Hello! My name is Angelica and welcome to Iglesia De Cristo Mundo.
connecting you to events and stories of faith within the Church Of Christ
in your community and around the world.
Welcome to Iglesia De Cristo Mundo.
The countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island known as Hispañola.
As Haitians face economic hardship,
they look to immigrate to the Dominican Republic to find a better life.
as Charles Louinel sought that same dream,
he knew that God had something even more special waiting for him.
Let’s take a look at his story.
Yo estaba orando a Dios, y le dije a Dios:
"Quiero ser parte de tu nación;
quiero estar con tu gente".
The island of Hispaniola is shared between
Haiti and Dominican Republic.
Economic disparity between the two countries
leads many Haitians
to try and make their way to the Dominican Republic
to find a better life.
Among those trying to improve his life,
was Charles Louinel.
It's very different in my country because
it's a poorer country
in Latin America and here (in the Dominican Republic)
it's a little better that you can not only study
and also work at the same time.
In my country, my mom is Voodoo.
My dad also, they practice that or I can say
my entire family is Voodoo since I was born in Haiti.
I went to live with my uncle at his house.
Then I went to the church and I learned about God
and I could see the difference between Voodoo and Christianity.
El Vudú, es como,
usted sabe que hace mucho—
no sé si se ha visto que antes—
hace muchos sacrificios, matas animales y es muy sucio.
Y entonces podrías sentir que este no es tu lugar.
For Charles, the journey was a test of his trust in God.
To come here was very difficult because
the only thing that I found at that time
is that I felt that God was with me.
Despite everything that was happening
when I arrived here
the only thing that was with me was God.
And when I arrived here—
you do not have a family here,
you do not speak Spanish.
It's very difficult.
But I felt there was something here for me.
After settling in the Dominican Republic,
Charles began to look for a place he could belong,
a place for his Christian faith.
lamó me
y entonces él me invitó a la Biblia de estudio
en la Iglesia De Cristo.
When I was in the Bible study for the first time
in the Church Of Christ,
I felt there was a great difference.
In another church, what they preach is that they read a verse
and then they will go and say what they think.
Una vez que conocí a la Iglesia De Cristo,
pude sentir automáticamente que esto era lo que
estaba buscando, incluso el primer día.
El ministro deja hablar la Biblia.
I see that the minister made the question
and said the Bible answered.
Podría sentirlo que— el lugar que debería estar.
Cuando buscas algo y no entonces no sabes lo que buscas
y lo encuentras y se podrías sentir,
esto es donde
debes estar desde que naciste.
But becoming a member of the Church Of Christ
was not easy.
Charles' friends and former parishioners
began to mock and accuse him.
Y luego dijeron: "¿No nos quieres más?"
But setting his hopes high always,
Charles took their comments in stride.
Eso día podría sentir que soy tan especial.
Así que a pesar de todas las pruebas que he pasado en mi vida,
me convertí en miembro de la Iglesia De Cristo.
I already feel that the place I have to be
for my salvation is here.
Having found the gift of what he was searching for,
Charles is eager to share it.
He estado buscando la salvación,
no solo para mí, sino tambien
para los que viven a mi alrededor.
With three places of worship in the Dominican Republic:
La Romana, Puerto Plata, and Bonao,
Charles continues to actively tell more and more people
about the Church Of Christ.
He brings guests and visitors to each and every
Bible study he can, including his former preacher.
This is my advice:
that you give it a chance.
Listen to the Church, to the teachings of
the Church Of Christ, then you'll see the difference.
With two places of worship in his native country, Haiti,
he hopes to convince his family
to join the Church Of Christ.
Y ahora estoy trabajando para que mi familia
pueda ser llamada a la Iglesia De Cristo.
My name is brother Charles
and I am a member of the Church Of Christ.
We wish all the best for brother Charles
and everyone in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
If you’d like to find the places and times of worship services
in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, or even around your neighborhood,
please head to www.incmedia.org
In quick news, let’s take a look at aid to humanity events
hosted by the Church Of Christ all around the world.
All throughout the month of March, members of the Church Of Christ around the globe
were part of different donation efforts:
In Bogotá, families received packages of non-perishable goods.
In Hong Kong, China all to the way to Manitoba Canada,
Church of Christ members united in blood donation,
And in New Jersey, food and supplies were donated
to the "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" Organization
for struggling families in the United States,
and other care packages to their communities.
Free lunch and winter relief bags were donated
to a community center for military veterans, seniors,
and low income families in Des Moines, Washington.
Es increíble, me encanta.
Nunca he escuchado de su Iglesia.
Hacen cosas increíbles, increíbles.
La ayuda, solo el amor que te encuentran ...
Puedes sentir el amor.
Ustedes están aquí, cómo dan la bienvenida,
con los brazos abiertos, como si los conociera por muchos años,
me dan la bienvenida.
As we end this episode of Iglesia De Cristo Mundo,
thanks once again to Brother Charles
and all the brethren that shared their stories with us today.
For more stories like these, visit us at www.incmedia.org/espanol
and contact us via e-mail at info@incmedia.org.
We'd love to hear from you.
I’m Angelica Fisher. See you next time!