December 2003

Dominican Mission Report Nancy and Irvin Heishman Mission Coordinators, Dominican Republic c/o Agape Flights, Inc. DMG 14671 7990 15th Street E Sarasota, Florida 34243

Dear Mission Partners:

Their ministry involves the whole family: Jenny, Nancy, Timothy, and Irvin Heishman.

Arrival in Santo Domingo
As of December, as the holidays near, we have been living in Santo Domingo for six months. Already we know that our lives have been changed forever by an incredible variety of experiences and exposure to cultural richness and material need. We’ve met sugar cane workers who earn 48 pesos per ton of cane cut. That’s about $1.50 US for a long day of work in the hot sun. We’ve been blessed by moments of receiving incredible kindness like the day a tire blew out on our way home from a visit to the Brethren Mission House in Azua. Someone we had just met in Azua “happened” to be driving by just moments after the tire blew, stopped, and changed the tire for us (a gift since there was no working jack in the car). God is good. We are learning how to pay bills and communicate in a country where there is no functional postal service and where some folks in the country do not have access to telephone service. At the same time, we see a few school children who don’t need to carry their books home from school. They have personal maids to do that work for them. What a world of contrasts!

Getting Settled
During our first three weeks we lived with a Dominican family while we studied Spanish full time. This was a challenging and rewarding time of learning and adjustment. On July 5, we moved into the home of another missionary family. This family is currently in the United States for a six-month furlough and we were able to house sit for them. This comfortable, fully furnished home was a wonderful answer to prayer, making our transition into life here much easier. This contact also opened the door for building relationships with other missionaries. These folks have been astonishingly generous and supportive. We have been invited to several of their homes for meals. Some of them have been in the country for as many as twelve years and we are learning a lot from them.

Jeff and Peggy Boshart in the Community Development program and the Eby family were tremendously generous in helping us get settled in and oriented to what has been happening here in the church. We passed along the favor to the Ronald and Laura Brinton family who arrived the first week of September to replace the Ebys (now back in the United States after their tour of duty ended) as houseparents at the Brethren Mission House. By the way, we hope all of you will consider inviting the Ebys to speak in area churches about their experience in the Dominican Republic. From their three-and-a-half years of service they have gained a wealth of insights and inspiring stories and would be glad to have opportunities to share with others now that they are back home. (Contact them at ebygipe7725@yahoo.com.) They are currently living near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

We have continued studying Spanish at an intensive level and plan to continue doing so for possibly up to a year. We are gradually understanding more and more and, as our teachers remind us, learning a language is a process. Our children began attending the Carol Morgan school on August 25 and are doing well there.

Highlights of our Work
Some highlights of the summer included the wonderful commissioning service held for us at the Los Guaracanos church. Representatives from almost all of the churches were present, as well as Jorge Rivera from Puerto Rico. We also were able to attend part of the Brethren Volunteer Service retreat held in Jarabacoa. This beautiful mountain village was a wonderful setting for reflection, for learning to know the Brethren Mission House staff, and for recreation. We have had the opportunity to attend an English class and visit a number of the community development projects with the Bosharts. The ministries of these folks are truly inspiring!

The Peniel congregation's baptismal service was held in the Rio Ozama in a part of the city called Sabana Pedida.

Our first work camp was the one from the Lebanon (OH) Church of the Brethren, which assisted with the Vacation Bible School. In all, around 2,000 children participated in the VBS! A second work camp in July was also a great experience as youth painted a number of churches. In August, we attended both the children’s camp and youth camp. At the youth camp we had the opportunity to interview four of the students participating in the rotating student loan fund. Their stories were amazing and we were filled with gratitude for those who have made this ministry possible. Later we attend a series of meetings leading up to the quarterly meeting of the national church board. We were also able to meet with Guillermo Encarnacion while he was here for the Theological Education Conference focusing on “Spiritual Gifts and the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church.“ Guillermo’s presence and wisdom, as he leads the Dominican Republic theological training, was a great blessing to all of us. We were felt blessed to witness the baptismal service held by the Peniel congregation in Santo Domingo on September 21.

Finding a Home
A big challenge for us was moving into our own home at Thanksgiving time and furnishing our house. We’ve never furnished a house completely from scratch before, much less in a different culture using a second language. Please keep us in prayer as we continue to work on this. Our home is within a 20-minute walk of our children’s school. The home is on a street called, “Cruzada de Amor,“ which means “Crusade of Love.“ The two-story duplex has a yard which our children enjoy and an avocado and orange tree each, as well. We have been busy gathering the needed furnishings, having first researched the Spanish words needed and then bartering for prices!

Getting Organized for Mutual Mission Projects
It has been an incredible challenge to quickly organize for the 2004 year when there is so much to learn, a language to master, and the need to understand a different cultural way of making decisions. Nevertheless we have laid out a tentative schedule for 2004 based on the vision and dreams we are hearing our Dominican brothers and sisters speak of. We are attempting to use our “honeymoon” period carefully to set the precedents that will hopefully guide ministry decisions wisely in the future. We feel it is important to develop a model that will be empowering for the local churches and viable for the long haul. Please pray for us in this challenging time. The following items/concerns also could be part of your prayer list:

1. Volunteers needed for the English Language program and grace for the Brintons as they adjust to their new home and responsibilities as house parents at the Brethren House.
2. Blessings upon the Eby family and Daniel Greenawalt as they readjust to American culture following their years of faithful service here.
3. Courage for the members of Boca Chica and Sabana Torsa who have just received their micro-loans as part of the community development work of the Bosharts.
4. Wisdom for the many students in the theological education program as they develop their leadership skills.
5. Support for Dr. Hilcias Ricardo in her ministry of healing among the poor. She has been holding seminars in schools and churches on AIDS prevention.
6. Encouragement for Tim and Jennifer Heishman as they adjust to a new school and life in a new country. And for our family as we move into our new home and search for furnishings.
7. For God’s provision of resources for the Global Mission of the General Board which is facing transition expenses for the Eby family, expenses related to bringing the Brinton family to the country and assisting them with language study, and expenses related to getting our family established in a home with furnishings.
8. For a replacement for the General Board car as it has by far surpassed the mileage of John Kline’s horse in faithful service for the ministry. (Editor’s note: Donors recently gave the money for a needed replacement car! Praise God!)

We are very grateful for your prayers and support. Happy holidays!

Dios les bendiga,
Irv, Nancy, Tim and Jennifer Heishman