The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

We are all different. In our family, we have found that we have different reactions to the same thing. Enjoy the following. It sheds a little more about our life here and how it is different.

Driving Rules

If there is a spot, take it.

Rick...AWESOME!!!!
Becky...God please HELP!!!

Bigger gets the right of way.

Rick...I need a bigger car and a bigger motercycle!!!
Becky.... [was unable to comment since she is still at an intersection waiting to make a turn]

Drive Offensively, but in a Defensive kind-of way

Rick...Ok
Becky...That makes no sense.

Living

No power, no water, no shower

Rick...A little more deodorant should do the trick
Becky...I have learned how to take a bath with only a bucket of water...a well developed skill!
Ben...no importa, I took a bath last week.
Elena...Just heat the water over the stove and I will be waiting.

If you can get away with it, do it.

All of us...NO!

Turn up the music in your house so you can hear it while you visit at your neighbors house a few blocks away.

Rick...what kind of music?
Becky...GRRRRRR!!! Glad I have a supply of earplugs!
Ben and Elena...refused to comment because they were too busy dancing merengue.

Having a housekeeper

Rick....another woman around the house to tell me to take my shoes off before I come in?

Becky....haven't cleaned a toilet in two years....WOOOHOOOO!

Ben and Elena....hot chocolate every morning and someone else makes my bed....couldn't be better. Oh, except we have to obey her just like Mom and Dad, shoot.

Water the dirt road in front of your house in order to lower the dust from cars and motos.

Rick...Precious water, what a waste, I need a shower!
Becky...Thank you.
Ben and Elena...Fun puddles to try to jump with my Bike
Becky...More laundry...UGH!!!

Pointing with your lips

Rick...How can I ever find something when people "point with their lips" GRRRRRR!!!
Ben and Elena...A mastered skill.

Cross Cultural living is not always fun but it is never boring!

Future Plans

We came to the Dominican Republic in the middle of May, 2007 and we made a commitment to Iglesia Nueva Vida until the fall of 2009. This past September, we started praying and asked you to join us in praying for clear direction regarding whether we should return to the US or continue in ministry here. Our desire is to be in the place God would have us, doing what He desires.

Today we share with you that we feel God is leading us to stay and continue in ministry here. While we have not had the easiest transition here, we have survived! And we see that God is using us to equip men and women. There has been a lot of growth but there is much to be done.

If you have followed our blogs, you have read about our highs and our lows. We continue to have these but we also know that we will have those anywhere. It is just life. Going from a 2 year/short term mindset to one that is "open ended" was challenging. In some ways, we roughed it for 2 years and now we are talking more about what is necessary to make a home. But we feel confident that God has lead this way.

We don't know how long we will be here but we believe that God will let us know when we are to move onto something else. In September 2009, it will be 3 years since we left for language school in Guatemala. It is our plan to come home in the fall of 2009 and stay until just after New Years. During this time we want to visit with family, friends, people who have supported us. Becky will also see doctors in the States regarding her health problems.  We also hope to get some training that we believe will help us in ministry. This training focuses in two areas:

1. Teaching Oral Learners using a Story Telling Format. We have investigated this a lot and feel that this format would be excellent for teaching Dominicans.

2. Dealing with Poverty. We struggle with the poverty that we see around us. How do we internally deal with this and not feel guilty for the wealth that we have? The poverty here is not always obvious. It is more of a mindset of helplessness. How do we really help?

For the first training area, there are conferences and books available to help us. One conference is in Minneapolis in mid-September. The second training area is a little more challenging. We feel it may be the most helpful to us if we can spend time with someone who has spent years working with people of poverty.

During our time in the US, we plan to home school our children. Ben and Elena's school, Doulos Discovery School, will be giving us textbooks so that our kids can keep pace with their class and easily join the class when we return to the Dominican Republic. This is a huge blessing.

Of course, many of the details are not nailed down. But we wanted to share with you this decision. You have walked with us and we are thankful for you.

It's worth it all!

This past Wednesday, I had no idea what was going to happen. A week before, Damaso and I were about to go to our weekly Bible study in El Montaña and Damaso asked if we could first stop at a church in Jarabacoa. We did...Damaso was up to something and I was curious to see what. Arriving at the church, we found two men. It was obvious that Damaso was meeting them for the first time and after the typical greetings (which consists of trying to find out if we know the same people), he said them, "I want to have a time of praise in El Montaña and wonder if your worship leaders could come and help us with the music?"

Finally I knew what this was about. This past year we had seen a lot of growth among the believers in El Montaña. And Damaso wanted to have a time of celebration. A time of praise to God for what God has and was doing. A great idea! But to be honest, I was curious to see how this would happened. I know how things are planned in the United States but things work different here...I was ready to watch and learn.

In this first meeting, they decided that the praise service would be in one week and Damoso and I were on our way. I quietly noticed that there wasn't any talk about the time, length of service, or what would be needed to make this happen. I honestly wondered if it would really happen...or would just get forgotten like some other things that I have tried to plan.

On Sunday Damaso told me that he needed the sound system that we recently purchased with funds raised by the believers in El Montaña. The system hadn´t been installed yet because they needed to raise money for 2 speakers. This is another story for another time. I asked if he now had speakers for it. It seemed he did and he would like to pick them up on Monday.

Many times, this and that can cause that and this to not happen. It is life here and it drives us crazy at times...and other times it can be awfully convenient. Monday turned to Tuesday and Tuesday to Wednesday morning. Finally Damaso and I went to pick up some speakers that someone lent to us for the evening. All through this I had my doubts about what was going to happen but found myself chuckling as things just seemed to fall into place.

Damaso suggested we stop by the church again and talk with the worship leader. We did and within a few minutes I found myself loading equipment into the car. A drum set, a guitar amp, a speaker. I didn't expect this. I expected one or two singers with an acoustic guitar and well, now I was even more curious about what would happen. Leaving the church I mentioned this to Damaso and he shared that he was a little surprised too. I asked him if he knew what was going to happen tonight and he laughed and said that we would find out.

I agreed to be back at the church at 6 pm. Once again, I wasn't sure what to expect. We spent about 45 minutes load more equipment and waiting for praise team members. On the way, I was asked what time the event was planned for and having learned a little bit, I replied ¨It will start when we get there and are ready to start.¨

We arrived to the El Montaña church and people were there waiting for us. We weren´t late. Some members were decorating the front of the church. Others were sweeping and many were just there trying to see what was going on.

We setup, everyone arrived and Damaso begin the celebration. I had no idea of the joyful experience I was about to experience.

There were some obvious reasons to praise God. For the first time I can remember, you could stand anywhere in the church (it isn't big) and you can hear who is speaking from the front. The difference was amazing. And this small church had worked hard to make it happen. Months earlier they had started praying about their sound need and God had provided. I looked out and saw the people who had worked so hard to raise the money to buy a sound system and the smiles were HUGE. Even though they knew they still needed to borrow speakers...God had helped them greatly and now they were able to enjoy the blessings of their work.

As a result, this celebration drew people who didn't regularly come to church. For the first time, they could really hear that there is something going on at the church. From their houses they knew something new was going on and many came to see exactly what.

During the service Damaso asked for some testimonies of God's work this past year. Josefina shared how God is worthy of our trust. She talked about her struggles and how God really does meet needs. She was standing before her neighbors. These people knew her and knew her well. And as she proclaimed the greatness of God, I was brought to my knees. 7 adults and teens led the church in worship. Testimonies were given of God´s faithfulness. It was a special time. Sometimes in ministry, you find yourself questioning whether it is worth it or not. This was a time where I was able to say "Thank you God, it is worth it! You are working. Thank you!"

I had no idea how this would be pulled off. But it sure did. And what a blessing it was to me!

Health

As many of you, friends and loved ones, may have heard through our updates, I, Becky, have been struggling with poor health for a few months.  It started last fall with a general run down feeling and a series of unrelated infectious illnesses.  I saw a local doctor and was diagnosed with anemia.  This had occurred the previous fall as well.  Two years in a row is not good.  I began taking iron and looking for a specialist in Santiago (ie big city) to get a more thorough exam and testing.  Added to my general run-down feeling, low resistance, and anemia came crushing fatigue and debilitating joint pain.  Now life was really not fun.  

Although I have given enough bodily fluids to start a research project, as yet we do not have a definitive diagnosis.  It appears to be something autoimmune.   Along the way a nodule in my thyroid was found, although my thyroid levels are normal.  This is being followed up thoroughly.  I am on an arthritis medication for the joint pain which helps most on all but the worst days.

It is discouraging to be so incapacitated by some mystery problem.  But we count our blessings.  We have a supportive church community here.  Having part time house help is a huge blessing.  The warm sunshine we have most days is a delight even when one is sick.  I am learning a great deal of humility and growing in trusting in God that He can work this for the good.

We appreciate your prayers and support. 

The Good Old U.S.A.

On Christmas Day we flew to Miami, returning to the U.S. for the first time in more than a year and a half. We went to celebrate Fred and Carolyn Mackey's 50th wedding anniversary. All four sons and their families spent a week at Daytona Beach relaxing, exploring, playing games, and eating. We had a great time with family.

After we returned to home, I told Rick I wanted to write a blog about our trip. "Oh, boy," he said. "I can't wait to see what you're going to write." He declined to share what he was afraid I might say!

So I thought I would let Ben and Elena share about the experience, since it was their insights that were very interesting. Some of the first observations were:

Elena (shown in a picture with her cousin) got a kick out of reading all the bilingual signs in the airport. She is in first grade and already reading English and Spanish. I realized that when we left the U.S. originally in 2007 at age 4, signs were beyond her no matter what language they were written in. She would carefully read both languages and then declare, "Yep, they say the same thing!" She had fun directing us through the airport using the signs.

Ben and Elena were both impressed with the car we rented in Miami to drive to Daytona Beach. They were bummed Rick hadn't picked the RED car though. However they were very perturbed that we insisted that they wear their seat belts. (We fudge a little on that in the D.R., especially when we stuff 10 people into our Suzuki SUV.) The long 4.5 hour ride up the straight highway was the longest they had been on in YEARS. You can drive that long and longer on our island, it just happens that we haven't done it. They were both sure they would be car sick, since most roads in the mountains where we live are windy. But they were amazed at how straight, smooth and flat the highway was. They were impressed that Daddy drove 70 miles per hour also. We never go that fast in the D.R.

As we drove along we asked them what they saw that was different or interesting. Ben asked, where are all the motorcycles? We began to count them and saw 7 by the time we arrived at our hotel. Most of them were huge compared to the little bikes dominating Jarabacoa. (Also I don't think too many people go out on the highway on their bikes on Christmas Day, even in sunny Florida!)

We were quite surprised to see two people begging. "Even Americans beg, Mom?" Begging is seen some in Jarabacoa, but is a given at every intersection in the major cities here. So we had a little talk about how people suffer everywhere in the world, even in America.

The kids had HUGE grins on their faces when, after numerous forays off the freeway to find a restaurant open on Christmas Day, we stopped at a convenience store and basically ate junk food for lunch. Equally exciting was the supper at Burger King that night. Rick and were not so thrilled; we were hoping for a real meal at a restaurant we don't have in the D.R.

Lest you think that everything was amazing and stupendous to our kids, they were underwhelmed by the ocean. The Atlantic in Northern Florida in December is a lot colder than the Atlantic/Caribbean in the D.R. Ben and Elena preferred the semi-heated pool.

A Trip to the Grocery Store:

I went to the Winn-Dixie near the hotel with Ben and Elena in tow. I was a little concerned that it would be "Mommy, Mommy, can we get....." As we crossed the parking lot, Elena asked, "Mommy is this were the girl found Winn-Dixie in the movie?" Well, not exactly. Before getting a cart and beginning to shop, we did a tour of the store. It's a lot different from our little grocery stores in Jarabacoa. For one thing its cold, very bright and there is music in the background (very annoying!).

I must say I was very proud of my kids. What did they ooo and ahh about? The candy isle? No. The snack isle? No. The fruit, veggies and dairy! "Mommy, can we get grapes? Mommy, they have celery-will you make peanut butter boats? Mommy make sure to get carrots and peppers! "Grapes are expensive compared to all the local fruits and celery here is very limp. Ben and Elena eat carrots, cucumbers and peppers almost every day so they couldn't imagine a week without them. They begged for frozen peas and corn. They also begged for frozen pizza! Fresh milk, pre-sliced American cheese, cheese sticks, and blueberry yogurt topped the list as well. I have to say I was very proud that they didn't try to fill the cart with junk food. There is plenty of junk food in the D.R. if only their mother would buy it!

I laughed when Elena dragged me to the canned beans isle and licked her lips saying, "Please, mommy will you make us rice and beans this week?" We settled for rotisserie chicken from the deli which tastes sort of like Dominican chicken. And we happy to see that the deli even had "moro" (black beans and rice).

We really enjoyed our time in the US. It was so good to see family. We think it had been about 5 years since Rick and his brothers had been together. Celebrating our parents 50th Anniversary brought us together, hopefully this will happen again before their 100th anniversary!

Mixed Feelings of Discovery

In August, Jordan and his mom was brought to our medical team. Jordan is an 11 year old boy, that is the size of a 4 year old. He is very sick and has been his whole life. At this point, Jordan is very thin, his hands and feet are contracted. He sleeps almost all the time.

A month ago, Ivan Rosalia (missionary with Literacy & Evangelism International) called me about Jordan. Jordan was very sick and needed to get to a doctor. I called Doctor Fernando (Dominican missionary doctor who works with Students International) and found out that he would not be able to go to see Jordan until the following week. So, we decided, we had better go get Jordan and his mom and bring them to Dr. Fernando. What I didn't know, was where Jordan lived.
Jordan lives in the mountains in a small mountain community that has 33 homes and only 7 children. Most of the homes are occupied by older folks whose grown children have left the area to find work in Jarabacoa or other places. There isn't a church in this area. There is a school that was built by a group of American's but it sits empty. It would be difficult for a 4x4 vehicle to reach this community, so we made a plan. Alexi, a believer from Nueva Vida Jarabacoa, knows Jordan and where he lives because his wife grew up there. Alexi would take his motorcycle to get Jordan. I would follow with my car and go as far as I dared (Fun!). And when we met up on the road, I would bring Jordan back in my car so that Jordan would be protected from the cold. This worked well, and we soon had Jordan with Dr. Fernando. After a checkup and x-rays, Dr. Fernando gave Jordan some medicine for pneumonia. And we brought Jordan home.

Today, Ivan and I decided to visit Jordan and see how he was doing. We decided to take motorcycles so that we could go all they way to Jordan's house. Alexi and Ivan rode on one bike and I was on my own. I was curious to see where Jordan lived and off we went. The trip to Jordan's house is. . . adventurous! Riding on un-mantained dirt roads/paths/??? is always an adventure. We drove up steep inclines and down them. Down is much more challenging, as when you apply the brakes, the motorcycle slides. We crossed streams and even drove down streams at times. At times, the trail was muddy and slippery, other times dry but it always was filled with deep ruts. After about 35 minutes of bumpy riding, we arrived.


Leaving our motorcycles, we climbed by foot onto a narrow ridge and there we found Jordan's house along with 3 others. Jordan's mom was not there, and Jordan was being cared for by an older man and 76 year old woman. We were warmly welcomed and encouraged to sit in chairs they brought out from a small wood house. As we sat, the woman told her husband to go and get some fruit so she could make some juice. I watched as he hopped off the ridge into the jungle to an orange tree, picked 3 oranges and came back. Very soon after, we were drinking orange juice. We talked with the couple for some time. The lady told me she was born here and she will die here. Alexi and the man had a lot of fun showing me (the American who knows nothing about life here) how they do things. It was fascinating. They lived without electricity and appeared to be completely self-sufficient. They did have running water - Using gravity, tubes brought water from a stream. Chickens were plentiful. Two goats were penned and a huge pig that had given birth to 7 piglets just 21 days earlier. Coffee trees were everywhere and a machine was there to remove the husk from the coffee bean. The man showed me furniture he had made and the tools he used. It was fascinating.

While there, a man arrived with a mule and two sacks of coffee and off the two men went to begin working with the coffee beans. Jordan's mom also arrived with 2 of Jordan's sisters. It was fun time as I was able to understand more about Jordan and where he comes from.

The situation with Jordan is not good. Praise God, it appeared that Jordan's pneumonia was gone. This is a blessing. But Jordan does not seem to be growing. He has little strength and eats little each day. Jordan turns 12 on January 3. I have not been around many kids that have the challenges that Jordan has.

The details are sketchy. When Jordan was young, he did receive care at a good facility in Santiago. While it is difficult to know the reasons, Jordan's family decided to bring him back to the mountain village. Perhaps, had he lived closer to a city, there would have been help.

Today was an emotional day. It was exciting and fascinating to meet people who live a very different life. I experienced the thrill of discovery! At the same time, I felt helpless before a small boy who needed so much help. What could I do to help these people? The distance alone is the most obvious reason that they have not received help.

Probably one of the biggest challenges we face is that day after day, we are bombarded by needs. In the US, I think I was very shielded from needs. Here, there is no shield. It is in your face. And there comes a point where you feel like helping is pointless. Now, I know it isn't, but there are those feelings. God is a God of change and with God, all things are possible!

Today was another day to trust God and may tomorrow be the same. There really is no better way to live.

[I am sorry I did not bring a camera on this trip. Photos came from Ivan who had taken them on a prior trip to see Jordan.]

Seminario Biblico (Biblical Seminary)

Finding qualified pastors is challenging here. Iglesia Nueva Vida of Jarabacoa presently has an American pastor. He will probably retire at some point in the next 5 years. Who will take his place? There are 4 daughter churches located in rural areas. None have pastors. How can we train leaders from the rural communities? There is a need for pastors for existing churches as well as newly established churches.

Fortunately for us, this challenge is not a new challenge. Missionaries all around the world are faced with the challenge of training nationals as pastors and teachers. As a result there are many resources available. Becky and I have evaluated a number of them. We looked for one that met the following criteria:

1. Free or very low cost: Cost alone removes education as a possibility for many people. The larger cities in the DR, have seminaries. But it isn't realistic for a person to go there, particularly after they have a wife and family. So, the study needs to come to the person and allow them to continue at their job so they can provide for their family.

2. Quality and Comprehensive: We wanted a plan that covers the whole Bible and focuses on on practical theology as well as understanding and teaching God's Word.

3. Transferable: A study that Dominicans can reproduce. Dominicans need to able to lead others through the study. And that is our plan. Those who participate are being asked to take others through the same study.

We found a school in Uruguay. Actually, United World Mission has connections with this school and one of our directors worked very closely with it. Its name is "Seminario Biblico de Las Américas." The school has a degree program but also offers certificate program with online courses that can be downloaded at no cost. Right now there are 10 courses available:

1. Doctrine of God
2. History of the Old Testament
3. Poets and Prophets in the Old Testament
4. Pauline Epistles
5. The Life of Christ
6. Homiletics
7. Christian Education
8. Evangelism
9. Sects and Religions
10. World Missions

Presently, Rick meets with six men each Thursday night. They are working through the first course, the Doctrine of God, and expect it to take about 2.5 - 3 months to complete. The courses could be completed on your own, but we feel that much more will be learned as we interact with one another. The men complete a lesson each week and come prepared to discuss the lesson.

While this looks like a good plan, we do have some concerns. Will men be dedicated to do the work? Educationally is this material beyond their ability? Is the reading level of the men sufficient to complete the study?

Dominicans tend to be Oral Learners. By "Oral Learners" we mean those people who learn best and whose lives are most likely to be transformed when instruction comes in oral forms. We are concerned that this curriculum is aimed at Literate Learners (most are). This may be a big challenge for developing those in the rural communities where many dropped out of school at a young age. Knowing this is a challenge, makes are meeting times all the more important since it is at those times that we are able to process and talk about the lessons.

Of course, all of these concerns will vary from person to person. We are excited about this opportunity. Dominicans, also have expressed a lot of interest. Rick's group is for men, and at some point, Becky would like to begin a similar group for women.

For those interested, the website for Seminario Biblico de las Americas is www.seminariobiblico.com