Freedom in Christ

The Lord sets prisoners free,

The Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

- Psalm 146:7-9

There is one story that came out of the recent visits from two short-term missions groups that will forever stick with us. We'll call it Zene's Story.

Zene (pronounced SEN-EE) is a 42-year-old mother of six who lives near the north coast of the Dominican Republic. When we first came to know her, however, she was in a jail cell in our town.

Katie went to the jail for the first time with a group of women from Puerto Rico who were part of a short-term missions team. This team has been to the Moca area six times so they were more familiar with some things in town than we were. The group handed out Bibles and small care packages to each of the women in the jail.

Zene was among that group of women in the jail and accepted the gifts with tears of joy. She followed along as Katie and the group studied Scriptures with the women. She said over and over again that she wanted to live only for God and no longer live for herself. She wanted God to change her life.

The Puerto Rico team, along with Katie, returned to the jail every day for five straight days. They continued to study Scripture with the women. Zene would share with the group what she had been reading and they could see that she had been taking notes in the margins of her Bible. God was clearly speaking to her heart and, more than any of the other women in the jail, Zene was being changed.

After the Puerto Rico team left, Katie and Gueddy, another leader from our church, were compelled to continue visiting the women at the jail. They began to develop a special bond with Zene.

On the heels of the Puerto Rico team's departure, a group of youth from Indiana came to spend a week working in our town. Katie asked Ali, one of the group's leaders, and two of the youth to come with her for a quick visit to the jail. Dan went along this time, mostly to serve as a translator.

Zene with her two youngest children, Maryaliz and Angel.

When we arrived at the jail we could hear yelling and weeping. It turned out that it was Zene. It had been a few days since Zene had heard from any of her children. She had no idea where they were or who was taking care of the two youngest - a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. As you can imagine, she was devastated and desperate! Katie and Ali, who are both mothers, cried with her and felt her desperation.

We began to ask Zene what it would take for her to get out of the jail and be reunited with her children. She told us she ended up in jail because of a domestic dispute with her husband. They had been fighting with each other and both of them were put in jail. The husband had been able to pay his bond and get out, but he left Zene in jail. She said she needed 10,000 pesos (about $250) to pay the bond and get out so she could be with her children.

It seemed like an impossible situation because Zene had no way to pay the bond, and no family or friends who were offering to help her. As we cried together, we began to pray for God to do the impossible. We told her over and over nothing was impossible for God.

Zene also told us she'd been reading the Bible that was given to her the week before and that she was trusting in Jesus to help her through this trial. She had a small gold pin tucked inside her shirt. It was a crucifix and she would take it out or touch it whenever she felt like she needed comfort.

Afer praying with Zene, we returned to the rest of the group. Katie gathered them all together and shared Zene's story with them. Katie asked the group to pray for the safety of her children and quiet themselves before God and listen for His voice. We asked God to show us how we could help this desperate woman.

At the end of the prayer time, many of the students offered financial help to Zene. In fact, this group of 21 people contributed $500 to help Zene be reunited with her children!

We praised God for His generosity and recognized that what was provided was exactly DOUBLE what Zeen told us she needed.

We exchanged the American money for Dominican pesos and went back to the jail. We told Zene how God had provided what she needed to get out of jail and reminded her that nothing is impossible for God. She hugged Katie tightly, cried tears of joy and praised God. Everyone in the room - even the police officers - were crying. It was clear that God had provided a way out of this impossible situation!

We hoped it would be as simple as paying the money and sending Zene back home in a bus. It turns out it's not that simple. She had to wait until the following Wednesday when a lawyer would come to take her to the courthouse in LaVega, a city about 30 minutes away from our town.

So, we assured the Indiana group that we'd follow up with Zene and make sure the money was used to help her get back to her family. Before they left town, however, each member of the group was able to meet Zene face-to-face, hug her, encourage her and pray for her. And the best part of all is that David, the leader of the youth group in our church, led her through the prayer of salvation!

Katie also talked with Zene about the pin she carried with her. She told Zene that she didn't need an image of the crucified Christ to guide her because now she has the living Christ inside of her! Zene rejoiced and got rid of that pin.

When the day came, we followed the lawyer's car all the way to the courthouse in LaVega. Only a few of us were allowed in the courtroom and we watched as she and her husband both stood before the judge. Zene's husband agreed to sign papers that would allow her to be released and the judge gave both of them a strong lecture about how parents are examples for their children.

When we left the courtroom and went to the office where the bond is paid, the lawyer told us the bond had been raised. Can you guess how much Zene had to pay? Her bond had been DOUBLED, which was exactly what was given by the group from Indiana! Praise the Lord for His incredible provision!

Katie with 1-year old Maryaliz.

Katie had not been allowed to enter the courtroom, so she and Gueddy and our two children waited in a coffee shop outside the courthouse. When the bond had been paid and we exited the courthouse, Zene ran to Katie and said over and over again, "God is real!" Once again we were all reminded that nothing is impossible with God.

The next day Zene was released and she was reunited with her children in her home.

Dan with 4-year-old Angel.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday. We gathered a group from our church and took a road trip to visit Zene and meet some of her children. Four of her kids live with her and they all welcomed us with hugs and a delicious meal! We took Zene and her family to the beach for the afternoon and it was amazing to watch her smiling, laughing and playing with her kids.

We shared some encouragement from Scripture with Zene and told her we'd come back for another visit before our time here is over.

Zene's life is changed. She knows it was God who set her free. She knows Jesus lives inside of her. She has taken healthy steps to set a better example for her children. She is looking for a job so she can better provide for her family. She has a smile on her face and she praises God for the love He showed her.

Glory to God!