They Told Me I’d Be Bored UPDATE

Thank you so much for your gifts! I’m 75% ready to go to the Dominician Republic to speak at three conferences (pastors, marriage, young adults), that’s $1744.97 raised of the 2,288 needed. Which means most of me can go, just my head and shoulders get left behind.

Maybe not a great loss…

Details about the trip are below. Please be praying. If you still want to give, you can give through the mission agency and get a tax recipt if you give to them here. Or you can give here, (GiveSendGo) and trust that I don’t put it into my Red Ferrari fund. I mean, that’s transportation too…

It sounded like a good idea at the time. “You’ll be retired” they said. “Bored” they said. “It’s safer than Haiti” they said. But now it seems… real.

I’ve been asked to be the first visiting professor for the Ezra Institute, training pastors in the Dominican Republic this October. I can’t wait to put that on my resume!

Well, except that I’m retired.

And it sounds more impressive than it is. This professor doesn’t get paid. In fact, he has to pay his own way.

I’m going with RMI – Reciprocal Ministries International, a mission organization that links churches in the U.S. with local churches in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for cross-cultural partnerships.

How it Happened:

I’ve been going to Haiti since 2007, and I’ve built deep friendships there, including with Andrew, who was a high school missionary kid when we first met. He now has his PhD and is spearheading the new Ezra Institute School of Leadership for RMI.

Right now, I need prayer to trust God for the planning, language barriers, resources, etc. I’ve never been to the DR before, and I’m traveling alone, so a little apprehensive.

What I will be doing:

I will be 10 days away from home, but two of them are traveling. So, 8 days of ministry.

• The first three days is all about meeting with the pastors, missionaries and students who we will be teaching. We need insights to material changes, get to know the translators, and some logistics to work out.
• The next five days we have three conferences, some two days long.
  • A Pastors conference. Some of it about shepherding, some about administration, and some about sermon preparation.
• • A young adult conference. This will be on discipleship and Bible study methods.
  • A marriage conference. Probably using premarital counseling material.

Please be praying, and feel free to share this letter. It is way different taking a mission trip after retiring. Money is tighter and getting the word out more awkward. Thanks for any help, and I’ll let you know how it goes!

Be encouraged,

Dan

Admittedly my dog and grandson in the picture have nothing to do with this post.