As construction on the new clinic has come to a close, we are honored to recognize Frank Beltre for his work with SRI as REVOLUTION financial manager. For over eight years, Frank helped raise the project literally from the ground up, using his attention to detail, organizational abilities, and hardworking spirit. SRI staff interviewed Frank regarding his experience working in this capacity, as well as his previous role with the clinic. Learn more about Frank’s involvement through his responses below.
Describe your previous work with the clinic.
“I worked for several years as administrator of the Clínica Cristiana. My job was to manage the entire financial and operational aspects of the clinic, that is, I was responsible for coordinating and managing that everything in the clinic was functioning correctly. Also, although it was not part of my duties for several years, I often supported the responsibilities of the guesthouse when it was needed. I often coordinated the medical groups in the neighborhoods, coordinated the surgery groups, and on other occasions, picked up groups of volunteers at the airport. I was always available for any need both at the clinic and at the guesthouse.”
What was one of the most rewarding parts of working as REVOLUTION Financial Manager?
“First of all, I have to say that this is a project in which no one can give credit to themself, no one can believe themself to be the owner of it, as it says in two of its main rooms, it is a project “for God to be glorified.”
Like many others, God has chosen me as an instrument to do His will in this great project in which He has blessed me and my family. Generally, I don’t like to talk about the work I have done, but let me give a short description of the work and some of the situations from these last eight years. God has given me strength, courage, patience, skills, His love, and the support of ACPSI and SRI, to handle the REVOLUTION Project. I have participated in the project from the beginning, since the project was named, and they began to plan how to find money for this project. With this description you can understand a little how grateful and satisfied I have felt with my Savior for this opportunity that He has given me. I have faced situations such as labor lawsuits, theft of materials, solving problems with land owners near the project, work accidents, traffic accidents in front of the project, two death threats, appearing in court to defend the resources of the project, and many sleepless nights. I can write a book with many stories for which I must glorify God.
Although the job description and responsibility was that of financial manager of the project, these are some of the things that I remember having done in the project: negotiations with suppliers to achieve better prices and quality, management of multiple structural and distributional changes recommended by experts, making dozens of agreements and labor contracts, being responsible for the budget and in-country purchases, making payment of all accounts payable, overseeing expenses and investments of the project in the DR, reviewing tens of thousands of papers of documents, reviewing large books of hospital requirements, coordinating many meetings to review the project, selecting the hundreds of personnel and dozens of subcontractors for the project, controlling all financial, accounting, banking records, and bank reconciliations, coordinating the North American volunteer groups that worked on the project, making financial and construction reports, holding monthly meetings with the construction committee, making trips of tens of thousands of kilometers to other cities in the country to purchase materials, negotiating directly with the manufacturers, participating on REVOLUTION Tours in the States, finding accommodation for groups of workers who had to spend extended time in San Juan to work on the project, managing of all tax exemptions, and overseeing the use and maintenance of all the machines and tools used in the project.
I say all this not to boast, but to highlight that the enemy has been present in all these processes and how God has manifested himself because He told me, “I will not leave you and I will not forsake you.” I have no way to thank God for all this. I have also felt satisfied and gratified to see how, through the REVOLUTION Project, God has blessed the thousands of people who have worked directly and indirectly in the project to have a job to support their family, and how they have been blessed with devotionals and activities with the families of the project employees. I particularly remember in times of COVID, when the country was closed and people lost their jobs, although they were not working, the project was able to pay part of the salary to these workers for several months to help them afford food.
Something that filled me with great satisfaction was seeing how my family, my wife, and my children, supported me and the project in their free time. We worked with the workers, serving as their assistants, mixing cement, cleaning, loading sand, and planting trees at the project. From time to time my family made dessert to show gratitude to the workers and we also took a group of workers to church on Sundays, especially those from other cities who had to stay for several days in hotels or in improvised rooms in the project. This was a great blessing to show my children the meaning of hard work, camaraderie, friendship and gratitude to all these workers.”
Can you share an example of how you saw God working during your role as REVOLUTION Financial Manager?
Although it is not directly related to financial management, I believe that the greatest example of how God has worked in this project is the number of people who have identified and supported this project, not only in finances, but also in many other aspects. There are many anonymous Dominicans who have and are praying a lot for this project, people who have collaborated directly with work and indirectly financially to make this project a reality. Without these people, the REVOLUTION Project would not be possible. God opened doors and also God closed doors to find the right people in different areas. Allow me to mention some of those invisible people of the project: Victor Polanco, Tirso Soto, Amin de la Rosa, Alex and his wife Maritza, Miguel Encarnacion, and Maldonado. There are also hundreds of North American volunteers who have come to my country to lay at least one block, and many others who contributed with their prayers, many meetings, donating equipment, and many different areas to make this project a reality. Let me mention the director and leader of all this, Joe Zimmerman, who has my respect and appreciation. My mission companion, an extremely special and important man for me and for the project and those who had the opportunity to spend time with him, Ken Potter. And someone who was very key in making the right decisions and who left to be with our Lord and Savior is Mr. Bob Williams, who served as the chairman of the building committee. I have seen the hand of God at work throughout this time, not only providing the financial resources for the project, but also the correct human resources.”
Thank you for your continued support of the clinic! Click here for more information on the Christian Clinic for Integral Health and its current status.