Giving Thanks

Dear Partners in the Work in the Dominican Republic,

We have just said goodbye to our last American team for the year - twenty nine college aged students from a gap-year program called LIFT (Leaders in Further Training) from Camp of the Woods, in Speculator, NY. These young men and women have committed one to two semesters out of their lives to separate from friends and school to seek a deeper relationship with God and to better sense His direction for their lives. LIFT requires study and memorizations of great swaths of scripture as an important part of the program. As we listened to and watched them quote and apply scripture to their lives, we were humbled and encouraged!

We had the great privilege of pouring our Christian life experiences and insights into these enthused and eager young Christians. It would take a book to tell you about all of the affirmations and encouragements and glories-to-God that came during 15 days of dinner-time discussions, breakfast-time talks, and many more hours of leadership in Bible and worship time. I can strongly assure all of us “veteran” Christians that there is great hope and promise for the next generation of Christians!

Dick has had the opportunity to speak with each team this year about the importance of prayer in the life of a believer. During each outreach he presents a message to the students to prepare them for a day dedicated to prayer in the communities they worked in. Below is a list of prayer requests that we would like to share with you so you can join us in praying, if you feel so lead.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we reflect on how thankful we are for each of you – for your prayers and your support which enables us to have the privilege of serving here. Through your obedience to God, and then through His power pouring through us, you have made a difference in hundreds of young Christian men and women just this year alone.

The Lord bless you and keep you and your family and friends during this Thanksgiving time. Please let us know how we can pray for you.
~Dick and Mary Ellen Meyer

Dick facilitating a praise and worship night

Students gathered to pray for one of their fellow students

Students during the praise and worship night.

Prayer Requests
A young lady whose mom died and whose father is now seeing someone, she feels alone and abandoned
A young man whose friend committed suicide a year ago and he is now questioning where God is and where he is with God
A young man who committed his life to Christ at a camp meeting but has been making bad choices in friends and in activities, he claims a desire to turn from that but he is adrift
Jackie - is praying to be in the core of revival at the U of PA
Sondra - is going to serve in Africa with an organization called TIMO for 6 months
Mike - to sustain and increase his love for God
Jordan - his twin brother and younger brothers for their salvation and freedom from the world’s grip
Nicole - to be a strong woman of God and a godly influence to all she engages
Kenny - to be more kingdom minded
Natalie - to be a good wife & to set aside all of “me” in relationship and possessions
Amanda - to be a seeker of the Lord and His direction in all she does
Brennan - for an unshakable spirit as a man of God
Tyler - eager to serve “all out,” to be completely willing to be poured out 100% for God
Jonathan - a strong influence for God at ASU in Boone & to have a strong relationship with God
Nathan - to be a leader and teacher in God’s truths
Ian - to stay the course and remain faithful at the hostile environment of U of RI
Hannah - for more and more intimacy with God
Unspoken - for freedom from old habits and sustain a Christian walk apart from LIFT
Stephen - to finish LIFT well and for the fruit of patience
Tyler and Rachel - for God to be powerful and present in their lives. Enable diligence, effectiveness, and creativeness in teaching God’s word
Liam and Bekah - for direction of continued service to God (missions? US church?), also for Liam's health issues

Thoughts on Loss & Change

July 14, 2014

I haven’t written a newsletter or update in months. I have started a few but never seem to get very far. You see, I have been struggling. And no one wants to hear that in a newsletter (at least in my estimation). Newsletters from missionaries should be full of wonderful works of the Lord and salvation stories. I don’t have any salvation stories and while I know that the Lord is wonderful and working all around me – I would feel like a fraud right now if I shared anything but the honest truth about where I have been and why so much silence.

So if I were to write a newsletter, it might go something like this …

Life stinks right now. I am lonely. I am cranky. I don’t even like myself some days. At times I feel like I might even be a little depressed. This past year has been hard. For someone who doesn’t like change, who lived in the same town for 41 years prior to moving to the DR, and who had the same job for 20 of those years – I picked the wrong vocation to move in to.

Life on the mission field is a series of hellos and goodbyes and constant, constant flux. But this past year has held too many changes, too many hard good-byes.

First, my precious friend Carole, her husband Ron and their children Anna & Sara left the field. This family loved on us and welcomed us in when we first arrived – they were our family on the field.  I love her kids and we loved spending time with their whole family. Carole was my right hand in the kitchen and she challenged and inspired me in so many ways. She has such a beautiful, humble heart and she loves others well. She is one of the most unassuming people I know.  I miss her sweet presence and quieting effect on my life.

Then Jayson and Lindsey left. They were our pastors in the truest sense of the word and cared for us when we hit a really tough spot in our transition here. Jayson is a no-nonsense, get-things-done kind of guy but he also has a tender heart and a passion for the Word of God. Lindsey opened her heart and her home to woman in our area and led Bible studies and provided lots of fun opportunities for fellowship. What an oasis that was! Whenever I left her home, I felt filled, strengthened, and encouraged. I miss their godly counsel and care.

And then Carlos died. He lived right next door to us, he was struggling, and he killed himself. It was hard walking through the months before his death and the months since. Carlos was blind but never let that stop him from working hard in our kitchen and around the base. He always walked with a broom handle to help him determine where he was and where things were. The tap, tap, tap of his stick was a constant part of life here on the base. Every time now someone taps the ground with a stick, my heart wrenches a little. And I miss his laugh. When he laughed it was a full-on belly laugh that could be heard around the base. I loved Carlos but am afraid he died not knowing how much I cared for him.

Then our dearest friends Karen & Kenny left, after one short year of being here. This woman and I share so many similarities in our pasts and also in our current lives. She “gets” me in a way that I don’t believe anyone else on this earth understands me. And we worked well together too. We both thought that we would have a long-term working relationship and were looking forward to that. Transition to the mission field from life in the States is hard but it is made easier knowing that you can share those unique struggles of transition with others. Because of our similar life stages, when I said I was missing something back home or had a heart ache over something or someone, I knew she could empathize. I miss having that comradery and I miss her wise-counsel and unique perspective on life.

And then Kim & Carlos left. Their leaving felt like the final break from what we knew when we first came here and what we felt was our support system here in Jarabacoa. Kim arrived not long after us. She had the same Spanish tutor I had in Guatemala and had heard stories of us through our tutor Sonia before even meeting us! Even though we weren’t exactly of the same generation, we had the bond of finding a godly spouse unexpectedly in life as we were bumping along being content in our “singleness.” She and Carlos are a beautiful picture of a redemptive God and I miss their fellowship and friendship.

Quite frankly, I am numb from all the hard good-byes.

So, if I were to write an update right now, this might be what I would say in it. I really wasn’t sure if I should write about this and as I write I’m not even sure I will send this out. Today the feelings are not quite as glum. I took a true Sabbath rest yesterday and I went to bed early and slept deeply. I feel refreshed today and even understood a good part of the sermon in Spanish at church this morning. I know that these feelings of loneliness and ineffectiveness aren’t necessarily unique just because I’m on the mission field. I could very easily be feeling these same feelings sitting in my living room in Florida. We all experience loss and change in our lives.

So as I reflect back on this past year of loss and change, I know that the great truth is that God is unchanging and never leaves us. No matter my circumstances, I know that He is the one true constant wherever I am. He is the great strength giver, the great comforter, and the lifter of my head. Because of who He is, when I look to Him and lean on Him, He gives me the strength I need to continue on. And those are promises I can cling to no matter where I am!

 
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58.

2013 in Review

It’s been a very busy year here on the base at Students International in the Dominican Republic; we hosted a total of 656 students and adults!

We began our year with two back to back groups in January then had a little hiatus in February before having a full month of teams in March. This is typically a very full month because many colleges and high schools use their Spring Break week to go on a mission trip. During this month, we welcomed at team from Jupiter Christian School as well as our dear friend Victoria Humphrey and her son Zachary. We were blessed to have them stay in our home—we love when people come to visit (hint, hint =).

Relax & Know That I am God   In May, our whole staff went on a weekend Spiritual retreat to prepare for the upcoming eleven straight weeks of summer teams. The theme of the weekend was “Be Still & Know That I am God.” The verse from Psalm 46 refreshed us and reminded us to entrust the coming stress to the Lord—a timely word!

Although the days are long and the weeks seems even longer, we love the summer time. We get to reconnect with old friends and meet so many new people. We love serving these folks who give of their time, treasure, and talent and we are always encouraged by what we see the Lord doing in and through their lives.

Fall Semester Students  Not long after we said goodbye to our final summer team, ten students and their director from Bethel College out of Mishawaka, Indiana arrived to spend the following twelve weeks with us. Mary Ellen took Spanish classes with them and we periodically hosted them in the guest house when they were not staying in host family homes in the surrounding areas of Jarabacoa.

Vermont Blessing  In early November, Mary Ellen traveled to Vermont to meet our newest granddaughter Amalie, born to her oldest daughter, Melissa and her husband Shadi. We now have a total of nine grandchildren—what a blessing!

Family Visit  Not long after Mary Ellen returned, her father Allen, mother Betsey, sister Pam, and brother-in-law Jason came for a week and a half visit. What a rich time of reconnecting with family. We enjoyed introducing them to our life here and felt so blessed to have them here with us!

Giving Thanks  With turkey and fixings from Agape (our mail service) and ingredients from students parents, we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Bethel semester students at our home. We fed them comfort food and a little bit of the comforts of home. We were even able to stream a little football!

Christmas  The following week we held our annual Christmas party for all our staff and their immediate families. In all, we served close to 150 people a traditional Dominican Christmas dinner complete with pork, roasted by one of our ground-keepers. The evening wrapped up with games, worship and a Christmas gospel message.

Joys of Ministry  This is just a glimpse of the year and some of the highlights. In many ways, our lives are very routine. But we love to look for ways that the Lord can use us and pray that we have many more opportunities to serve Him! One of Dick’s greatest pleasures is that he gets to spend a Sunday evening of every outreach preparing the outreach participants to go into the communities the following day to do a prayer walk. He also spends meal times interacting with the students and adults on the teams; finding out what God is doing in their hearts, asking challenging questions and giving them an opportunity to process what they are experiencing. Mary Ellen loves spending time with the seven Dominican woman under her supervision. Conversation is actually happening now—which is thrilling but even more importantly, she is learning more about them and their spiritual needs. Please join us in praying for all those whose lives touch ours, that we will be a witness to God’s grace, love, and mercy.

This year, we will spend Christmas in the DR. Dick will be back in the Jupiter area in February for GIBC’s mission conference and hopes to see many of you then! We love you all and appreciate so much your investment in our lives and in turn, the lives of the people we work with—both Dominican and American.

Sweet Amalie - born to Melissa & Shadi Battah in October

Students going through a meal line this summer

Thanksgiving dinner with the semester students

Christmas dinner for the SI-DR staff

Mary Ellen's parents and sister & brother-in-law during their visit in November

Celebrating Christmas with friends here in the DR