Happy New Year! The holidays were relaxing, enjoyable and different all at the same time. We celebrated Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) with our close friend Olvis and his family. Christmas day, Jeff prepared a brunch for us, and Braegan was able to open her first Christmas presents via FaceTime with grandparents. We spent the rest of the day listening to Christmas music and breathing in the aroma of a Fresh Balsam candle, that’s an immediate way to bring Christmas to wherever you are!
New Years Eve and Day were definitely different here too. It is celebrated by spending the final 3-4 hours of the year at church with friends. However, Jeff, Braegan, and I decided staying home would be the best bet. Braegan was to bed by 6:50 pm on New Years Eve. Jeff and I watched a couple of movies, but neither of us made it to midnight.
This past week was refreshing for us. Our first group of the new year arrived a week ago, and half of the group was from my hometown of Archbold, Ohio. It was a joy to spend time with them and be encouraged. One of the team members even brought down old photo albums from the early 1990’s when Jim and Dorine and my grandparents were all down here. We loved hearing the stories they had to share, including one about Thom Shaffer. Supposedly Grandpa was driving with a group from Archbold and he hit someone’s pig along the way. Here in the Dominican, you do not receive insurance money if you hit an animal, instead the vehicle who hits/kills the animal is responsible for paying for it. Grandpa didn’t have any money on him, so he collected from the group members…typical grandpa. Hearing these stories this past week made me want to go back in time to when the founders of SRI were serving here. There was so much laughter shared this week, and it was difficult to say goodbye. Jeff was also challenged and stretched this week as well with learning so much more about construction. The group was able to finish the roof, pour the floor and sidewalk, and install cabinets for the dining hall in El Cercado. It’s so great to see how God uses different skills here in the DR.
This weekend San Juan de la Maguana is hosting the Global Leadership Summit through Willow Creek Community Church. There will be hundreds of church and business leaders attending the sessions to hear about how other leaders are leading around the world. My dad, Jeff Hoffman, and Moe Moushon are here as well to volunteer and participate in the conference as well. They are officially our first guests since we have moved into our new apartment!
Braegan will be turning 1 in just under a month (February 8th). She has become extremely mobile and is getting close to walking. She cut her 5th tooth last week, and I can see the white in her gums for tooth number 6! She is loved more than anyone can imagine by everyone!!!!!! I cannot express more how I truly believe she was born for missions. Many group members have commented on what great social skills she has, and how she is going to continue becoming more sociable with each new person she meets. We are so proud!
How you can be praying for us:
-We are still in midst of the residency process. Currently we are waiting for our background checks to be legalized in the US, and then they will be sent down with a group. We will then make a final trip to Santo Domingo to submit all of our paperwork, and then…..we will continue to wait:)
–Rest, I feel like this has been on each one of my blogs. The winter months are extremely busy here with groups. We also have family members visiting throughout the next couple of months, and want to make sure we are able to enjoy our time with them while they are here too.
–Revolution is our current campaign for the new clinic. We are approaching our goal of $2 million to break ground and get the project started.
We hope that the New Year is greeting you well! We know that many of our friends and family in the Midwest are starting to thaw out after last week’s winter blast. Unfortunately, we do not envy you one bit. Thanks for your continued prayers and support.