So this will be our last official ministry update. We wanted to say thank you and to give you a little update on life for us now and how the ministry is continuing in the DR.
So July has come to an end. We have now been stateside five months. Dave is involved in work (insurance sales) and ministering to men in different ways--jail ministry, small group and one on one mentoring. I am also ministering to women through mentoring relationships--old and new. Rachael and Beka are home for the summer and both have been gainfully employed!! We continue to re-connect with family and old friends and that has been such a rich blessing.
We are so so grateful to all those who are helping us in this transition. So many have reached out in so many unique ways. I love the diversity and creativity in the body of Christ!! We want to take a moment to give special thanks to those of you who continued to support us financially these past few months. We are so touched by your thoughtful generosity. That has helped us tremendously. We surely are praying God's special blessing on you and your families. We want to follow your example of Christian love in action!!!
We have shared how moving back to Illinois would allow us to be closer to our two youngest daughters who are in college in Indiana and to my mother. We asked for prayer for jobs for Rachael and Beka and that was answered. Rachael is a server at a local Steak N Shake restaurant.
Steak N Shake was always one of our favorite restaurants to go to during our stateside visits when we were living in the DR so it's appropriate that Rachael works there now. Very American!!!
Beka has nannied for three young girls all summer and really enjoyed that type of work. All her experience with the young children in our mountain community was great preparation.
We are also so grateful that it is now easier to get together with our two older children, Blythe and Shane. Blythe just spent a long weekend with us.
So amazing that now we have three adult daughters!!!
We also have been able to visit my mom and some of my siblings up on our family farm. Those are always very special times!!!
Early morning on the farm.
Our youngest and my mother!!!
My mother will be staying with us this fall, something we are so very grateful for!! We would very much appreciate prayers for this time.
A very special treat for us were two visits from Dominican friends. We weren't able to visit the DR this summer so God allowed the DR to come to us---such a welcome surprise!! The girls' high school soccer coaches plus three Dominican soccer players came to visit us.
They even made us "tostones" ---a Dominican favorite!!
And a couple that Dave and I mentored in their marriage, Amaury and Catherine, and their sweet daughter, my God-daughter, Josie also paid us a visit.
Both of these visits were so very good for our hearts and souls.
We'll end this with a little update from the DR. Our good friend Josh Davis, with Proskuneo Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia returned to Lajas to put on a worship institute and a few of our "Lajeros" were able to participate. It is so cool to think of how God brought us together at language school in Costa Rica, how we both share a love for the Dominican people, and how we were able to "connect" Josh with our friends in Lajas, and that those relationships continues on---to God's glory!!! The "ripple effect"---love begets love!!
Here are just a few photos that hopefully reflect a bit of what God was up to there...
We wish we could have been there but it did our hearts good to know that we had a little part in putting these special folks together for such a time as this!!.
God bless and keep you all.
By God's grace and For His Glory,
Dave and Cherry Schwulst