Sijpheers In Santiago

Are we crazy?

Crazy is a possibility, but we feel we are being obedient to a call God put in our hearts several years ago.

Starting a life of Missions...in the Dominican Republic!

In the months leading up to July 2012, we will be frantically packing up our lives in Calgary and preparing for a new adventure in Santiago de los Caballeros  in the Dominican Republic.  It is the second largest city with a population of about 1 million people and is located in the  Cibao Valley.  The beautiful mountains that surround the city are the highest in the Caribbean and Santiago is known for its rice and tobacco production.  As a 3rd world country, there is a small percentage of the population that has wealth, but the majority live in below average conditions., with many of those  unable to properly sustain themselves.

So, why are we moving to the DR?  Several years ago, we began talking and seeking out an opportunity to teach overseas for one year.  We had a list of possible beach front locations and began to pray that God would provide us exactly what we wanted.  I believed he laughed at us.  Instead, he told us that he will give us the desires of our heart that were in alignment with His plans for our lives.  The process continued on and it became very clear that Santiago was where we were to end up.  It may not  be close to the ocean, there are no free-range tortoises, the river fishing is lousy and the nearest IKEA is 2 hours away, but it is a place with a school with a strong missions focus where James will be principal of the middle school and will provide a great education for Ben and Matthew.  It is a city full of hurting, needing and desperate people in which Michelle can be involved in reaching out and caring for those in need.  God’s plans for our family were much bigger than we envisioned and instead of going away for one year, we will most likely end up being gone for much longer.  At least He called us somewhere warm!