update

Do you remember those "choose your own adventure" books?  They were popular when I was a kid, and I could read the same book five different times and it would be like reading an entirely different book each time.  Sometimes the ending would be the same, but the story in the middle always looked different based on which decision you made.  Well, many times this journey with No Longer has felt like we are in one of those "choose your own adventure" stories.  We know where we want to end up and we have a pretty good idea how we are going to get there, but sometimes things take a different twist or turn that we weren't expecting. Every day there is something new that grabs our attention and must be addressed.  However, none of these twists in the plot have deterred us from our end goal - answering the call to help the least of these.  And praise God we know the Author of this story and He knows the ending and He WILL get us to where He wants us... our job is to be obedient and to follow Him as He leads.

No Longer is so thankful for providentially learning about The Global Orphan Project early last year.  At the time we had no idea what our focus would be or in what country we would find ourselves, but when Tracy found GO Project and we started researching their processes, things just clicked into place and our purpose was sealed.  I can easily recall the excitement the group felt when we first studied GO Project's orphan care model.  What sets it apart from other models is what we found to be so wonderful!  The words used to describe the model are local-church owned, culturally-relevant, and sustainable.  All three of these objectives work together to make a system that works well with the right church leadership in place at the local church level.  The local pastors know the customs.  They know the neighborhood.  They know the families and people in the community.  They know who needs help and who can extend help. And knowing all of this makes them culturally-relevant in a way our group in America could never be.  The church working together to care for the orphans in their midst and taking ownership in their care leads to sustainability, the ultimate goal.  

To American outsiders this heavy reliance on the local church partner and their pastor might seem extremely risky.  No Longer has completely trusted GO Project's work in pairing us with the right local church partner.  Pastor Altagracia has a true heart for the orphans in her sphere of influence, as well as the members of her church.  Many pastors in developing countries like the Dominican Republic are given the monumental task of not only leading their church members in spiritual growth, but also of helping to find employment and sometimes housing and of meeting the basic needs of their members.

So, what does all of this mean to No Longer and the orphans in Brisas?  While we were hoping to see children move in by March, delays with some government paperwork and other remaining construction hurdles are pushing the predicted move in date back four to six months instead of the four to six weeks we had hoped.  Is this delay disappointing?  Of course, but if we have learned anything from this experience it is that God's timing is absolutely, without a doubt, spot on perfect.  And trusting in God's timing includes trusting in Altagracia's abilities to do what needs to be done to open the orphanage while understanding the ongoing demands placed on her as the pastor of a thriving church in the developing world.

"Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

No Longer and GO Project have complete confidence in Altagracia and the church members of Restauracion.  We fully support her efforts on behalf of God's children in Brisas even when distance, language, economic, and cultural barriers cause us to feel helpless.  The church is currently caring for 36 orphaned children in their own homes while waiting for the completion of orphanage construction.  They are doing the work and are living out James 1:27 every single day by "looking after orphans in their distress."  These church members know the stories, the language, the culture, the needs of these children like we never will, and we support them completely and faithfully.

Our calling as Christians is not to make something happen in our own power, but to remain faithful to the call God has placed on our lives and to follow Christ every step along the journey.  We aren't as concerned with how we get there, but instead we are to follow Him as He leads us!  We see progress being made (see updated site pictures below) and we are thankful God is allowing us to be a part of His great work!  We are now humbly asking that you would please join us in praying over the next several months for these specific needs:

• for Brisas and the children who will live in the orphanage
• for the construction to be completed, specifically the water and power source
• for the government paperwork to be completed as smoothly as possible

It is an honor to be in this adventure with you!  We look forward to the day God brings His children to this incredible orphanage and we are thankful He has allowed us to play a part in the process.  This is His journey; we're just walking beside Him along the way.