Eight years ago this past January, we moved to the Dominican
Republic. For the four years prior, we traveled back and forth for a few
months to six months at a time between our International Headquarters in
Louisville to the field in the Dominican. A few weeks before
we departed, we discovered we were pregnant. A month after moving we discovered
we were having twins. So, our journey would include two little ones a
little earlier than we had planned, but we had learned to trust God’s
plans.
Our hearts were filled with anticipation for this new
journey; to have a more permanent residence, more consistent relationships, and
simply to serve on the island our hearts had been bound to. Many of you
know our story and what happened next. After only 5 short months, we
landed back in the States. What was supposed to be a short stay after our
delivery, turned into an 8 year journey of faith through tears, challenges,
incredible joys, victories, and miracles.
Our hearts were never released from the Dominican.
While we were not serving full-time on the field, we served stateside with G.O.
building relationships, recruiting teams and partnerships, helping with the
organizational structure and spending our summers in the Dominican. While
we tried not to let our roots grow too deep in Louisville, hopeful this was
only a stop on our journey, God had other plans. He led us to incredible
relationships through community, inner-city ministry, and a growing
understanding of Deaf culture. The resources He poured out on our girls’
with state-of-the art medical professionals in the NICU, therapists, teachers,
Deaf adults, and other families with Deaf children was both generous and
encouraging. Even more gracious, He added another angel to our family
with the healthy birth of Ella Jayde in March 2010.
The deep longings in our hearts for the Dominican and Haiti
painfully remained. For the past eight years, we’ve prayed for God to
make a way for us to return. With our girls’ special needs, we were
prepared for that to be much later in our lives. However, last summer,
God began showing us in numerous ways that the time was coming sooner rather
than later.
