News, Moves, and New Adventures! May 2014 - Month 35 in the D.R.

Dear Everybody,

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post for the past couple of months -- trying to think of how to write it eloquently.  But time moves along and I have finally given up on that, realizing that I can't seem to find the words to say it eloquently, so in place of eloquence, I'll just share the news and leave it at that.

After 3 years in the D.R., (where I have felt very called to be, and have so very much enjoyed working and living, and where I have since day one fallen totally in love with the people and the work I do here -- can hardly imagine being somewhere else --) but God has opened a different door.

My 3 years of contracts at Health Horizons International will end in mid-June 2014 (aka really soon), and though I still very much feel God's call on my heart to the D.R., I'm going to be leaving the D.R. in late June to walk through a new door that God has opened for me and seems to be leading me into at this time. 

I have been offered a position with Mennonite Central Committee in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and have accepted that position!  MCC is an organization that has always been very much a part of my life (since childhood, growing up in Mennonite Churches) and I have been very passionate about the amazing humanitarian relief and development work that they do in the name of Christ, for many years.

Being offered this position at MCC was an unexpected, rather unplanned opportunity for me and I am excited for the chance to work with the MCC team in Akron!  I have already been so inspired by the welcome I have already received from various members of the staff there -- even though I have not yet even begun to arrive, and I look forward to working with such an amazing, God-filled, and caring group of people!

On the other side of the coin I am woefully sad to be leaving the D.R. and have little doubt that at some point in my life God will bring me back to international fieldwork, like the work I have been doing here, either here in the D.R. or somewhere else.  This work has such a strong hold on my heart (and has for years since I first began feeling "called to the mission field" when I was in elementary school).

I wanted to share this news about my move to PA for the position at MCC and to say the following 2 things to the readers of this blog (my friends, family, church family, and also fellow missionaries from the D.R.).

1.)  Though my location is changing I hope that you will still read this blog every month, because there are a lot more stories that I still want to tell -- stories of what's going on in the D.R. now (while I'm here -- there are several stories of things that have happened this Spring that I have not yet gotten to share!)  Then there will be stories I'll be sharing here of the amazing work that MCC is doing around the word that I will get to be involved in, AND (another exciting thing that I haven't gotten to share stories about yet) I'll be sharing stories of an exciting project in the Dominican Republic that I'm still going to be consulting on remotely as a volunteer, while I'm in Pennsylvania, working with the great programs of MCC.  So the Stories from the D.R. will continue and other stories from around the world will be added.

2.) So, please do keep reading this blog -- there will continue to be posts every month about things I'm working on here (D.R.) and things I'm working on in PA that affect and support the work of MCC around the world.

There are lots of great international mission and humanitarian stories to tell! I'm excited that I'll be able to report on two types now!

1.) Great MCC projects (around the world)

2.) Great D.R. projects that are still on-going!

I hope you will continue this journey with me over the years to come!
  
Thank you so much for all of the on-going love, support, and prayers!

Huge love to all!

- Janelle Bitikofer