We, Bill and Elvera were privileged to visit the JTCE Drug Rehab Centre in the mountains just north of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic twice in 2023.
We spent a week there each time, once in January, once in June. Although the weather was not as delightful as weather on a beach would have been, the atmosphere at the Centre was joyful, supportive and covered in God’s peace and compassion.
Repeatedly, the men at the Centre stressed the love that they felt when they were welcomed to the Centre. Most arrived destitute, only some were brough by their families. Yet each man is welcomed with open arms. They are given soap and a towel, a bed to sleep in, clothes an shoes if they need them, nourishing food, and love. Did I mention the love that the men receive from Pastor José and his wife Lola and from the other men?
With the limited funds that we provide from Canada, Pastor José and Lola do amazing things to encourage the men, to love them, to fatten them up, to show them that they have worth and that they can beat the addictions that oppress them.
We can use more help for sure. And giving through DevXchange is a way that you can help us help these men and those that will continue coming to the Centre. These men need to go back to their families, to rebuild the bridges that they destroyed when they were held captive by their addictions.
It’s always exciting to hear stories of men whose lives are transformed at the JTCE Drug Rehab Centre in the DR. Here are 2 stories.
JOSE ANTONIO ALVAREZ
I, Jose Antonio Alvarez, arrived at this Christian rehabilitation center, Jesus Has Compassion for Them, on January 28, 2023. I have already been in the center for one year and two months. I am grateful to God because he has made me a new and good person. I am still at the center helping others just as I am still being helped. I thank God for everything he is doing with me.
I am grateful for the people that God is using as a channel of blessing for all people who consume alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other substances.
I want to give thanks to pastor Jose Dolores Martinez and his wife Dolores Alcequiez. Also, I want to thank the missionaries: Bill and Elvera Reimer, Wayne and mama Liz, and all the people who strive to help those in need of help.
VICTOR ALFONSO FERMIN
My name is Victor Alfonso Fermin, I entered the Jesus Has Compassion for Them Transformation Center in October 2023 and on February 13, 2024 I completed four months of internment. Firstly, I am very grateful to God and secondly to the people that direct and support this ministry and rehabilitation center.
Right now I am part of the group of leaders who manage the daily routines of the center. Also, I am assigned to missionaries Wayne and Mama Liz as an interpreter in Bible studies. I am learning a lot about the word of God and the message of salvation while serving as an interpreter.
I am willing to continue in the program until I have the necessary tools to live a normal life without any type of problem with controlled substances.
To learn more or donate to Drug Rehabilitation DR Project, visit their campaign page https://devxchange.org/drug-rehabilition-dr
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