How It All Began...

On September 22nd, 2010, Dan and I had a chance meeting through a mutual friend (thanks Amanda!!) with Joe and Shannon Zimmerman. It wasn't a long meeting, but driving away, we knew it had been an important one.
Joe and Shannon, a young couple like us, have been missionaries to the Dominican Republic for the last 2 years through an organization called "Solid Rock Missions". Recently they were asked to take on a different role within the organization, opening up the need for a couple to take their place.

Dan and I were smack dab in the middle of a year of confusion and frustration. It had been so long since we'd heard God's voice that we thought we had forgotten what it sounded like- but after talking with Shannon and Joe, it was like something lit up in us and we couldn't stop thinking about it. Luckily, it turns out they felt the same way :) So within the matter of a couple weeks time we had met, corresponded, been contacted by the directors, interviewed and decided to accept the position!

We couldn't possibly be more thrilled! ...or intimidated. This is the job that we've always dreamed of having and yet, we feel less qualified than ever. In preparation for the road ahead, we closed down our lives in Indiana, and headed out east to stay with family for the next 3 months. It will be a time to heal and to grow. Our hope is that God would restore our joy and help us learn to trust him again.

As it currently stands, we will be moving (with our new puppy Diego :) to the Dominican Republic, February 19th, 2011. We'll be living in a community near western haitian boarder called "San Juan de la Maguana". Solid Rock Missions operates a guesthouse there. The guesthouse is a facility that is made available for any group (religious or otherwise) who would like to come to the DR to do service work. Dan and I will be running the guesthouse. Some of our responsibilities will include: communicating with groups planning on coming down about their expectations and service goals, tailoring an experience to help meet those goals and preparing for their arrival, as well as transportation, meals, and other basic needs while they are staying with us. It will be a full time job, as there will most likely be groups staying with us around 45 weeks a year! 


There is still a lot that we are learning about the Dominican and Solid Rock, so if you'd like more information, we'd recommend skimming the missions website:
http://www.solidrockmissions.org


or the blog of the current guesthouse couple, Joe and Shannon to get a better picture of where we'll be and what it is that we'll be doing:
http://zimmermansdr.blogspot.com


Or of course you can e-mail us anytime at: 


dan.kari.straley@gmail.com