Author: Michael

For most tenth graders on this planet, a 5 day, 36 mile backpacking trip with 7,465 feet of elevation gain to the top of Pico Duarte is not a typical part of the school week. But for the 18 students and 5 chaperones (myself included) at Doulos, it was a life-altering experience in the Dominican Mountainside. The amazing views, group bonding, and hilarious moments were all wonderful, but the real beauty was in the moments where the Lord showed up to do work in people’s hearts.

Simplify for the Struggle

When planning for the week, there are many things that the leaders hope to accomplish during the week. One of the key goals is to strip the students from everything that is the norm for them, including their friend groups, technology, and routine to allow for the Lord to work through the simplicity and the struggle.

Students were put into varying groups (see above) as their hiking group for the first day’s 12 mike hike to Base Camp. This allowed for many technology-free hours of conversations on all sorts of topics. We sang Taylor swift, discussed the benefits of beef jerky, and the wide variety of thoughts that enter 15 and 16 year old’s minds. Although there were many funny topics, the Lord worked to weave in some deep conversations between myself and the students.

One example was during a two hour stretch of the steepest part of the hike. I was walking with a student that was by himself and was having a hard time making it. (Personally, I was struggling as well, so it was great to have to have a reason to go a little slower!)

While huffing it up the trail, we talked through the hard of his life, the struggles of his broken home, and figuring out his path for the future regarding work and university. Two years ago, I was also walking with him on an outdoor ed trip and learned about a lot of his family pain, specifically around his parent’s divorce, so this provided a special time of following up on how he was dealing with the pain and where he was with his walk with the Lord. We talked about seeking God in the midst of the hard and the unknown and looking for His will in the midst of all the changes. This student is usually pretty withdrawn and quiet, so it was great to have intentional time to invest in him.

Later on at the end of the first day, I was with a group of students who were getting tired, but were also “enjoying” their breaks a little longer than they should. I kept pushing them that if they did not hurry up, we would be hiking in the dark. To that, one of the boys replied, “Night hiking sounds fun!”

Well, sure enough, they found out how fun it was. Around 6:30pm, the fog rolled in and we wound up being two miles from base camp in pitch dark. So I had them stop and get out their flashlights to which the reply was, “We didn’t pack any. We figured other people had them.” So there I was with five teenagers, one flashlight and their panic setting in. The thought of a “fun night hike” was quickly dashed as two of the girls started bawling hysterically, screaming that they were not going to walk any more, that something was in the bushes to get them, and that they wanted to go home. At the same time, two of the boys said their backs hurt too much to go on. Internally I was like, Lord, this is ridiculous. How am I going to get out of this mess? But on the outside, I was able to maintain a calm over the situation that can only be credited to the Holy Spirit. Through lots of prayers, pauses and pep talks amidst the teenage tears, plenty of stubbed toes, and a dark object following us (it was a rock…) we made it to camp 90 minutes after everyone else through the darkness of the mountains.

After settling down and getting a hot meal, one of the girls talked to me and thanked me for being so calm during that stressful time. She said that any other leader would have “freaked out” on her, but that she knew that I had her back and would keep her safe in that hard situation. I was able to use that conversation to give all the credit to the Lord and His ability to provide a peace that transcended the incredible struggle of leading five panic-stricken teens through the mountains in the dark. This is a young lady that both Melissa and I have poured TONS of time into regarding her faith, understanding the truth of the gospel, and how a life following Christs transforms us into His likeness. So for the Lord to use me that evening as an on-earth model of His peace and patience was a special way to end the day one.

Speaking on Suffering for the Lord

Day two brought us to the top of Pico Duarte!! Less than 16 hours after our night hike and the declarations of wanting to go home, we all made it to the 10,174 foot summit of Pico Duarte. The entire group was full of smiles and pride in their accomplishment of making it to the highest peak in the Caribbean together as a class. There were high fives, hugs, kisses given to the Duarte statue, and celebratory dance moves.

That evening, I got to lead the evening devotional for the students around the campfire. I focused on the passage of 2 Corinthians chapter one which focuses on the joy of suffering. I was able to explain to them that God gives universal blessings to everyone, believer or not, when it comes to having an achievement that required suffering; such as all of them being proud to have hiked to the summit of Pico, which didn’t require any of them to be a Christ follower to feel pride for their achievement. And while this is good, it is only an earthly feeling. However, the Word in 2 Corinthians is talking about how followers of Christ should view suffering as a way to disciple others. Not through simple actions, but by modeling the comfort we received from Christ in our suffering to bring comfort to others.

I also shared about how accepting Christ is not a “make life easier and prosperous” decision, but actually, that the life of the Cross is hard and with suffering. But unlike the suffering for naught of the world, it is full of a supernatural joy of living for so much more that this world can ever comprehend through a life following Christ.

Rest and Return

Day three meant packing up camp, and heading on the nine hour hike for Valle Del Tetero. 9 miles from our first base camp, this is a grassy valley, with an amazing river, peace and quiet to relax and space for kids to play. After so much energy was spent hiking, a reprieve was much needed.

Upon arrival, everyone was able to catch their breath, relax and reflect on their experience the first two and a half days. It allowed for the kids to ponder their accomplishments, their struggles, and how they felt the Lord was speaking to them. One of the girls that I talked with reflected on how the culture she lives in focuses so much on taking the easy way out, and how the trip was a great example of how the special things of this world take effort and struggle. I followed up with her thoughts and connected them to the fact that this is shown in the Christian walk- that God’s path is narrow and difficult, but it has ALWAYS been worth it.

After our day off, we packed up and headed home to our families, a comfy bed, and a shower to clean off our layers of sweat and grime. Through all the blisters, bug bites, and burning muscles, this was an experience that none of us will ever forget. During my time, I was thinking how thankful I was to be able to be God’s physical hands and feet in the DR and to be able to speak gospel truths into this group of students. Thank you soooo much for being an extension of the work that God is doing in the DR.

There are many layers of what makes Doulos an amazing ministry to work for. We just finished this promo video to highlight many of the key points of how the people of the DR are being impacted for the Lord.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8

This last week, I had the privilege of co-leading a three-day conference for Christian school leaders. Located in Santo Domingo, the largest city on the island, the focus was, “Esperanza Profunda” which means “deep hope.” We were presenting to school leaders from around a dozen different school sites. They are all under the umbrella of Sinergia, a Christian organization that plants schools and churches and Christian schools in the poorest neighborhoods of the D.R.

Many of these school leaders have the passion to bring the Gospel to their students, but do not have the training, tools, or resources to maximize their efforts. The leadership of Doulos was approached earlier in the year to share the strategies and tools that we use to bring the Gospel to our students and provide training for a group of school directors and leaders. Of course we said YES!! Even though myself and my coworkers have packed schedules, we felt the Holy Spirit pressing upon us the importance of this conference and the need to say “here we are, send us.”

During our training, we focused on creating a Christ-centered vision for the school, implementing biblical integration strategies for classrooms, cooperative learning strategies, short-term and long-term goal setting, focused prayer time, devotions and many more activities. These men and women were so appreciative of the opportunity to further their gospel impact for their students. With tears in their eyes, many of them passionately spoke of the hopelessness of the areas they live in, the seeds of hope that they wish to plant in their students, and the appreciation to have a vision and tools to now make that happen.

Planning 24 hours of content over 3 days took TONS of time and effort outside of my normal principal duties. But all the hours of prep, the time away from family, and the hours of speaking were an easy “yes” to be able to move the Kingdom forward and hopefully impact the hundreds of students at these schools. Thank you, Jesus, for being our “esperanza profunda” in everything we do!

Ministry in the D.R. takes on many shapes and forms, even the occasional fiesta!! Last week, we were able to host the Quinceanera of one of Brennan’s classmates. She is an incredibly special young lady who we have gotten to do life with these last two years. It was really meaningful that she trusted us enough to host this milestone birthday for her.

While the Quinceanera is a special birthday for all Dominican girls, their style of celebrating varies greatly. At the request of the birthday girl, we had yummy food, fun tunes, games, and hangout time, as well as prayed a group blessing over her. All of the kids who came over were students in Brennan’s class, who just three weeks ago were wading through mud and filth on the 26 mile Outdoor Ed trip with Melissa. Whether walking with Donkeys, or eating pizza and cupcakes, we feel incredibly blessed to be the people that God has called to intentionally pour into this group of teens in Jarabacoa.

The Biblical intentionality of Doulos for both students and staff is something that I truly appreciate as I walk on campus each day. For me, over the last couple weeks, the Lord has been using various Doulos events to really speak to me and push me in my boldness in moving his kingdom forward. 

Every Friday, we have a 30 minute period of staff worship and discipleship which really is a beautiful way to end a week of serving the Lord. This year, we have been going chapter by chapter through various books of the bile. We just finished Philippians and are starting Ephesians. To prepare, I have been reading through Ephesians and meditating on the themes of the book. Through this reflection, one of the areas that Christ has really spoken to me about is the importance of the boldness of the Gospel and man, does Ephesians hammer that point home. Specifically Ephesians 3:8-12. 

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

As I was reflectingI felt many of those points were easy for me check off:

• Be a light- Yep
• Access Christ Confidently- Sure Thing
• Preach the riches of Christ- Gotcha
• Understand the eternal purpose-  ¡Si!

Then I thought of:

• Boldness- ……….

I have reflected on my path as a Christ follower and find too often, the idol of comfort and timidness would get in my way of boldness. I would often ”Fan into flame the gift of God.” (2 Timothy 1) but it was like a wimpy shape instead of the strength needed to truly fan a flame. Sure I could serve well and talk about Jesus, but was I doing it with the intentional boldness that the Lord calls us to? If I was being honest, it was not to the level that I could. 

Through these weeks of reflecting, God gave me a second, not-subtle, yet beautiful reminder of the reason that boldness is needed in this world. 

Every quarter-ish, we have an all school worship time. This is a 45 minute block where the entire school gets together, praises the Lord and hears from one of the staff members. At the end there was a time for prayer and an open call for people to receive Christ. It was so neat to see teachers praying with students and helping them to accept Jesus in their hearts. About five minutes later, in the middle of after school pick up, one of my former students, a 7th grader, said, “Mister, I was looking all for you to pray with me. I want to accept Jesus in my heart. Can we do it now?” 

Well, that was an easy answer. Of course!!

So under the mango tree, with the rain coming down, I got to pray with her to accept Jesus and for the first time, this 12 year old girl knew what it was like to have Jesus in her heart. I felt so blessed that the Lord would use my relational building with her over the last year as a tool to flame the gift of God. It was such a gift to have that time with her, and to be a small part of her God story. Additionally, during this experience, God really impressed on me a great reminder of the battle that is still on this planet. 

While praying a prayer of thanks to God afterwards, I felt him prompting me that boldness is not just a nice thing, it is a crucial tool of eternal ramifications. I looked around at these students that I loved, waiting for their parents, and the knowledge really was imparted on me that many of them are not saved. I felt that gentle tug from the Lord reminding me that, “These souls are why we need to be bold.” While I was celebrating the new creation next to me, the necessity of the gospel for the Doulos community was so clear and real.

As we continue to serve in the D.R., our ask is that you continue to pray for boldness for family as we share the truth of the Gospel to the people in our lives that do not know Jesus and to provide bold discipleship to those that do. The need on this island is so deep, but we serve a God that is so powerful.  

Aside from spiritual boldness and strength, please pray for Melissa’s physical strength. She is currently on a 19 mile, 3 day hike with Brennan and his 20 classmates. For many of our high school students and graduates, their Outdoor Education trips are a special time that God really speaks to them. Melissa loves nature but is NOT going on this hike to spend time in the forest. This trip is definitely an exercise in faith and boldness for her to go on this trip and to pour into these kids until Wednesday. She is also giving a devotion on Tuesday on walking the narrow path. Many students in Brennan’s class do not know Christ, and even more of them do not have the greatest grasp on walking the narrow path. Please be praying for her physical state as well as her message on Tuesday. 

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support that you continue to pour out into us. It is an amazing reminder of how the Lord uses all of us to move His Kingdom forward. God is so good in his riches and blessings, and we feel so fortunate to be a part of his work.  

We’d only been back to the DR for about 24 hours when something started to feel “off.” I was deeply tired and it felt like more than just jet lag. Within a week I tested positive for Covid and suddenly everything made sense! And while my symptoms were mild, I had 10 solid days with such extreme fatigue that many times I could hardly keep my eyes open. I spent countless hours in bed, dozing on and off, thinking, and most importantly, praying. God kept bringing various situations to mind that needed prayer…a fellow missionary with a bacterial infection plus dengue (more on this in a minute!), our Dominican brother who had been sick for over 3 months with a relentless respiratory infection on top of a UTI from bathing in unsanitary water, dear friends launching a new ministry, another missionary struggling to recover from an odd fungal infection … God made it very clear that He was calling me to start this school year in PRAYER. And while I certainly did not like being sidelined by Covid, I can see how God used this as the catalyst to open my eyes and confront me with the great need for prayer over our community. I could just feel it deep within, the enemy waging spiritual warfare, and the call to fight back, entering into powerful prayer in Jesus’ name!

Since then, dengue has continued to affect several missionary kiddos we know and love, along with hundreds of others on the island. Dengue is a mosquito borne illness that causes days of high fever, muscle and joint pain, rash, a significant drop in platelets, and in severe cases, life threatening internal bleeding and shock. It has been on the rise lately as we are in the midst of the rainy season (May to November). I’m not going to pretend that this doesn’t strike fear in my heart. Because it absolutely does. Some of you know my original resistance to surrendering to God’s calling on our life for missions. The health and safety of my family was a big part of this. God has been sweetly reminding me of our journey together, He and I… my surrender, His faithfulness, that He is a good, good Father that can be completely trusted. And so I continue to pray. Prayer for healing for those who are in the midst of dengue. Prayer for physical protection for my family and our community. Prayer for greater holiness and faithfulness. Prayer for God’s will to be done in all of the ministries that He is using here in the Dominican for His kingdom.

Will you stand alongside me and pray? James 5:16 tells us that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Not because we possess individual greatness, but because we, as believers, have the Holy Spirit and can approach a Great and Powerful God with confidence. Many times people ask us how they can help. I want to assure you that your prayers ARE help. Your prayers are a fragrant offering, a great gift to us as we do God’s work together, in partnership as the body of Christ, here in the DR.

It’s been a very sweet week for our family here in the DR. The final week of school means a wide variety of emotions. Some kids are excited to have a break from school, while others are uncertain with the lack the stability and rhythm. There are plenty of tears and final hugs from students who are graduating, combined with staff that are called back to the States and leaving Doulos. And plenty of amazement thinking that it was only 9 months ago that we were teaching in socially distant classrooms, all wearing masks, and wondering if we would have to go back online again. Through all of this, the overall emotion that abounded this past week was an overflowing of joy for a successful school year and the incredible work that the Lord has done in the D.R.

Doulos staff, students, and families experience these emotions through a variety of activities this week: field day, high school graduation, all-staff retreat, the last day of school, and the awards assembly. Through the awards assembly and the all-staff retreat, students and staff are recognized for academic excellence as well as for exceptionally demonstrating the Doulos codes of character. Four students are chosen (One from PreK, Elementary, Middle, and High) as voted on by the staff for each code of character (servant leader, wise, courageous, revolutionary, relational, perseverant) and one student and staff are chosen for the DOULOS of the year. The DOULOS of the year is given to the students and staff that best model all six of those characteristics.

We were incredibly humbled that Brennan was selected for his Academic Excellence AND Servant Leader of the year for all of middle school, Ava won the DOULOS of the year for Elementary, and Mike won DOULOS of the year for the staff. So many times over the last two years we have felt raw and vulnerable and watched how the Lord has exposed areas in each of our lives that need to be sanctified for His glory. It was a sweet affirmation that He truly is never ceasing to shape and equip each one of us to continue to serve Him well in the D.R. We all constantly need to trust in the wisdom, courage, and perseverance that God provides us to be the relational and revolutionary servant leaders that we are called to be.

Additionally, we were equally thrilled that one of our adopted daughters won the DOULOS of the year for middle school. She is a special young lady who serves others constantly and strives to learn more about what it means to be a Christ follower. She did NOT want to get in front of everyone, but when she heard her name, she was beaming.

This year has been so incredibly difficult at times, yet also so affirming that God has perfectly placed us in the right community to proclaim His name. We feel blessed to call Jarabacoa our home and to live out our calling in the D.R.

At the end of last month, Melissa traveled with Brennan’s 8th grade class on a two day snorkeling trip to the North Coast. At Doulos, each grade has different topics of study each semester known as “Expeditions.” The current 8th grade expedition topic is Diversity. In all 8th grade core classes, students take a look at God’s design of diversity and the many ways that it is shown in the world. Student work varies in each class based on the content area, giving students a broad look at the topic. Specifically, in science class, students studied life in the coral reefs in conjunction to their lessons on the diversity of ecosystems.

For many of the students, it was their first time seeing the vast variety of life in the ocean by snorkeling, even though they live less than 70 miles away. Most students had a terrific time, even though there were plenty of rolling swells causing rolling stomachs.

This was an amazing learning experience for all of the students, but it also provided us with a further “dive” into building deep relationships with this particular group of students from Doulos. God has specifically put these kids on our hearts and has provided ample opportunities throughout the year to foster meaningful relationships with many of them, both in and outside of Doulos. During this trip, Melissa and Brennan were able to have lots of laughs, quality conversations, and many memorable moments. This continuous relationship building allows for trust and openness which leads to solid heart conversations about God, life and their current struggles.

Recently, we experienced some of the fruits of this relationship building. Following snorkeling was Doulos’ Spiritual Emphasis Week. (Each day we strive to preach the gospel at Doulos, but this particular week shines an ever brighter spotlight on Christ.) That Monday, we had a local speaker come and preach, providing a conduit for kids to talk through what was on their hearts in their journey to finding Christ. One of the precious eight graders whom we’ve developed a close relationship with gave her heart to Jesus and immediately sought me out to ask, “I just accepted Jesus in my heart, but what happens now?” Following this talk, another student who is also near and dear to us, brought up some faith questions she has in her heart and the doubt she is still facing. The bonding that took place throughout the year with both Melissa and I, allowed me to be in a place relationally with these students that they would seek me out and trust me with their questions about surrendering to and living for Jesus Christ.

Brennan has also used this relational building to speak life into his friend group. Some of his classmates have difficult home issues and the trust he has built with these classmates has led these students to pour out to him. Through these tough times, he has been responding by loving and supporting them as Christ would.

The depth and variance of relationships that the Lord has allowed us to be part of has been one of the most beautiful things about serving here in the D.R. It is a kind of richness we could have never imagined! (For example: Melissa and Ava were at a birthday party for a Doulos student until 10:30 on a school night the same time I was writing this blog.) To us, all of this shows how perfect and intentional God’s work is in terms of using His people to demonstrate His love, spread His Word and call people of all nations into His kingdom.