Shannon's Corner

    SHANNON’S CORNER Merry Christmas! When you are around children how do you react to them?   What feelings are invoked in you?   What is your perspective of children?    What image of Jesus with children comes to your mind? I have loved being and playing with kids as far back as my preteen years when I began to babysit.  This love for kids continued throughout my life until present day with working at a kid’s summer camp, volunteering at Children’s Hospital, teaching Sunday School, helping with youth program, substituting as a school nurse, serving kids in Peru, mentoring youth, playing with missionary kids and with all of my nieces, nephews and my friends’ kids.  Kids just have a way of grounding me.  They bring joy and laughter to my life.  Kids can exhaust me as well from all their energy.  But they have a simple faith because they simply trust.   My image of Jesus with children was what ...

    SHANNON’S CORNER November 2020 Equipping and Mentoring for optimal health  to do ministry that bears much fruit for the Kingdom of God… Do you remember when you were in elementary school and you would do fire drills so many times a year?  I remember in my elementary and high school years; we not only did fire drills but also tornado drills.  Years later as a nurse, I did these same drills as well as mock codes.  Why, you may ask, was this necessary?  It’s preparing us for when the real thing happens that we know what to do and not just freeze and panic.  Doing this, our bodies are programed as an automatic response when these specific situations occur.  Equipping is important just like practicing drills.  Why, you may ask?  So that the missionary will have the tools and skillsets needed for the various circumstances and situations he/she will face while ministering and living overseas. Dur...

    SHANNON’S CORNER October 2020 C aring for the wounded and brokenhearted… I felt like a ball that is out of control and on the course to emotional breakdown.  I was highly stressed, in high burnout and on the path leading towards depression.  I would sleep a good eight hours each night yet every morning I woke up exhausted.  Small things that people would say or do would irritate me to no end.  I felt disconnected from my family.  I felt guilty for being one more person in abandoning the kids at the children’s home.  I had no idea what the future looked like.  I felt purposelessness, unsettled, numb, confused, anxious, displaced, identity crisis, homeless and floundering spiritually. I later went to a Debrief and Renewal Retreat in Colorado that helped me to process my time in Peru.  It showed that I was not alone.  I felt a oneness with those present because we have suffered for Chris...

    SHANNON’S CORNER September 2020 I want to highlight the two organizations who are partnering with me to accomplish God’s purpose for my life.     I discovered Safe Place Ministry in 2017 in the Global Member Care Network Facebook group that I am a part of for member care.  And as I learned more about their ministry and the services they provide, we (my boss and I) invited them to come to the Dominican Republic in January of 2018 for them to get to know our ministry and our missionaries.  At the end of their stay, we asked Safe Place Ministry to partner with us in providing a third-party member care service and being able to use any resources they have for our missionaries.   It has been a beautiful partnership and a huge blessing to me as I have learned and grown as a member care provider.  Safe Place did a training on member care that four of my colleagues and myself received in April of 2018.  Learning etho...

  SHANNON’S CORNER August 2020 Surrender.  Trust.   The two words that God has to keep reminding me to do…surrender to his will and to trust him to know what is best for me.   I am excited to say that I will be embarking on a new journey here in the United States  to care for those in ministry who are wounded and brokenhearted in body, mind, heart, and soul so that they will have optimal health to do ministry that bears much fruit for the Kingdom of God.   Ministry can be a very lonely place.  It can be weary and draining at times.  Where do those in ministry turn for help?  Who is willing and able to help carry these burdens of ministry?  My heart aches for them, and I sense a deep purpose to help them carry their burdens.   God is calling me to Care, Equip & Mentor those in ministry who are wounded and brokenhearted.   Caring  ministers to the individual, family or team in need in o...

SHANNON’S CORNER August 2020 Thank you for your prayers in regard to the Dominican Republic’s presidential elections on July 5 th  as they went very smoothly.  The new president-elect, Luis Abinader will take office I believe in August. The country opened up completely for the elections to be held and to start up their tourism again but the rise of COVID cases and deaths has also gone up.  The DR has issued a 45-day National State of Emergency starting July 21 st  until September 3 rd .   Mostly reinstating curfews to help contain the spread of COVID.  But they are hoping to still keep the country open to tourism.  The plan is for the schools to start on August 24 th  but some uncertainty in how it will be done.  Please continue to be praying for wisdom and energy and strength to all our leaders, staff, kids and missionaries. There are some exciting things that are happening in our ministry....