Buehlers on Mission

Ministry in the D.R. takes on many shapes and forms, even the occasional fiesta!! Last week, we were able to host the Quinceanera of one of Brennan’s classmates. She is an incredibly special young lady who we have gotten to do life with these last two years. It was really meaningful that she trusted us enough to host this milestone birthday for her.

While the Quinceanera is a special birthday for all Dominican girls, their style of celebrating varies greatly. At the request of the birthday girl, we had yummy food, fun tunes, games, and hangout time, as well as prayed a group blessing over her. All of the kids who came over were students in Brennan’s class, who just three weeks ago were wading through mud and filth on the 26 mile Outdoor Ed trip with Melissa. Whether walking with Donkeys, or eating pizza and cupcakes, we feel incredibly blessed to be the people that God has called to intentionally pour into this group of teens in Jarabacoa.

The Biblical intentionality of Doulos for both students and staff is something that I truly appreciate as I walk on campus each day. For me, over the last couple weeks, the Lord has been using various Doulos events to really speak to me and push me in my boldness in moving his kingdom forward. 

Every Friday, we have a 30 minute period of staff worship and discipleship which really is a beautiful way to end a week of serving the Lord. This year, we have been going chapter by chapter through various books of the bile. We just finished Philippians and are starting Ephesians. To prepare, I have been reading through Ephesians and meditating on the themes of the book. Through this reflection, one of the areas that Christ has really spoken to me about is the importance of the boldness of the Gospel and man, does Ephesians hammer that point home. Specifically Ephesians 3:8-12. 

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

As I was reflectingI felt many of those points were easy for me check off:

• Be a light- Yep
• Access Christ Confidently- Sure Thing
• Preach the riches of Christ- Gotcha
• Understand the eternal purpose-  ¡Si!

Then I thought of:

• Boldness- ……….

I have reflected on my path as a Christ follower and find too often, the idol of comfort and timidness would get in my way of boldness. I would often ”Fan into flame the gift of God.” (2 Timothy 1) but it was like a wimpy shape instead of the strength needed to truly fan a flame. Sure I could serve well and talk about Jesus, but was I doing it with the intentional boldness that the Lord calls us to? If I was being honest, it was not to the level that I could. 

Through these weeks of reflecting, God gave me a second, not-subtle, yet beautiful reminder of the reason that boldness is needed in this world. 

Every quarter-ish, we have an all school worship time. This is a 45 minute block where the entire school gets together, praises the Lord and hears from one of the staff members. At the end there was a time for prayer and an open call for people to receive Christ. It was so neat to see teachers praying with students and helping them to accept Jesus in their hearts. About five minutes later, in the middle of after school pick up, one of my former students, a 7th grader, said, “Mister, I was looking all for you to pray with me. I want to accept Jesus in my heart. Can we do it now?” 

Well, that was an easy answer. Of course!!

So under the mango tree, with the rain coming down, I got to pray with her to accept Jesus and for the first time, this 12 year old girl knew what it was like to have Jesus in her heart. I felt so blessed that the Lord would use my relational building with her over the last year as a tool to flame the gift of God. It was such a gift to have that time with her, and to be a small part of her God story. Additionally, during this experience, God really impressed on me a great reminder of the battle that is still on this planet. 

While praying a prayer of thanks to God afterwards, I felt him prompting me that boldness is not just a nice thing, it is a crucial tool of eternal ramifications. I looked around at these students that I loved, waiting for their parents, and the knowledge really was imparted on me that many of them are not saved. I felt that gentle tug from the Lord reminding me that, “These souls are why we need to be bold.” While I was celebrating the new creation next to me, the necessity of the gospel for the Doulos community was so clear and real.

As we continue to serve in the D.R., our ask is that you continue to pray for boldness for family as we share the truth of the Gospel to the people in our lives that do not know Jesus and to provide bold discipleship to those that do. The need on this island is so deep, but we serve a God that is so powerful.  

Aside from spiritual boldness and strength, please pray for Melissa’s physical strength. She is currently on a 19 mile, 3 day hike with Brennan and his 20 classmates. For many of our high school students and graduates, their Outdoor Education trips are a special time that God really speaks to them. Melissa loves nature but is NOT going on this hike to spend time in the forest. This trip is definitely an exercise in faith and boldness for her to go on this trip and to pour into these kids until Wednesday. She is also giving a devotion on Tuesday on walking the narrow path. Many students in Brennan’s class do not know Christ, and even more of them do not have the greatest grasp on walking the narrow path. Please be praying for her physical state as well as her message on Tuesday. 

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support that you continue to pour out into us. It is an amazing reminder of how the Lord uses all of us to move His Kingdom forward. God is so good in his riches and blessings, and we feel so fortunate to be a part of his work.  

We’d only been back to the DR for about 24 hours when something started to feel “off.” I was deeply tired and it felt like more than just jet lag. Within a week I tested positive for Covid and suddenly everything made sense! And while my symptoms were mild, I had 10 solid days with such extreme fatigue that many times I could hardly keep my eyes open. I spent countless hours in bed, dozing on and off, thinking, and most importantly, praying. God kept bringing various situations to mind that needed prayer…a fellow missionary with a bacterial infection plus dengue (more on this in a minute!), our Dominican brother who had been sick for over 3 months with a relentless respiratory infection on top of a UTI from bathing in unsanitary water, dear friends launching a new ministry, another missionary struggling to recover from an odd fungal infection … God made it very clear that He was calling me to start this school year in PRAYER. And while I certainly did not like being sidelined by Covid, I can see how God used this as the catalyst to open my eyes and confront me with the great need for prayer over our community. I could just feel it deep within, the enemy waging spiritual warfare, and the call to fight back, entering into powerful prayer in Jesus’ name!

Since then, dengue has continued to affect several missionary kiddos we know and love, along with hundreds of others on the island. Dengue is a mosquito borne illness that causes days of high fever, muscle and joint pain, rash, a significant drop in platelets, and in severe cases, life threatening internal bleeding and shock. It has been on the rise lately as we are in the midst of the rainy season (May to November). I’m not going to pretend that this doesn’t strike fear in my heart. Because it absolutely does. Some of you know my original resistance to surrendering to God’s calling on our life for missions. The health and safety of my family was a big part of this. God has been sweetly reminding me of our journey together, He and I… my surrender, His faithfulness, that He is a good, good Father that can be completely trusted. And so I continue to pray. Prayer for healing for those who are in the midst of dengue. Prayer for physical protection for my family and our community. Prayer for greater holiness and faithfulness. Prayer for God’s will to be done in all of the ministries that He is using here in the Dominican for His kingdom.

Will you stand alongside me and pray? James 5:16 tells us that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Not because we possess individual greatness, but because we, as believers, have the Holy Spirit and can approach a Great and Powerful God with confidence. Many times people ask us how they can help. I want to assure you that your prayers ARE help. Your prayers are a fragrant offering, a great gift to us as we do God’s work together, in partnership as the body of Christ, here in the DR.

It’s been a very sweet week for our family here in the DR. The final week of school means a wide variety of emotions. Some kids are excited to have a break from school, while others are uncertain with the lack the stability and rhythm. There are plenty of tears and final hugs from students who are graduating, combined with staff that are called back to the States and leaving Doulos. And plenty of amazement thinking that it was only 9 months ago that we were teaching in socially distant classrooms, all wearing masks, and wondering if we would have to go back online again. Through all of this, the overall emotion that abounded this past week was an overflowing of joy for a successful school year and the incredible work that the Lord has done in the D.R.

Doulos staff, students, and families experience these emotions through a variety of activities this week: field day, high school graduation, all-staff retreat, the last day of school, and the awards assembly. Through the awards assembly and the all-staff retreat, students and staff are recognized for academic excellence as well as for exceptionally demonstrating the Doulos codes of character. Four students are chosen (One from PreK, Elementary, Middle, and High) as voted on by the staff for each code of character (servant leader, wise, courageous, revolutionary, relational, perseverant) and one student and staff are chosen for the DOULOS of the year. The DOULOS of the year is given to the students and staff that best model all six of those characteristics.

We were incredibly humbled that Brennan was selected for his Academic Excellence AND Servant Leader of the year for all of middle school, Ava won the DOULOS of the year for Elementary, and Mike won DOULOS of the year for the staff. So many times over the last two years we have felt raw and vulnerable and watched how the Lord has exposed areas in each of our lives that need to be sanctified for His glory. It was a sweet affirmation that He truly is never ceasing to shape and equip each one of us to continue to serve Him well in the D.R. We all constantly need to trust in the wisdom, courage, and perseverance that God provides us to be the relational and revolutionary servant leaders that we are called to be.

Additionally, we were equally thrilled that one of our adopted daughters won the DOULOS of the year for middle school. She is a special young lady who serves others constantly and strives to learn more about what it means to be a Christ follower. She did NOT want to get in front of everyone, but when she heard her name, she was beaming.

This year has been so incredibly difficult at times, yet also so affirming that God has perfectly placed us in the right community to proclaim His name. We feel blessed to call Jarabacoa our home and to live out our calling in the D.R.

At the end of last month, Melissa traveled with Brennan’s 8th grade class on a two day snorkeling trip to the North Coast. At Doulos, each grade has different topics of study each semester known as “Expeditions.” The current 8th grade expedition topic is Diversity. In all 8th grade core classes, students take a look at God’s design of diversity and the many ways that it is shown in the world. Student work varies in each class based on the content area, giving students a broad look at the topic. Specifically, in science class, students studied life in the coral reefs in conjunction to their lessons on the diversity of ecosystems.

For many of the students, it was their first time seeing the vast variety of life in the ocean by snorkeling, even though they live less than 70 miles away. Most students had a terrific time, even though there were plenty of rolling swells causing rolling stomachs.

This was an amazing learning experience for all of the students, but it also provided us with a further “dive” into building deep relationships with this particular group of students from Doulos. God has specifically put these kids on our hearts and has provided ample opportunities throughout the year to foster meaningful relationships with many of them, both in and outside of Doulos. During this trip, Melissa and Brennan were able to have lots of laughs, quality conversations, and many memorable moments. This continuous relationship building allows for trust and openness which leads to solid heart conversations about God, life and their current struggles.

Recently, we experienced some of the fruits of this relationship building. Following snorkeling was Doulos’ Spiritual Emphasis Week. (Each day we strive to preach the gospel at Doulos, but this particular week shines an ever brighter spotlight on Christ.) That Monday, we had a local speaker come and preach, providing a conduit for kids to talk through what was on their hearts in their journey to finding Christ. One of the precious eight graders whom we’ve developed a close relationship with gave her heart to Jesus and immediately sought me out to ask, “I just accepted Jesus in my heart, but what happens now?” Following this talk, another student who is also near and dear to us, brought up some faith questions she has in her heart and the doubt she is still facing. The bonding that took place throughout the year with both Melissa and I, allowed me to be in a place relationally with these students that they would seek me out and trust me with their questions about surrendering to and living for Jesus Christ.

Brennan has also used this relational building to speak life into his friend group. Some of his classmates have difficult home issues and the trust he has built with these classmates has led these students to pour out to him. Through these tough times, he has been responding by loving and supporting them as Christ would.

The depth and variance of relationships that the Lord has allowed us to be part of has been one of the most beautiful things about serving here in the D.R. It is a kind of richness we could have never imagined! (For example: Melissa and Ava were at a birthday party for a Doulos student until 10:30 on a school night the same time I was writing this blog.) To us, all of this shows how perfect and intentional God’s work is in terms of using His people to demonstrate His love, spread His Word and call people of all nations into His kingdom.

11 eighth graders + 2 teachers + over 100 cookies and Rice Krispie treats+ WII, pop and pizza= a fun afternoon. The eighth grade class studies diversity for their expedition, and for their fieldwork in the spring, studies the diversity of coral reef by snorkeling on the north coast. They are selling rice Krispies and cookies for a fundraiser to help offset some of the costs for the trip. It should be an amazing experience for them, as many of them have never been snorkeling and a couple have only been to the beach once or twice (it is 67miles away).

It has been great to have the Lord use our house as a conduit for relationship building for Brennan’s classmates. Many of them are still seeking in regards to their spiritual beliefs, so we are always looking for opportunities to build deep friendships with them with the hope of having solid Gospel conversations sometime in the future.

Being in person has brought many enjoyable moments during this school year. Some of these times have meant that I have had to be willing to be a bit silly at times. This was especially true when I was prompted to bust out the dance moves when someone bought me a Valentine’s serenade last week. Through this song, students were amazed that:

1- I would be willing to dance.

2- I perfectly knew all the words to Justin Bieber’s Baby. (Ummmmm.. I’ve know that song since the beginning. Come on!!)

3- I would allow it to be videoed and post it online.

4- That I would do it during Brennan’s class. As one of my students stated, “You danced in front of your son!!”

Although it means making a fool of myself, it is all a part of building heart relationships that lead to Gospel truths being shared with my students. God has used all four of us to be able to pour into so many people here in the D.R. From soccer games and classroom talks to Cappuccino afternoons and dancing with a Lobo, God is forming bonds to further his kingdom.

Even with Bieber in the background. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

This past Friday, the four of us were able to partner with a fellow ministry to bring Christmas to a group of 80+ Haitian children. During this time, we were able to spend time with the kids making crafts, decorating cookies, and playing dodgeball. Then we served them a pizza dinner and sat around while a fellow missionary shared how God sent His only son, Jesus, as the greatest gift of all and how Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.

The evening ended with each child receiving their own gift for Christmas. Laughter and squeals of joy filled the air as children revealed their new toy cars, sports balls, art kits, baking sets, and many other items. An amazing time was had by all the children and the people serving them.

Our evening was a small snippet of the many ways that the Lord has blessed us during our time serving in Jarabacoa:

God is providing us the language needed to spread His word.

Language has been one of the harder aspects for us in terms of building relationships in the D.R. All four of us have dealt with the breakthroughs and frustrations of language acquisition over the last 17 months. So for Melissa and I, it was such a blessing to see our family, all with varying levels of conversational Spanish, engaging with the children there. It was nowhere near perfect, but it allowed us to share simple Gospel truths and ask if they had a relationship with Jesus.

Intentionality creates opportunities to model the love of Jesus

Even without perfect language, people can tell when you are genuine with your intentions and your desires to be in community with them. Even when the words were not there, smiles, hugs, high-fives and laughs have carved the initial pathways with many people for us. During the program, Brennan and Ava played soccer and dodgeball, I colored with boys while talking about their siblings and the fact that my name was the same as one of their “ugly horses.” Ha! Melissa spent time hanging out the girls and watching them enjoy their strawberry ice cream and brownies. Our hope was that these kids, with little to nothing, were able to experience a tiny taste of the endless love that Jesus perfectly modeled during His life on earth.

God uses all of us. We just need to listen to the call.

Our family got involved in this program through the invitation of other missionaries. One of the beautiful things that we have gotten to see is how ministries work with each other to benefit the work that the Lord is doing through each one. This particular evening there were missionaries who are affiliated with Doulos Discovery School, Young Life, Students International, Fight Ministries, Love Restored and other independent missionaries. Seeing everyone working together for a common cause is such a beautiful thing when it is bring lives closer to the Lord.

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Last week, we were able to attend Doulos’ relaunch of Reading Under the Stars. Twice a year, Doulos Discovery School invites families to gather together in the evening and enjoy time with the school community to foster the love of reading. Families sat together with hot chocolate and read stories, danced a little on the stage, and listened to the read-aloud that was available at the bottom of the amphitheater.

Our family enjoyed a relaxing evening with some of our favorite books. (Ok, I might have been preparing for my 8th grade English class, but it IS one of my favorite novels.) We were also joined by a couple of Ava’s school friends who were attending the event but did not have the rest of their family in the amphitheater. It was lots of fun to get to build stronger relationships with them and have them join our “family” for the evening.

Last year was an amazing first year for us in the Dominican Republic, but also came with a loss of experiencing what a normal year at Doulos entails. Reading Under the Stars is one of many events that had to be cancelled due to COVID restrictions. The four of us are extremely excited to be able to be a part of all the other events that Doulos normally partakes in: Outdoor Education Week (Melissa and Ava head out next week), Expedition Nights, Revolution, the Independence Day and Christmas programs, as well as Biblical Emphasis Week. These programs are an intentional part of Doulos programming that build strong community and relational ties, which in turn, allow teachers and staff frequent opportunities to be able to present gospel truths to students.