STARTING A NEW PATH

      So how do you begin an entry like this? Ever since I had made my first trip to the Dominican Republic back in 2003 I knew that it would be the beginning of something but I really had no idea what that would be. Now 8 years and who knows how many trips later it is beginning to take a different shape again. The guest house that Solid Rock uses in San Juan de la Maguana has what they call guest house hosts and they change from time to time and I had for the last number of years envisioned Karen and myself going down there for a short time (6 months or so). I should add that my vision for this was a bit clearer that Karen's, if you know what I mean. Never the less, I kept praying about it and Karen and I kept talking about it.
      Last fall in December of 2010 Karen and Abby and myself went to Jarabacoa to visit our daughter Rachel who had been living there for the past number of months. Jarabacoa is in the Northern part of the island a bit southwest of Santiago DR. She was there with, not through, Bethel College and was there for the main purpose of learning the language. She received no college credit for this and it actually delayed her graduation by 1 semester. Never the less, she wanted to be able to experience the culture a bit more than she had on previous shorter trips to third world countries. She was interacting with an organization called Students International, ( www.stint.com ) based out of California. I know the two directors there as they are from our home area and have been there for 10+ years now. while we were there Karen and I talked more about the opportunities that were at this location and it became evident at that point that maybe my vision of living in San Juan de la Maguana was maybe not quit as clear as I had thought it was.
     We had then met with Lowell and Cheryl Troyer and Nate and Maggie Schlabach on the evening before we left  to have dinner with them and just plain catch up as we had not really talked to them for a number of years now. They were not aware at that point of our talk of maybe pursuing a venture with Students International. It was just a good evening of visiting and finding out a little bit more of what they were doing there and filling them in on my past 6-7 years of work in the southern part of the island. After returning home there was "much" more dialog between Karen and I as we continued to discern what God's plans is for our life.
      So since the first of the year now we have talked to Students International and are currently in the process of filling out applications and papers and papers and applications and papers and more papers. We will hopefully be done with most of the paperwork by this weekend and then wait for the next step. The current plan is to be in place (somewhere) by January of 2012, whether that be in Jarabacoa or Nicaragua (where they are starting a new base) or where ever the Lord leads. We are in much need of one thing at this point in the journey, that is prayer from all who are willing, that we can stay focused on the vision and mission as we prepare to be gone from what we know as home, for the next three years. We will be taking the three girls with us Nina 14, Janae 11, and Marcy 8. In the next 11 months we will be needing to go through 4 months of language school in Costa Rica, 3 weeks of missionary training in Colorado Springs, begin our fund raising efforts (hardest for us of anything so far). and then the idea of tying up things here at home and all that entails. so PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS.
                                                                        Love in Christ, Mike and Karen.