Feliz Navidad! Pair o' Ducks

Greetings!!! and Merry Christmas!!!  
Well, it has been a crazy past few weeks of preparing to embark on our adventure to the DR.  Just wanted to give a recap to those who didn't know our plans and what we've been up to for the past few weeks.  I will try to give you some of the highlights.
Right after Thanksgiving we went out to Palmer Lake, Colorado for our training at MTI (Missionary Training International) for three weeks.  We weren't really sure what to expect for this time but it surpassed anything we thought it would do to prepare us for our time in the DR.  The program was called SPLICE which stood for...

Spiritual
Personal
Lifestyle
Interpersonal
Cultural
Endure/Enjoy

The time spent there was wonderful and couldn't imagine going to the DR without it.  It is very hard to explain but it really helped strengthen us (spiritually) individually, as well as a family.  Jenna was in her own class and learned some of the same stuff that we did.  One of the first things that we all learned was the pair o' ducks (paradox).  This was helpful for Jenna to verbalize some of the things she was feeling (as well as us).  This paradox is when we are experiencing something (like leaving) and we have both good and bad feelings about the same thing....a "yay" duck and a "yuck" duck.  We learned it's ok to have both feelings about the same thing and it's ok to talk about it.  We are leaving all of our friends, family, pets, and things we know (Yuck Duck), but we are going to a new place to explore, with friends we have there already, and new friends to make with many new unknown adventures (Yay Duck!). That reminds me of a joke...a duck walks into a pharmacy and asks for chap stick.  "Will that be cash or charge?" says the cashier.  "Just put it on my bill!" says the duck.  Anyway, the pair o' ducks has been very helpful in talking about our transition to the DR.  

We did also talk about this transition time into a new culture and what it looks like and how we cross the transition "bridge" at different times and at different speeds.  The transition bridge involves 5 stages:  Settled, Unsettled, Chaos, Resettled, and New Settled.  This picture is Jenna in "Chaos" in a illustration with her "family" that is going through this cultural transition.  As you may see, as we go through the chaotic times of this transition we need help from those within our family as well as outside help too (thanks for those of you who are helping and will help us during this transition time).

We made some wonderfully awesome new friends also. There were about 29 family units (some families with lots of kids and some individuals).  We got to spend a lot of time getting to know them, learning with them, and hanging out with them.  We also had growth groups each week which were very helpful to spend time with others, men for Darren and women for Becky.  These friends are also going through the same things as far as leading our family in this challenging transition.  It was very encouraging to spend time with people who are "homeless, jobless, and leaving the country soon."  It is great to think that we have friends that are going to be all over the world (Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Spain, France, South Africa, China, Cambodia, and even the DR...to name a few).  We will truly miss all of these friends, but will be in contact for love and support as we go into the world.

During the weekends we were able to spend some time as a family and with others at MTI.  We got to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, snowboarding at Breckenridge, see our friends in Denver, and hang out in Denver.  This was a good time to learn how to spend time as a family.  We enjoyed this time very much.

Our friend "Sita"(who will be with us in the DR) at the Olympic Training Center.

Garden of the Gods

After MTI we have been spending time with family.  We have been in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.  It has been great being able to see our parents for more than just a day or two at a time and then be gone for months.  We celebrated "cousins" Christmas in Wisconsin this past weekend and had a stupendous time, hanging out, playing basketball, playing games, eating, opening presents and seeing a Dancing Horse Show.  

Our plans?  Well, we are celebrating Christmas with family today and tomorrow and then 2 days of packing and then....we head to Chicago and fly out on the 29th.  We do have an overnight layover at Newark and then arrive in the DR on the 30th!  We are very excited about this new time, yet we still have a lot of  "yuck" ducks in leaving all of our friends and family.  But we know this is what God wants us to do and are open to what He has in store for us.  Can't wait to see.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers...and don't forget us!  Why doesn't Santa Claus have any weeds in his garden?  Because all he does is "HO, HO, HO." 

Please, remember the real reason for Christmas.

May God richly bless all of you during this wonderful season of celebrating our Savior's birth!

Houses, Cars, and Motos.

Well, we've had an eventful week after our clinic week.  We stayed in the DR an extra week so we could look for a vehicle, house, and orient a little more at the school.  We looked at houses and areas that we could potentially live in.  There's quite a range of places and should be exciting to see where we end up.  We looked at cars also.  We had one that we were interested in but then when we ran the CarFax it showed it was totaled in the states and was shipped to the DR...so, no go there.
 I was able to purchase a motorcycle though!  It was an interesting adventure.  First, we had to talk to the guy at the colmado (a small neighborhood store) where the bike was, then, we talked to the "owner" on the phone (who was Haitian and not really the owner).  We made an offer and he countered.  We finally met and agreed on a price.  We then had to meet with an attorney to make sure the paperwork was done right.  We ended up meeting at the lawyer's house at night while I had 60,000 pesos cash with me...a little scary and we weren't sure what was going to happen.  It turned out that the Haitian was a pastor and the lawyer was a pastor at the church that our friends go to.  We got a deal on the lawyer.  What a blessing that was.  So, anyway, I do have a motorcycle now which is a great economical way to get around down there.

One of the days we took one of the students to the HIV clinic to get his blood drawn, see the doctor and get his meds.  This is going to be one of my duties as the Health Care Coordinator at the school.  He got his blood drawn and then saw the doctor and then got his meds.  He is 6 years old and is doing better about getting his blood drawn a lot but does better knowing he gets helado (ice cream) after his appointment.
On our way back to the states our flight was delayed and we couldn't make our connecting flight to Columbus.  There were no hotels by the airport because of the power outages in New York and New Jersey.  So, we ended up getting picked up by the mom of one of the teachers at the Makarios School and she took us to one of her friends houses for us to sleep for a several hours and then got taken back to the airport to catch a flight to Columbus...whew!  We are very grateful to all who helped us out so we didn't have to sleep in the airport with 2 kids.
We are in the Dayton area for a few days and then heading to MI for a while.  Thanks so much for the thoughts and the prayers.  We really appreciate it.  Dios te bendiga.

Makarios Medical Clinic Week

This was the week for our "normal" medical trip that we have been doing for six years now.  It was a fantastic group of people that we had assembled from various locales (Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and Illinois).  We had three main providers including a Pediatrician,  Pediatric Ortho PA, and an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.  We also had 3 fabulous interpreters that spoke English, Spanish, and Creole (for the Haitian population that we see).  I had the opportunity to spend time with Lauren, the PA that has been with Makarios for the past 3 years, and learn her job.  We had some Nurses and PCAs to help with the clinic as well.  We also had one non medical person to help around the school as well as with our medical group.  A total of 13 people that  did a wonderful job.

 One of our "rooms."

 Wilner, one of the Mak school students.

This year we were able to set up the clinic in the new cafeteria at the Makarios School.  We had three "rooms" made out of tarps along with school tables for our exam tables.  We had a lot more room and the flow of patients was very good.  In all we see about 371 patients throughout the week (really in about 3 1/2 days)!  It was great to interact with the students and their families as well as the Makarios staff.  We would consider this week a success with many people treated and healed physically and one woman who asked to be healed spiritually and gave her life to God.  We appreciated all of the prayers throughout this week.  We will be here next week to look for a house, car, and orient.  I put an offer on a motorcycle and am waiting to hear back.  Lots of good stuff going on:)  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Darren and Becky

We Made It!

Without any complications from Hurricane Sandy, we made it to the DR.   We went to church today and then took a little ride up Mount Isabel which overlooks Puerto Plata.  Great views.  We will post some pics later.  We are ready for the week of clinic at the school this week.  We have a great medical team including an MD, PA, NP, some RNs, and PCAs.  We have a great host couple and it's been great getting to know them.  No tarantulas yet either (bummer).  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week!
d

DR Here we come!!

Well, it has been a crazy past couple of weeks.  It has been very hectic trying to get the house ready to rent.  People ask what we are doing with our stuff...which is a loaded question.  Some of it is staying in the house for our renters, some of it is being stored in the storage/attic area, some scattered with friends throughout the Miami Valley, some in Michigan, some sold, the rest is in our cars....which will hopefully sell soon also (our cars that is).  I have come to realize we have a lot of STUFF!  I am glad we are having a stuff catharsis:)
We are leaving bright and early in the morning (before the sun comes up)...I usually forget this...and then it "dawns" on me.  We are flying Columbus to Newark and Newark to Puerto Plata, DR.  There is a little "storm" in the way (Hurricane Sandy).  So, I guess we will find out tomorrow what happens with that.  We are very excited to start this journey as a family.  Audrey keeps saying, "trip, ocean and sand."  She is excited without knowing what we REALLY are doing.  Jenna is doing well also.  It was a rough week saying goodbye to our canine, Molly, who we've had since she was a puppy 5 years ago.  She said goodbye to our 2 cats, Kiara and Nala, who we FINALLY found a home for (Thanks AMY, you're the best!!).  She also had to say goodbye to her friends and gymnastics, which are her two big loves right now.  However, all in all, she is doing great and knows why we are going.  Well, friends, please pray for us we embark on this wonderful journey.  Talk to you soon.
D

Our house is rented!

Hello friends!  We are so excited to say that we have rented our house!  Praise the Lord!!  We signed the contract with a very nice family and we will be "homeless" as of November 1st.  We are one step closer to our big adventure!  So this means that we have two weeks to pack up and get the house in order as well as get ready for our two week medical/orientation trip to the DR.  These are the days that I wish my little one would take 3-4 hour naps:)  So thank you all for your continued prayers as we get all that needs to be done...done.  And for those of you that are wondering, our cats still need a home.  So if  any of you would like to take care of them please let us know!

Becky

Time is getting short

We are in the last month of being "normal" people (some people say we were never "normal"). Becky's last day at her job is the 17th and mine is the 24th (sniff, sniff).  We will then be living off of our support raised from friends and family like you....which we need more of:)  Currently we are about a third of the way toward our monthly support goal.  So, if you or someone you know would like to partner with us financially just hit the donate now button on the blog.  Anyway, that's all I have to say about that (Forrest Gump).
We are currently busy trying to tie up loose ends such as renting our house, selling our cars/motorcycle, selling stuff, etc. loads of fun.  I just wanted to give you an update as to when we are actually leaving.  I get this question all of the time and it's not an easy one, so, let me explain.  We are done with our jobs this month and we will leave for a 2 week medical/orientation trip to the DR on Oct. 27th.  We will then come back (somewhere) for about 2 weeks and then will leave right after Thanksgiving for a 3 week trip to MTI in Colorado (this is for training).  We will then come back again (somewhere) until we leave for good at the end of December.....so that's when we are leaving:)  We would appreciate your prayers specifically for renting our house and raising support.  Those are our two biggest burdens right now.  We are very excited about this new adventure and appreciate all of the support we can muster:)  We will be in touch.

Austin, Tx

We recently had the chance (mandatory:)) to go to Austin, Tx for orientation with the Makarios staff.  It was two days of learning what we got ourselves into:)  We met our new friends that we will be down there with (Sarah, a new teacher, and Doug and Margaret, new host couple at the Mak house).  We are excited to work with them the next couple of years.  Makarios is based in Austin, Tx for those of you wondering why Texas.  It was good to see Sharla (our friend from Cedarville College, back when it was called a College.  She is the executive director of Makarios).  We also saw a little bit of Austin and did a family vacation in Tx since we were out here.

Anyway, we are one step closer to the DR.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We are going to put our house up for rent when we get back to Ohio so, please pray for a good renter/renters and a smooth timely transition.  Muchas gracias!!

Pictures from our last trip

Edge of the Dream - White Heart


I look at you, you look at me
Our hearts surge with feeling cause we agree
How the Spirit fills this moment
Holding us together in a bond of love
Such a mystery
Like a window looking out into eternity
But even though this feels like heaven
We know that it just...

The edge of the dream
The start of the plan
It's the way we begin to understand
The endless stream
The depths of His love
We got a long way to go
But the thrill is to know
It's just the edge of the dream

Feel the strength, the tenderness
He's given us a glimpse of His Holiness
As our souls flow together
Let us step on over...

The edge of the dream
Into the heart of His plan
It's the way we begin to understand
The endless stream
The depths of His love
We got a long way to go
But the truth we must know

Lord we must search for Your wisdom
We want to live as Your children
And move closer, closer, closer
To the dream


This song was sung at our wedding by Jen Crawford Fisher (thanks Jen!).  We thought that it was a fitting title to our blog since it was around the time of our anniversary that we decided to begin our adventure to the DR.  If you notice it is Edge of the DReam.  Yes, DR for Dominican Republic.  I know the english majors (and obsessive compulsives) are cringing and think this is an offense worthy of "capital" punishment. Too bad. Anyway, we just wanted to explain the title to our blog and invite you to share our dream with us. 

Our dream...

For those of you that haven't heard, our family will be moving to the Dominican Republic for two years! We will be working with Makarios International at the Makarios school. Darren will be working as the health care coordinator. I will be homeschooling the girls as well as helping at the school. We would also like to start a free clinic for the Dominicans and Haitians in the surrounding villages. We will be trying to keep everyone up to date with our adventure through this blog, so stay tuned for more as we transition into these new roles!