Projects in the Dominican Republic 2022

The JTCE Drug Rehab Centre is the vision of Pastor José Dolores Martinez and his wife Lola. They house between 50 and 60 men at the centre, feed them, give them a bed, love them and tell them that there is a way to break free from their addictions through the healing power of Jesus Christ.

The JTCE Centre is about 8 kilometers outside the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. It sits in the picturesque mountains north of the city, on a very winding road called la “Ruta Panoramica Santiago-Puerto Plata”.

2022 was an exciting year for the Drug Rehab Centre. With funds from Canadian friends, Pastor José was able to purchase the property on the mountain so that men will always have a safe haven to come to when they decide to go in a different direction, leaving behind their drug and alcohol addictions.

The men that we talked to, when we visited in January 2023, told us every day that because of this Centre, they now have a safe haven, where they are loved and valued as human beings and many of them have made huge changes in their lives.

Of course there are other men who come only for a few days, a few weeks, a few months and then once they’ve had a few good meals, feel a bit stronger, they leave. But many return to the Centre again and it is amazing to us that Pastor José and Lola will welcome these men back to walk with them again and again, as long as it takes.

The JTCE Centre takes its name from a verse in the Bible which states that: “Jesús Tiene Compassión de Ellos” meaning Jesus had compassion on them. This is taken from Matthew 14:14 “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” That’s what the JTCE Centre continues to do in a very low-key way, having compassion on men in the DR who are regarded as lepers, as incurable by most. We are grateful to be a part of a ministry that continues to change men’s lives, one life at a time.