July-August Newsletter

SHANNON’S CORNER

August 2017

Cherry Run Camp was an amazing experience!  It was so delightful to see so many people.  A precious time to be able reconnect and to fellowship with one another.  It was a time of refreshment, renewal, and pouring into my own spiritual life.  God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.  I am grateful for the opportunity to not only minister to the campers at Cherry Run but to be ministered.

One of the messages that God used to speak to me was during one of Stan Key’s messages is when he (Stan) said, “Pastors feed your sheep.”  How often in our churches are people in the service but they are not being fed?  There are people, who are faithful members yet they are starving, they are emaciated because they are not being fed.  They are instead grumbling and complaining.  This got me to think about the missionaries and Dominican directors whom I serve with here in the Dominican Republic.  How many of them are grumbling and complaining?  How many of them are starving or emaciated because they are not being fed spiritually?  What role does God want me to serve in regards to the spiritual feeding of our missionaries and directors?  What does that look like?  Questions that I have been meditating, pondering, and wrestling with since Stan spoke this message.

Shannon, Sonya, & Jessica

I also had the opportunity while back in the states to see various family members whom I have not seen in a very, very long time.  I remember seeing photos of my mom’s siblings and their kids all together and wishing that I could have been part of that memory.  God gave me lots of opportunities in the 2.5 weeks I was back in the states to have those memories.  God knowing the desire of my heart and fulfilling it.  God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Arriving back to the Dominican Republic has been quite the transition.  I moved all my things into my new apartment prior to my trip in the states so I have come back to a new place to live.  Unpacking, sorting, organizing has been a little overwhelming to the point it seems like I just arrived for the first time to the DR even though I have been here for a year now.   It has taken a couple of days just to get into the swing of things.  There have been many new things happening here as well.

While I was in the states, the Van Der Molen family and Cooper family have returned to the DR from their year-long furlough in North America.  Jeff is over our construction in the DR and Haiti and over teams.  Ann writes curriculum along with other administrative things at ANIJA.  Paul is the director at ANIJA.  We have a new missionary who just arrived, Taylor who will be serving in Constanza for the next two years as a dietician.  The Coopers received the long awaited announcement of getting the green light to get their 15-month- old girl who is awaiting them in China.  Please be praying as the Cooper family will be traveling once again first back to Canada and then to China to welcome their new little one into their family.  Our missionary, RJ has just headed to Santo Domingo to attend language school for the next 10 weeks to learn Spanish and the Dominican culture.  The Miller family who serve in Caraballo have welcomed their new little baby boy into the world on August 15^th.  As you can see there are many new additions and transitions in our KAIDR family.

These last few weeks the children from our three residential homes have been on vacation.  This vacation is an opportunity for the kids to experience “real life” outside of the children’s home environment.  Some have been spending time with their biological families and those who were not able to be with their biological families have spent time with families from our local churches during this vacation period.  These last few weeks for our schools have been last minute teachers’ training and preparations for the new school year.  Many of our schools have started this week and some next week.  Our school in Constanza is adding a trauma care to their school environment.  One thing is to have the teachers and kids prepare their classrooms in a safe, warm and inviting environment for learning to occur.  Another aspect the school is implementing is a “safe” room for kids who are stressed to have a safe environment with adults who will help them to get rid of the stress from their bodies in order to be in a better state emotionally for learning when they return to the classroom.  It’s a new strategy of working with our at-risk kids and I am so very excited to see how God is going to do amazing things with our kids and staff.  If you would like to read more about it the book is called, “Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control Volume 1” by Heather T. Forbes. Our school in Monte Plata will be adding 7^th grade to our school which is a first for us as a ministry.  Both Caraballo-Park Care Center and Santo Domingo-Centro de Vida will be starting officially as schools this school year.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Philippians 4:4

PRAYER REQUESTS

Praise the Lord for a wonderful time at Cherry Run Camp!

Praise the Lord for seeing family whom I have not seen in a long, long time while I was in the states!

Praise the Lord for safe travels back to the DR!

 Praise the Lord for the Van Der Molen Family, Cooper Family and Taylor arriving safely to the DR!

Pray for our missionaries’ transition to living in the DR.

Pray for God’s wisdom and discernment in all things.

Pray for my spiritual life where I am continually being fed, growing and maturing in my faith.

Pray for guidance and direction in leading a women’s Bible Study.