Luis and Adeline (Oh) Velarde are both full-time missionaries, licensed ministers, and chaplains with the Assemblies of God Canada and the Dominican Republic, serving in the Dominican Republic since 2013. Luis has over 35 years of ministry under his belt in Peru and the Dominican Republic, while Adeline has been serving the Lord for about 20 years, first in Canada, Peru, and now the Dominican Republic. 

Luis was a part of Youth For Christ and had also developed a ministry using arts and theatre to share the Gospel and biblical truths, traveling to different countries in South and Central America. After he met Adeline,  he also assisted in her work with the youth at risk on the streets in Lima.

Adeline has taught Sunday School to children (which is not where her calling nor strengths lie),  served as a youth group leader, and also ministered to the homeless and those at risk on the streets of Vancouver before leaving for Peru as a missionary. In Peru, she started a local nonprofit association to work with drug-addicted youth and women at risk on the streets of Lima. She also worked with Luis in his ministry in the arts.

Luis and Adeline both met in Lima, and after a year of marriage, felt the Lord call them out of Peru to serve in the Dominican Republic (DR).

Their initial foray into ministry in the DR was as volunteers with a Christian foreign organization working in the areas of women at risk on the streets and with community pastors in a small northern town in the Dominican Republic. A year later,  the Lord led them to the small city of Puerto Plata to start their own ministry, and this is where they are today.

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The Dominican Republic is located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with Haiti. Situated west of Puerto Rico, with the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south, the Dominican Republic is known for its warm climate and beautiful beaches. The official language is Spanish, although Dominican Spanish can be considered a language on its own, unique with its own semantic and grammatical quirks and idiosyncrasies. Many people speak and understand English as well, but a majority prefer not to disclose their knowledge of the language unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Dominicans are friendly and always seem willing to lend a helping hand to strangers; after all, this is a country where people greet everyone upon entering any waiting room, a collective car, or any establishment. Driving in the Dominican Republic is not for the faint-hearted, for while there are rules, it would seem that the adage "rules are meant to be broken" holds especially true here. This is a land that braces for hurricanes during hurricane season annually and depends on rain for its agriculture and livestock. The fertile soil of the Dominican Republic allows for many species of flora and fauna to grow, truly living up to its Taino name, Quisqueya, which means "mother of the lands".