Friends & Family -
First and foremost, we want to thank you for all of the prayers you have lifted up on our behalf, all of the thoughtful emails and phone conversations you've encouraged us with, and for all of the ways you shown your love for us as a family in the past two months. Thank you for walking through this difficult time with us and for being such an encouragement to us. Our God is GREATER than any obstacle that might ever come across our paths and we experienced that in a BIG way through Hannah's birth and consequent health complications. Again, thank you for being a major part of His master plan for Hannah's life.
We are writing to share some bittersweet news with you with regards to our long-term plans. Due to Hannah's condition and after much prayer, thought, and painful deliberation, we have decided that we will not be staying in the Dominican Republic for our third year with Doulos Discovery School. This was an incredibly difficult decision as we have so enjoyed becoming a part of this amazing community of believers and been continually humbled and encouraged by the work that God is doing in this community and through Doulos for the advancement of His Kingdom. We honestly do not WANT to leave here, but given the new realities of life with Hannah, we feel at peace that God is calling us back to the US.
We want to express our heartfelt thanks for your generous support for the work we've been about for the past two (school) years and ask for your continued prayers for us as we transition back to life in the US. It definitely will not be easy. As of right now, we are unsure where we will be ending up, but I am currently focusing the job search in three primary areas 1) Bay Area of California 2) Denver, CO and 3) Nashville, TN.
If you've been supporting us financially, we thank you (again) for your partnership with us and Doulos Discovery School. As I said, it's been such a blessing to be a part of this great organization and to share in the "educating and equipping" of Christian "servant leaders to impact the Dominican Republic." At this point, we have enough financial support in our fundraising account to get us through the next three months. While we personally don't need to raise any further funds, there are many continuing needs at the school (including other missionaries) and if you are looking for a very worthy cause to continue to support, we would LOVE for it to be Doulos! If you'd like to hear more about some great opportunities, please let Christen or me know - as we said, our hearts will always be in this place! If you would prefer to simply stop your donations, that is obviously fine as well (if you are currently a direct donation monthly supporter, please just let me know and I can help you through that process).
Again, thank you for all of the tangible ways you have supported us throughout our time in the DR. We would never have been able to make it through the past two years without such a wonderful support structure back in the US encouraging us, funding our work, and lifting us up in prayer through the difficult times. We love you and are privileged to have been sent out to this work. We expectantly wait to see what God has in store for us next, wherever that may be.
Love and peace in Christ,
Joe, Christen, and Hannah Byker
Soli Deo Gloria
