The work has been amazing lately as we have watched our brothers continue to blossom and become the leaders God intended them to be. They are planning ahead, organizing events, working together and continuing to disciple the coaches and instructors in the communities all while balancing their own teams and families and church obligations. This Fall has been a great time for us to watch their growth and has been a huge growing time for us as well. We have spent many hours on our hands and knees seeking wisdom and what God intends for us. To that end, we have a very exciting announcement for our family and for our team:
This month marks 2 years and 3
months that we have lived in the Dominican.
These 2 years have been amazing, terrifying, full of love, full of joy,
full of prayer and growth. And as we
knew 2 years and 3 months ago, our time living here was never intended to last
forever. God would grow and mold us to
pour into our staff across the island so they would be prepared to disciple
their fellow brothers and sisters. And
praise the Lord! We are overjoyed as our
brothers (Alfre, Checo, Freysy, Grande, Joaquin, Rafael, and Victor) are ready
for this transition to step out on their own. It is time we get out of the way and allow our
brothers to “fly.” It is time for them
to continue growing and changing and pouring into their communities, cities,
country and world. They have grown just
as we have in the past 2 years and we know their work and hearts will continue
to glorify God. And although this is a
bittersweet moment, it is a time so filled with joy and love and
excitement. We are proud and humbled to
have lived alongside our brothers for these 2 years. We are blessed to have been taken in and
cared for by them as family. We know
their faith is going to move mountains as God pushes them to continue raising
up the men, women, and youth in the Dominican. We anticipate the story that is
and will continue to unfold. This is
not the end of the story God is writing here.
This is simply the final brushstroke of the first paragraph He is writing in this wonderful
place. Pray with us throughout
this transition. A part of our hearts
will forever be in Sosua, but we also anticipate and look forward to God’s next
steps and the next challenge He has for us as a family and for our staff.
This decision has not come lightly for us and Fred (president of AIM). The last thing we want to do is fall down at the finish line without completing what God called us to in the first place. But, after many hours seeking and praying and watching our brothers this Fall, we know it is time. Time for us to leave and for them to fully take on the leadership roles in Sosua and the Dominican. We will still be part of the team as we will maintain contact with them (Skype, calling, emails, etc.), but we are excited to watch their continued growth as they transition (and us, too). So again, please be praying for all of us throughout this time. It is exciting and scary in its own way.
So what is next for us?
As you know, we have been working with AIM throughout our time in the
Dominican. After much prayer, God is
moving us back to Houston for a time of refilling, rejuvenation and more
work. So come December 16, we will be
back in Houston. We are very excited
about this transition and the work to be done within the “home office” of
AIM. Although we don’t know the exact
amount of time we will be in Houston, we firmly believe it will be a transition
time as God prepares us for the next placement.
Although the location of this work may change from the Dominican to
Houston to other places such as India, the mission, the call and the heartbeat
of AIM to bring people to Jesus is the same.
Our heart is to train up nationals to do the work & then allow them
to experience the fulfillment of God’s mission.
Thank you as always for your love, support, & encouragement throughout this process. We are blessed by this journey God has us on and are learning more everyday how to trust Him.
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
