Why Como Quiera?
The name of Como Quiera translated to English, means “Whatever you want” to call it. It is an interesting name. It is more interesting how we got involved with that sugarcane community.
For several years ahead of our first visit to Como Quiera, we already knew God was calling us to be involved with sharing God’s love with Haitians. We always thought it would be in Haiti. God had other ideas. Things just did not come together, and doors kept closing. We finally settled on the idea that if God wanted us to work with Haitians, there were plenty of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, and maybe we should be looking there.
The eastern part of the Dominican Republic is a prime area to raise sugar cane. A huge sugar mill is located in La Romana. The sugar cane is brought to the plant on small gage train tracks that stretch out into the fields. The cane is cultivated and harvested manually, many times using oxen. The dirty, hot, hard work is done by Haitians who have come to the Dominican Republic in search of a better life. The sugar mill companies have built these small communities (bateys) to house these workers and their families. The housing is not very good. Utilities are nearly non-existent. They are treated like second-class citizens, and many times, they are forgotten.
We had been taking medical teams out to do day clinics in a few Haitian sugarcane towns. I remember it was near the end of one of those trips, and the pastor we were working with decided to take us out to Como Quiera, just to see the place. He knew it was one of the worst bateys in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. We had been in bateys all week, but personally, I was not prepared for the visit that day. The pastor was right. The people in Como Quiera were beyond where many of the teams went. It was a very neglected place, and the people felt neglected, too.
I am not sure how to describe what I felt that first time there. It was almost like I thought Como Quiera was beyond hope. I was overwhelmed. It felt like a very dark place. And I felt like I did not want to return there. But, God had other ideas.
Gradually, I began taking medical teams there. Other times, we would take homemade dresses and clothing out to distribute to the people there. When food was scarce, we would take a truckload of food out to distribute to families. It was always enough food for families to have several days' worth of meals.
One thing that did happen every time Helping hands Unlimited visited Como Quiera was we shared the Gospel message with the people.
Those first trips to distribute food, clothing, and the Gospel were not easy. Many times we were mobbed because people wanted to make sure they got whatever we were handing out for their families. We also did not see many people respond, but what was happening was we were building relationships with the people, and we kept coming back. People began trusting us.
It finally got to the point we felt God was preparing us for the next step. There was a small wooden church on the edge of their community. It was the only church in Como Quiera. We had met the pastor, but we did not always see her when we were there because she lived in a different community. We finally decided to have a meeting with her to discuss the church, and in particular, we wanted to know the story behind some partially built walls just outside the building.
It turns out the church began a building project about 15 years earlier. They ran out of money, and the project stopped. The blocks and the mortar have weakened from the weather over the year. Nothing was happening despite the church’s desire for more space.
God had been preparing all of us for something. We had been visiting Como Quiera for close to 10 years. The time had come to ask the church if they wanted help to build a new church building.
Of course, they did, and we were off and running. We used a partnership model we had used successfully in another poor community. It only took four months to complete the project, and the new church building was dedicated on November 8, 2021. It was a great celebration.
Several days after the celebration, we went back to Como Quiera to talk about some finishing touches. As we were leaving, a group of women stopped us to thank us for building the church building strong enough that it could be used as a community shelter during frequent hurricanes. It was the only building in Como Quiera safe enough to ride out a storm.
God is at work in Como Quiera! We are glad God led us there!
Prologue; Helping Hands Unlimited has plans to continue to work with the people of Como Quiera. We continue to do food and clothing distributions. We are sure we will continue to share God’s love and the Gospel in other ways.
We built the new church building so it could be used for things besides church services. Things like medical teams, government agencies, and others who could use the building as they are helping the people of Como Quiera. We want to encourage others to be a part of this work, and we hope they experience the warmth we experienced from the people of Como Quiera.
We need your help!
One way you can help is by contributing to our fund to purchase food to be distributed at Christmas and other times of need. One hundred percent of your gifts go to purchase the food. Please click on the button for more information and to make a donation.