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

Silvia Batista- Feb 2, 2002 - March 1, 2018

This picture was taken in December when she graduated from English school.

If you’ve ever been to Makarios, you know how much
Silvia has been a part of our lives personally...and has been a part of the Makarios Family.  She lost her parents when she was an infant, and so Makarios and the church have played a significant role throughout her life.  After battling several different ailments for the past few weeks, her little body just couldn’t fight anymore.  At the age of 16, she went to be with the Lord on Thursday.  There’s so much we want to say to honor her precious life...and WILL say, but right now, the grief and pain are too raw. However, we do want to take a moment to say, “Thank You.”

Thank you to Lucia , who helps at the Mak House, and her entire family who ministered to us in our deepest grief.  On Thursday, when we told Lucia and her son, Abrahan to pray for Silvia, she called her husband to go to the hospital so he could pray for her.  He showed up in God’s perfect timing- just a few moments after Silvia passed away.  He was able to minister to her friends and family who had just received the devastating news.

Thank you to Abrahan, Catalina, and Elisabeth, our dear friends (and Lucia's children) who comforted us at the funeral and showed up at our house 2 evenings in a row to offer their gift of presence.  They also showed up the next day to prepare a meal and clean our house...just because they care.

Thank you to Jenna, Kiki, Adrienne, and Emily- our Mak Staff Friends- who prepared a meal for us after the funeral and came to our house to minister to us.  We truly felt loved and cared for by these ladies.

Thank you to Odilsia, our school cook, who made coffee for the countless people who showed up at Silvia’s house for the viewing.  She stayed throughout the night so others could come and pay their respects.  She also made arrangements for the gathering at Silvia’s house after the burial and served refreshments, even after staying up the entire night.  What a selfless servant.

Thank you to Cory, Ashly, Aldo, Bella, Nicole, Benja and our other Makarios Staff for making so many of the funeral arrangements- too many to list.

Thank you to Bernabe for driving me and Milka around to find a dress for Silvia to be buried in.  God led us to the perfect store- we found a beautiful dress in the first store we walked into.

Thank you to Benjamin for waiting for hours with Doug as he waited to pay the bill at the hospital.

Thank you to Milka, who was with her the morning she passed away, and thank you for being there to comfort me during my greatest trial.

Thank you to Daribelto, a Makarios teenager, for the kindest gesture.  As I stood by Silvia’s graveside grieving, he silently handed me the flowers he had brought to the cemetery to place on her grave, so that I could place them on her grave instead.

Thank you to Templo Biblico and my Makarios Family who did so much for Silvia...both in her life and in her death.  I appreciate it more than words can express.

Thank you to the pastors at Templo who have loved and cared for Silvia long before we moved to the DR.

Thank you to her sponsors- Chris and Erika, Cyndy, Jordan and Bridget who loved Silvia like their own.

Thank you for her sister, Miguelina, and her friends, Lily, Delidio, and Guadalupe who took such great care of her and spent the night with her while she was in the hospital.

Thank you for the literally thousands of group members from the States who have loved her, prayed for her, and played with her throughout the years.  It seems like everyone has a “Silvia story.”  She LOVED our Makarios teams.

Thank you to our friends, families, and supporters who have reached out via email, text, and phone calls to express their condolences.  We have been blessed and comforted in significant ways.  We can’t thank you enough for loving us through this painful time.

Thank you to Richie who shared the gospel with her on March 18, 2016.  That was the most important decision she ever made and was confident in her salvation.

I’m sure in our grief we have forgotten to mention others by name who have played an important part in Silvia’s beautiful, but painful story.  Please know that God sees...and we are grateful for the entire body of Christ who has played a role in Silvia’s life and death.

And last, but certainly not least...Thank you to our Heavenly Father who gives us hope...therefore we can rejoice in her death.

It has taken a village, but what a beautiful legacy she left.  Our loss is great,  but her victory is greater...and in that promise, we have hope.  Please keep us, her friends and family in your prayers as we grieve.

“I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

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