We are well into our summer season of teams here in Jarabacoa. We have been so busy that our one year anniversary of being here in the DR came and went without us even realizing it. It's hard to believe that we have been gone from South Florida for over a year and we can honestly say that while transition here has been rough at times, it is happening and this is feeling more and more familiar and more and more like home to us.
Here are some high points of what has been going on in our lives.
We have a puppy ... depending on who you ask on which day, this is either a high point or a low point! If you read our last blog post, we introduced you to Kip, who is a Border Aussie that is now almost four months old. He is a very good natured, lovable, high-energy dog who keeps us on our toes. Mary Ellen has become a big fan of Cesar Milan, "The Dog Whisperer" and is about half-way through the dozens of episodes posted on YouTube. We have learned a few very helpful tips that have made life with Kip much more enjoyable!
We have a new granddaughter. On June 19th at 8:45pm, Amelia Grace Meyer was born to Jason & Christina Meyer. She weighed 6lbs, 15oz, was 19 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well although there were some challenges to begin with and Amelia had to spend her first night in the NICU where Christina works. This is our first grandchild on the Meyer side of the family, She is absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to meet her in person.
Our oldest granddaughter, Kylie, arrives tomorrow and will be here until about mid-August. She will spend her first two weeks here participating in an outreach with the team that will also arrive tomorrow. We are so excited to have her here! She will make the 12th person in the house this summer (we have 8 interns and one volunteer living on the lower level of the guest house for the summer) but we still have one bedroom available if anyone wants to visit!
About 2 months ago we began to attend a church that has an English-speaking pastor. We had been going to a wonderful Dominican church where the teaching was great and the pastor and the people were warm and inviting. When we first began to go there last summer, there were lots of American teams visiting and the messages were all translated. After the summer teams all left we tried to remain there and glean what we could but it was difficult at our current level of Spanish understanding. So we found out about a church just on the outskirts of town and visited there. We have really been blessed by the little church at Caribbean Mountain Academy and are thankful for the bible teaching we receive there.
We have been encouraged by the teams that have been here thus far this summer. A highlight for us is attending the banquets at the end of the outreaches and hearing how the lives of the students, the leaders, and the communities they work in have been touched and changed during their two weeks here. Meal time is a rich time for Dick to be able to interact with the teams and their leaders (Mary Ellen is busy in the kitchen until most of the team is gone from the dining hall). Please pray for the remaining teams that will come through our gates this summer. We have recently been challenged anew to be certain that as we live out our busy lives, going about our daily tasks, that we represent Christ well.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:11-14
