Sidewalks converted into parking private, with obstructions that ensure its use exclusive. Signs warn you. Spaces reserved for guests where pedestrians should pass by. A restaurant, a cafeteria, a bookstore, a lounge, worship and the headquarters of the Manos en Acción Foundation. The half block west of Francisco Moreno Street and Sarasota Avenue belongs to the church evangelical and the Christian Center Breath of Life business group.
The days of worship and other activities, several a week, the narrow Francisco Moreno street becomes a chaos. Men in black uniforms are distributed along its scarce four hundred meters to park the parishioners’ SUVs, which also occupy the block of Helios Street between Higuemota and Sarasota, all of Francisco Moreno, and increasingly, the first block of Anacaona Avenue and the one that connects Francisco Moreno with Pedro Bobea, in front of the Almacenes Unidos plaza, which has had to place cones to guarantee the access of its customers to the parking underground.
As the god they pray to seems to ignore traffic laws, road safety education and I respect His worshippers imitate him. They park at the entrance of the Bella Vista condominium buildings, blocking the entrance and exit of residents.
This forces drivers to occupy the opposite lane, with the risk of accidentsbecause normal left or right turning is impossible.
If through ignorance of the rules your god does not teach you the I respect By law and coexistence, those who run the Christian Center Soplo de Vida seem to know very well how to negotiate with political and municipal power. A few months ago, the Ministry of Public Works rebuilt the front sidewalk of the restaurant run by this center. church. The vertical parking of customers, with one vehicle behind the other, forces pedestrians to go out into the street, since the sidewalk is occupied, as are all the sidewalks surrounding this large business Christian.
Neighbors upset by the occupation of the space public They claim that the church was authorized by the City Council of the National District to use the sidewalks in exchange for a monthly payment. Although it has not been confirmed, it is clear that no authority has dared to put a stop to it.
Yesenia Thenthe shepherdess, is a successful businesswoman. Her website company religious indicates that the Soplo de Vida Christian Center was born on September 16, 2015. Then it obeyed what it calls a divine mandate to “raise a church in the heart of the capital of the Dominican Republic.” Seven followers began to congregate in “a small space in one of the city’s squares,” but soon there were too many for that location. Then he began acquiring larger spaces until he reached Francisco Moreno and Sarasota, where the Chinese Seafood Restaurant was many years ago. Now he could afford to grow the business so much church as their businesses. According to the website, they managed to acquire a premises “8 times larger than the previous one” and set out to continue “conquering the city where the Lord planted them.”
Last week they celebrated their anniversarywith a party that began on the 11th and ended on Monday. They distributed a letter among some residents of the Francisco Moreno buildings informing them about the event. The neighbors became alarmed. In an administrator chat, someone wrote: “My God, the chaos that we will have. It is horrible on normal days, I don’t want to imagine this.”
The fear was not unfounded. What the concerned person did not anticipate was that Milton Morrison, director of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transport (Intrant), would send four members of his institution to block traffic on Francisco Moreno Street and ensure that Then and his followers could celebrate in peace. Meanwhile, Bella Vista was collapsing due to the traffic at seven o’clock at night.
Who Yesenia Then?
Data about her are available at Googleincluding photos of her image. She has a certain resemblance to Kim Kardashian: stylized curves, false eyelashes, eyebrows outlined with microblading and impeccable makeup. Just like her successful life staff and business, his relationship with Joan Bonilla, the “true love of his life“, she proudly displays on social media. After a failed marriage and a divorce criticized by evangelical sectors, she found a new partner in Bonilla, sharing her life through numerous photos on Instagram. Born in San Francisco de Macorís, Then “gave herself” to the Lord at the age of 16 in the Church Jacob’s Fountain in Center Moriches, New York, where she lived for several years. She describes herself as a “God-called, inspirational, international evangelist, pastor, teacher,” known for carrying a message of “liferestoration and hope to the nations.”
She is the author of several books, such as “I challenge you to grow” and “Woman, reposition yourself and rebuild from the pieces.”
A video posted on YouTube, titled “The Dark Side of Prophet Yesenia Then,” criticizes her for moving away from biblical teachings. It also questions whether her business skills and cosmetic surgeries do not contradict the Christian message. Then also owns Yeseniathenstore, an online store that sells T-shirts with Christian messages and her books. Then’s engagement to Bonilla was a spectacle worthy of show business: fireworks, blindfolds, champagne glasses, a diamond ring, and a kneeling petition. He, for his part, offers “training” on his wife’s ministerial work and is the executive director of One Music Global, a music publisher for Christian artists. Meanwhile, the residents of Francisco Moreno Street, people of modest middle class, suffer the consequences of Then’s privileges: the right to sidewalks, traffic congestion, and the intervention of the Intrant to guarantee their comfort, all with the silence of the authorities.
