The sunrise lighting the trees behind CIT

I open my eyes. My window shows the light of day. I glance at the clock. It’s 7:20; I’ve actually slept for 10 hours. Gingerly, I bring my hand out of the cocoon of blankets in which I have snuggled throughout the night. Is the air as frigid as when I settled in? No, it doesn’t seem to be. Perhaps the heater has finally caught up with the unusually cold temperatures outside.



I look around the room and remind myself where I am and why. I am at the Center for Intercultural Training in Union Mills, North Carolina – the next step toward my 2-year mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It is a place where I will learn to live with people who are not like me, who do not have the same worldview, who do not process information the way that I do. As I think about this, I wonder, considering the diverse, small world we live in, why such things aren't taught beginning in elementary school and throughout the years that follow. How much trouble would be avoided if we understood that so much of what we consider “wrong” is simply “different.”

The Administration Building
where classes will be held.

My hope and prayer while I am here is that I will be open and willing, a sponge that can absorb all that is offered – not just the information but the heart and soul of this place. Hundreds of missionaries have been here before me. They have been different nationalities, personalities, lifestyles and education levels. They have all struggled and discovered things about themselves and other people. They have grown much and have left this place better equipped to serve and love and be “Jesus” to the world. It sends shivers down my spine to think that I can and will be one of them.

 

Rocking chairs on the porch - a good place to visit -

at least when the weather gets warmer!

 My room - brings back memories of college days.

 

A touch of home - calendar with family

photos, birthdays and anniversaries.

 

I’m sitting here in the predawn hours, enjoying the beauty of the lights on my Christmas tree and soaking in the strains of music by Yanni. It is peaceful and a good time to reflect.

One week from today, I will pass a milestone on my journey to the Dominican Republic. I will be in an airplane heading to Asheville, North Carolina for my training at CIT – four weeks of intercultural training and two weeks of second language acquisition training. While it is nothing like the change that will happen when I leave for Guatemala and then the DR, it is a change nevertheless and hopefully will provide a good transition to the changes yet to come.

I am grateful to all those who are partnering with me in this change of life. That partnering looks a little different for each person. For some it is financial, for others it is prayer, for still others it has been walking with me through this process offering encouragement and support. I thank God often for all of you.

As Yanni’s music soars and reaches a crescendo, I celebrate the milestones that have been reached. I have received 89% of my start-up costs. I also have pledges for 55% of my monthly support. When fundraising started in October, I never would have believed that I could have reached these percentages by this time.

While I have exceeded the percentage of start-up costs needed to leave for language school in Guatemala, I also need to have 100% of my monthly support pledged before I can take that step. If you are like me, the thought of making a monthly commitment for two years is a little scary. You might think of all the “what if’s” that can happen in that period of time. You might think that you don’t have enough to offer that will make a real difference. In thinking about the remaining 45% needed, I realized that I need 20-25 people who will step out in faith and pledge $10, $15, $20 or $25 a month. Would you prayerfully consider being one of those people? Would you join me in my journey and walk with me for the next two years?

An African proverb says, “If you want to travel fast….go alone. If you want to travel far…..go together.” I want to travel far – not just in miles, but in helping the children of the DR and in touching lives there with the reality of God’s love for them. Together, with you, we can make a difference.

Blessings!

Karen

P.S. Yes, my Christmas tree is still up and will probably stay that way until I leave for Guatemala. I do love gazing at the lights.

View from my patio door

What a send-off 2014 is giving me – blizzards, sub-zero temperatures, snow emergencies, power outages. I wonder if God is trying to make it a little easier for me to say good-bye to Goshen for a couple years. J You see, reality hit when the calendar switched from 2013 to 2014. It’s really happening. I am actually leaving all that is loved and familiar for a leap into the great unknown. Even though I have been to Jarabacoa twice, I am well aware that my time there was not “normal” life. We were provided for, chauffeured around and, yes, even pampered – thanks to our wonderful team hosts, Brian and Emily. This time it will be different. It will be time for me to establish my own life there. The wonderful staff of Kids Alive will be there to support me, but it will be my responsibility to carve that niche for myself.



Children at Anija

Do I have cold feet? Yes, I do – and not just because it is -10⁰ outside. Do I think I am crazy? Sometimes. Am I afraid? Most definitely. But on my Good Earth tea bag a few weeks ago was this statement, “May you always do what you are afraid to do.” This has become my mantra as I move forward. Besides, when God puts something in your heart and soul the way He has put the people of the Dominican Republic in mine, how would you ever say, “No?”

I am so blessed by the support I have received from so many of you. Your prayers are carrying me along. The fundraising is going well. I am at 73% of my start-up costs and 45% of my monthly support. I have registered at the Center for Intercultural Training and have my plane tickets. I am sorting through almost 14 years of life here at my home and deciding what to keep and what can go. I have lists and lists of things to accomplish. So I move forward, one step at a time, closer and closer to the future God has for me at this season of my life.

 

What is that saying, something about “Cold hands means a warm heart”? Well, I may have cold feet, but I definitely have a warm heart for the children of the Dominican Republic and great anticipation for what lies ahead.