The Story of Our School in the Dominican Republic

Thelma Steward Destiny Academy, La Vega, Dominican Republic

Isabella and I recorded this video at our school in La Vega, Dominican Republic. We made it for one reason. We wanted to say thank you to our partners and supporters.

Many of you have heard me talk about "the school" for years. Very few of you have heard the whole story. So today I want to tell you how it started, who these children are, and what God has done.

What Many People Do Not Know

I love the Dominican Republic. My mother, Maria Nunez, came to the United States from the DR in 1970, and I went back every year as a child. So what I am about to share, I share with love.

Back in 2015, Isabella and I found out that many Haitian children living in the Dominican Republic were not in school. I will not get into the reasons why. I will just tell you what Isabella and I saw with our own eyes. We saw children who wanted to learn and had nowhere to go.

Think about what that means. A child who never gets into a classroom becomes a teenager who cannot read or write. A teenager who cannot read or write has very few doors open to him. And when the right doors are closed, the wrong ones open fast. A lot of these young people end up in bad situations. Not because they lack ability. Because nobody ever gave them the chance to learn.

That broke our hearts. We did not create the challenge these children are facing, but we can surely do something about it.

How God Connected Us in 2015

I retired from the Army in 2015. That July, the Lord told Isabella and me to purchase an apartment in the Dominican Republic. My family tried to talk me out of it. They thought I was just enamored with the country after a three-week retirement vacation. I did not know all the details, but I knew God had a plan.

In October, we found out why. The Lord connected us with a Haitian pastor living in the Dominican Republic named Idovil Gervais. Pastor Idovil saw the same need, and he was trying to do something about it. He was teaching these children, but their parents could not afford to pay anything. He was keeping the lights on, literally, by asking for donations.

When Isabella and I walked in, we met 9 and 10 year olds who were just learning how to write their names. One of our oldest students back then was 14 years old, and he was in the 4th grade. In one way, that hurt my heart. In another way, it made my heart glad, because he was excited about finally getting an education.

Later the children told me that at their old location, people threw rocks at them while they played outside. Rocks hit the tin roof while they sat inside studying. It was hard to hold back the tears when they told me that.

So the Lord prompted Isabella and me to start a school. We partnered with Pastor Idovil. RIPMinistries took on the expenses so he could focus on the children and not on raising funds. We started with a little over 40 children.

From 40 Children to More Than 235

That was eleven years ago. Look at what God has done.

Today we have more than 235 children. We teach from pre-K all the way through 10th grade. And we are not stopping there. We are going to stay with our 10th graders until they finish high school. When they walk across that stage, Thelma Steward Destiny Academy will be a full pre-K through high school.

Every child in our school receives:

• A Christ-based education, free of charge

• A warm breakfast

• A hot meal every school day

• Teachers who treat them well and a ministry that is praying for their parents

Two of our students, a boy and a girl, have been with us all eleven years. They kept coming, year after year, because all they wanted was to go to school. Now they are on their way to finishing it.

A Compound Called Destiny

For years we moved the children from one location to a better one, always believing God for a place of our own. The Lord instructed us to purchase land and build a school and a church. Thanks to our partners, we purchased the land debt free. Construction began in January 2021.

The school is named the Thelma Steward Destiny Academy. Right next to it stands Grace Destiny Church (Iglesia de Gracia Destino). We launched the church in October 2016, and in July 2023 we dedicated the new sanctuary. Families, students, and church leaders filled the building to thank God for His faithfulness.

Today the school and the church sit side by side inside one walled compound in La Vega. In the video I call it an oasis, and that is exactly what it is. I am not ignorant of the challenges. There is tension between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. There are hard things going on in Haiti, and we are praying for that nation. But when our children get through those walls and into that compound, they can dream God-sized dreams.

Here is what I want you to see. God made plans for every one of these children before the world began. Not one of them is an accident. Every one of them has a destiny.

Matthew 19:14 NLT

"But Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.'"

Somebody stopped these children at the schoolhouse door. Jesus said, "Don't stop them!" So we opened the door.

How You Can Help

Everything you just read happened because of our partners and supporters. Isabella and I could not do it without you.

If you want to help us keep these children in school, here is how:

• Give online. Rick and Isabella Piña Ministries (RIPMinistries) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax deductible in the United States. Make a donation here: ripministries.org/donate

• Give by mail. Rick and Isabella Piña Ministries, 5501 Merchants View Square, Suite 187, Haymarket, VA 20169. Write "Destiny Academy" on the memo line of your check.

• Pray. Pray for our students, their parents, our teachers, and Pastor Idovil.

• Share. Send this video and this story to someone who has a heart for children.

You may not be able to travel to the Dominican Republic, but your donations can go where you can't.

Thank you for partnering with us to make a difference in the lives of these children. God bless you!

Rick Piña