Latest (and probably last) DR Update

Greetings from the DR,

I’m writing to give an update on my final months in the Dominican Republic and my transition into work in Sudan. I arrived back in the DR in January after spending the month of December in the US. Since returning, I’ve been busy finishing projects, training my replacement, and making plans for my departure. I had been uncertain exactly how my transition would take place, but now the picture is clearer. My support levels are a bit low, so I am planning on returning to the US on April 2 to spend the month in continued support raising. The hope is that with this month of focused time, the remaining funds I need will appear. Assuming that my support levels are adequate, I plan on leaving for Lebanon for 3 months of Arabic language study at the beginning of May, following a weeklong conference in Wisconsin for all Kids Alive missionaries. At the end of the 3 months in Lebanon, the plan is to move on to Sudan to begin my work there.

As is often the case in these types of transitions, the completion of these plans is dependent on several factors, most of which are out of my control. The first factor, as mentioned before, is my support level. At this point, I have about 80% of monthly and 25% of one-time costs accounted for. In order to leave for Lebanon, those numbers need to be at or near 100%. Another factor that is particularly worrying at the moment is gaining entry into Sudan. Due to the negative international focus on the Darfur region and the country as a whole, the Sudanese government has become much more stingy on who they are allowing in, even if the purpose of entry is to help the people. This stinginess is magnified for me because I am American and work for a Christian organization. We are currently working on the best options for visas to enter, but there are certainly no guarantees.

As I am preparing to leave the DR in just over a week, reality of leaving is beginning to set in. The relationships that I have been able to develop over the last 2-plus years are not easy to leave behind. So many people have welcomed me into their lives with open arms and shown me the kind of love that I came here thinking that I was going to show them, so stepping away from this life is hard. Over the last 6 months I’ve been ready to leave, being focused on what’s next, but as I’m beginning to reflect on what I’m leaving behind, the desire to begin my new life in a new country is tempered a bit. I know that the work and ministry will continue after I leave, but it’s the relationships I have developed that make this transition harder than I imagined.

I ask for your prayers that my last days in the DR will be fruitful and also that the potential hindrances to my arrival in Sudan will be worked out in due time.

With love,

Jonathan