missionaryMAC

I'm figuring out how to do my "normal" job again this week after two solid weeks of hosting partners & volunteers...including...could it be?...the first bona fide, post-pandemic short-term team in the DR (no disrespect to the 2021 regional conference childcare team or short-term individual  volunteer Scott Elliott )!? Five individuals from Calvary Lutheran Church* in Wray (/ reɪ /), CO, arrived March 19 with eyes, ears, and hearts wide open.  It was 18 yr. old Makia's senior trip. All along I thought this meant it was a school project, but over gourmet popsicles a week later, I learned her parents would have taken her anywhere, within reason, as a graduation present, and she chose a mission trip! The team's goal was none other than to see, experience,  and participate in  as many aspects of the DRLM as possible. That started right away on arrival day with dinner in a missionary host home; they'd dine alongside five other missionary families before all was...

As in Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, MO, the home congregation of Marty and Deac. Sarah, two FORO partners that tacked on a few extra days to see the Santiago side of church planting in the DR, not "laugh out loud" (although I did plenty of that with them!).  We made 3 stops on the ~2.5 hour drive from Santo Domingo on Monday: 1. Cortes chocolate factory - having seen the "Visitors' Center' sign from the highway multiple times but never popped in, I took advantage of a leisurely day and willing guinea pigs to scout out a potential new activity for short-term teams and other visitors. Alas, it was closed, but I came away with a contact phone number for next time.  2. Km. 28 for a tour of the government run psychosocial rehabilitation hospital with director Dr. Marisol Martínez.  3. Lunch with a view at Asadero Doña Pula (pictured are Marty and Sarah with the Doña herself). Marty had chivo (goat), and Sarah, mofongo (a typical dish of mashed fried ...

WOW it's the Ides of March and this is my first blog post. Sorry! I blame the DRLM March 2022 FORO . As is typical, I was part of a small team at the helm of planning this most recent iteration of the bilingual partnership meetings that allow the various LAC fields to "talk shop" on their home turf with US constituents.  Given that we hadn't held one in Santo Domingo since I deployed to the field 3 1/2 years ago, it was high time to feature the capital  improvements and projects at Friends of Christ and Bread of Life Lutheran Churches, even though it meant only a skeleton crew of DR missionaries could attend. It also brought with it a whole new dimension of complexity in terms of housing, feeding, and transporting everyone. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get any frantic texts or phone calls, but it was nothing we couldn't get past as a team and learn from.  In the end, seven individuals came away having picked up on our laser focus on church planting, so ...