Who am I? by Casting Crowns

Often we find ourselves looking at the task before us and asking "God, can You really use us? There are so many needs, so many hurting people, and at times, we are the hurting people. How can You use us? We see a mother church that is doing well but has needs. And we see five struggling church plants, each with various needs. We are outsiders. We don't speak right. We don't understand the cultural rules of the land. We know little of who people are and what made them the way they are. God, can You really use us?

Our road these last few years has been filled with questions of inadequacy. We are beginning to understand that it is the person who makes himself available to God in complete humility that God will use. Humility is the raw material out of which God creates the fruits of the Spirit. And humility is the willingness to order our life according to God's scheme. This means truly believing that God is the source of everything we experience. It also means allowing God to regulate what He has given us.

On Tuesday we begin our first training series. We have worked hard to prepare but we are very aware that some of the teaching methods that worked in the US, will not work here. And so, we enter this series expecting to learn as much as we teach, and believing that God will work. We are certain that the success or failure is up to God. (verses to consider - 1 Corinthians 3:4-7, 4:1-5, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

The song Who am I by Casting Crowns has been a favorite of Rick's since he first heard it. It is a song of commitment, saying to God that we recognize that our life is but a vapor, but every part of that vapor will be given to the Lord.



This is a video of a performance by a youth group in Oslo, Norway. We found it on YouTube.

Why are we here?

Every once and a while we get asked the question "Why are you here?" It is a pretty normal question when you are on the mission field. Whenever we meet other missionaries, we ask them the same question. It is a quick way to know their focus. As well, when we meet Dominicans, often they will ask the same question. I imagine they wonder - What would cause someone to leave their homeland and go to some distant land, leaving family and all they know? And it is a great question!

For us, the story of God's calling is exciting to share. We love to share it when people ask. But in this entry, we want to focus on what we feel God has called us to do while we are here.

When we were support raising we shared in our presentations three reasons that we feel God has called us to the Dominican Republic. These reasons have not changed, although we have changed some of the wording.

1. Equipping has been changed to Church Planting. We were asked, "Who do we want to equip and why?" We are here to equip the people of Iglesia Nueva Vida Jarabacoa and the people in the Nueva Vida daughter churches with the purpose of developing strong leaders for their church plants. Pastor Bill Hanson of Iglesia Nueva Vida Jarabacoa has created a plan for discipleship in Jarabacoa that was not there two years ago. As a result, our focus is drawn to the daughter churches. We are working to develop a plan to train nationals within these rural churches.

Present Action Step: We are leading the believers in El Montaña church through a four session workshop. We desire that they learn to share their faith with their neighbors, family and friends. So, our training is focused on Relational Evangelism. In addition, we want to prepare them to join a team that is coming to evangelize in their community. This brings us to #2.

2. Teams has been changed to Partnership Development. This change in words really helps to communicate our focus for bringing teams. Partnership speaks of the relationship between the church in the United States and a Dominican church. Our desire is that churches in the United States or elsewhere will make a longterm commitment to building a relationship with local Dominican churches. As each church has a greater understanding and trust of the other, we believe there will be greater impact. Development speaks of our desire to see teams involved in the equipping of the local churches for ministry. This does not always happen. It is very easy for a US team to come and do ministry while the local churches stand by and watch. We desire to use teams to equip and develop the believers of the local churches.

Present Action Step: We have a team coming from California in November. It will be their first mission trip here. They are coming to support Nueva Vida in El Montaña and evangelize its community. As I stated above, we are preparing this community to work side by side with the the evangelism team from the United States.

3. Networking has not been reworded and remains the same. We are very impressed with the many ministries here in Jarabacoa. Many are growing and expanding. We have the heart of a networker. It is our belief and desire that ministries will have a greater impact when they to work together more frequently and effectively.

Present Action Step: Learning who is here and what are they doing. United World Mission (UWM) calls it "mapping." As we get to know people, their ministries and churches, we will be looking for areas of connectedness. How can we work together? What are the things that we could do as a unified body, things that no individual church or ministry could do on its own? So for now, we are learning, praying, and seeking to understand what is necessary to get greater communication in Jarabacoa.

Much of our work is connected with the ministries of Iglesia Nueva Vida. There are currently five daughter churches. Each of the churches struggles in the area of leadership. As we work to equip the believers in the different churches, we are looking for leaders within those communities.

Finally, our mission, UWM has a system where each field develops a Strategic Plan. Missionaries that come to the field, then develop goals and action steps which fall in line with the Strategic Plan. We are the first UWM missionaries here so we get to develop the Strategic Plan as well as our goals and action steps. We are overseen by our directors, Joe Milioni and Paul Pitman. Joe currently serves in Uraguay and Paul lives in Costa Rica but his ministry focus is in Cuba. Recently they visited us. We talked a lot about the ministry here and in the last few days, we began to create a Strategic Plan. This plan is still developing, but what is above is a reflection of that plan.

Our Home Life

Before we were missionaries we were always curious about what life was really like on the field. Obviously it varies widely depending on the exact location, type of work, and living conditions, but we thought we would give you a peak at our routine. We do want to say...there really isn't any "routine" in our life. What we share here, will change in a few weeks as some of our activities will end. But here is our routine...for now!

Each morning Rick takes the kids to school on the motorcycle at about 7:50. Becky then takes off for a half hour to hour walk before the heat really sets in. Geralda, our house help, comes around 8:00 to clean and do the laundry. Mornings are usually devoted to office work.

Currently we are preparing a training seminar for the believers in Montana. In late November, an evangelistic team from California will come to work in this area. We want the church in Montana to be ready to share their faith along side the Americans. Preparing this seminar involves melding some Spanish material with English material we used at Calvary EFC. We will then talk through the material with the church planters. We are praying for God's guidance and wisdom in this our first training event.

Morning is also the time to run errands while it is still cool and not raining. Errands can really take a lot of time. All bills are paid in person with cash. Because we are not very good at communicating on the phone in Spanish, we also go on site to resolve any problems. For example - We spent a week going to the internet office every day until the internet connection they said was working...was really working.

Grocery shopping involves going to the supermarket, the butcher, and the fruit and vegetable market (mercado). At the mercado, Becky may make three or four different purchases depending on what is available and what is needed. It is not uncommon to go to the supermarket or mercado planning to purchase items for a meal, only to find they are out of some essential item or that what is available in fresh produce isn't good. For example, sometimes the lettuce is good and sometimes it is all brown and limp. So shopping involves a number of stops, all coordinated so that the meat is purchased last and driven straight home to the fridge or freezer.

We eat a small, casual lunch. The noon meal is traditionally the main meal of the day here, but since the kids are in school, we eat our main meal at supper. In the afternoon, Rick is currently in language school. This is over in another week. Next week he will be assisting Ivan Rosalia with an evangelistic team from Curasao. Afternoons are often a time to visit with people, an important activity as relationships are so important.

Becky picks the kids up in the truck at 3:00 and may run an errand on the way home as needed. The kids change out of their uniforms and get a snack. Then it is homework time or play time with the neighbors. The neighborhood kids often run all over the neighborhood unsupervised till evening so we have found it best to invite them into our yard to play under our supervision. Ben has soccer three afternoons a week, if it is not raining. Elena has a tumbling class once a week.

We eat between 5 and 6, which is early for Dominicans, but we need to eat at this time as Rick is often off to evening meetings. The kids then begin their nightly routine of baths, packing for school, getting ready for bed and story time. After the kids are in bed, we relax by playing games, watching a DVD, reading, etc. Our evening relaxation is invariably in English since by this time, our Spanish is spent!

Occasionally someone comes by the house to chat and we sit out on the galeria (porch). Here, it is very common to invite people onto your porch. On the weekends, Rick attends youth group Saturday evenings. On Sunday, we worship at Nueva Vida and in the afternoon, Rick heads off to a church plant.

Just a note about having a housekeeper. In the States, Rick worked at church and Becky kept house, cared for the kids and was involved in some ministry at church--no problem. Originally, we wanted house-help so that Becky would be free for working with Dominicans. This is still our main reason, but there are other benefits as well. Geralda has helped understand the culture, problem solve, and adapt to life here. Questions like - "What do you do when..., What is appropriate when...,etc." are questions that Geralda helps us with. Financially, having a housekeeper provides a job in a land of 25% unemployment, and in our case, for one Dominican family. While in the US, house help isn't as common and is more expensive, here house help is very affordable, makes a lot sense, and is very common.

Even with Geralda, keeping a clean house is much more challenging here than we imagined. Our windows are screened, but always open to allow airflow. And the dust from the street as well as little visitors, seem to continually make way into the house. It is very necessary to keep the "critters" (not Ben and Elena) from taking over! There are no vacuum cleaners, swifter's, scrubbing bubbles, or automatic dishwashers here. Water is hard and does not have any chlorine, coming straight out of the well. The house is swept and mopped everyday and the bathrooms are cleaned almost daily. In the kitchen, there aren't a lot of convenience foods, so Becky makes everything from scratch. This is healthy and tasty, but more work!

What is not in this routine are all the problems that crop up and take a lot of time. We spent more than a month this summer trying to increase our water supply with the help of Ramon Vargas, our neighbor and a church elder, and other neighbors. Finally we were able to get the owner to agree to put in a well. This process took almost two weeks and required one of us to be home during the day watching over workmen and overseeing the work. By overseeing, we mean, helping the workmen get whatever is needed to keep things progressing, waiting for the workers to show up or tracking them down when they didn't show up. This became easier after Rick figured out where a few of them lived. Things are different here.

We also spent considerable time having shelves and living room furniture made and delivered to the house. Having the items made to order was less expensive and higher quality than buying them from a store. Most of this is behind us now, and we are very thankful to be settled and on our way to do the work we have come to do!

Well, we hope that gave you a snap shot of our current routine. People continually ask us what life is like here, and hopefully this gives you a better idea of some of the routine things that don't usually make it into prayer letters, but do consume a lot of time. We are thankful for so much. "Getting Settled" and figuring out a "Routine" has been an adventure of new experiences. But we are thankful. The other day as I drove the truck through the pouring rain to pick up the kids, I, Becky, was again thankful for this precious vehicle that keeps us dry and fords the street floods. We are learning more what it means to praise God in all things!

Read, Read, Read

What does a new missionary do to relax? Well I, Becky (aka Rebeca), read! I love to read and Rick benefits from my reading through many discussions regarding what I am reading. Then, typically, he ends up reading what I think he needs to learn (did I say that?). So, the following are books I have or am still reading since we arrived in the DR:

Money, Possessions and Eternity, by Randy Alcorn. Be prepared to be challenged! I spent a lot of time in the Bible and in prayer while reading this book. I really felt I needed to gain a deeper understanding of how to handle our money and possessions. Although for Americans we live very simply and on low income compared to the States, we have a high income here and desire to use it for His Glory, not just our comfort.

Crisis and Hope in Latin America, an Evangelical Perspective, by Emelio Antonio Nunez and William David Taylor. This book is about 10 years old, so not really current, but it gives a fantastic historical perspective on the social, economic, political, and religious history of Latin America. It gives us some foundational information that we can use as a framework for beginning to understand the spiritual condition of the DR. With this we have begun to make inquiries of our Dominican friends to learn their perspective on God's work in the DR.

Anne of Green Gables and Nicholas Nickleby. I have downloaded these books free on the internet from www.gutenberg.org and www.librivox.org The first site has the written text of many books in the public domain. On librivox the books have been recorded chapter by chapter by volunteer readers.

Spiritual Secrets of Hudson Taylor. I have never really read missionary stories in the past, but somehow they are appealing now! We certainly do not have to brave the kinds of conditions Hudson Taylor did, but it is challenging and encouraging.

Walking with the Poor by Bryant L. Myers. This is my most recent challenging reading! This book, written by a long-time World Vision worker, brings together three pieces, "a biblical framework, a holistic understanding of poverty, and a survey of development thinking" into a proposal for transformational development. What does it mean to "help" the poor, what is a "better future"? Here is one challenging quote: "The poor suffer from marred identities and the belief that they have no meaningful vocation other than serving the powerful. The non-poor, and sometimes development facilitators, suffer from the temptation to play god in the lives of the poor, and believe that what they have in terms of money, knowledge, and position is the result of their own cleverness or the right of their group. Both the poor and the non-poor need to recover their true identity and their true vocation." He states that the goal needs to be changed people and just, peaceful relationships for both poor and non-poor.

For the Kids: Minn of the Mississippi, What if You Lived During the Revolutionary War, Dora the Explorer, A Fish Out of Water, the Burgess Animal Book, the Book of Virtues, The Boxcar Children, Five Children and It, and many, many more. For Mommy and Daddy: Raising Global Nomads, Taking the Grrr out of Anger, and How to Really Parent Your Child.

Both Rick and I have made a point of reading the Bible in Spanish each day.This is not exactly relaxing, but a good learning experience! The other day I was reading aloud on the galeria (front porch) while the kids played with their friends. Janisa, and 8 year old, stopped her play to listen and complimented me on my reading. She then related that her mother liked to read the Bible. I asked if she had a Bible at home, because many Dominicans do. She said they had one, but it got ruined. I told her I had several Spanish Bibles if her mother wanted one. So next time I visit my neighbor, I will ask if she would like one.

We would love to hear what you are reading so we can add books to our wishlist!

Doulos Discovery School

The First Day of School, August 21

Don´t they look smashing! We were excited and nervous to send Ben and Elena off to school. Ben is in second grade and Elena in kindergarten. For Elena this is a big step, her first school experience and kindergarten is a full day. We loaded up in the truck and as you can see, there is a school assembly, and lots of excitement. Ben already had many friends because he had gone to three weeks of soccer camp at school. Elena was nervous, but brave. They took traditional American lunches with them. Although the school has a cafeteria, we thought eating PB&J, an apple, and oreos for lunch might smooth some of the adjustments.

Ironically, the kids soon began to beg us to come and have lunch with them ¨like all the other parents.¨ It seems that a lot of childen get a good hot, dominican meal brought to them and fed to them by their mom or househelp. Lunch is the main meal in this country and a full day of school is not the norm, so it makes sense to use that a big meal is brought to the kids at school. But I guess we are just lazy and will continue to send a cold lunch with Ben and Elena. They will have to be happy with their ¨wierd¨American lunch.

Elena´s school day is mostly in English as kindergarten is designed to be English immersion. Of course, this is very easy for Elena, but challenging to her classmates. Recess is totally in Spanish! Her teacher, Miss Melanie, resorts to Spanish as needed, but the kids seem to absorb the English like sponges. Elena has made friends and now sometimes finds herself getting her card turned for talking with a friend instead of listening to the teacher (Like mother, like daughter!) We pray for Miss Melanie everyday as she teaches 18 wiggle bottoms how to listen, learn and obey.

Ben seems to be sailing through second grade with characteristic energy. His worst week was the second week of school when his teacher, Tara, was sick with Typhoid. He missed her terribly and prayed for her constantly. He earned "Doulos of the Week" that week for helping her substitute, Mark, through the week by translating for him as needed. Mark is his English tutor as Ben does language arts in English while his Dominican classmates study Spanish language arts. Ben is so ¨energetic¨, that he gets in a few scrapes with the other kids, mostly at recess and in soccer. We have been counseling him on ¨when to walk away¨ instead of trying to win every argument!

Having the kids in a safe, quality learning environment is such a blessing to us as we are free to get our work done during the day and have quality time with them after school. We hear all about their day, have a snack, and do any homework they may have. If it is not raining the neighbor kids sometimes come over to play. The neighbor kids have the traditional half day of school, so they are sometimes watching for Ben and Elena to get home at 3:00.

Catching Up on The Blog

My, but it has been a long time since we have been able to post! We waited three months for high speed internet at home and catching emails at other missionaries´homes or an hot internet cafe weren´t conducive to writing a blog somehow. A lot has happened in the last couple of months.

We feel almost settled in our home, just a few more essentials to put in place. We are so thankful for a comfortable, affordable home to rent that has a huge yard for the kids and dogs to play in. Often the yard (called a patio) are small and-or ornamental gardens not meant for soccer playing boys! Our house sits on the tope of hill, so we get a nice breeze. Our road is a pretty bumpy dirt road, which is a trial at times, but it prevents anyone from speeding by our house.

We now have two boxers, Dylan (right) and Kila (left). They were owned by missionaries who returned to the States. They are delightful dogs and yet they scare everyone away and so we don´t worry about things being stolen out of our yard. Of course we lock the house up tight when we are away, but Dylan and Kila are always on guard. They especially resent horses passing by, which is almost a daily occurence. Kila lost her leg as a puppy when she escaped into the street and got hit by a vehicle. I, Becky, have been taking them with me on my morning walks, but Kila is still skiddish of passing vehicles. Dominicans tend to be quite afraid of dogs they don´t know. This is understandable since there are so many dogs running loose. Some are pets and some are street dogs, but you never know which are friendly or aggressive, so it pays to avoid them all. We have told the neighborhood kids that the dogs won´t be mean if we are home, but if we are gone they should stay away because we don´t know if they would bite. Even so, the kid´s friends stand and call at the gate instead of coming in on their own for fear of the dogs. Once we let the kids in, the dogs are great and the kids are comfortable.

There are many major changes that one learns to adjust to when moving to a new country, but here are some little things that are different about our home. At night we keep our motorcycle in the kitchen to prevent it being stolen. However, the brooms, mops and buckets are always kept outside, because the laundry area is outside. Laundry is done often because it takes time to dry on the line and if damp, sweaty clothes are left in the hamper, they will mildew. We used to keep some of our shoes outside, but the dogs like them too much to leave them there.

Grocery shopping is quite a chore here as we cook from scratch and many fresh ingredients don´t keep more than a day or two. Coming home from the store, all fresh produce gets a soak in chlorinated water and all the jars and cans get a dunk too since there is a nasty disease that mice and rats leave behind if they happened to have passed over food items. (Yes, kinda gross, but you should always wash your can lids even in the States). The fun of eating inexpensive fresh fruit has still not worn off. Avacados are cheap, about 30 cents each. Wow!