New Ministry Developement

As you all know, when we got married I resigned from my role in the anti-trafficking world; I also made the decision to not get heavily involved in those efforts for at least the first year of our marriage in order to be able to take time to pour energy into building a strong foundation for our marriage and pursue the calling for ministry that we have together.

But, for someone who has a tendency to be a work-aholic, it's been harder than most people know. It's been a big adjustment to have such an open schedule. Even though I keep myself busy most of the time, sometimes I question whether or not I'm fulfilling the purpose God placed me here to fulfill. Especially because I am so passionate about anti-trafficking. When I was invited to join the board of a new bureau here in the DR planning to move forward with so many things that we had dreamed of doing last year and couldn't, I knew I had to say no, but it was a very hard struggle to give up that opportunity.
Do I regret it? No!! And there have been so many people who have encouraged us in this decision. I know that Miguel and I are so, so grateful that God has brought us down the path we are walking. And of course, Miguel is SO good at reminding me to take the extra time and spend those moments with Jesus.

Having said all that, I am so excited that we've been asked to take on roles as Mission Trips Coordinators for FCA DR! We're rolling out a new model for mission trips this upcoming year (currently receiving requests/bookings) and Miguel and I are spearheading it all. I'll do what I love to do in coordinating behind the scenes, as well as working with the groups when needed, while Miguel does what he loves to do - connect people to Jesus through baseball.
Our projects will be focused on the coaches. This may mean pouring a concrete floor for a coach and his family, building an outdoor block bathroom, repairing leaking tin roofs, or painting several coaches' homes in a week. Whatever it is, we'll take the talents of the visiting group and pair it with a need of a coach dirctly influenced by the staff of FCA DR.

Spread the word! Become a part of going into the world and "making disciples of all nations."

Hurricane Season and Other Fun Stuff

*Note: there are lots of pictures below ;)

In the northern part of the U.S. where I grew up, September was the beginning of my favorite season - autumn! (I'm used to calling it "fall" but "autumn" has a nicer ring to it ;)
Trees' leaves would change colors, sometimes overnight, from green into brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds. Apple cider and all things pumpkin spice were on the menu at every chilli cook-off thrown to enjoy the last of the long evenings.

Cutting down a dead tree in preparation for the strong winds coming our way.

Here where we live in the DR, September is the heart of hurricane season.
Technically, we have two seasons, hurricane (June-November) and non-hurricane (the other 6 months). I also call the seasons hot and hotter. A lot of people not used to living in hurricane country freak out when they hear "the H word" but mostly it just consists of a lot rainstorms. Hurricane season begins as the hotter part of the year sets in and the rains are what makes living through those months bearable.  Late August to early November is when we see more probabilities of larger hurricanes that actually cause damage. This year has held nothing less than an interesting season.

I'm sure all of you have heard of Irma, the hurricane that hit Florida very shortly after Harvey hit Texas. The Dominican Republic had been in her path but she turned north the night before making landfall; many people praised God that the DR never got a direct eye-wall hit. There are a few regions in the northern part of the island where relief efforts are being carried out, but as a whole, the damage was minimal in comparison to what we were preparing for.

While all this was happening, my flight from ND back home got delayed since the airport closest to to where we live was shut down in preparation for the storm. My family laughed at me as my mind seemed to be scattered all over the place. Miguel was preparing for whatever might happen and I was a little disapointed to not be in on the action (which in the end proved to be barely anything more than a tiny palm tree next to our house blowing over. Thankfully our mango trees went unscathed!).
Well, as Miguel told me yesterday, it looks like I may get a little action afterall! Enter hurricane Maria - a category 4-5 storm set to hit our side of the island, and on to the northern part again, on Thursday. (Hurricane hint: category 3 and above are the ones to keep your eyes on.) This one doesn't seem to have anywhere to move to without bringing damage to someone else.

We know prayer can bring changes. But this past Sunday at early morning Sunday-school, the interesting question came up of, why do some natural disasters avoid certain places and not others? Were people not praying hard enough in those areas like Barbuda and St. Martin? The conclusion we came to is that when looking at that question Biblically, the point isn't necessarily are people praying hard enough or not. The better question is, while not excusing a lack of prayer, come what may - how do we respond?

I've asked myself that question during Irma and again while preparing for Maria - how would I have responded had Irma hit us as hard as predicted? How will I respond if Maria doesn't veer away either? Either way, our response as Christ-followers needs to be one of glorifying God. I've been learning this through my brother's death last December. Grace in the suffereing becomes sweeter somehow. Good or bad, full of laughter or heart-wrenching difficulty, how are we glorifying God in our response?

-----

My trip to the States was amazing! I can't even begin to thank everyone who made this trip possible. From opening up their homes to giving me their cars to use, and buying me lots of yummy food (way too much food!), I was overwhelmed with their kindness and generosity (you all know who you are). 


I was in Atlanta, GA for 5 days -

Full of first times and new experiences with people who are becoming very near and dear to our hearts!

To the utter surprise of my southern friends, this was my first-ever taste of Chick-fi-A. Miguel was pretty jealous since he's heard so much about this famous fast-food place.  

Also my first ever, almost full eclipse. I've never actually done the whole eclipse experience in any way, shape, or form, so that was cool. The shadows were my absolute, all-time favorite thing!

These two! Talk about people near and dear to our hearts. Phil and Kim have adopted us as their kids and aren't letting anyone else say anything otherwise! I spent 5 hours at their place and it felt like 15 minutes. 

The pictures says it all!

I couldn't resist catching a pic of this delivery truck with Spanish lettering back when Coca-Cola was making its appearance in Latin America. 

It was hard to pick just a few of the many fun details to share. 

In St. Johns, MI for 6 days,

We had a fun-filled evening with a bunch of friends and family at an open-house type meet and greet at my parents' place. I also loved catching up with more people one-on-one at several brunches, meet my little month-old niece, and go thrift shopping with my sisters for some much needed clothes (I think I'm set for another two years now ;)

Little Nikkita Rae Miller has everyone wrapped around her chubby fingers! We video-called her uncle Miguel and she just stared at him while he talked to her :D 

And in Minot, ND for 7 (oops, sorry, that changed with the flight delay to 9) days.

Sharing on Sunday morning at my sending church, Northland Harvest, in Minot was definitely one of the highlights. It's always such a blessing and encouragement to be part of a group of Christ-followers who are so intentional with becoming a part of Jesus' commission to share His love with the world.
North Dakota is always my rejuvenating place, where I have the most time and space to just relax and connect with God in a more intentional way. It's easy to become so busy on fundraising trips and come back home more exhausted than ever, but my family in ND always makes sure to take a day (or few) to just have fun together. Of course, by the end of that week, I was missing my husband a LOT and was happy for some distraction as well :D

I lived with my sister and brother-in-law's family for several months before moving to the DR and they always inspire me so much! That day, we checked out the Prairie Museum located in the town that is the geographical center of North America. Then went on our own fun country drive and found a cool house to take a picture in front of.

He reminded me of Miguel - kind of ;)

 -----

Since getting back, another niece has been welcomed to the Bontrager family!
Becky Jolene Bontrager made her appearance a few weeks earlier than expected but nobody seems to mind :D

As always, stay tuned for futher updates! And don't forget to check out our Contact & Support page to subscribe to our newsletters and stay in touch on how to get involved with "making disciples of all nations."