Building a Legacy
Everything has been made possible by the power of God and by the love He has placed in you to contribute to this noble cause for the expansion of the Gospel. I first thank God for all that he has allowed in my life, because I am sure both good and evil has collaborated for the good of my spiritual life.
This beautiful journey started 53 years ago, from the Lord’s will to plant in my heart the desire to know the word of God.
The eighth son of twelve children from the union of Mr. Aquiles Rodriguez and Mrs. Cirila de León, I was born on February 25, 1945. We were a very humble family, located in the town of La Cumbre of Puerto Plata province, a historic site a few kilometers away from the ruins of the mansion of one of the bloodiest dictators in our recent history, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.
From an early age, I was interested in knowing the church of the Bible. I studied diverse doctrines, but when I compared them to the Bible, I realized that there were many differences with the church of the first century described in the Scriptures. For this reason, I never decided to be baptized in any of these denominations.
I thank my dear deceased brother Cesario Rijo. He was a very spiritual brother—always kind to everyone and in good spirits. Because of his love for the Gospel, I knew the Lord’s church.
He had recently returned from studying theology from Lobo, Texas. He went to preach to a place called Arenoso where there was a great spring of water. I remember the water was very icy, and someone told me he would be back a short time later.
At that time, I lived in the city of Puerto Plata with an aunt named María Cristina Rodríguez (lovingly Tinita). As soon as I knew he was coming back, I coordinated to go there that morning of March 11, 1967. As soon as I heard him preach, I knew it was Christ’s Church—the same church I had read about in the Bible. He answered all my doubts, and I was baptized that same day at the age of 22.
On one occasion, shortly after my baptism, he returned on a Vespa motorcycle from Santo Domingo to La Cumbre, traveling more than 200 kilometers. He wanted me to go with him so he could disciple me. So, I made a little lump of clothing and set out on this journey, which I do not regret.
I lived with this brother for approximately 3 years, learning The Word and serving in the congregation of the Church of Christ located in the Ensanche Espaillat of Santo Domingo. After this, I also accompanied him to the province of San Juan de la Maguana, where the church was established. Afterward, I left for Puerto Rico to study theology for two years at Caribbean Christian College (CCC) in 1970. Some of my colleagues were Jaime De La Rosa and Previsterio De La Rosa.
In 1976, I joined my life in marriage to Nurys Altagracia García, with whom God gave me the joy of procreating my three children: Bethelys, Naomi, and Abner. Today, I have five beautiful grandchildren, and I am always praying to the Lord that we never depart from the path that pleases God.
Eventually, I met dear brother Norman Rhodes, along with other brothers at the Roma Theater in the city of Puerto Plata, located in the north of the country. I remember there were about 500 people. Rhodes and his companions arrived in the country as traveling tourists.
We talked about the possibility of establishing the church in Puerto Plata, but he thought it would be appropriate for me to study theology. I replied that I had already completed my studies in Puerto Rico at CCC, and I was quite glad to know of his very close friendship with John Patrick Fogarty, president of that institution.
I will always remember with great appreciation my dear deceased bother Norman Rhodes. He was a good friend, of whom I always had support in the most difficult times.
During the ten years I was working in Puerto Plata, the radio program began to spread, carrying evangelistic campaigns, and guiding and teaching new leaders for the continuity of the work. Brother Lucrecio Mercado remained in the congregation, whom we sent to learn theology at the Baxter Institute in the country of Honduras.
The church grew massively throughout the region, and today the message of the Word continues to spread in several established congregations, which are listed below with the brethren who are at the helm as preachers or evangelists:
1. Ciudad Puerto Plata - Lucrecio Mercado
2. Rincón de Guananico - Lucrecio Mercado
3. Maimón - Ramiro Tejada
4. Imbert - Luis Álvarez
5. Los Llanos De Pérez - Luis Álvarez
6. Ranchito De Los Vargas - Luis Álvarez
7. Altamira - Pedro Tejada
8. El Copey - Cándido Estrella
9. El Copellito de Nagua - Cándido Estrella
Starting from Puerto Plata in 1985, God guided us to our next destination, the Valverde Province in the northwest of the country. We settled in Mao, its main municipality.
It was a new beginning for us with my wife and children. She has always supported me in this work and loving all the brothers and sisters in the faith. God’s grace and mercy always accompanied us. She has been a great supporter in my life and our children.
We began to establish the Tu Palabra es Verdad (Your Word is Truth) radio program, which continues to be broadcast today. In this region, the work has really grown, establishing several congregations, which are listed below:
1. Mao - Prudencio Rodríguez
2. Esperanza - Nelson Jiménez
3. Jaibón, Laguna Salada - Juan Reynoso
4. La Caída - Louí
5. Leonor de Tomas, Monción - Simón
6. Pueblo Nuevo - Louí
The last three congregations listed above correspond to brothers from the Haitian community, with approximately 100 members. The congregations of Esperanza, Jaibón, La Caída, and Mao have meeting places of their own.
For the past 45 years, White’s Ferry Road Church has been with me and my family supporting us on this beautiful project, of which we are eternally grateful. They have devoted resources to meet our needs, so that I can devote myself full-time to the Lord’s work and concentrate on expanding the Gospel.
May our God give you eternal blessings for all that you have done. One day we can enjoy together in glory with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Below are a few words of encouragement that my family has given me, and I wanted to share them with you:
Nurys (my wife)
Thank you for loving us the way you have. You have been by my side in health and illness. You have been an amazing dad. You are truly a man of God, interested in the welfare of those who love the Lord.
Bethelys (my daughter)
You have been my support all these years. Thanks for teaching us the faith of the Lord since our childhood. In the same way, we are now teaching our children. Your blessing is our blessing. Love you.
Naomi (my daughter)
You know how I love you, but I want to express deep gratitude for your dedication of a lifetime—full of sacrifices, righteousness, and loving us the way that you did and continue to do. You are always looking for the good in every circumstance, even if it seemed adverse, and you always kept going. You were like an angel to me when I was a little girl. Today, looking back, I recognize that you are also the one who taught me righteousness, honesty, and to love unconditionally, but above all else you taught me to love our Creator. I have so much that I have to thank God for you. I love you, my old man.
Abner (my son)
I am profoundly grateful that you were there for me every time that I needed you the most. All those years you were close—always with a smile and words of support.
Prudencio has been a partner with us in the Dominican Republic for over 20 years. He has made a huge impact in his country, telling many about the saving power of Christ.
He has traveled and preached to most of the DR with Gospel campaigns. We are encouraged and blessed by his continual growing of the church. We are so thankful for our longtime fellowship, and we love this good brother and his dear family.