Our Story Begins
On a family vacation to the Dominican Republic in June of 2024, Wes and Sarah felt a strange sense of belonging. They spent the first half of their trip with their lifelong friends, Jim and Teresa White just outside Santiago, who have been missionaries in the Dominican for well over 20 years. Then the Ireton family – Wes, Sarah, and their 3 children (Ellie, Julissa, and Mickey) journeyed to the North coast to spend the rest of their time at a small local resort. As they spent time in the culture and with the people, their hearts were drawn to them.
But the story really began long before this trip.
Wes has always had a strange love for the spanish-speaking culture. Whether it be the delicious latin cuisines, the rich music, or the incredibly delightful people, there has always been a special place in his heart. He studied Spanish in high school, and from there on always desired to become fluent. After being married, whenever Wes and Sarah would vacation or travel, they found themselves always landing in a Spanish-speaking country. In fact, their middle child Julissa is named after an incredible woman they met while doing ministry in the Dominican Republic back in 2009.
Fast-forward to late 2023. Wes found himself wrestling with the call to ministry. He was unsure of what that would look like. Admittedly, he’s felt a call to ministry for most of his life, but has failed to really let go and surrender to the call. And though he was unsure of what this would look like, in December of 2023 Wes had given himself to the Lord and His Kingdom’s work.
Both Wes and Sarah prayed for direction in ministry and where the Lord would have for them to minister. And after returning from their family trip to the DR in the summer of 2024, they finally felt a sense of belonging. Belonging right where God wanted them to be. Loving, teaching, and serving the people of the Dominican Republic.
The love in their hearts for the Spanish culture makes sense now. The love for living in gospel-centered community with fellow believers makes sense. And in combining both of these God-given passions, Casas del Reino was born.
Wes and Sarah both hold a strong conviction that the Church is meant to be more than just an hour long gathering in a building once a week. But it is a body, a family, that we belong to. And we are called into fellowship. The grace of the gospel grafts us into a family, where we do not need to hide any longer. And so our vision at Casas del Reino is simple. To raise up and support house church leaders who can lead small gatherings of a few families in their homes all with the mission of pursuing Christ together, loving one another deeply, and serving the community around them.
We are Casas del Reino. And we are growing the Church, one living room at a time.