Celebrating
our FIFTH year in the Dominican Republic with Makarios.
Yes, we took our initial one year
commitment and blew it up. It has been an amazing ride. This
overseas living stuff has been quite an experience for our family.
When we moved here Sarah was 6 months old and Levi had JUST turned 3
and Samuel was 4! Incredible where five years have gone.
Here's a pic of our Makarios school staff and kids for 2017-2018. So many stories behind each of the faces in this picture. Your prayers and your gifts directly bless the lives of all the people in this picture and well beyond!
Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God,
are they wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which
are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I
would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
This verse is so true for our lives in general, but so specifically
in these past five years. One of the significant ways that God has
shown His wonderful works to us is the generosity of His people as
they support us financially to do this work. The faithfulness, the
commitment, the prayer, the sending in extra since 'we just had a it
laying around and didn't need it'. The timeliness of gifts has
stopped us in our tracks as times. Truly amazing. We are so thankful
for everyone who gives, prays, comes down, takes interest, lets us
crash, lends us vehicles, lends us snow pants, etc, and encourages
us. You are truly one of His wonderful works in our lives.
Si Dios quiere.....
One of the best things I have learned from the Dominican culture is
to hold the future very loosely. Anything spoken of in the future is
met with a Si Dios quiere. If the Lord wants. So, I will
speak of our future plans and hold those plans very loosely so that
God has space to actually determine our steps.
Since our plans to stay forever have never been the plan, the job of
Principal has always been on the Makarios website. A couple of years
ago a principal approached Makarios expressing interest. He was
interviewed (by me) and hired. He's been learning the language this
past year and is starting this 1 August officially as the Principal
of Makarios. This will be the first year in over twenty years that I
am not preparing in August for school to start. Ryan is going to be
a wonderful leader for the Makarios School; I have no doubt! That
does not negate the strangeness I will feel in August. Prayers are
very much appreciated.
So, here's where the si Dios quiere comes in. Makarios has
generously given our family a sabbatical and their blessing to take
time to refresh and get renewed. As Makarios grows the need for
missionary care has been evident and Makarios is proactively working
on that. Our sabbatical is part of that wisdom.
This past year, in particular, has been quite challenging on a few different levels. Ex-pat/missionary life is full of 'good to meet you's' and 'goodbye's'. One way this past year was so challenging as we had a to say goodbye to two American Makarios families, the Young's and the Albright's, that were very close to us. Here is a picture of Ashly Albright and I in Haiti when our Married w/Kids Moms group zipped over to Haiti for a couple of days.
August will be time as a family and resting as my duties as principal
will officially be over. In September we will travel to Michigan
where we will attend a missionary care camp called Alongside. It is
an almost three week time to reflect, heal, grow and refresh. The
end of September will take us to Indiana where we will visit with our
family and friends before heading to Austin, TX in October. We will
be in Austin until 15 October. The rest of October and November will
be spent in prayer and reflection about what God has for our next
steps and a decision will be made in December.
Just a little update about the rest of the Majcher Fam:
Sam, who is 9, loves school, Legos and math. So much so he decided
to participate in the Math Summer School with kids in middle school
even though he is in 4th grade. Who is this kid? :) He
is kind to his friends and has a soft heart. He was baptized in June
and participates in communion which he very much enjoys.
Levi, who turns 8 in August and in 3rd grade, is very
excited about having his classmates from Chichigua over to celebrate
his birthday. Levi also loves Legos, which means we are forever
stepping on those little pieces! Levi enjoys school. The two American
families who left have kids Levi's age and he (and the
rest of us) misses them terribly. Levi was also baptized in June and
participates in communion which he also very much enjoys.
Sarah, who is 5 and in 1st grade, is the spitfire of the
family. Most people say she takes after me. (??!!??) Sarah loves
school. She loves to sing and play with her friends and our
neighbors. She loves going barefoot and getting dirty. She wore
high heels to one of our communities and then realized it was a
terrible idea, so she took them off and went barefoot. Anyone who
has been in Chichigua is cringing right now! :)
Joe, who is in his 40's :), has started taking Spanish class and is
doing well. He continues to work with the boys in growing their
English reading skills as the Makarios School is all in Spanish. He
is also working on teaching Sarah to read in English. He continues
to read through and discuss the Bible with the kids. Joe is a pretty
intense Bible teacher, so these kids are getting quite a Biblical
education. They are almost through the Old Testament.
Thanks for reading this far! We value
your interest in our family and your prayers. As always, if you are
interested in being a monthly supporter or give a one time gift, God
always uses the timing of both to be a profound blessing to us. You
can give at http://www.makariosinternational.org/donate.html
Until
later......si Dios quiere,
Los
Majcher
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