In the City

As Christmas 2008 draws toward its end, there is so much to be thankful for- family, friends, and most of all, knowing and serving a God who came to us and still comes!!  As you know, this has been my year for Stateside assignment- I have been in the US since the first of August. And what an incredible 5 months it has been!! My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage by inviting us all on a celebration cruise- it was great to be all together for such an important milestone.  Then they sold their house (of 43 years!) in Deerfield, NH so I spent quite a lot of time and energy cleaning out all the closets, garage, etc. You sure can accumulate a lot of stuff in 43 years!! I have made three round trips (driving) from NH to Florida for various reasons- over 9000 miles!! Thank goodness for audio books and cell phones to pass the miles! I have had the priviledge to visit many churches that support us- it is such an encouragement to me to meet and see faithful servants all over the country!  And then as most of you know, in October, I was asked to accept a new ministry assignment.  While I have been thoroughly blessed these past 9 years to serve in the Dominican Republic, I believe it is a good time to make a change and feel this new opportunity is a great fit for my skills and gifting.  As you can tell by the changes in my blog, I am heading now to Vancouver, Canada to work with a new team that will be providing experiential training for serving in a large urban center. We will have have 2-3 cycles per year, with personnel coming for 4 months to learn how to live and work in megacities.  I will serve as the logistics coordinator for this team. I am very excited to see what opportunities develop for ministering in such a cosmopolitan area. And of course, Vancouver will be hosting the 2010 Winter Olypmics- that should provide some incredible opportunities for sharing as well as just be plain fun!
    I just got back from a week in Santiago to say good-bye and pack up my things. It was great to share with dear friends, and while it was hard to leave, I very much knew that this transition is perfectly timed.  I will be heading up to Vancouver soon (January 6) for an orientation and hopefully to find housing, and then around the 1st of February will move up and begin to work. 
     For now, I am living in Englewood, FL, enjoying cool nights and warm days and visiting with family.  I hope to begin to communicate better now through the blog.  I have a new email: marsha.davidson@ulicanada.org.  You can also reach me on my cell phone: 941-400-4862 and my VOiP number is 941-244-6280.  I probably won’t answer that line but I will get a message if you leave one. 
     I appreciate so much all of you- your prayers and friendship mean so much to me.  As this year comes to end, I am counting my blessings- you my prayer and ministry partners are at the top of the list!!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I know many of you have been praying for the areas affected by the many hurricanes this season, including the Dominican Republic as well as Haiti and our own gulf coast.  In the DR, our missionaries are responding to the needs- they have been doing some medical clinics. When there is so much flooding, there is always an outbreak of sicknesses too.  The IMB has also been providing sprayers to help fight the mosquito population- they lead to dengue fever which is not fun!

It has been somewhat awkward for me to not be there during this time.  It has taught me the importance of prayer- while I can’t “do” anything, I can pray and I know from being on the other end, how important those prayers are in facing the challenges such circumstances bring.  So thanks for your continued prayers!

On a more personal note, I have had a great month- I drove to Florida and back. I was able to spend a few days there before making the return trip.  We enjoyed a great Rays-Red Sox game at Tropicana Field- the only one we actually one!  I was able to listen to three different audio books on my 50+ driving adventure. And, as many of you have seen, I got on Facebook and learned my way around a little.

Right now I am on my way to Manhattan, Kansas to see my nephew and his wife. He will be heading to Iraq pretty soon. We stopped last night in Ft Wayne, IN and were able to have dinner with a cousin- this has been a great STAS for reconnecting with people and family! 

Whew, time flies! As many of you have been hearing, there are numerous hurricanes that have threatened the DR.  Fortunately, the damage to the DR has been minimal, the greater damage being done in Haiti and Cuba. I appreciate your prayers for the islands and all the folks that are in the path of these storms.

Here in New Hampshire, the packing and moving continues! I can’t say it has been a lot of fun but we are nearly done. I am heading out tomorrow for Florida- the first of several trips, all connected to the moving process.  I am pulling a 26′ boat on this run! I hope to be in Englewood by Thursday where I will stay for a few day. The 15th we are going to a Red Sox- Tampa Bay Rays game (in Tampa) and then I will head back, just in time to head out to Kansas to see my nephew and his wife.

These past two weeks have been beautiful- I love the New England summer. My family complains of it being “hot, hot, hot” but to me, it is warm and wonderful!  I have enjoyed worshiping at Higher Ground Baptist Church- they were celebrating their new building and baptized 9 or 10. Last week I had the chance to be at Hope Chapel, my brother’s church near Worcester, Ma. It is always good to be with them. 

That is just a little bit of news from me. I hope in a few days or so I can do a better job of sharing some thoughts about my time here in the States.  For now, I covet your prayers as I travel down I-95 with the boat. I think I am looking at a 26 hour drive! 

Psalm 95:3-7
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

In the last several weeks I have this call to worship found in Psalms has come to mind (and heart) as I had an opportunity to scuba drive in Grand Cayman, taking in the beauty of the underworld, marveling at the exotic colored fish and circle around the island of Cozmel on a scooter, admiring the beautiful shore, and more recently, taking in the beauty of the Lake region here in New Hampshire. The wonders of creation never cease to impress me! What a great God we serve and what a wonderful home He has made for us!

I have had an opportunity to talk to folks back in the DR. They came through Fay without too much diffulty- the normal heavy rains which produce flooding. Their biggest problem right now is the extended power outages. There have been some riots in Santiago and the Cibao as people protest. 

The works are doing well. Villa de Yaque is going through an identity crisis- we have constantly struggled to define the church as the Body of Christ which may work together with community groups but being careful to make sure not to confuse the church as a community or political group. They have struggled with that issue and are continuing to struggle under Dany’s leadership as interim pastor. Please pray for him and our leaders there at Villa as they seek to identify themselves as church.  Los Santos is doing well, and The Hole is in a rebuilding phase… continue to pray for Victor as he deals with some important issues in his life. 

I am trying to work out the legal aspects of getting two 1997 ambulances into the country- there is a group willing to donate them if we can work it out- please pray with us that we can figure out the legal issues so we can get this equipment. 

Little by little I am getting settled in. I made a decision about transportation- no car but a Suzuki Intruder 700! Great gas mileage and the back roads sound good to me- taking it slow and easy!  I also got connected- my new cell phone number is 941-400-4862.  Feel free to give me a call.

Saturday I leave for Orlando, Fl– setting sail Sunday afternoon on a cruise through the Western Caribbean. It is a family vacation, celebrating my parents’ birthdays and 50th anniversary.  We will all be together except David and Kristen, who are in Kansas but we will visit with them in September.

Finally, I made it. Thursday was a long traveling day… I nearly froze with the AC on the planes and later the bus- it took me several hours to thaw out… Living in the Caribbean can mess you up I guess. I enjoyed a full day yesterday- shopping, getting myself settled in (still have a long way to go on that score), visiting with my parents and also both brothers.  We are expecting a crowd today of my nephew’s friends. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

My VOip phone is working: 941-244-6280 or you can call me on my parent’s phone: 603-463-7619.

Let me share a breif thought with you… for the past 8 weeks I have been completely focused on upcoming projects and getting ready to leave. I made lists constantly of things that needed to be done and worked those list every minute! Whenever I had an unexpected break, I would pull that list out and work on getting another item marked off.  And amazingly, everything got done, all the projects went great, and I am now home.  Yesterday I woke up with absolutely no agenda- it felt good really.  We talked, listened intently to the commentary surrounding Manny’s trade to LA, went shopping, etc.  And you know what? The day passed just as quickly as all those days in the DR working my lists!  We can be completely focused or we can live with no focus, and our time slips by just the same.

Here is a thought to ponder: 

A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing; Every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves: This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!
- — Thomas A. Kempis

I am really thankful I had all those “lists.” They represent purpose: those volunteer projects, the people an ministry behind them, they represented responsibilities to friends, family and rcolleagues, and all of which I am incredibly grateful for.  God has truly blessed me with a wonderful calling to serve as an IMB missionary in the DR, and I am sure glad I had all those “lists” of things I had to do because of all the people and ministry they represented.  One time Jeremiah was complaining to God about the difficulty of his task, and seeing the wicked prosper.  God’s reply in Jeremiah 12: 5 is a bit stunning:  

       “If you have raced with men on foot
       and they have worn you out,
       how can you compete with horses?
       If you stumble in safe country,
       how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

Ponder that: “what we have hitherto done is naught”!  As great and burdensome as our task may be, God has even greater things in mind for us!  If we get tired out racing on foot, how will we compete with horses?  Let’s consider our purpose, and make a sound beginning each day!

I am still working my list of things to do before I leave but it is dwindling! I will be traveling to La Vega tomorrow to complete the purchase of a new apparatus for Pastor Ortiz. The cochlear model he is wearing now has gone out of use and luckily we had the funds to transition him into the new unit. It should be easier for him! I am so thankful for being able to get that taken care of before leaving!! I started this term with his implant surgery and buying his new unit will be the last thing I do as I leave!!

I have made the changes at the phone company to turn off my internet service, which will happen sometime today or tomorrow. If you don’t hear from me or can’t get me on my magicjack number (941-244-6280) it is because I no longer have service. You can reach me on my normal phone: 809-971-5246 or cell phone 809-258-6353 but it will cost you! I should be back on line once I get to New Hampshire, Thursday evening. 

I don’t know what to say… last night we had a tearful good-bye with Pastor Melvin’s family and leaders, and then a tearful affirmation among the group.  There couldn’t have a been a better way for me to finish up this second term of mission service!  Sometimes things that happen in life are puzzling; good people often suffer terribly painful circumstances. I was priviledged to be able to witness how one such puzzling experience had a wonderful ending/new beginning.  As I drove home to day, as tired and worn out as I was, I was filled with a sense of joy and peace. I have been thinking a lot this last days about this term which began in 2003. God has given me an incredible honor to be apart of some amazing blessings. And I have also been a part of some very painful turn of events- both to me and to people I care about. I can’t explain why these things happen; they often seem so unfair. And yet when we are true to our calling and continue to be faithful, these trials and heartaches produce so much growth and maturity. I know I am not the same person I was when I arrived back here in January of 2003. I have had people I love dearly betray me, reject me, and I have had dear friends betray their faith in the Lord, I have had leaders fall into sin and disqualify themselves as leaders, and I have been robbed I don’t know how many times. 

I have also been a part of some amazing works of God- some highlights: Pastor Ramon receiving his hearing through the cochlear implant, Mecho receiving the funds she needed for her open heart surgery, all three churches finding permanent homes (with their own bathrooms!)- this week we got the doors put on the church in Los Santos and the fence is up around the basketball court in Villa de Yaque. Palmar Arriba has a new, wonderful basketball court, 7 water purifiers have been installed and are in use, the water trailers are here and working, ready to minister in a disaster, two of our new believers graduated from the Bible Institute and are serving as leaders in their respective churches, the Barnabas Foundation was established and is beginning to function, being a tool in our ministry to the poor and to up and coming leaders, and really the list of blessings could go on forever.  

Tomorrow is my last day to worship at the Hole, Los Santos and Villa de Yaque. I am so thankful for a pastor friend who has agreed to coordinate the ministry of these three young churches. So much work needs to be done to strengthen these new believers. Please pray that over the next six months, Dany and his wife will be able to guide them to a healthy foundation with capable leaders to continue to minister in their respective communities. Tomorrow will be an emotional day- pray for wisdom and grace as I share my final Bible study with them. 

On a totally different note, after getting home from the capital, seeing the St Giles folks off at the airport, I had an open house at my old place. Even after moving so much over to my new house, even after giving stuff away forever and ever, there was still a TON of stuff left over. I invited our church folks and told them to take everything and whatever they left behind, to throw in the trash. You would not have believed the boxes and boxes and bags and bags and bags of stuff they took away!

God has been so good to me through so many of you- you have been generous with me and our ministry which has allowed me to be generous with so many people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know all that “stuff” will be put to good use by good folks!

It is hard to believe we are almost done- what an amazing experience. At times it seems like forever since the group first arrived- not that is has been unpleasant, but it has been so FULL of so many varied blessings and ministry!! At other times, it seems like yesterday that they arrived- I think that indicates it has been a SUPER week!

We had a great day today on our “mission trip.” We had 180 kids in the morning between our two locations and then we had 50+ teens for our afternoon outreach and closing worship.  It was really a blessing to see Pastor Kender’s ministry field, meet his church leaders and share with them in the places they serve. We got rained on- pretty amazing that it was just today!

Tonight we had a tearful “despidida” (farewell) with Pastor Melvin, his family and Mayi and Melissa who have worked with us all week.  It is so neat to see everyone be blessed by this relationship. It is one of the greatest joys to know and love our brothers and sisters in Christ from other countries.

Tomorrow morning the group will enjoy a little time at the beach and in Boca Chica, doing some souvenir shopping before getting to the airport for their afternoon flight.

St. Giles folks: you can be extremely proud of the way your team represented you here this week. They have been an inspiration and joy for all of us. They have faced trying times with grace and preserverance, and maintained a spirit of unity through out the week. A great testimony!  Pray them saftely back to their homes- they need rest and they will need people to listen to their stories of what God has done this week in them and through them!

Today has been a great final day of VBS and D-Now. everyone was pretty much back at full health- we had a few folks a little iffy but they hung in there. It looks like we have been able to minister to about 300 children each morning and probably 60 or so youth in the late afternoons, not including our afternoon outreaches.

Tomorrow is our gran finale- we will be doign a mission trip within a mission trip, taking the youth from Don Gregorio with us to another mission field on the other side of Santo Domingo. pray with us that not only will we make an impact on the Tres Brazos area, on Pastor Kendar’s church) but that the Don Gregorio church will be touched by the experience and continue to see ways to be on mission with God.

Only bad news of the day is that the Dominicans did indeed whup the Americanos in basketball- that’s not that bad though because we had a great exchange and share time, which is what it is all about.