The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic, part of the Island of Hispaniola, became an independent state in 1844 previously occupied by settlers from France and Spain. Her independence was afterward stolen from her by the Spanish Empire, but re-established as independent in 1865. After several economic troubles and threats from the Europe, the U.S. provided military government ownership in 1916. A Dominican government was finally established in 1924, allowing the U.S. to leave the country in their own hands. After years of ruthless ruling of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, who killed many Dominicans that disagreed with his ways of ruling, a new president, Leonel Fernandez, was elected in May 16, 2004 and the country remains under better political conditions intended to provide peace and stability.
The dominant religion in the Dominican Republic is Catholicism, 94.3% of the nation claiming to be Catholic. However, nearly half of the people who claim to be Catholic do not practice the religion.
There is much flavor to this country's culture- you will find many people engaging in activities such as art, writing, music, architecture, and more…
Please pray for an awakening of the Holy Spirit to fall down on these people to see God's truth and allow Him to transform their lives!
Pray for God's love to break through the enemy's deception of religion and cause them to see Jesus Christ.
Pray for growth in the church & protection over the believers, that they will be strengthened and continue to grow in their own faith as they shine brightly in their communities.
Pray for organizations and ministries in the Dominican Republic like Compassion International & more, that God will continue to bless their work and expand their fields of harvest!
(information from http://www.compassion.com/about/where/dominicanrepublic.htm and http://www.operationworld.org/country/domr/owtext.html)
