Update August 23

 Hello again from the Dominican Republic. First off I have to apologize for not posting an update for over two weeks now. I have not felt like writing a report and had to force myself to sit down and just do it. We have all been a little tired this last while. I think it is a combination of being a little under the weather and trying to cope with the heat. We did get some relief from the heat now thanks to the rain that we are getting from this new tropical storm that is moving through the area. The rain is very welcome here due to the fact that a large portion of the Dominican Republic has been without water for many weeks. This drought thing is not good. We are praying though that we do not see the possible 12” of rain that they are predicting for some parts of the island. 12” at one time is a bit much and could cause some major flooding in the DR and mud slides in Haiti.

 We have just over two weeks here before we go home. At times it feels like we just got here and at other times it feels as if we have been here forever. As I think about the short time we have left here I have very mixed feelings. In some ways I would like to be back at home in our safe and sleepy little town going about our “normal” lives. Then in the same moment I really do not want to leave because there is so much work, and so many needs here. I realize that we can not help everyone but if we do nothing we are helping no one. The needs that I am talking about are not merely financial or physical needs but far more important are the spiritual and emotional needs. I had one person in the village remind me of that this week. He told us that even if we did nothing else in the village but visit with the people we are bringing the people Gods love. He told me that they know full well that we are leaving the many comforts and the safety of home to do what we can for these people. The fact that we are willing to do that over and over again speaks very loudly for the love that God has placed in our hearts for them. This was a real encouragement to me because I have found myself thinking this week, “is what we are doing here actually making a difference or are we wasting our time?” You see so much need everywhere around you here, so it is very easy to get overwhelmed.

Cheryl

I too have been finding it hard to update. We have been away from home for almost 8 weeks, and, well, I’m going to be honest, contact from people other than immediate family has been minimal.

I’m going to say this because I think it needs to be said. And, I am fully aware that I am the first one going to admit that I’m among the guilty. I have not made contact with missionaries out longer-term on the mission fields. There. I said it. I fail to initiate contact with those who choose to heed the call and leave the comfort of their homes, and their families to go to a land, become part of a culture not their own. And why? Not for their own comfort, but to bring comfort and the love of Christ to the needy.

Jesus said that you don’t send a doctor to the healthy. Missionaries are headed out to needy people, and ALWAYS give of themselves in some way. It costs, it means the loss of comfort (both physical and emotional), sometimes the loss of material things (which we encountered this summer), and, the potential loss of contact with those who support while one is in an immediate circle, and once you leave that circle, well, you’re on your own.

I am writing this from experience, and I am writing my own guilt trip. I hope that once I return home, that I will actually heed my own words, and remember those who need to be remembered – even if I do not know them personally. It takes effort. But, speaking from experience, it is necessary.

Having said that, I want to say a HUGE thank-you to those who have made contact with us, and on behalf of other longer term missionaries, thank you as well.  Even though some do not write back, the contact is always appreciated.

So, I encourage you who read this to find a list of missionaries out in longer term service, and make the effort to contact at least one a month. It would mean the world to them, even if they do not acknowledge the effort.

May God richly Bless you as you serve Him.