Transitions

It's sad to say, but this is my and Joe's last week in Indianapolis.  The next time we return to our beloved city we will be moving back into our house!  It's crazy to think about but all very exciting.  Thank God we have a really fun job to look forward to and some direction for our future.  It makes everything easier but we still have a lot of changes and moving around to do which can be quite tiring.  We still don't know the exact timing of when our return to the States will take place but we're trusting God through this time of transition.

Speaking of transition, I have yet to introduce you all to the couple who will be taking over our job as Guesthouse Administrators in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic.  Their names are Dan and Kari Straley and they were featured in the latest Solid Rock Missions newsletter as they just recently accepted the position.  Joe and I were first introduced to Dan and Kari through a mutual friend who, after hearing that Solid Rock was searching for a new Guesthouse couple, informed us that she had two friends who were interested in long-term mission work and could start this Spring.  The very next week we went to church together, had coffee afterward and talked about what the job entailed, and shortly after they called the Solid Rock office and applied for the position.  As many of you know, running the Guesthouse requires quite the mishmash of skills and we strongly believe that Dan and Kari are going to do an excellent job as they have previous experience working at a Guesthouse in Juarez, Mexico as well as many other skills and past experiences that will be useful to their work in San Juan.  Click here to read the latest SRM newsletter and find out more. 

Also, Dan and Kari have started fundraising so they can move down to the Dominican Republic as soon as possible and begin their time of transition with Joe and me.  The sooner they can raise their support, the sooner they can move down and learn the Guesthouse work, and the sooner Joe and I can move back to the States and begin our work as SRM Executive Directors.  As many of you know, serving as Guesthouse Administrators is a volunteer missionary position and their ability to live and serve in the DR can only be made possible through the generosity of people like you who love and support Solid Rock Missions.  If you are interested in making a one-time donation to the Straley's support or in becoming a monthly or annually support of the Straleys, please click here to be directed to their online donation page.  Joe and I have been so blessed by the gifts given to us through our supporters and pray that you all have been blessed for your willingness to serve the Lord by providing for us financially.  If any of you would enjoy continuing with your financial gifts, the Straleys would greatly appreciate your support as they are currently preparing to move and trusting in God's provision. 

If you haven't checked out the SRM Guesthouse blog recently, be sure to click the link on the top right hand side of this page and see what's been happening in San Juan.  Our recent teams have done a great job keeping us updated and informed about what they've been up to and have also listed some useful information for upcoming teams.  If you're not following the SRM Guesthouse blog yet make sure you add it to your list today! 

In other news, as I mentioned above, this is our last week in Indianapolis.  On Monday Joe and I will head North to Michigan to stay at my parents' place for a bit.  We'll stop at Taylor University to pick up my brother and bring him home to the Detroit area for his Thanksgiving break.  My sister and her fiance will fly in from Brooklyn, New York to be with us for Thanksgiving as well.  I'm hosting a shower in Grand Rapids for my sister who is getting married December 17th and Joe and I will probably spend a little bit of time with his parents at their condo up in Harbor Springs, Michigan.  We'll return to my parents' house to help prepare for the wedding, then head down to Fort Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida to spend Christmas with some of Joe's family.  From Florida we'll fly back to the Dominican Republic and get back to work!  Of course all of that is God-willing . . . we're still praying that all my blood test results will be good and that I'll continue feeling better and better. 

I have such mixed feeling about these next couple of months.  It seems like all of our transitions are both happy and sad at the same time.  We're sad to leave Indy but happy to be with people in Detroit.  Then we'll be happy to be back working in San Juan but missing people in the States.  Then we'll be happy to start a new job in the States but will horribly miss our friends and life in San Juan.  Everything is so bittersweet!!!  I have to say we are SO looking forward to our new job as Directors of SRM.  I just know that God has big plans in store for our organization and we're so excited to be a part of it all.  The other day Joe's Grandma Zimmerman sent us some pictures of her late husband, Pastor Gordon Zimmerman, from a newspaper printed just after one of his trips to the Dominican Republic in the early 90s.  I had this amazing peace come over me and everything just felt right.  It is so awesome to see God working through our family and using the older generation to prepare things for the younger generation.  I actually started crying because I just feel like God was saying that we are right where we belong and he has been working everything out for this to happen for a long time. 

Oh my word!  I almost forgot to mention this- my insurance company said they will be covering my cancer!!!  Praise God!  We're still a little nervous because we don't have anything on paper showing that bills have been paid . . . so please keep us in your prayers.  As you may remember from a previous post, our insurance company was calling my cancer "pre-existing" and was refusing to pay for any of my surgery or treatments.  Thank God it looks like things will be taken care of.  Please keep praying as this can be a long process to get everything sorted out.  God will provide.  We're confident of that.  He always does.

"Holy, holy, holy is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong, THE WAS, THE IS, THE COMING . . . Worthy, O Master!  Yes, our God!  Take the glory!  The honor!  The power!  You created it all; it was all created because you wanted it." (Rev. 4, The Message)