A New Chapter

After 6 1/2 years, it’s time to close our chapter with Makarios.  And goodness...what a journey this has been.  When we started sponsoring children in 2006, never in our wildest dreams did we think that decision would lead to us moving to the Dominican Republic in 2012 and then in 2019 starting a non-profit ministry. Our journey is like any other journey...it’s been filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but God’s presence has been tangible at every twist and turn.

If you’ve followed our blog, you know we have lived and served as missionaries in the Dominican Republic since 2012. We first came to the D.R. in 2011 on a short-term mission trip and during that visit, we felt God’s call on us to come and serve Him and the people of this great country. We served as Group Ministry Directors with Makarios, hosting over 2000 people in our home during our 6 1/2 years. We have met amazing people and formed many relationships over that time that we highly value, and we saw the Lord do amazing things which confirmed our calling here. 

Now, we are transitioning to the next chapter in our life and ministry ...Levanta Ministries! In the fall of 2018, we took a sabbatical for some much needed rest and refreshment. During that time, God confirmed His call on our life here in the DR and laid new ideas on oour hearts and minds, while giving us direction for our next steps. Over the past several months, we have been praying, learning, meeting with other non-profits, researching and planning for what lies ahead. 

One of the inspirations for LEVANTA MINISTRIES is a girl named Silvia. If you have been to the DR, you know what a joy she was to be around, and you were able to see and experience the kind of impact her life had on countless people. Silvia is very special to us personally, and although we have no children of our own, we loved her like she was our daughter. Sadly, in March of 2018, she became ill and the Lord suddenly took her home. During the time we knew her, we learned so much from her young life and the way she persevered with joy through the many challenges she faced.

One of Silvia’’s favorite Bible verses was Psalm 121:1-2

“I lift my eyes up to the mountains- Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD,

Maker of heaven and earth.”

...and thus was birthed the name of our ministry- Levanta.  In Spanish, “levanta” means “raise or lift up.” Our desire is to help inspire and encourage others to be lifted up out of our their current situation, and give them hope, just as Christ has raised us up and given us new life in Him.

The purpose of Levanta Ministries is to share the gospel and love of Christ with people living in developing countries by investing in personal relationships and helping others to meet their physical, spiritual and educational needs. Levanta Ministries will attempt to accomplish this by creating, finding and developing lasting solutions to help empower families in the developing world. Our desire is to see lives transformed and create hope for the future.

We are thrilled to be able to share this news with you!  We are thankful for so many who have prayed for us, supported us, or helped us along the way. We continue to lean on the Lord for His wisdom and strength, and are excited to see the body of Christ join together to accomplish His purposes in the Dominican Republic. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

Thanks for joining us on the journey. We are beyond grateful.

Love,

Margaret and Doug 

***We could not do what God has called us to do in the DR without the prayers and financial support of others.  If you wish to contribute financially, all gifts are tax deductible through our Fiscal Sponsor, Allegro Solutions. 

Click Here 

March 1st marked the one year anniversary of when sweet Silvia went Home to be with the Lord, so we put together this video to celebrate her life.

Dear Silvia,
Your life and death impacted more people than you can imagine...and in many ways, you had a significant influence in the direction of our life and future ministry in the Dominican Republic. We love and miss you more than we can convey and are celebrating your life today.
Te Quiero Mucho❤️

Please keep Silvia’s legacy alive and pray for someone who might need it today. 

Also, as a result of Silvia’s inspiration, an exciting ministry update from the Becks is coming in April or May! Let me know if you want to be added to our email list.

Song credit: Jesus, Lover of My Soul, feat Shelley Nirider, Passion

Lessons from our Sabbatical

After 6 years on the field, and a challenging season of ministry, we were needing some time away.  As with all of our lives, missionary life can be exhausting and overwhelming. And so, September 1, we began our sabbatical. The purpose was to rest, refresh and restore, to spend time together while not working, and to grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord.  

All of this was accomplished. We got completely “off the grid” and did not check work emails or social media. We went to places where we could rest and enjoy time with just the two of us.  We read through the New Testament together, went through a Bible Study and spent time with God without the normal job demands and responsibilities of our life in the Dominican Republic. 

A significant part of our time away was spent in homes specifically designed to minister to missionaries.  We were hosted by former missionaries and received great counseling geared towards those in overseas mission work. While in those places, will we also enjoyed quiet walks in God’s creation, drives in the countryside or lazy days inside.  

While away, God taught us many things through our time reading Scripture, praying and counseling. We wanted to share some photos from our sabbatical and give you just a glimpse of a few things He taught us:

God is able to change difficult situations in a moment:

“Be still”

“Get up and walk”

“Come out”

“Be clean”

These are the words of Jesus in the midst of challenging situations.  He calmed the sea, healed the sick, and cast out demons by saying just a few words. The people who were experiencing those situations were desperate, scared, discouraged and overwhelmed.  However, in just a few words, God changes everything...and the same is true today.  When I’m in the midst of a difficult situation when all seems lost- or a situation seems hopeless...God IS able to rescue me, and can bring hope to my hopeless situation...in one moment. It is during these moments that I must keep my eyes focused on HIM.

Suffering is a requirement of the Christian life:

Throughout the New Testament, we learn that those who choose to follow the Lord are often persecuted or suffer hardship. The disciples, the early church, the writers of the New Testament all undergo and speak about suffering and trials. Paul talks about participating in Christ’s sufferings.  Of course, our ultimate example is Jesus Himself who “although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).  However, this suffering is not without hope because of the promises of God to never forsake us and the assurance that trials will be used to produce in us Godly character. We have experienced trials during this season of ministry, but we know our God and trust in Him to carry us through!

Inconveniences in life are sometimes God’s protection:

In reading about the birth of Jesus, I was struck by Joseph’s obedience.  He wanted to divorce Mary quietly, but when he encountered an angel in a dream, he obeyed God and stayed with her.  I can’t imagine the ridicule, confusion and controversy he must have felt, but Joseph obeyed.  Soon after Jesus was born, God sent them to Egypt.  When I read this, I felt sorry for Joseph.  His life had already been turned upside down, and now God takes him away from family and friends and moves them out of their comfort zone to start over.  I’m sure Joseph felt like he had been through enough.  However, what he didn’t realize was that God was sending his family to Egypt to PROTECT them from Herod. Sometimes when God does things in our lives that don’t “make sense,” it is ALWAYS for our best- and it even might be His protection.

We were so blessed to have this opportunity for a sabbatical at a much needed time.  We experienced refreshment and are ready for our next season of ministry. Thanks for your prayers, support and encouragement for us- we could not do what God has called us to do without you! We are blessed.

Thanks for joining us on the journey.

Love,

The Becks

A Glimpse of our Life in the D.R.

We arrived in the Dominican Republic on August 28, 2012...so, we recently had a FUNraiser to celebrate all that God has done over the past 6 years. It was fun to make a video and share our life in the DR with our friends and family from home. For our FUNraiser, we told our story "By the Numbers" and encouraged others to donate an amount (ANY amount) between $1 and $200.  Our goal was to get every number...1-200 donated.

We wanted to repost the video here to give you a glimpse of where we live and serve, and we also wanted to make it available for those of you who were interested, but missed it.  And, since many of you have asked, we also wanted to update you on the FUNraiser progress.  It was a huge success and so encouraging to both of us. Many people gave, prayed, and shared encouraging words.  I’ll post a pic below of what the Lord accomplished through His people.  We are blessed!  Not to us, but to God be the glory.

Here’s a pic of our progress as of September 1st.

Here’s the FUNraising video we made that highlights some of our favorite people and places.

If you want to be a part of what God is doing in the DR through Makarios, here are some ways to be involved...

1.  Pray for us

2.  If you want to give towards our FUNraiser, please email me and we will give you donation instructions.  If making a donation over $100 you can use the link below.  Donations under $100 need to be made by check or PayPal.  We are taking a mini-Sabbatical starting TODAY and therefore are taking a break from all media (email, phone, computer, etc) until mid-November. But, if you would like to give, please send us a message via Facebook or email and we will respond to you with giving instructions once we are back on the grid in November.

3.  If you want to be a part of our monthly support team.  We are still in need of monthly support.  To start your donation, you can DONATE HERE

4.  If you want to sponsor a child, go to www.makdr.org

As always, thank you for joining us on the journey...God has been so good to us, and we are grateful.

Blessings,

Margaret and Doug

Summer 2018 Re-Cap

Here’s a video compilation celebrating all that God has done this summer!  What an amazing ride, and we are so blessed to be able to serve alongside friends, churches, and co-workers we LOVE!  A heartfelt “THANK YOU” to everyone who supports and encourages us as we serve in the Dominican Republic.  We pray that you will be blessed as you watch this video!

Love,
The Becks

“Declare His glory among the nations, 

His marvelous deeds among all people.” 

1 Chronicles 16:24

Music credit: “This is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham

Interns, Groups, and Summertime!

Summer Is Here! 

As you know, with Silvia’s passing, the past few months have been especially difficult for us.  But, we have seen God’s hand at work and we are grateful for His provision and grace.  Thank you for praying for us.  In the midst of hard things, we are so excited about what the Lord has in store for all of us this summer.

Seven teams will be joining us here in the DR this summer to lead soccer and basketball camps, host VBS, and serve our communities. In fact, Doug is on is way to the airport right now to welcome our first team!

Our interns, Jacob and Sarah Jane, arrived earlier this week and we have had a great time together preparing for the summer.  Jacob is from Round Rock and is a student at Criswell College. Sarah Jane is from Austin and is a student at The University of Texas. They will be working alongside the groups throughout the summer.

This year, we are so excited to have an internship program for local students as well! Six Dominican interns will be joining Jacob and Sarah Jane to help lead sports camps and VBS. Milka, one of our local staff members, has done an excellent job developing the program and investing in these six students. They have been meeting since the spring to study the book of Joshua and have fellowship together. We can’t wait to see how the Lord uses the partnership of our Dominican interns, American interns, and group members to advance His kingdom! 

Please be praying for us, the interns, the Mak Group Staff, and our teams as we serve the Lord together.  Thank you for your prayers, finances and encouragement that make all of this possible...we are so very grateful. 

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all people.”  

1 Chronicles 16:24

With Love from the DR, 
Margaret and Doug

Enjoy some pics from Intern Orientation with our US and Dominican Interns!

Lessons from Silvia...Faith, Hope and Love ❤️

Our First Picture with Miguelina and Silvia in 2011

As many of you know, on March 1st we lost a very special member of our family, sweet Silvia.  She lived right around the corner and for years has been a “permanent fixture” at the MAK House.  As soon as we moved here in 2012,  she became like a daughter to us.  We loved having her around and she was a constant companion for Margaret- willing to help in any way or tag along for a few quick errands.  And she could often be found at our kitchen table doing her homework with Paco.

On March 1st, she suddenly passed away after spending a short time in the hospital.  Although God did not answer our prayers the way we had hoped, He sees the big picture and answered our prayers of healing in a way that would bring glory to Him. We miss her every day, but are thankful for the ways God has used her life and death for His eternal purposes. God has shown his kindness towards us in countless ways the midst of our pain.  On the night before she passed away as we were leaving the hospital, Silvia said, "I love you like a mother and a father" and we responded, "You know we love you like our own daughter." This wasn't the first time she had said this, but we are grateful for our final words to each other, especially since we had no idea this would be the last visit we would have with her.  What a gift from above...

In these past weeks following her death, we have given thanks to God for using Silvia's life and death to remind us why God called us to the Dominican Republic.  "God teaches me to view pain as a holy invitation to know Him more so I can share Him more."  -Katie Davis Majors

We had the privilege of sharing a few things at her funeral and memorial services, and wanted to share them with you, as well.  

Here's what we shared:
There are so many things that we will miss about Silvia...

• -We will miss hearing her greet us, “Hola Margaret, Hola Paco”
• -We will miss hearing our window slide open at the Mak House and hear her shouting, “Margaret...Paco.” 
• -We will miss her helpfulness around the house.  She was always asking, “Can I help?”   She loved helping get ready for a team, washing dishes, sweeping...she always wanted to help Margaret.
• -We will miss her birthday reminders.  She had an amazing ability to remember everyone’s birthday.  One year, we had a team in town and I (Margaret) COMPLETELY forgot Paco’s birthday- Silvia thought that was hilarious and she never let me forget it.  She loved reminding me of the story.  Every year following this mistake, she would help me remember when March 16 was approaching.
• -We will miss her coming over to do her homework.
• -We will miss her generous spirit.  She loved to share what she had, and loved getting things for others instead of herself.

And we will miss her hugs...she loved to give big hugs.

Out of a thousand things, these are just a few of the things we will miss about her, but we are also grateful for the lessons her short life taught us.  Silvia had a difficult life, but she loved her life...it was the life God had given her.  In the midst of a difficult life, Silvia embraced 1 Corinthians 13:13..."Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love."

Faith

Silvia had faith.  Even in the hospital, during her greatest trial, she would ask her sister and others to read the Bible and sing worship songs with her because her faith didn’t waiver in the midst of suffering.  Because of her faith in Christ, we know she is with now with Him.  1 John 5:12 says, “He who has the Son, has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life...”

Silvia has eternal life because of her faith in Jesus. As you think about Silvia and her faith, consider Jesus and the gift of eternal life that he offers to those who believe in him.

Hope

Silvia had hope.  Her life was a struggle, but she rarely complained.  She knew what it meant to persevere through trial.  James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Silvia knew how to persevere.  If you spent one minute with Silvia, you witnessed her hope and joy.  She was full of joy and had a smile that would light up a room.  

Love

Silvia knew the love of God, and she was loved by SO many people.  She valued relationships and impacted so many lives by just being herself.  Silvia might have lost her biological parents at a young age, but she had many moms and dads who loved her like their own.  God also surrounded her with people who loved her...and she loved people!  She was always asking if she could FaceTime someone she knew from the US just to talk.  She never met a stranger and was a friend to everyone.  Silvia knew how to love, because God first loved her.

Silvia had big dreams for her future.  She wanted to be a teacher and a flight attendant- we have no doubt she would have been successful at doing both.  However, God had bigger plans for her life.  While they were not our plans, we trust in God’s Sovereignty.  We know God is good.  We know He is merciful, and We know He loves Silvia more than we ever could.  And although we miss her terribly, we can rest knowing that that God will take care of those of us who are left behind, and we look forward to spending eternity with her.  

May Silvia’s life and death draw many people into a closer relationship with her Savior.  As we remember Silvia, we remember these 3 words...Faith, hope and love...but the greatest of these is love.  Thank you and may God bless you.

So many of you have reached out to us and have prayed for us.  Words cannot convey how much we appreciate you walking with us through this difficult season.  We are so very grateful that we are able to grieve with HOPE.  Please keep us in your prayers.

In the midst of our pain, we know we are blessed.

Love,
Margaret and Doug