Thursday, August 28, 2014

Hola from the Dominican Republic!

It is 1 p.m. on our 5th day in the Dominican Republic. We’re sitting in our bedroom trying to stay cool but not having much success. The middle of the day is the hottest (It’s 97 degrees in our bedroom) and that’s why many businesses shut down from 1-3 p.m. Many people will go to their homes, eat lunch and look for a cool place to rest. Some will try to use the two free hours to run errands or visit friends. For us these first five days have been too busy to get much rest, but today we’re taking it easy during these few hours. Usually a cold shower, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts will make us comfortable until the heat subsides a bit.

The heat in the Dominican Republic is one of the things we were prepared for when we got here. Our past experiences here have taught us many things, but there are also many things we don’t know and weren’t prepared for.

Overall, our first few days here were full of good things, but there were several hard things too. Adjusting to life in a different culture, with different people, in a different home, is not easy or comfortable. But then, God didn’t call us to something comfortable and easy. He called us to leave the things that were making our lives comfortable and easy.

So we may be discouraged at times, but we’re not defeated.  We may be lonely at times, but we’re not alone. We may be weary at times, but we always have hope.

God is faithful, in the good times and the bad. He has called us to something greater than ourselves and so we count it a great blessing to adjust to a new way of life with the amazing people of the Dominican Republic!

Shortly after arriving Friday, Aug. 22, Pastor Quina started to explain to us her ideas for our year of service here. She has since put us in charge of ministry to the youth and children of the largest of her churches, in the town of Guanabano (the official name of the town is Cayetano Germosen if you want to try to find it on a map sometime). We have met with the youth several times to come up with a plan to maximize the time we have with them.

Just to be clear, our goal is not to be youth pastors or children’s pastors while we’re here. We can, however, help facilitate the growth of the leadership that already exists here. There is a strong foundation of young adults who are passionate and eager to lead the way in advancing the Gospel in Guanabano and the surrounding communities.

Aside from working within Pastor Quina’s churches, we also have an opportunity to visit one of Guanabano’s private schools one day each week. We started the first of our Tuesday morning visits yesterday and it was a great time of games, laughs, new friendships and sharing God’s love with the children. There are about 100 students in the school, ranging from grades 1-8. Each day we are there we have the freedom to play sports & games, lead them in other activities and talk to them about the love of Christ! It is a great opportunity and several youth from the church in Guanabano are excited to be part of this ministry.

We will also partner with a man named Victor Rojas who everybody knows as Guanabano’s basketball coach. Victor has dedicated much of his life to working with boys and young men. He loves the game of basketball, but he is also passionate about training boys and young men to be respectable citizens, good husbands and fathers, responsible adults and kind people. Nearly every day of the week Victor is at the city’s gymnasium leading a group of men or boys in a basketball practice and teaching them the principles of teamwork, good attitudes, hard work, dedication and respect. Victor and Pastor Quina have agreed that it will be a valuable partnership between Victor and us. So we plan to be with him each Saturday morning, ready to help lead the biggest of his groups (more than 100) in their practice but also in activities or our choosing. Victor has given us complete freedom to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus with these boys!

We are very excited about these and other opportunities to tell people about Jesus and to serve these communities.

Physically, all of our family is doing very well. We are all healthy, though a bit fatigued at times because of the heat. We are enjoying the delicious fruits and other foods of the Dominican Republic. Our friends here are taking great care of all of us and we have all made new friends already.

God has been good to us and we trust His provision will continue as we are seeking Him daily. We want to stay obedient and not just settle into a routine or go through the motions of our ministry opportunities.

Here are a few prayer requests:

  • Ants. We have many ants everywhere in our Dominican home, this includes the refrigerator and in our beds. Please pray for God to remedy this and give us wisdom on how to keep the ants at bay.
  • Friends. God has been so incredibly faithful to bless our kids with wonderful kids in the young adult group. They are great role models and very kind. We are also blessed to have a 14 year old boy named Eduardo living with us. He is a great friend and very helpful to us. Kids in the neighborhood can be a little bit more difficult to adapt to and make friends with. 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A Few Parting Words

Here we are on the evening before we make our big move to the Dominican Republic for a year. This has been a week full of work, sweat, dirt, hugs, prayer, tears, laughs and a wide range of emotions.

It is nearly impossible to describe the feelings we're experiencing as we are almost ready to make the move God has called us to make. It is the strangest mix of excitement and loss, of anticipation and anxiety. We are more convinced than ever that we are doing what God has told us to do, but the reality of saying so many goodbyes to beloved people makes the process very difficult!

We want to thank everyone who has supported us in any way, and that's a lot of people! We would not be able to do this without you and your generosity - both in prayer and in finances. So, THANK YOU!

Throughout the last month, and especially the last week, we've learned some lessons:

1. The best goodbyes are when family or friends cry because you're leaving but also cheer you on through the tears. We have been blessed with times of prayer, encouragement and hugs during our farewells.

2. This is not the end, but the beginning. With the BIG step directly in front of us, it's tempting to start wondering, "What's next God?" It's not that we feel like we've completed the task, just that we're almost past the first big hurdle. The lesson for us is that we should be asking every single day, "What's next God?" Then when He speaks, we can obey.

3. Obeying God is simply the BEST way to live! It's not the easiest. It's not the most comfortable. It's not predictable and it's not always neat and tidy. But it is always the best! Walking in obedience these past few years, and especially the last several months, has revealed our Father's love for us in new and amazing ways. He always wants the best for us, even if it means we have to go through difficulties in order to get there!

In the Gap, a book by Pastor Wilfredo
DeJesus, is one of our current reads. You
can buy it HERE!
4. WALK TOWARD NEED! God has faithfully continued to speak to us, even when we've been almost too busy to stop and listen. During the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit on Dan's last day of work at Nappanee Missionary Church, God used Pastor Wilfredo DeJesus to speak what may be the defining words of our time in the DR. WALK TOWARD NEED is easy to say and anyone who wants to follow Jesus would quickly acknowledge that it's the right attitude to have, but it is much more difficult to live out! As those words rang in my ears, I saw pictures of specific people and situations I've noticed on past trips to the Dominican Republic. Fear seized me when I thought of actually walking toward those people and their needs! But the example of Jesus is clear - He walked toward poor people, sinners, outcasts, sick people, lepers, beggars and prostitutes. He saw them with eyes of love and an intention to DO something for them. Isn't it interesting that we don't read of Jesus seeing a need, praying about it and then moving on? Prayer was an integral part of Jesus' life but so was ACTION! Please pray for us, as we hit the ground tomorrow in the Dominican Republic, that we will have the courage to WALK TOWARD THE NEED and DO SOMETHING!

Until we get settled in our new country, we will likely not have telephone service, but here are a few ways you can contact us via the internet:

Email: danweiss76@gmail.com
           krweiss78@gmail.com

Skype: dominicanweissfamily (please email first to set up a time with us)

In closing, our kids wanted to share a few words with all of you!

From HANAH:
HOLA! I just want to share about how God is speaking to me and preparing us to leave. This past week I was looking for my iPod charger, I was so upset because I couldn't find it anywhere. So I found a quiet spot to sit where I could concentrate. I prayed and asked God to help me find it. The moment I finished praying God told me exactly where it was and I found it with God's help! I just want to say that I was so amazed that night. I am so excited to see God moving in not only you but the people we minister to down in the Dominican Republic. God is so amazing and He is so kind and compassionate! As God has called us to move to the DR I want you all to know that you don't have to be called right now or have a call right this second. God will call you when He is ready to make the move! Could I ask you to pray for not just me specifically but my whole family to have just a wonderful peace and calmness while we prepare to leave and that we would be able to make great connections with others!! I am so thankful that God will be standing with us all the way, in the sadness, and in the happiness, and in the hard times, and in the amazing God moment times! Thank you for your wonderful support! I want to say that I am pumped to go and just serve my heart out, but I am also sad that I won't be seeing some of my friends for this year. I have a list of emotions but I can't list them all...
1. I am like totes (totally) excited.
2. I am sad to say goodbye.
3. I can't even believe that we're leaving TOMORROW!!!!
That's all I can get out tonight. And plus, David is begging me to get off so we can play a game. I might as well! I will miss you all!!!!!! - Even if I don't know you very well!:)
ADIOS!!!!
Love,
*Hanah Weiss*    :)

From DAVID:
What's up? I just wanted to say some special Thank Yous and some special Goodbyes. First I want to thank my Grandparents for letting us spend the night at their house. I want to thank my Grandparents for being so supportive. I want to say a special goodbye to Tyrus and a special goodbye to the Reimer family. I want to say a big Thank You to GOD!!!
Adios!

Monday, August 4, 2014

The Final Countdown - How You Can Help

UPDATE: Less than 14 hours after publishing this post both of our physical needs were met by friends! God has blessed us with many amazing people whose generosity has been overwhelming. Thank you all so much for the love and encouragement.

We're less than three weeks away from moving to the Dominican Republic to being our year of service. Even though this is a journey that started more than three years ago, it feels like it has all happened really fast! We're more excited than ever to GO but we've also got the reality of everything that has to be done HERE. We've got lots of arrangements to make before we go and God has faithfully helped us with the right steps.

As we plan for the move, we're realizing we've got a lot of things we could use your help with. The most important of all is your prayer. Here are some ways you can pray for us:

  • The ability to hear and follow God's voice into the unknown.
  • Obedient hearts and minds. We have come this far by simply saying "Yes" to God and we don't want to stop now!
  • Peace and rest in this busy, hectic season of our lives.
  • Courage to say goodbye to family and friends here and hello to the new people God puts in our lives there.

In addition to prayer, there are a couple things we could use help finding:

  • A home for our cat, Jack, for the year that we are gone. Jack is a large orange cat (see picture to the right) who is neutered. He's a very loving, cuddly cat who likes to spend time both outside and inside. He's great with our kids and our dog. We're not sure how he would do with other cats in the same house because he's very territorial with the other cats in the neighborhood while he's outside. If you would like to cat-sit or adopt Jack please let us know! Call Katie at (574) 400-9936 or email her at krweiss78@gmail.com.
  • We are looking for a laptop computer that we can use to watch homeschool curriculum DVDs as well as continue using our Rosetta Stone software. It doesn't have to be brand new, super fast or have the highest quality screen. It would be nice if it is Wi-Fi ready, but not required. Also, a built-in web cam is preferable but not required. If you have one, or know someone who has one that would like to donate it to us, or sell it to us at a good price, let us know! Call Dan at (574) 256-8783 or email him at danweiss76@gmail.com.

Like we said, we are very excited to get started with our year of service in the Dominican Republic. And even though there are some loose ends to tie up, we are not overwhelmed or discouraged. God has provided everything we need - and more - throughout this whole process so we have no reason to doubt He will do it now.

If you feel like God is asking you to pray for us or provide for any of the needs listed above, please be obedient. We'd love for you to be part of our support team and take you on this journey with us!

Thank you all. We love you!