New Year - Lots of Changes!

We are up in the mountains of North Carolina at Mary Ellen's parents cabin taking a much needed break from the frenetic activity of the past six months. We arrived to about eight inches of snow and icy roads so we have pretty much stayed put in front of the fireplace, reading books on the Kindles that Dick's kids got us for Christmas and enjoying the company of Mary Ellen's parents, daughters Sarah and Amanda, and granddaughter Nadia. Mary Ellen and the girls took in a couple hours of sledding one day - that was fun!

As we approach 2011 in just a few short hours, we find ourselves reflecting back on this past year and all the changes that have taken place. If you had told us last year at this time that we would be preparing to move to the Dominican Republic, I'm not sure we would have believed you! We are still in the process of digesting all that this move will entail. We have spent the last six months clearing out the house, preparing it to sell, and spending as much time as possible with family and friends - that time has been precious to us. One of our biggest challenges will be to separate ourselves from them!

While the changes will be challenging, we are looking forward to all that is to come. Life is about to get a little crazy and full of uncertainty. Our plans at this point are to go to Guatemala in February for two months of language school. The program we will be enrolled in is an immersion program; we will spend four hours a day with a private tutor and will live with a Guatemalan family. In April, we will return to the States to attend Missionary Training International (MTI) in Colorado Springs. The program we will be doing is called SPLICE and is a three week program. This program is "designed to help [us] develop practical skills and attitudes that will take [us] through the challenging and rewarding process of being interwoven with another culture" - that's straight from their website. We'll let you know how it works!

Our only plans for May are to wrap things up in Florida, finish packing, and visit with family and friends before leaving for the DR to be there the first of June. We will also need to be certain that our fundraising is completed as we will need to be at least 90% funded in order to go on the field. As of today we are 25% funded for our monthly support and 17% funded for our one-time needs! We are so encouraged by this response! We are also so thankful for the many who have indicated that they would like to partner with us in prayer. On that note, here are our prayer requests:
   Sale of our home
   Easy transition to Guatemala
   Quick learning of Spanish
   Openness to what we need to learn through training at MTI
   That all our funds come in

God bless you and your family in 2011 - may it be a year of blessing to you!

What's with the name?

This blog was actually created a number of years ago when Mary Ellen lead a group of students from Jupiter Christian School on a 2-week outreach to the Dominican Republic. The idea was to post information and pictures daily for parents. Internet was practically non-existent at the old base and so it was  never really used. So there it sat ... we needed a blog and it needed updating!

So the name, DR-vine Undertaking, was supposed to be a clever play on words, indicating that this is a divine undertaking in the DR. Here's the break down:

DR 

According to Wikipedia, "DR can (and in this case, does) refer to (the) Dominican Republic, a country located on the eastern portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. 

di·vine –adjective

1. of or pertaining to a god, esp. the Supreme Being.

un·der·tak·ing –noun

1. the act of a person who undertakes any task or responsibility. 

vine –noun

1. any climbing or trailing plant that creeps on the ground or climbs by winding itself about a support or holding fast with tendrils or claspers.
Or, better yet: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

We recognize that this is most assuredly a divine undertaking; it pertains specifically and completely to THE Supreme Being, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We know that apart from Him, we can do nothing.  Even though we have just begun this "undertaking," we have been reminded continually that He is completely what this undertaking is about and He is working in all the details; just as the branches are dependant on the vine, we have to be totally dependent on Him.  Just tonight we were reminded of that again as we struggled through grammar lessons in Rosetta Stone in our attempts to learn Spanish.

So we cling to the Lord and His promises and walk the path that He has laid before us. Thank you for your love, your support, and your prayers.

It all started with missing suitcases

Five years ago, in considering our future as a couple, we committed to a goal of serving the Lord full-time, hoping to find a God-ordained niche in missions. This past July, we found ourselves leading a team of students from JCS on a two week outreach to the Dominican Republic. Our team arrived at the Santiago airport but our suitcases did not. So the next night, back we went to the airport with Lowell Troyer, Field Director with Students International (SI). Through casual conversation with him on that trip, we unknowingly presented ourselves as an answer to prayer. The next week, Lowell shared with us an opportunity to serve with SI as he and his wife Cheryl, and Nate & Maggie Slabach have been called to open a new SI base in Nicaragua. We began to pray and ask the Lord to either open the door and make it abundantly clear that this was His call on our lives or to close the door tight.

He has opened the door wide!

On October 1st we traveled to the DR to interview with SI after a two month process during which the Lord has made very clear to us that this is indeed His call on our lives. We have been offered and have accepted a position with SI in the DR. We will work together as the donations managers, kitchen supervisors, and will oversee hospitality at the Guest House on the SI base. As we go about our “official” job duties, we look forward to the opportunities the Lord will bring us to reach into the lives of the Dominican’s we work with and to challenge the students from the States to be Jesus’ hands and feet.

What’s next?

We have a house to empty and sell, garage sales to hold, support to raise, things to store, boxes to pack, language school to attend in Guatemala, and field training to complete. Our target date to arrive in the Dominican Republic is the beginning of June. This will allow us time for on-the-job training with those who hold the positions we will take over before they leave for Nicaragua to start a new SI base.

We would love to talk to you if you have any questions or would just like to know more information about what we will be doing. Please let us know.

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:4,7