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

The latest update

Hi Everyone!

In my last update, I spoke of my upcoming trip to Africa in order to check out the possibility of working with Kids Alive in Sudan. While the trip went a bit differently as planned, it was positive nonetheless. In Kenya, I was able to participate in a regional conference for the program directors within Kids Alive for the Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe regions. These directors are champions of our faith. All but one of the countries within this region are led by nationals, ie. The Zambian programs are run by a Zambian director, not a missionary. Spending time with such amazing people from different cultures and backgrounds, all giving their lives for the good of the children in their country, was very special. At the end of this conference, I was planning to visit Sudan with the Francis Tombe, the Sudanese director of the Kids Alive programs in the country. Unfortunately, however, the Sudanese government did not approve my visa application, so I was unable to enter. Despite the disappointment of not being able to visit in order to understand more of what life there is like and how Kids Alive is working, I decided to commit to move to Sudan and work there. The time commitment that is being discussed is for three years. Kids Alive is only a few years old in the country, so there is lots of work to do in developing the current programs and adding some new ones as well. It’s an exciting time in an integral, important work, so I count myself blessed to be able to be a part of it all. During the regional conference, I developed a great relationship with Francis, the director, and am looking forward to working with him for the next several years. My job will essentially be as assistant to Francis, so knowing that I will be able to get along well with him obviously played an important part in my decision.

So, I’m headed to Sudan, which will bring many changes and challenges into my life. There will be a new language (Arabic) and culture to learn, new people to meet, and a new job. Many of the details are still being worked out, such as where I will live, what my daily schedule will look like, and how much extra support I will need (living and traveling will be more expensive than in the Dominican Republic). The tentative plan for the next few months is for me to spend the month of December in the US, visiting family and friends and raising more support. I’ll then go back to the DR for a few months to train my replacement and finish up some projects. Around March, I will probably head to Lebanon for about 3 months of language training, to get a basic knowledge of Arabic before moving to Sudan at some point in the summer.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I look forward to seeing many of you while I’m in the US in December.

Future plans

Hello friends,

The end of my original 2-year commitment with Kids Alive in the DR comes to a close in December, so I am writing to give an update on some of my future plans. As I have lived and learned and grown through the last year and 10 months, I have become continually more convinced that the type of life that I’m currently living is one that I want to, and should continue. I consistently feel unworthy of the work that I am doing, while at the same time feeling consistently drawn to do more of it. Through my time in the DR, I have also gained an extreme appreciation for Kids Alive, not only here in this country, but throughout the world. The goals of the organization and methods of achieving these goals fall right in line with how I think and feel, so I am hoping to continue in working with them in the future.

Thus, being convinced of this path, the question is a matter of where in the world I will be going next. While there is a possibility of staying on in the DR, albeit in a different role than my current position, the more likely possibility is to move on to a different country. At this point, the opportunity that seems the best fit for me is in Sudan. Kids Alive is very new in this country, but they have strong national leadership in place and exciting plans for growth. Moreover, they have a need that I think I would be able fill. In order to fully understand what life and ministry would look like there, however, I need to see it first hand, so I have planned a visit for the end of October. During this trip, I will participate in a week of meetings involving the directors for all of the Kids Alive programs in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, which takes place in Kenya. At the end of that week, I will hopefully (assuming I am able to obtain a visa) travel to Sudan for several days with the national director for the country.

Upon returning from this trip, a decision will be made by me and the leaders of Kids Alive on the possibility of moving to Sudan. I plan on leaving for Africa on the 23^rd of October and returning to the DR on November 5^th. I ask for your prayers for this trip. For safety, but more importantly, that my time there will make clear the decision on my future.

With love,

Jonathan

Ps. I’ll be in the US (Cedarville, Cape/Jackson, Colorado, South Carolina, and maybe a few other locations) for the month of December, I hope to see many of you then.

A worthwhile thought

This is a quote that I saw somewhere that made me really think.

"There are decisions every single one of us will have to make in life, about what kind of values we choose to live by and what is worth living for. we make these decisions and then they turn around and make us."

I don't have anything insightful to add, just that this is a thought worth thinking through.

My latest email update

Dear Friends and Family,

I apologize again, as I often am obliged to do when I write an update, for the infrequency of any news coming from me about things that are happening here in the DR. It’s been several months since I last sent out an update, so there is plenty to cover. I’ll try to be concise.

As a whole, the ministries on the island here are advancing marvelously. There are new houses being opened at the children’s homes and new classrooms built at the schools. Our ministries are growing, but it’s not just for growths sake that we keep expanding. Every new classroom or house built means new lives being given hope. In the midst of advancement, however, it’s essential to focus on maintaining or increasing the level of effectiveness of the programs as they grow. On top of the emphasis needed on improving programs as we grow them is a need to increase funding as well (that’s where I, being the sponsorship guy, come in). Our child sponsorship program is suppose to cover all of the daily operational costs of our programs, but never really has. When I arrived here, sponsors covered about 80% of the costs, since then, we’ve added lots sponsors, but have added even more kids. So, the money coming in through sponsorship now covers only 60% of the costs. This is obviously less than ideal. Eventually, probably sooner rather than later, we’ll have to stop the advancement because we don’t have enough funds. So, I’m on a hunt for sponsors more than ever before.

Here’s a few highlights from the last several months:

-In late April I was able to take a trip into Haiti to help set up a sponsorship program at the small orphanage that Kids Alive has in the country. This was an amazing opportunity to experience the poorest country in our hemisphere while using an expertise that I’ve gained to help our program there continue to grow. I had an encouraging time with the American and Haitian friends there. It’s a special thing to be able to spend time with people that are working within a different country, but with the same purpose and goals.

-In mid-June, we began bringing work teams into our school in Caraballo, the program that deals primarily with Haitian immigrants into the DR. The inaugural team was a group from my home church in Missouri that included my parents and younger sister. This was an amazing time with an incredible group of people. These 20 friends were so intense and intentional in serving everyone they came into contact with. By the end of the week, lots of work had been done and many of their lives had been changed. One of my favorite aspects of living here is having an opportunity to see how facing true poverty can rock people’s perceptions and ideas and thoughts. The feeling of responsibility to face this problem and respond was heavy on this group and the results were incredible.

-On a personal note, I’ve been blessed to have visits from several of my friends and family. On top of having my parents and younger sister here on a work team, my other sister and her husband brought their youth group here for two weeks. Also, my good friend Greg visited for a week in May. Another great friend, Aaron Roth, has come to work with us for the summer, helping lead short term work teams in their construction projects. Finally, more friends, Layne and Caitlin Beller, arrived a few months ago to begin their 2 year term here on the island.


Thanks to all of you for your support, thoughts, and prayers. Communications will come more frequently now, I promise.

Jonathan

Here are a few pictures of kids working on an Easter card to send to their sponsors

email update

This is the latest email update I sent out:


Hi everyone,
I've heard from a few folks (mainly my mom) that I'm overdue for an update on what's been going on in my life and with my work here in the DR, so this is my attempt to fulfill this request. I have been enjoying the cooler winter months here in the mountains of the DR. When it’s not raining, the temperature peaks at 75-80 degrees. Couple those temperatures with crystal clear, blue skies, a cool breeze, and constant views of the mountains surrounding our little valley and it makes for a very pleasant place to spend the winter.

Several significant events have passed since I’ve last written. Personally, I made a big change in moving out of the Ark, which is the orphanage we operate just outside of the town, and into a house with a Dominican friend of mine. The main reason for the move is because I was looking to gain a more realistic view of Dominican life, to experience first hand how the average folks live every day, to take part in a community. While the Ark provided an amazing family atmosphere, it’s structured, controlled environment is far from a “normal” Dominican lifestyle. The house I moved into is far from spectacular, which is exactly what I was looking for. It’s located in a barrio (poor neighborhood) called Cristo Rey, or Christ King. Living with a Dominican, I’ve improved in my cooking of local favorites as well as furthered my appreciation of the Merengue, Bachata, and Reggaeton (latin rap) music that is being played 24/7. The thousands of mosquitoes, which easily find there way inside due to the lack of screens and constantly open doors have been a little harder to get used to, as has the lack of running water—we do everything, washing dishes, flushing toilets, and taking showers by carrying water in from the cistern on the back porch area of the house, but all in all, it has thus far been a positive experience. I also seem to have become a free entertainment source for the neighbor kids. They like to follow me around in the house, just to see what I'm up to and how I do things. Apparantly I'm very interesting.

As for ministry work, things have been on the upswing. In January, for the first time since I began working in the DR, we had someone in place in every ministry site to handle the day-to-day sponsorship activities. This development allowed me more time to do what I was originally brought in to do, which is overseeing the program as a whole in the country and making improvements as necessary. Instead, I was spending most of my time filling holes where there was no one to do the work. Unfortunately, our run in the glory of having a fully staffed sponsorship program lasted only about a month and a half, so I’m back in the business of filling holes, but it was a profitable time while it lasted.

We’ve have several exciting moments within different ministry sites. At the Ark, the orphanage where I used to live, 4 new kids have arrived. That’s 4 little lives that will have a chance to grow and thrive in the loving environment that we’re able to provide for them. It’s a BIG deal. Also, the new cafeteria opened at the school in Caraballo, which allowed us to open up a new classroom, because the cafeteria had been temporarily housed in one of the existing classrooms. With the new space, 25 new preschoolers were brought in to begin in the program. This is also a very big deal. Many of these kids wouldn’t be able to go to school if we didn’t provide it to them. This school is their only chance of education, of breaking the life of living in poverty, which is the only life they know.

This is just a brief scratch in the surface of all that has happened over the past few months. God's kingdom is growing in amazing ways in this country and I consider myself incredible priviledged to be living here, watching it take place.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support. I miss and love you all.

Jonathan Coleman

ps. My weblog has some pictures and stories, but I havn't added anything new in a while. Here is a link to the site, I hope to get some new info up soon.

http://dominicanjon.blogspot.com/

In the US

I will be in the US for the next two weeks, come see me.

The following sets of pictures are from the Christmas party in Caraballo

presentation for a full house of kids and their parents