Shel Silverstein has a great poem called 'Whatif'. The poem runs
through various scenarios that keep the author preoccupied, ranging
from the potentially possible to the hilariously hypothetical. While
the bus being late, one's teeth not growing in straight, tearing
one's pants and never learning to dance are all things that could
happen, they aren't worth worrying about. Oh, the what if's--that
Mr. Silverstein doesn't even bother separating into two words in his
poem—creep into my brain, too. Whatif we don't raise enough for
our salary? Whatif we don't raise what we need to get to missionary
training ($14, 000 in the next month)? Whatif we are .not the
perfect missionary family? Whatif I am too stressed to consider the
feelings of my kids? Whatif..whatif...whatif....
I saw a post on Facebook that had a little girl with delicate
wings possibly made by her own hands apparently wonder to someone she
trusts, “But what if I fall? The trusted person seems to quickly
respond, “Oh, darling, but what if you FLY?” Every time I see
that post I am almost moved to tears. What (exaggerated space) IF
I fly after taking this chance??? What if enough is raised?
What if MORE is raised? What if I surrender my
mothering fears to the LORD? What if I fully rely on God
and see His miraculous character and allow that to revolutionize my
life????
Ultimately, I truly do not want to 'wish away' any of this time of
my life. Man, I wish my three small children were older so I
wouldn't have to worry about them tearing up the house we are staying
in while on homestay. Wow, I wish that we didn't have to scrounge up
our own salary to do really cool work in the Dominican Republic.
Golly, sure wish we weren't living in a four-month transition time
with a family of five.
All these experiences have within them countless ways God can
shine, reveal Himself, grow us, refine us, strengthen us IF our time
is not spent wishing it away. Like Jonah pouting on the mountainside
when he would have preferred a different outcome for Nineveh, I can
have a tendency to miss the joy because of selfishness.
Clearly having the children at all is a total blessing—even at
the moments when they shred the Hunger Games poster on the door of
the college-aged girl's room you are staying in for the next weeks.
Or as I try to write this blog in just under 6.5 hours! :)
Obviously an 'easy' paycheck is, well, easier, but what I am
learning about surrender, reliance, praying big is incredible. Plus,
the chance to have people choose to partner with the work of Makarios
and financially get behind our family is profoundly humbling.
Fortunately, we have within this four-month opportunity to have
our family bonds strengthened and learn more intimately what makes
each family member tick. We are afforded the opportunity to be each
other's emotional support as we work through having no home to call
our own right now. This is a wonderful thing for our family.
The whatif's may still sneak in. The wishing away of challenges
may still occupy some of my emotional space, BUT I ask the LORD to
make the Truth be louder. 'My grace is sufficient for you.' 'I have
a plan for you.' 'My God will supply all your needs.' 'Come to me all
you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.' He has
green pastures for me to rest in. He has straight paths for me to
walk in. Even in the challenges. Even in the dark spots. Even in
the seemingly confusing times. Even with a young family. Even in
the midst of fundraising. Even in the transition period.
Of course, you can directly encourage us in the whatif's by
donating to our family at https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary.
Please consider making a dent toward our missionary training through
a year-end giving and/or joining our monthly supporter team.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Saturday, September 6, 2014
"I am the way, the truth and the life"
“I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.” John 14:6
As
any decent Christian school teacher worth her salt, I had my Spanish
students memorize Scripture.... in Spanish. Oh, they loved it.
Okay, not really, but what a profoundly valuable exercise—for them
and me. Someone had to grade their work? God, in His wonderful
faithfulness, allows what we have tucked into the corners of our
heart to come to the light and serve a way for teaching,
reproof, correction and training in righteousness.
“I
am the way.”
As
we have started another school year at Colegio Makarios (the Makarios
School) this verse has powerfully gripped me. The fact that Jesus is
THE way, THE truth and THE life is THE reason Makarios exists. The
school is a vehicle for this important information. This drives all
that we do and I am so honored to be a part of something so
deliberately eternal. May the Mak students be enveloped in a culture
of seeing God and His relevance in every aspect of their life, truly.
“I
am the truth.”
It
seems that daily I am confronted the absolute darkness that some of
our students live in. Drowning in poverty, some parents turn to
drugs and alcohol, moms involved in prostitution while the kids are
left at the home at a young age, dads who would rather leave a trail
of children than commit to the family unit, death, abandonment,
loneliness, despair, hunger, being dirty—these are common themes in
an average Mak student's life. While all these things are not
specific to the DR, my daily reminder of the magnitude of the lost
happens to be here. The reality is that Jesus and His promises are
not only sufficient, but alive, and He offers life abundant.
“I
am the life.
Serving
here is a wonderful work of which to be a part. As principal of
Colegio Makarios and mom to two Makarios students, I find it humbling
and exciting to partner with this outstanding ministry who,
literally, is striving to expand Heaven. May we be found faithful
through the year to be the lovely feet who bring good news and ones
who remember that no one comes to the Father except through Christ.
Amen.
And,
of course, as always, we are here only through the generosity of
folks like YOU. Please consider being a part of our monthly support
team. We need you!!! https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary
We
will be heading to the States on December 3rd to fundraise
through Summer 2016!!! :) Please contact me at
lauriemajcher@gmail.com
if we can come speak at your small group, gathering you would love to
host in our honor, church, workplace, school, wherever. We love
sharing about Makarios and would love as many folks to jump on board
to support the work being done in the DR.
September pix
Monday, August 11, 2014
Just a little update
The actual one year anniversary of the Majcher's packing up, leaving Austin, TX and
heading to the DR is August 19. What a wonderful year full of
beautiful memories, challenges, set backs, leaps forward and amazing
support both financially and prayerfully. I just wanted to encourage
those who haven't yet to read the July post which sums up our year.
There are also a few pictures from the summer thrown in. Hope your
summer has been productive and restful. May you welcome the fall
with anticipation and joy and thank you for taking time to check out
our blog and read about what we are doing here in the Dominican Republic
A few things to pray about and highlight:
A few things to pray about and highlight:
- The Makarios School's first day of classes is September 1!!
This fall we will be starting a dual language program with our two
youngest classes. This is an exciting transition with incredible potential for our students.
- Our family is up to 65% funding--this is a 5% increase since the July posting. YIPPEE. At this point, we are not supported by any churches--all of our support comes from individuals. If your church would like
to partner us, PLEASE let me know how to proceed with that.
- If YOU would like to financially partner with us and help us
start the new school year fully funded, PLEASE visit
https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary
today. Choose 'Majcher Family' from the drop down box.
- I am profoundly thankful to be in a place of religious
freedom—I have no fear surrounding being a Christian here. Sadly, this
reality that is not everyone's. May those of us who are believers
carry the gospel as the precious gift it is with the boldness of
those young and old who are losing their lives violently for its
cause.
A flashback and pix from Summer 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
A Year in the Dominican Republic
We are quickly coming up on one year of living in the DR. We are
truly enjoying our time here and continue to be blessed and honored
to be a part of such a great ministry! Here are some highlights of
our year.
JOE has learned to drive like a Dominican—which means he will surely be arrested for reckless driving once we return to the US. He has been a total trooper about many things like why we don't get city water when we have paid for city water and now we have to pay for a water truck to come to fill our cistern, having a home phone that doesn't actually call Dominican cell phones, but can call US ones, paying $6/gallon for gas, using pretty play money called 'pesos' and having everyone around him speak Spanish This introvert has also been great about living in a missionary community. He has taught Sarah to headbutt when she is off to bed. (This is more of a prayer request than anything else! :))
LAURIE has grown more comfortable with conducting her life in Spanish. She has learned to roll with disciplining kids to planning for the future of the school to thinking through what to do with the school neighbor who believes the bees that are living in her tree, but stinging our people have chosen her and she doesn't want to disappoint them to trying to explain to Joe why we have to call the water truck to having her heart break because her boys don't want to go to 'panish school and then having her heart leap when they start to love it. She has struggled with the fundraising need, but has learned so much in the process. Incidentally, she has also taught Sarah to blow kisses when she is heading to bed!
SAM, in true boy fashion, has enjoyed exploring our house, yard and gate—a gate he fell from and, while he looked like something out of a horror film, had no lasting wounds or scars. Sam also received a hit to the knee from a foul ball during a professional Dominican baseball game. This earned Mama and Sam their first ambulance ride. Again, Sam walked away unscathed.....wish I could say the same for Mama. :) Sam started his educational career this past year and was an extremely reluctant participant initially. He has grown to love his school and Spanish. He even prays at dinnertime in Spanish. Most significantly, Sam accepted Christ this past year and highly enjoys learning about the Bible.
LEVI, in true boy fashion, has enjoyed exploring our house, yard, and gate—a gate he got stuck in as it closed and the sensor didn't sense him. As awful as it was, he walked away unscathed....wish I could say the same for Mama. She may have suffered two or three heart attacks. Levi mastered potty training this year! He also learned to ride a bike with no training wheels! Levi also started his educational career and was an extremely reluctant participant. So much so, Mama had to pray through the idea that it was Mama's dream alone that was making her sweet boys so miserable Thankfully, that lasted only a season and Levi needs no coaxing to get up and get ready for school—even in the summer.
SARAH celebrated her first birthday here on the island. She learned to walk with tile floors as her cushion, sleep under a mosquito net, throw away dead cockroaches, eat rice and beans and say 'hola' as one of her first words. She is quite particular about who she willingly go to. One of the lucky ones is the night watchman at the Mak house, Miguel. She loves that guy much to the frustration of the many people who would love to hold her! She has proven to be a healthy girl aside from the three-day stay in the hospital after a febrile seizure. Thankfully, she has not suffered any long-term effects from that quite scary event.
We are thankful for the work the Lord has given us, the supporters who have sacrificed for us, the beauty we live in, the community He has called us to, the visitors He has blessed us with, the challenges He has weathered with us, and the profound hope He has allowed us to participate in and share with others. He is so good to us.
As always, please consider partnering with us on this eternal endeavor. You may do so at https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary. We are presently at 60% funding. This does not include what we are raising for the missionary training on which Makarios places high importance.
Grace and peace to all who took the time to read this. Many thanks to you,
Laurie for the Majcher Fam
JOE has learned to drive like a Dominican—which means he will surely be arrested for reckless driving once we return to the US. He has been a total trooper about many things like why we don't get city water when we have paid for city water and now we have to pay for a water truck to come to fill our cistern, having a home phone that doesn't actually call Dominican cell phones, but can call US ones, paying $6/gallon for gas, using pretty play money called 'pesos' and having everyone around him speak Spanish This introvert has also been great about living in a missionary community. He has taught Sarah to headbutt when she is off to bed. (This is more of a prayer request than anything else! :))
LAURIE has grown more comfortable with conducting her life in Spanish. She has learned to roll with disciplining kids to planning for the future of the school to thinking through what to do with the school neighbor who believes the bees that are living in her tree, but stinging our people have chosen her and she doesn't want to disappoint them to trying to explain to Joe why we have to call the water truck to having her heart break because her boys don't want to go to 'panish school and then having her heart leap when they start to love it. She has struggled with the fundraising need, but has learned so much in the process. Incidentally, she has also taught Sarah to blow kisses when she is heading to bed!
SAM, in true boy fashion, has enjoyed exploring our house, yard and gate—a gate he fell from and, while he looked like something out of a horror film, had no lasting wounds or scars. Sam also received a hit to the knee from a foul ball during a professional Dominican baseball game. This earned Mama and Sam their first ambulance ride. Again, Sam walked away unscathed.....wish I could say the same for Mama. :) Sam started his educational career this past year and was an extremely reluctant participant initially. He has grown to love his school and Spanish. He even prays at dinnertime in Spanish. Most significantly, Sam accepted Christ this past year and highly enjoys learning about the Bible.
LEVI, in true boy fashion, has enjoyed exploring our house, yard, and gate—a gate he got stuck in as it closed and the sensor didn't sense him. As awful as it was, he walked away unscathed....wish I could say the same for Mama. She may have suffered two or three heart attacks. Levi mastered potty training this year! He also learned to ride a bike with no training wheels! Levi also started his educational career and was an extremely reluctant participant. So much so, Mama had to pray through the idea that it was Mama's dream alone that was making her sweet boys so miserable Thankfully, that lasted only a season and Levi needs no coaxing to get up and get ready for school—even in the summer.
SARAH celebrated her first birthday here on the island. She learned to walk with tile floors as her cushion, sleep under a mosquito net, throw away dead cockroaches, eat rice and beans and say 'hola' as one of her first words. She is quite particular about who she willingly go to. One of the lucky ones is the night watchman at the Mak house, Miguel. She loves that guy much to the frustration of the many people who would love to hold her! She has proven to be a healthy girl aside from the three-day stay in the hospital after a febrile seizure. Thankfully, she has not suffered any long-term effects from that quite scary event.
We are thankful for the work the Lord has given us, the supporters who have sacrificed for us, the beauty we live in, the community He has called us to, the visitors He has blessed us with, the challenges He has weathered with us, and the profound hope He has allowed us to participate in and share with others. He is so good to us.
As always, please consider partnering with us on this eternal endeavor. You may do so at https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary. We are presently at 60% funding. This does not include what we are raising for the missionary training on which Makarios places high importance.
Grace and peace to all who took the time to read this. Many thanks to you,
Laurie for the Majcher Fam
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
More school? Yes, please!!
Yesterday, Monday, 23 June was the first day of six weeks of summer school. The teachers will spend the time reviewing, teaching the last concepts the students will need for the next year's class, combating the heat and cursing the principal who instituted this craziness. Gulp! So, now you have a better idea how to pray for the Makarios staff and kids this summer. Also, we are going to have a full summer of groups and we pray they have a life-changing experience as they invest in the Kingdom by serving with Makarios.
I wanted to just give anyone reading a little feel for what it is like in the everyday for the Majcher's in the DR. There is a lot to share as I try to paint a mental image of our life here. For now I will start with how we get to school.
Usually the boys and I take public transportation to school. This consists of Joe taking us to the entrance of our community at 6:45-ish where we wait for a guagua (van) or a carrito (a four-door vehicle). The trip to the edge of our community involves dodging several things: guys on motorcycles, stray dogs, wandering horses, the occasional cow and, even, one time, a family of pigs....oh, and the potholes. Oh, the myriad of potholes. Once we are at the end, Joe lets us out and we wait. Sam and Levi pick little flowers for their teachers that I am supposed to preserve until the end of our trip. I have not successfully done this in almost a year's time. :/
If we get a guagua then we pay about a dollar for the three of us to get dropped off at one of the streets leading into the town of Montellano. If we take a carrito then we will pay a little over a dollar for the three of us to arrive in Montellano as it turns into the town to pick up other folks. Each vehicle has beyond its limit of people in it. A few times Sam has asked why Dominicans don't like to have so much space around them. We chat on the 15-minute trip there or watch the sun start to peek through the clouds or talk to the folks around us who are always wondering if the boys are twins. It has become a sweet time for the three of us to just be together and pray for the day and take in our surroundings.
Once we pay and hop out, we have a little bit of a walk to school. For normal people this would take, oh, say, about 7 minutes. Sam and Levi manage to drag it out to a solid 15 minutes if permitted. It is just that there are so many interesting things to see and comment on. So many people to greet. We usually arrive at school before 7:30 and often are the ones to open up the main office. The boys like to help me open the windows and Levi likes to sit on the swivel office chair and plow into stuff. Sam usually goes out to the kitchen to greet Odilsia and Monica who cook for the school and give the boys the biggest hugs...and sometimes some bread or mango. :) I get stuff prepared for the day and the boys wait for their friends to come—Mak staff and students alike. Not a bad start to our day!
Yesterday, Monday, 23 June was the first day of six weeks of summer school. The teachers will spend the time reviewing, teaching the last concepts the students will need for the next year's class, combating the heat and cursing the principal who instituted this craziness. Gulp! So, now you have a better idea how to pray for the Makarios staff and kids this summer. Also, we are going to have a full summer of groups and we pray they have a life-changing experience as they invest in the Kingdom by serving with Makarios.
I wanted to just give anyone reading a little feel for what it is like in the everyday for the Majcher's in the DR. There is a lot to share as I try to paint a mental image of our life here. For now I will start with how we get to school.
Usually the boys and I take public transportation to school. This consists of Joe taking us to the entrance of our community at 6:45-ish where we wait for a guagua (van) or a carrito (a four-door vehicle). The trip to the edge of our community involves dodging several things: guys on motorcycles, stray dogs, wandering horses, the occasional cow and, even, one time, a family of pigs....oh, and the potholes. Oh, the myriad of potholes. Once we are at the end, Joe lets us out and we wait. Sam and Levi pick little flowers for their teachers that I am supposed to preserve until the end of our trip. I have not successfully done this in almost a year's time. :/
If we get a guagua then we pay about a dollar for the three of us to get dropped off at one of the streets leading into the town of Montellano. If we take a carrito then we will pay a little over a dollar for the three of us to arrive in Montellano as it turns into the town to pick up other folks. Each vehicle has beyond its limit of people in it. A few times Sam has asked why Dominicans don't like to have so much space around them. We chat on the 15-minute trip there or watch the sun start to peek through the clouds or talk to the folks around us who are always wondering if the boys are twins. It has become a sweet time for the three of us to just be together and pray for the day and take in our surroundings.
Once we pay and hop out, we have a little bit of a walk to school. For normal people this would take, oh, say, about 7 minutes. Sam and Levi manage to drag it out to a solid 15 minutes if permitted. It is just that there are so many interesting things to see and comment on. So many people to greet. We usually arrive at school before 7:30 and often are the ones to open up the main office. The boys like to help me open the windows and Levi likes to sit on the swivel office chair and plow into stuff. Sam usually goes out to the kitchen to greet Odilsia and Monica who cook for the school and give the boys the biggest hugs...and sometimes some bread or mango. :) I get stuff prepared for the day and the boys wait for their friends to come—Mak staff and students alike. Not a bad start to our day!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
So, I was cleaning the bathrooms at school one day.....
Who would have thought that cleaning the bathrooms at school would
have turned out to be such a powerful experience. First, I was
cleaning them since the school was expecting some visitors from the
capital who were coming to do a preliminary check in on us in our
process to become recognized by the Dominican government as an
official school. They are very important people for us. So,
everyone was scrambling preparing for their arrival.
The bathrooms are cleaned everyday, but not deeply cleaned. So, there I was sweating in the little bathrooms giving them a clean my Mom herself would have been both surprised and proud. What was sweet about it is was that throughout the the process students and teachers were asking how they could help. We were all in this together. :) I now invite everyone of you to come and check out the cleanliness of our bathrooms!
While I was thinking about inviting these ladies into every part of our school—our records, our kitchen, our yard, each classroom, our planbooks, our bathrooms, I was thinking about if I could invite them or anyone else into the corners and closed places of my heart. Would God be welcomed into those places? I put on heels and lipstick to greet these ladies (those who know me know this is a huge effort on my part—not something I do for just anyone!).....do I do any sort of preparation to welcome God?
Some verses that came to my mind and heart are Psalm 51:10. David asks God to create in him a clean heart. I had to scrub some parts of those toilets...like, really scrub. Some of that grime has been there for a long time. Just like the grime on my heart. Scrub, Father, to make it clean and holy.
If those stains are going to fade, I would need to take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). I have always loved how clear it is that this is hard work. Taking something captive is not an easy task—have you ever wrestled with a baby to get a diaper on in the Caribbean with no fan on you? I have and it is a sweat-inducing event. It is that caliber of effort that must be made to keep those thoughts in line.
The thing is that so powerful about thoughts is that, as James so vividly describes in chapter 1, that those thoughts once conceived, grow and then are birthed to sin. As a mom who has birthed a few people, this really brings the idea home of the gravity of letting unhelpful thoughts go wild. Remember, too, that once the idea is birthed it will need diaper changes and then let the wrestling begin!
There are two other ideas that God reminded me of during Operation Clean Up For The Important Ladies. One was that it this not a sprint and the other is that I am not created to do this alone. Nope, I don't have any cute stories about how I have run a marathon, please! I am just saying that it isn't a few minutes of mediation and then I'm good to go. It is a changing of the culture of my own mind and surrendering to Christ and God, in His goodness, has called us into a community to help us in the process.
So, I thank God for the chance to be so reminded of my need to dust out some of the corners of my heart so that I may freely welcome God and others there. Good cleaning takes scrubbing and holy thinking takes wrestling with my thoughts to surrender them to Christ. Not doing this and my thoughts can get out of control and grow into something that is much harder to manage. Also, that the process is long, but not a solo task. God has given me His Holy Spirit, His Word and many wonderful people in my life.
And, for your information, I am about to go for a walk, so maybe in the future, there will be a blog about a marathon....but it may go like this, “So, I have a friend who just finished a marathon.” :)
As always, if you are able to support us in our work here with Makarios, we would be very grateful. We are still looking to be fully supported for next year. If 100 people were to give $25 a month, we would be fully funded. Could you be one of those people? (We would also happily accept one time gifts or monthly gifts of more than $25 also) :) https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary
The bathrooms are cleaned everyday, but not deeply cleaned. So, there I was sweating in the little bathrooms giving them a clean my Mom herself would have been both surprised and proud. What was sweet about it is was that throughout the the process students and teachers were asking how they could help. We were all in this together. :) I now invite everyone of you to come and check out the cleanliness of our bathrooms!
While I was thinking about inviting these ladies into every part of our school—our records, our kitchen, our yard, each classroom, our planbooks, our bathrooms, I was thinking about if I could invite them or anyone else into the corners and closed places of my heart. Would God be welcomed into those places? I put on heels and lipstick to greet these ladies (those who know me know this is a huge effort on my part—not something I do for just anyone!).....do I do any sort of preparation to welcome God?
Some verses that came to my mind and heart are Psalm 51:10. David asks God to create in him a clean heart. I had to scrub some parts of those toilets...like, really scrub. Some of that grime has been there for a long time. Just like the grime on my heart. Scrub, Father, to make it clean and holy.
If those stains are going to fade, I would need to take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). I have always loved how clear it is that this is hard work. Taking something captive is not an easy task—have you ever wrestled with a baby to get a diaper on in the Caribbean with no fan on you? I have and it is a sweat-inducing event. It is that caliber of effort that must be made to keep those thoughts in line.
The thing is that so powerful about thoughts is that, as James so vividly describes in chapter 1, that those thoughts once conceived, grow and then are birthed to sin. As a mom who has birthed a few people, this really brings the idea home of the gravity of letting unhelpful thoughts go wild. Remember, too, that once the idea is birthed it will need diaper changes and then let the wrestling begin!
There are two other ideas that God reminded me of during Operation Clean Up For The Important Ladies. One was that it this not a sprint and the other is that I am not created to do this alone. Nope, I don't have any cute stories about how I have run a marathon, please! I am just saying that it isn't a few minutes of mediation and then I'm good to go. It is a changing of the culture of my own mind and surrendering to Christ and God, in His goodness, has called us into a community to help us in the process.
So, I thank God for the chance to be so reminded of my need to dust out some of the corners of my heart so that I may freely welcome God and others there. Good cleaning takes scrubbing and holy thinking takes wrestling with my thoughts to surrender them to Christ. Not doing this and my thoughts can get out of control and grow into something that is much harder to manage. Also, that the process is long, but not a solo task. God has given me His Holy Spirit, His Word and many wonderful people in my life.
And, for your information, I am about to go for a walk, so maybe in the future, there will be a blog about a marathon....but it may go like this, “So, I have a friend who just finished a marathon.” :)
As always, if you are able to support us in our work here with Makarios, we would be very grateful. We are still looking to be fully supported for next year. If 100 people were to give $25 a month, we would be fully funded. Could you be one of those people? (We would also happily accept one time gifts or monthly gifts of more than $25 also) :) https://makarios.webconnex.com/missionary
Friday, March 28, 2014
March 2014
Spring Break for me for almost every year the past decade has
included a trip with Hill Country high schoolers to work with
Makarios. All year I have looked forward to being on the receiving
end of that group! What a great joy it was to pick them up at the
airport this year!!
Being led by the incredible duo of Robin Inks and Meredith Wermel, the group was great and got a LOT of work done at school and the Mak House. It is incredible what 45 people can accomplish. :) They were such a blessing to our family—bringing a stroller, a ton of tampons (those are expensive here!), candy, magazines to stay on top of American pop culture and other very precious must-haves from Gramma and Grampa, like an actual ton of diapers (also, very expensive here!) They also brought fun, English-speaking friendship to Sam and Levi. Joe Kertz (whose name is Joseph Samuel—just like my Sammy) and Justin Meredith were two bright spots in my boys' days! MUCHAS GRACIAS, HILLCO!!
The last night the Hillco group was here Sam made an incredibly important decision to accept Christ!!! The boys and I read from the Bible every night. They both know many stories very well. They know about Jesus and His importance. So, in the 10 minutes between our house and the Mak House Sam asked us if he was a Christian...since he attends a Christian school. (As much as going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger, son.) We asked him a few questions to make sure he understood and then he prayed right then and there! It has been extremely cool to now see how we have been able to pray with a new significance about challenges in his young life. Sam really liked the idea that due to his decision there was a party in Heaven. He enthusiastically asked if I thought Chloe (our oldest, a daughter we lost at 36-weeks gestation) was at the party. Oh, Sam, I am sure Chloe was first in line!!
Lastly, I just want to share what I have been meditating on lately. Maybe it is because I have been a teacher for almost two decades and now a principal. Rules—making them up and enforcing them—have been and are a big part of my life. How great to serve a God who provides guidance and freedom through them. Psalm 19:7-14, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and altogether righteous. More to be desired are they than gold, even much more than honey and drippings of honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Would this BE a missionary blog without the obligatory plea for support? We ARE honored to be serving with Makarios and wonderful things are going on here. Please check out http://www.makariosinternational.org/give.html if you are interested in becoming a monthly supporter or be a one-time supporter. We are presently seeking supporters to partner with us to finish out this year and see us through next year. God is faithful!
As always, thank you for reading this blog and for your interest in our family.
Being led by the incredible duo of Robin Inks and Meredith Wermel, the group was great and got a LOT of work done at school and the Mak House. It is incredible what 45 people can accomplish. :) They were such a blessing to our family—bringing a stroller, a ton of tampons (those are expensive here!), candy, magazines to stay on top of American pop culture and other very precious must-haves from Gramma and Grampa, like an actual ton of diapers (also, very expensive here!) They also brought fun, English-speaking friendship to Sam and Levi. Joe Kertz (whose name is Joseph Samuel—just like my Sammy) and Justin Meredith were two bright spots in my boys' days! MUCHAS GRACIAS, HILLCO!!
The last night the Hillco group was here Sam made an incredibly important decision to accept Christ!!! The boys and I read from the Bible every night. They both know many stories very well. They know about Jesus and His importance. So, in the 10 minutes between our house and the Mak House Sam asked us if he was a Christian...since he attends a Christian school. (As much as going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger, son.) We asked him a few questions to make sure he understood and then he prayed right then and there! It has been extremely cool to now see how we have been able to pray with a new significance about challenges in his young life. Sam really liked the idea that due to his decision there was a party in Heaven. He enthusiastically asked if I thought Chloe (our oldest, a daughter we lost at 36-weeks gestation) was at the party. Oh, Sam, I am sure Chloe was first in line!!
Lastly, I just want to share what I have been meditating on lately. Maybe it is because I have been a teacher for almost two decades and now a principal. Rules—making them up and enforcing them—have been and are a big part of my life. How great to serve a God who provides guidance and freedom through them. Psalm 19:7-14, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and altogether righteous. More to be desired are they than gold, even much more than honey and drippings of honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Would this BE a missionary blog without the obligatory plea for support? We ARE honored to be serving with Makarios and wonderful things are going on here. Please check out http://www.makariosinternational.org/give.html if you are interested in becoming a monthly supporter or be a one-time supporter. We are presently seeking supporters to partner with us to finish out this year and see us through next year. God is faithful!
As always, thank you for reading this blog and for your interest in our family.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Wow, Whatta Year!!!
This month has brought for me a lot of reflection. No only did I
turn 42, but a lot has happened in the past year. It was a year ago
this month that Joe and I started taking steps to make the move to
the DR. (Who am I kidding, I am been working on getting back here
and bringing Joe since we were married—almost 13 years ago!) I
will strive to make all this coolness brief, but there are a lot of
neat details. :)
Let me take you to the DR trip with Hill Country Christian School of Austin that I have lead every March for 9 years. In 2012, we were on the Mak House roof doing highs and lows when I was lamenting the fact that I just never saw myself back in the DR long term. I know that God could move mountains, but my mountain was Joe and I was very doubtful that God would change Joe's heart to have him want to move to the DR. Toby Thurman said with all confidence that he DID see us moving and he wanted to be involved in helping us get there. I pretty much dismissed Toby as a crazy man! (Sorry, Toby, you were right and that's what's important here!) Oh, my unbelief!
I was, however, inspired to have Joe plan to come with me on the next trip with the high school students. He hadn't been in 10 years and Mak has come so far since then. I thought it so important for him to see first hand what I keep going back to. He agreed and we had a sponsor for both of our trips with the school. Unbelievable. Then....we found out we were going to have Sarah. Due date was March 12. Trip date was March 11. Man, I was so disappointed (not about Sarah!!)
Meanwhile, God was working on some interesting stuff. Joe was growing restless in his work and had actually approached me about making a change. Shortly after, I had a meeting the my school. Their news was that there was no place for me the following year. No place for me? I'd been there 9 years! But, I had a strange peace (maybe it was because who doesn't love being 9 months pregnant, having just lost their job, and have a husband growing restless in his.) I looked online, first around Austin. Nothing. Then, internationally. There was one opening for a Spanish teacher for some place in Aruba, but that was it. Then, OF COURSE, Makarios! I'd known for a long time from being on the Board of Directors that there had been a long-term need for a principal. While I would not typify myself as principal material I do know Mak, speak some Spanish, have 19 years of teaching experience and have lived in the DR before. It was perfect. There was just one obstacle—a mountain, if you will.
I started mentioning the idea to Joe and within a few short weeks, Joe and I started talking about how this could work. Joe asked great questions—the kind that say, I am really considering this. We had meetings with the Makarios higher ups and started making plans toward moving the the DR. February 27th is the Day of the Flag in the DR—the end of a month-long celebration honoring the country, independence and loyalty to the flag. I also went to the hospital that day in 2013 to give birth to Sarah...only to be sent home. I asked Joe if he thought it was a sign that we weren't to go to the DR. He assured me with his facial response that he did not believe anything like that. The next day, February 28, Sarah was born.
So, with a newborn in our arms, we started to plan to move internationally. This included finding a renter, fundraising, packing, getting passports, closing up shop at both our jobs and coming to terms with leaving the grandparents who moved from Indiana to Texas—despite their deep love for snow--be with us.
Now, as I sit on our porch in the DR with the ocean breeze blowing the coconut trees in our yard and have a shirtless and shoeless Levi and Sam play together, I MARVEL that God DID move mountains to get us here. He moved in Joe's heart and here were are. The boys are doing well in Colegio Makarios and they have wonderful teachers who love them very much. We are surrounded by an outstanding community of sisters and brothers in Christ where we, hopefully, are a blessing to them as well.
We also need to give a shout out to our wonderful supporters. People have given very generously for us to be here. We still came to the field underfunded—a fact we will be feeling more significantly in the next few months—but God has proven to me, personally, that He is in the mountain-moving business.
Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your interest in our journey. For those who have given financially and prayerfully, we are so humbled and grateful. Please continue to remind God of our need for financial support for this year and for next year as we hope to continue our work through the follow year. If you would like to give, please go to https://secure.etransfer.com/ecomm/donation/donation1.cfm?d2org=Makarios&d2tool=donate. You will see that you can give through Makarios to our family from there.
Oh, and happy 1st birthday,Sarah. Whatta year it has been. We love you and so glad you are a part of our family! :)
Let me take you to the DR trip with Hill Country Christian School of Austin that I have lead every March for 9 years. In 2012, we were on the Mak House roof doing highs and lows when I was lamenting the fact that I just never saw myself back in the DR long term. I know that God could move mountains, but my mountain was Joe and I was very doubtful that God would change Joe's heart to have him want to move to the DR. Toby Thurman said with all confidence that he DID see us moving and he wanted to be involved in helping us get there. I pretty much dismissed Toby as a crazy man! (Sorry, Toby, you were right and that's what's important here!) Oh, my unbelief!
I was, however, inspired to have Joe plan to come with me on the next trip with the high school students. He hadn't been in 10 years and Mak has come so far since then. I thought it so important for him to see first hand what I keep going back to. He agreed and we had a sponsor for both of our trips with the school. Unbelievable. Then....we found out we were going to have Sarah. Due date was March 12. Trip date was March 11. Man, I was so disappointed (not about Sarah!!)
Meanwhile, God was working on some interesting stuff. Joe was growing restless in his work and had actually approached me about making a change. Shortly after, I had a meeting the my school. Their news was that there was no place for me the following year. No place for me? I'd been there 9 years! But, I had a strange peace (maybe it was because who doesn't love being 9 months pregnant, having just lost their job, and have a husband growing restless in his.) I looked online, first around Austin. Nothing. Then, internationally. There was one opening for a Spanish teacher for some place in Aruba, but that was it. Then, OF COURSE, Makarios! I'd known for a long time from being on the Board of Directors that there had been a long-term need for a principal. While I would not typify myself as principal material I do know Mak, speak some Spanish, have 19 years of teaching experience and have lived in the DR before. It was perfect. There was just one obstacle—a mountain, if you will.
I started mentioning the idea to Joe and within a few short weeks, Joe and I started talking about how this could work. Joe asked great questions—the kind that say, I am really considering this. We had meetings with the Makarios higher ups and started making plans toward moving the the DR. February 27th is the Day of the Flag in the DR—the end of a month-long celebration honoring the country, independence and loyalty to the flag. I also went to the hospital that day in 2013 to give birth to Sarah...only to be sent home. I asked Joe if he thought it was a sign that we weren't to go to the DR. He assured me with his facial response that he did not believe anything like that. The next day, February 28, Sarah was born.
So, with a newborn in our arms, we started to plan to move internationally. This included finding a renter, fundraising, packing, getting passports, closing up shop at both our jobs and coming to terms with leaving the grandparents who moved from Indiana to Texas—despite their deep love for snow--be with us.
Now, as I sit on our porch in the DR with the ocean breeze blowing the coconut trees in our yard and have a shirtless and shoeless Levi and Sam play together, I MARVEL that God DID move mountains to get us here. He moved in Joe's heart and here were are. The boys are doing well in Colegio Makarios and they have wonderful teachers who love them very much. We are surrounded by an outstanding community of sisters and brothers in Christ where we, hopefully, are a blessing to them as well.
We also need to give a shout out to our wonderful supporters. People have given very generously for us to be here. We still came to the field underfunded—a fact we will be feeling more significantly in the next few months—but God has proven to me, personally, that He is in the mountain-moving business.
Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your interest in our journey. For those who have given financially and prayerfully, we are so humbled and grateful. Please continue to remind God of our need for financial support for this year and for next year as we hope to continue our work through the follow year. If you would like to give, please go to https://secure.etransfer.com/ecomm/donation/donation1.cfm?d2org=Makarios&d2tool=donate. You will see that you can give through Makarios to our family from there.
Oh, and happy 1st birthday,Sarah. Whatta year it has been. We love you and so glad you are a part of our family! :)
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