Re-Entering Our Old Lives

We've been home for a little more than two weeks and many things still feel very surreal to us.

• It doesn't seem possible that we were actually gone for almost a year. 
• It doesn't seem possible that just 18 days ago we were with our Dominican friends.
• It doesn't seem possible that we learned how to speak and understand Spanish.
• It doesn't seem possible that our children are now 13 and (almost) 11 years old.
• It doesn't seem possible that our mission in the Dominican Republic is over.

And yet, all of those things are true and are real.

We get asked all the time about how the transition back to life in America has been.
Are we settled in yet?
Are we used to the pace here?
Do we feel at home yet?

The answer to all of those questions is a confident, "I don't know." Coming back home after serving in the Dominican Republic for almost a year has given us some emotional turbulence.

On the one hand, we're excited to be back home. On the other hand, we really miss the people in the DR.
One the one hand, we're looking forward to what's next. On the other hand, it feels strange not being part of what was happening for the past year.
On the one hand, we're American and we belong here. On the other hand, we became part of the community in our little town of Guanabano.

We haven't felt a huge amount of culture shock after being away for a year. We still feel like we understand the U.S. culture and we were prepared for the differences before we got here. The bigger adjustment has been the pace and rhythm of our lives. We were busy and active during our year in the Dominican Republic. However, much of the activity was ministry-based. Now that we're back home and in a transition period, we're still very busy and active, but most of what we're doing is not ministry-focused. Most of it is social or personal activity. That may not seem like a huge difference, but it sure feels huge to us!

During our first few weeks home we've also encountered some of the realities of life in a more affluent society. Many things are much more expensive here, and we've been hit with some hefty unexpected expenses. We trust God to provide for all of our needs - He always has - but finances can cause a lot of stress.

Our bodies are still adjusting to the changes as well. Our diet has changed dramatically, and for the most part we haven't had many problems. Some foods, however, have not agreed with our stomachs and have caused some problems. This past week we ended up in the Emergency Room where we found out Katie has a kidney stone. We think the stone has already passed (praise God) but that was a traumatic experience for her and for all of us. Not to mention the cost of visiting an Emergency Room in this country! (We made one ER visit in the Dominican Republic and it cost about $15)

We're very appreciative and thankful for all of you and the support you've poured into our lives this past year. We cherish your prayers and your encouragement. So, we're going to make one more request of our Hands & Feet Support Team. Would you please pray for us in the following ways?

• Spiritual renewal. Moving from a season of so much purpose into a season designed for us to take a break has been difficult. Many times we feel spiritually dry and without purpose. We know this time is important and we want to soak up everything our Heavenly Father has for us.
• Freedom from worry. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the worries of life, especially when you're feeling spiritually dry. We want to hand over all our anxieties to God and trust Him with each day.
• Protection from spiritual attack. When we're tired, anxious, down or bored we become an easy target for the enemy. We want to keep our guard up, but also to be confident that the battle belongs to the Lord!

Thank you so much for your prayers! We've also got a couple physical needs we'd like to share with you. We're not necessarily looking for any of you to meet these needs (unless God leads you in that direction), but we would love for you to ask around your circle of family, friends and acquaintances:

1. We need a used, reliable, cheap car. Dan starts work with Transformation Ministries on September 8 and will need a vehicle. We're in the market for something in the $1,000-1,500 range. (I wasn't kidding when I said cheap!)

2. We want to find a new home for our cat. Jack is a gentle, cuddly cat. He loves to be both inside and outside. We've learned that we aren't really cat people and we're slightly allergic. We hope we can find him a good home with people who love him.

Please let us know if you've got any leads on either of these two things. As always, we love you all very much and we're so thankful for all of you!

It's Good to be Home!

Pool party and cookout with some friends and family just a few days after arriving home.

We've been home for two weeks and it has been a pleasure reconnecting with many friends and family members. There are still many people we haven't seen or talked to, but it will happen eventually.

So far, the transition home has been fairly smooth. We're missing our friends back in the Dominican Republic, but we're starting to feel at home again here in Indiana. We haven't dealt with too much culture shock after a year away from the United States. A few things have taken some getting used to, but mostly we're happy to be home and we're settling in pretty well.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported us throughout the year. Many of you were supporting us even before we left for the Dominican Republic last August. We are still amazed at your generosity, kindness and love. We never doubted that we had a faithful army of supporters back home while we were away. You made it easy for us to serve the Dominican people without worrying about the details of life and the prayer support needed to meet all the challenges we faced.

This is probably true for many missionaries, but we honestly feel like we learned far more from our time in the DR than we taught. The people we lived and worked with there are so kind, generous, compassionate and selfless. Most of all, though, they have a real passion for serving God and telling others about Him.

The biggest lessons we learned from our time in the Dominican Republic are:

1. Always, always say YES to God. No matter what He calls you to do, say YES! You can trust His plan for your life.

2. Live for eternity. Our lives here on earth are short and one day we will all stand before God in heaven to give an account of what we did or didn't do. Let's make the most of every day we have and spend all we have on things that make an eternal difference.

As we continue in this time of transition, we're also preparing for the next steps. Katie and the kids will start the next year of homeschooling in a few weeks. Dan will start working full-time with Transformation Ministries after Labor Day. We're excited to live out the callings of God in our lives and to put into practice the lessons we learned from our year in the Dominican Republic.

We pray that you will also be learning from God how He wants to use you to make an eternal impact. We pray that you'll be ready and willing to say YES, no matter where or what He calls you to!

Home in 3 Days!

We can't wait to see all of you back home in Indiana. Thanks for your continued prayers and support as we enter this time of transition. It hasn't been easy saying goodbye to our new family here in the Dominican Republic. And we know there may be some difficulties as we re-enter the U.S. culture. But we're so thankful for all of you and can't wait to see you!