Wow, I cannot believe that it has been 3 months that we have been here in the Dominican Republic. Just three months ago, June 28th, Jodi, Wyman, Grace and I packed up 12 bags worth of our life in Duluth, GA and set off for the Dominican Republic. We knew that God called us to this place far away from our home and our comfort zone, but as many of you that have gone on mission trips before know, we were not sure exactly what was in store for us. Many people that sent us encouraging notes before we left wrote, “Good luck on your new adventure.” They were absolutely correct in writing the word adventure. Since the moment we touched down at the airport in Santo Domingo until now, three months later, it has been an adventure. From the change in culture, to the change in climate. From the change in language, to the change in attitude. One thing has been constant, we have experienced a lot of change. None more than the change that God has made in the hearts of this family. A change in location always leads to a change in perspective. God has taken this opportunity in our lives to draw us closer to Him. He has tested us. He has put a lot on our plate. But, He has always been next to us throughout our time here. He never gives us more than we can handle. Sometimes He challenges us big time…and those are the times we fall to our knees and beg for His support and guidance. What an amazing moment that is.
So much has gone on here in this ministry since June 28th. It blows me away that it was just two months ago that the last FCA baseball trip left the Dominican. That FCA college baseball trip, along with the countless others this past summer, seem like an eternity ago. I guess that is a good thing. We are settled in and have a pretty good routine happening each week. Now I say that half-jokingly, because you and I know that we are in the Dominican Republic and anything can happen on a daily basis. Whether we are watching cows walk behind our house in the morning, or seeing a family of 4 ride a motorcycle holding onto 4 goats and propane tank, life here in the Dominican is far from ordinary.
Our first month here, July, was absolute chaos. It would be hard enough to mentally move your family to another country, let alone host over a dozen missions trips, start Spanish lessons four days per week, start building relationships with people in the community, sign the kids up for school, set up a bank account and cell phone service, bribe the customs agents in order to retrieve your car from the port, find a church, and of course, spend some time with family. We even hosted 3 college guys from Atlanta for 11 days. I know this sounds like I am complaining, and I probably would be if I knew we had to do it again, but I can honestly say that all of those things were a huge blessing to our family. That chaos brought our family closer together and brought us closer to our Lord. It was also a great “boot camp” for our future in the Dominican. I always felt as a coach that being thrown into the fire is often times the best way to gain significant experience. We met so many amazing people during the month of July. Our facility here housed people from all over the United States wanting to spend a week in the Dominican in order to make a difference in the name of Jesus. So many of those people made huge impacts on our family in the way that they worshipped the Lord and loved those around them. We are so blessed to be able to call so many of them our friends now. I bet Jodi and I could write a very long book on that month in our lives. It would most definitely be a book about crazy love. Oh that’s right, someone already wrote that. I guess we would have to pick another name.
We are extremely blessed to have a house on the campus of this facility that is called the Highlands. Herb Rawlings has built 12 Highlands Facilities throughout the world, including Thailand, Cambodia and Mexico. These facilities are used for evangelistic camps, discipleship programs and a Bible college for the natives of each country. Because in FCA we want to use baseball as a platform for Christ and disciple coaches and young men, Mr. Rawlings decided that we would be a great fit for the Dominican facility. We absolutely agreed and it has been wonderful to be able to use these great baseball fields in order to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For the past month, we have pretty much set up a routine. Monday thru Friday, Wyman and Grace attend a bilingual school about 5 miles away from our house in the heart of a neighborhood called Andres. The school is made up of mostly Dominicans from the village, so Wyman and Grace have been getting a good taste of Dominican life. Jodi and I attend Spanish classes Tuesday thru Friday from noon until 3pm. Our teachers Julio and Mercy are wonderful and we have become very good friends. I even use 30 minutes of my time each day with Julio to study the Bible, in Spanish of course.
Before setting foot on Dominican land, I had planned to put aside any ministry opportunities in order to focus on Spanish and my family. That has been very difficult because there is so much need and I am so excited to work with coaches and players in the DR. Jodi and I have set aside Sunday and Monday for church and time together and that has been wonderful for our relationship. We are currently in the middle of a great couples study called, “The Love Dare.” It has been an amazing 28 days up to this point. Because I could not help myself, I did start some ministry on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On those mornings, we have hosted teams from Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and sometimes San Pedro de Macoris. The Juan Dolio team has never played baseball before and the Boca Chica team is in our community. We could not wait and pass up the opportunity to evangelize to these groups and set up some discipleship opportunities in the future. The teams range in age from 8-13 years old. I now have a greater appreciation for middle school teachers. Middle school boys are a breed of their own. I also have had priceless opportunities to use the Spanish I have learned in class on the ball field and in the dugout. There is no better way to learn a language than being immersed into a culture that speaks that language. I cannot wait for the day, God willing, that I will be able to preach the Gospel in Spanish to these young people.
FCA’s vision is to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of athletes and coaches. So many organizations and groups come to the Dominican Republic in order to preach the Gospel. FCA has sent the Shaheen family to the DR to follow through with discipleship. In just 3 months, God has put me in the position to start several discipleship opportunities. Every Wednesday morning at 7:30am I have the honor of reading the Gospel of John with a 17 year old named Ezekiel. I happened to meet him in the first month when he came to work with his father who works at the Highlands facility. I have also had several meetings with July Bozo, a coach from San Pedro de Macoris, Victor Aquino, a coach for the San Fransisco Giants Dominican team, and Luis Hernandez, a coach from Boca Chica. On each occasion, these coaches have clearly expressed an interest in sharing their love for Christ with their ball players. The thought of these men influencing countless young men in their communities for the cause of Christ gives me a feeling of Joy that I cannot describe.
From the moment we have been here, Gus and Illeana Hernandez, our neighbors, have been great supporters. They have spent countless hours trying to keep us happy and safe, and we really appreciate it. In just 3 months, Wyman and Grace look to Gus and Illeana as an aunt and uncle. Eddy Jesus Gill, the Evangelistic Director of the Highlands has been a great friend to us. Saturday night is movie night and it is no surprise when Eddy shows up with the movie or some popcorn. Eddy was the person that took us to set up our phones and any other home improvement trips. At the very young age of 21, Eddy makes a difference in the lives of so many people, including the Shaheens.
Wow, again, it is amazing to think about how we have only been here for 3 months. We have developed so many strong relationships and have so many wonderful experiences in this short period of time. In fact, there probably has not been a year in our lives that has had more significant moments for our family. We are truly blessed! We love and miss our friends back in the States, but we love what God is doing to us and with us here. Boca Chica is our new home. Somos Dominicano. Mis hermanos, Dios le bendiga!
