geared toward helping the churches grow
and mature. Construction projects will
become necessary later on as we think
about a permanent location for the
church. We already have teams scheduled
from the following areas:
Cincinnati Bible College ~
January 2004
Little Galilee Christian Assembly ~
February/March 2004
Erie Christian Church, Erie, IL ~
Summer 2004
Broadway Christian Church in
Mattoon, IL -- November 2004
New Mission Board Organized -
First Meeting on September 13
As we began praying and planning this new work, it became obvious to us that we needed to form a
stateside mission board to help with structure and organization. When we went to Puerto Rico as novice
missionaries, we worked with veteran missionaries in an already established work. When we moved to the
Dominican Republic in 1990 we joined forces with an already established mission there. We really felt the
need to have a board to partner with us in the Lord's work there. We've had so many good supporters and
friends to visit and to help in the work, that asking just a few to be board members was very hard. We're
thrilled that every person we've asked has said, "Yes!" We've got a long list of friends to ask in the future
so that the present board members don't have to serve a life term, unless they want to, of course! The new
board members are:
Carol Finley, Old Union Church of
Christ, Danville, IL
Randy Gordon, Northeast Christian
Church, Louisville, KY
Larry Travis, Plum Creek Christian
Church, Butler, KY
Ken Rutledge, Little Galilee Chris
tian Assembly, Clinton, IL
Joni Colle, West Side Christian
Church, Springfield, IL
Neil Webster, Northeast Christian
Church, Louisville, KY
Suzanne and Rick York
The six people in the photo are as follows, from left to right: Carol
Finley, Randy Gordon, Paul Ziebart (host). Rick York, Suzanne York,
and Joni Colle.
Family News
Our daughters continue to do well. Emily is working
in Manchester, NH. She is actively planning to begin
graduate school and hopes to be accepted for the spring or
fall 2004 semester. She wants to study International
Development, a program that will enable her to work in
developing countries.
Laurie is a senior at Fordham University in New
York City. She is studying Political Science and Latino
Studies and enjoys her classes. She's working part-time
at Starbucks and gets around the city like a real New
Yorker! She was able to spend a month in Cuba this
summer in a study program from the University. She
enjoyed that a lot and was able to see and understand
Cuba much better after having been there.
Suzanne worked with the Christian Church Founda
tion for the Handicapped in Knoxville until the end of
May and then began her CNA course at the Red Cross in
Knoxville. She really enjoyed her studies and feels that
she'll be able to put the skills she's learned to use in the
Dominican Republic in a variety of ways in the next few
years.
Suzanne and I really enjoyed having an interim
ministry in June and July with the Hispanic church at
First Christian Church in Johnson City, TN.
Sad News
We have received two pieces of sad
news over the past three months.
Lynnette Lund Rivas, a good friend of
ours and missionary in Monticristi,
Dominican Republic, died unexpectedly
in June. She visited the mission work
on several occasions as a member of a
work team and worked with us at
Santiago Christian School. She married
Alberto Rivas, one of the Dominican
preachers, several years ago and they
have two small children, Abigail and
Jonathan. Please be praying for Alberto
and the children in this very difficult
time.
We also received word a few weeks
ago that Jared Gurwell, son of Bob and
Debbie Gurwell, was killed in an auto
mobile accident in Mexico. Bob and
Debbie are good friends and former
coworkers from Puerto Rico and we
know they are hurting. Our thoughts
and prayers are with them and with
Alberto and his children.
Thanks to a Lot of People!
We've so much to be thankful for and we wanted to list a few special thanks to friends and churches:
Thanks to Johnson Bible College for two great years. We'll
always remember our time on campus.
Thanks to David and Cathy Wheeler for opening
their home to us on many occasions. They have
learned the phrase "Mi casa es su casa" really well!
Thanks to Ken and Jan Rutledge for sharing
their home with us and our cat! j
Thanks to West Side Christian Church for
their "Christmas in July" gifts for their
missionaries. What fun it is to open
Christmas packages several months
early!
Thanks to Mission Services for the great
work they do on our newsletter!
D o m i n i c a n U p d a t e
B e f o r e y o u m o v e , p l e a s e s e n d t h e m a i l i n g l a b e l w i t h a c o p y o f y o u r n e w a d d r e s s t o
M I S S I O N S E R V I C E S A S S O C I A T I O N , P O B o x 1 3 1 1 1 , K n o x v i l l e , T N 3 7 9 2 0 - 0 1 1 1 .
M i s s i o n a r i e s :
R i c k & S u z a n n e Y o r k
D M G # 1 4 7 7 2
7 9 9 0 1 5 t h S t r e e t E .
S a r a s o t a , F L 3 4 2 4 3
r y o r k l 3 @ h o t m a i l . c o m
M i s s i o n S e r v i c e s A s s o c i a t i o n
P O B o x 1 3 1 1 1
K n o x v i l l e , T N 3 7 9 2 0 - 0 1 1 1
N o n P r o f i t O r g .
3 7 9 5 0 - 9 9 9 8
U . S . P o s t a g e P a i d
K n o x v i l l e , T N
P e r m i t # 3 7 4
R e t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d
F o r w a r d i n g A g e n t s :
E a s t e r n D o m i n i c a n C h r i s t i a n M i s s i o n
K e n & J a n R u t l e d g e
R t . 2 B o x 2 6 6
C l i n t o n , X L 6 1 7 2 7
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