2010 and 11 has been a school year of transition.  Back to Canada to work a maternity Gr. 7 position of one year.  Back to the old house, old stomping grounds, old church, but knowing full well that we had the year to make more permanent plans.  We lots of prayer we opened windows and let out doves alla Noah and waited to see what returned.  Chatham Christian where I am working now did not have anything, the local public board while not committing to anything was making noises of laying off current teachers so us on the supply list did not have much hope.  Late in May, a school in Manitoba was looking for a life skills teacher for its high school in Portage La Prairie.  (see the side for a map link) ,  after a video interview I was offered the position which begins September 6, 2011

Once again we are in the boat and sailing now to a new Canadian Province.  Sailing is an apt description since  this area of MB has been struggling with flood waters since spring.  Hoop and Holler bend which is right outside PLP has been in the news frequently lately.  We are currently loading the boat and cutting the lines that tie us to Chatham.  The local public Board was notified of my application to the Manitoba Board of Ed for accreditation so my bridge is being burned here.  We sold the big van and opted for a smaller Dodge Caravan,  the house is on the market and has an offer pending sale,  the movers are booked and we have rented a place to live in PLP.

Coming with is Nic and Ethan, Gr. 12 and 7 respectively.  Janelle will be staying in Chatham along with Joel, Rachel and our TWO grand children, but we will be moving within 2 hours of Garett!      We will try to use this space along with Facebook and email to keep our friends and family up to date as we follow God’s leading for our lives.

Stay tuned

It is hard to imagine that we have less than 3 weeks left here in the Dominican Republic. Wow. But – as I look at the calendar I know it is true that we will fly out in about 17 days!
As wonderful as it feels to know that we will soon see our family & friends back in Canada – it is also hard sometimes to know that our time with friends here is almost over.
We have had a wonderful time of new experiences and adventures that we never could have imagined and have made some incredible friends. It is hard to think that we may not see them again .. at least on this side of heaven! But – we do not know what plans God may have for us in the future and maybe we will spend time with them again!
Last night we were able to experience a wonderful restaurant here in Santiago with our great friends Brian & Amy (fellow CRWM partners at the school) as we celebrated my 45th birthday. Pray for Brian & Amy as they also finish their time here at SCS and are in the midst of job searches etc.
Today I was able to attend the last regular meeting of our ladies Bible study. Pray for Y, one of our Dominican ladies who is struggling with some difficult decisions and situations in her personal life. Pray for the ladies who will be meeting in the coming weeks to plan studies for next year – the group will be transitioning a bit as our wonderful leader from this year is also returning to North America.
Pray for the group as they reach out to more English speakers of all nationalities and as they grow and share together.
We also ask for prayers at this time for Missionary Flights International (MFI). This is a wonderful org in place to provide mail service to missionaries serving in several Caribbean countries. However, about a month and a half ago the Dominican Republic implemented some new customs charges and practices that have meant no one here in the DR has received mail for about a month. The mail run did happen again yesterday BUT the gov’t again added many charges and this is causing difficulties for all those trying to receive packages here. Pray that those who are working with the gov’t to resolve these issues will be successful and that mailing of packages can resume soon.
We have SO much to be thankful for! We praise God for His wonderful provision of a job for the coming year! Our children are so excited that we will be back in Chatham as Mike teaches 7th grade at Chatham Christian in a maternity leave position starting this Sept. We also praise Him that we were able to sell our truck here and most of our household belongings. The remainder will be gifted to others serving here.
We do ask for prayers and wisdom in where we will be living once we return.

Thanks to all for your wonderful prayers and encouragement. We look forward to seeing many of you in Canada soon!

Even though we are gently boiling here in over 100F heat, through skype we felt just a little cooler as everyone back home was shivering in 40 F weather.  Ethan and I began the day bringing mom eggs and toast  upstairs for breakfast.  We then were blessed to watch the Grace CRC service live.  Joel is the ‘sound guy’ and was experimenting on how this could be done so we were his beta testers.

We then used skype to call Judi’s parents and my parents and then topped it off with a call to Joel and Garett and some pick a boo time with Hayley.  We are truly blessed that technology can bring us closer even when the distance seems so great.  5 more weeks and that distance will be gone.  woo woo!

It has proven to be much harden than originally anticipated to keep up with the blog posts
Once again since Mike is so busy we will go with my less eloquent post and hopefully he will have some time soon for a nice “insightful” one.

So much has happened over the past month since our last update. The biggest on is that after much time in prayer and discussions with some wonderful Christian mentors here we have decided that we are not returning to the Dominican Republic for the next school year. This was not an easy decision as we have truly enjoyed our year here and made some amazing friends. However, we do have peace that this is God’s plan for us. We do not know where He is leading us next but we know it will be in Ontario somewhere.
We are now in the process of trying to sell the few things we have accumulated here and we are applying for teaching positions in Ontario.  We will again apply to whatever postings we find and then let God open the door to where He wishes for us to “step” to next.

Much of Mike’s time (at school and at home) is spent trying to set up policy and procedures for the Special Services department for next year, writing out the notes from courses he taught this year and generally making sure that everything can follow as seamlessly as possible for the person coming in after him. Of course this is done around the times spent in classrooms helping those who might still be struggling with their daily work and giving assistance to those who need a bit of extra help for tests.
The kids are all busy trying to ‘finish well’ with their school work – not always easy in the extreme heat that has once again returned to the Island.
Janelle will be taking her SAT’s this Saturday. Just a small case of nerves
Coming up in May both Janelle & Nic will be going on weekend camping trips with their respective Campaigner’s groups (Bible study group from Young Life) and are really looking forward to those!

As we finish our year here we would love your prayers for:

• finishing well – that our year here may have been “pleasing to the Lord”
• comfort as we say our difficult goodbyes
• finances. We are praying that we may sell much and leave here without too much debt – but will also need a small amount to live on when we return until we can start jobs. Pray for wisdom in those areas and that some support may still be received until we leave.
• for the school here and it’s work. Pray for the administration as they seek to choose the people that God wants here to fill the empty spaces for the next school year.
• for us for patience as we wait to see where God would have us go next.

We thank-you all so much for your prayers, cards, letters and support. We could not have done it without God’s people behind us!
Please continue to pray as we once again step out in faith.

A much needed break!  Semana Santa is translated as Holy Week.  The school break in latin countries is linked to the Easter week-end so we have had a long stretch without a break.  While the name  of the week conotates a week of reflection and relaxation, for Dominicans it is something else.  As one colleague put it “there is not much holy about it.  Apparently this is the partyat the beach weekend sort of the dominican equivolent of the May ’2-4′.

We beat the rush and spent 4 restfull days on the north coast at the same place we stayed at when Joel came in January. for $50 US a night you cannot go too wrong with a pool to swim in and the beach audible from the pool.  The ocean breeze made up, well almost, for the lack of airconditioning!

We are now back in the city for the last half of the break and the heat has been a little overwhelming and we are back to the August and September temperatures of high 90′s F.  The nights have cooled somewhat so the Lord has provided some relief.  School begins again on Tuesday April 6 and it is the home stretch!  Keep us in your prayers as we look for the Lord’s leading for us this summer and for the following year!

Well, Mike is the much more eloquent one and I am known to just “ramble on” but I figured I better take my turn too
Today is what we call in our home “English Service Sunday”. It is a very exciting day for our family! It is amazing how much we take for granted the privilege of going to church every week and hearing the word in our ‘native tongue’.
We are blessed to have a wonderful Church and church family but it is difficult to attend every week and really not understand the majority of what is said! Recognising that there were more and more people attending whose first language was English, Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva (New Life Baptist Church) decided to start arranging an English service once/month. It is well attended not just by the English speakers of our own congregation but many other English speakers from all around the city as well and several Dominicans who also either know English or wish to learn.
Last Sunday our family was so craving to hear the Word and be fed in English that we made the decision to stay home and watch a service online together. It was a wonderful family time of worship for us but we are looking forward to tonight when we can again hear the Word in English and share fellowship with many others as well. The lack of being able to be ‘involved’ in the church to the extent that we are used to has been difficult for us this past year.

Although we enjoyed a few weeks of very nice “low” temps (ie low 20′sC) the temp has again started to rise. We are now adjusting back to daily temps consistently over 30C. For the most part it does go down to low 20′sC over night. I will admit that although it seems hardest for Mike in the heat – we are all finding it difficult again!
We so appreciate those of you who have sent a note of encouragement whether by email or by mail. And a few times even a small package!   I admit that ‘mail day’ (which is again this coming Tues!) is always an exciting day for us no matter what it might be!  Again – daily mail is something we took for granted but when we receive something now we are so encouraged that others took the time and thought of us!
Your prayers and encouragement are what keeps us going here so far away from our loved ones.
Thank-you again and God Bless!

For most of us, we say the above but do we really mean it or expect it?  Today was another reminder that the Lord knows what we need.  It has been  a long few weeks now that we are in the long stretch from New Year’s to Easter Break;   planning for our trip home and next year’s plans  have been stressing me and the family a little.  But today was mail day and we had a card from Joe and Hilda Wiersma,  members of Grace CRC in Chatham.  (Grace is one of our supporting churches and it is the church my parents still attend)  We grew up with their kids, went to the same school and played hockey in front of the home they still live in.  We needed a pick me up and the Lord provided.  They ended  the note (which had a sailboat on the cover!!!) with a prayer

May the love of Christ surround you

The light of Christ lead you

The peace of Christ fill you

The power of Christ assist you

The Joy of Christ thrill you

The presence of Christ be with you always

___________

Enough Said!!…..AMEN! 

Camp David Museum

Ok, if Tiger Woods can say sorry…… mea culpa as well.  Got a phone call from Grandma today,  “I see all the guests you had mentioned but not us……hmmmmm”  Totally unintentional. so here goes a little belatedly.  GRANDPA AND GRANDMA WERE HERE TOO!        Just before the new year till the 10th of January grandpa and grandma stayed with us.  Along with Garett we had quite a household.  We hit the beach, Camp David, McDonalds for the closest thing to NA coffee (go figure).  I never thought of the blog since grandma being miss computer savy, had pictures posted on facebook each day!  As I have mentioned before in this space, the blog sometimes plays second fiddle to facebook.

Friends heard we had a mechanic coming and besides working on our truck, the Hoffman’s got a quick tuneup and the Clowers got a new water pump.  We had a great time and I do not think it got too hot for them!  It was a real boast for the family for them to be here but especially for Judi.  There were tears of joy when they arrived and a few sad ones as we waved them off into security when they left.

Next time we see any family will be June 12 when we fly back.  Till then there is always skype!

mike

This past Saturday I got the chance to step out of the boat….onto the tarmac.  With the devastation in Haiti so close as the crow flies but not knowing the language, either Creole or Spanish, driving there would be problematic.  Santiago is near the north coast but you you need to drive south and east to the capital and then drive west towards Haiti.  Go Ministries had rented some space at the Santiago airport and was coordinating a number of private pilots and their planes to fly into Haiti.  They asked if SCS would be able to supply some muscle to load planes flying to Haiti.  This rag tag fleet of planes were making 2 – 3 round trips each day.  They were flying into a city called Pignon which is located in the central region of Haiti.  The pilots were telling us that refugees were flowing away from Port au Prince and that food and supplies were needed in these regions.   A group of 10 from SCS and Vida Nueva Iglesia eagerly volunteered.

We arrived at the airport early Saturday, and were waved in,  ultra-tight American style security it was not!  The front end faced the road while the other end opened to the tarmac.  As you can see from the pictures dontated food was piled high along the walls.  Apparently most of the planes could carry around 2000 pounds so we loaded carts with exactly the same load.  4 bags of rice, oil, noodles, some water, toilet paper (you need light stuff for in the tail!) and other food items.  When a plane arrived, we pushed a cart onto the tarmac, again to be waved at by the crack security personel as we passed.  The fuel truck pulls up and while aviation fuel is being pumped into the wings above us, we load the plane.  The pilot would supervise it as it went in to ensure the weight was distributed properly.  We finished with one and another would land and we would load it as well and then back to the hanger to load up more carts.

While loading one of the planes, we heard a deafening roar and landing  was a Russian Antonov cargo plane.  It was huge and LOUD.  It parked right across from our hanger.  8 semi’s of container boxes with United Nations logos,  came out of it.  And apparently this was baby Anton,  Momma landed last week according to the Go Ministry guy.  On Momma they said the nose cone lifted and 2 helicopters came out, powered up and lifted off.  Wow!  I included pictures below but you had to see it live to appreciate the scale of it.

By the end of the day we were tired, but I left with a smile.  Again the Lord placed us here and we were able to roll up our sleeves and help our brothers and sisters on the other side of the island.

Keep Praying for the work that is being done in Haiti

Joel joining us out on the water!

When we left Canada, we knew we were going to miss our friends and especially our family,  Our parents, siblings and especially Joel, Rachel, and Hayley, and Garett.   The biggest advantage of being in a mission field in a country that is easily and relatively cheaply accessible by air is that we have had a number of people visit.  Uncle Ken and Aunt Annette, Judi’s cousins Richard and Margaret Koomans, Brian and Jenny(Judi’s brother and wife) and of course Garett and Joel.  I cannot tell you the blessing it has been to have them here.  We got the privilege to show them where God has placed us and they brought a little of Canada to us here in the Dominican Republic.

This week, Joel arrived Tuesday night, actually Wednesday morning at 3 am.  I had from Thursday 12 noon till Tuesday off from school, a long Dominican Holiday Weekend.  We checked out the local water park, and spent Friday and Saturday at Caberette on the North Coast enjoying the beach, sand and even  little surfing.  On Sunday we were invited to the mountain home of the Schultz’s  for a after church lunch and we enjoyed a swim in their mountain stream feed pool.  Brrrrrr!   On Monday we headed to Camp David, which is a restaurant overlooking Santiago, for an ‘American breakfast’ and we head to the airport tonight at 2 am to bid farewell to Joel.

The next time we see him and other family members will be in June when we come home to Canada to cool off during the summer, see all our family and visit our supporters before we begin year 2 at SCS in August.