A New Normal

First of all, we're sorry it's been so long since our last update. We had every intention of sending shorter updates more often, but it's been difficult to find the time and to pull our thoughts together on a regular basis. So, for now, we're sending longer updates less often. Hopefully that's OK with all of you!

We're closing in on the end of our third month here in the Dominican Republic. We've had plenty of ups and downs during these three months and we're happy to say that God has been present and faithful through it all.

For the last several weeks we've started to realize that many of the things that are so different from home are actually starting to feel normal. This is true in the small and big things. Here are some examples:

Food
We all like Dominican food but learning how to prepare it was a difficult process. Even preparing the types of food we're used to was not easy. Finding ingredients can be tricky at times. We had no measuring utensils in our kitchen and for a long time our refrigerator couldn't keep food fresh long enough to be able to use it in our cooking.

But now we have a new refrigerator (thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous supporter) and we've learned where to find the ingredients we need. We recently received a set of measuring spoons and cups. Our friend Adriana (mother of Eduardo) has been teaching Katie how to prepare several Dominican dishes. Katie also has a Dominican cookbook that has helped her learn how to cook some common Dominican meals.

Food is a small thing, but it's such a frequent thing that it feels very significant.

Culture
Learning to live in a new culture is a very big thing. It's something we'll probably still be learning when our year comes to an end. However, we've learned a lot already and it's starting to feel normal. We aren't confused as often as we once were. We knew this year was going to require a lot of flexibility and patience, but living here requires much more of both than we were prepared for. Visiting families in their homes was very awkward and uncomfortable at first, but now we look forward to those visits!

Church culture is also very different here and for a long time we were confused during church services and meetings. Now, however, we understand more of what's going on - even if we can't understand everything that's being said - and we deeply appreciate the passion with which the people of this culture worship God. Dominican prayer is a beautiful, passionate, loud and moving thing to be a part of.


All of this is to say that we have started to settle into a new normal. We still miss home and we haven't become Dominican, but we are starting to appreciate the differences. We no longer experience something new every day, although many days still bring new things!

Other news:

Hanah and Eduarni (Eduardo's sister) in front of the Jelly Roll.

We have some great news ... we finally have a vehicle of our own! We recently purchased a 1986 Toyota Model F minivan. With the help of some friends who recently came to visit, we have decided to name the van Jelly Roll because it's white on the outside and red on the inside. We purchased the van for a much lower price than we expected to pay. It had been sitting in storage for the last two years, so it needed some work. Even this, though, turned out to be a blessing. One of the leaders of our church is a mechanic and so we were able to hire him to do all the necessary work. We've already driven the Jelly Roll to Jamao (1 hour up in the mountains) and twice to Santo Domingo (2 hours) without any problems. We're thankful to have our own transportation, as well as a vehicle with the space to carry quite a few people.

Eating lunch with the Rassi family in Santo Domingo.

So far we've had two visits from Indiana friends. Dr. Randy & Bonnie Suttor visited in September. Clay & Becki Rassi and their two sons just left two days ago. We spent two days in Santo Domingo with them before they spent three days with us here in Guanabano. Both visits were very refreshing and encouraging for us. We're thankful for their time and generosity! We have more visitors coming soon and we're very excited to show them the ministry opportunities God has given us.

Another item we'd like to share is the health of the ministry of Pastor Quina's churches. We came into this year thinking we could help provide a bridge between Quina carrying most of the responsibility and other leaders stepping up to relieve her. However, what we've found is that Quina has a great leadership team in place already! She has built a group of leaders who carry much of the load. Quina is still the lead pastor but she gives many responsibilities to the people of the church. There is a rotation of 3-4 people who preach on Sundays. Several others share messages during the weeknight meetings. There are enough musicians to make up several worship teams.

Quina spends a lot of time visiting sick or elderly people in the community. She still preaches every 2-3 weeks. She also puts a lot of her energy into organizing projects that help people in need. Whenever someone in the church has a problem, Quina is almost always the first one to respond. She usually has a driver who picks up people on Sunday mornings, but when he's not available, Quina jumps in the van and drives all over Moca!

We have been incredibly blessed by the generosity, love, hospitality and encouragement of the church here in Guanabano. One of the most significant ways we have started to realize a new normal is within our church family. For a long time we felt like visitors every time we went to a church service, but now we feel like part of the family, part of the community.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, emails, letters and love! God bless you all!