Partner with us in the Dominican Republic

Greetings from the Menold family in NC!

     Eleven years ago when I met Jen I had three criteria for a wife: to be a Christian walking with Jesus, to have six kids, and to be willing to go to the mission field if God called.  Jen shared the same goals if it was God’s will.  Our ten year anniversary is in May and I can say that she has been an amazing wife to have and I praise God for her. I see her growing in her walk with Jesus daily and I am proud of how she has handled raising our 5 kids and homeschooling them.  Plenty of hard days but nothing that is too big for the King to help each of us walk through and bring us closer together.  And she will now have proved true to her word by her willingness to serve overseas.  We are excited to share how God has been preparing us to serve Him in the Dominican Republic with Makarios.  God has shaped our hearts for many years and it is His timing.  My time over the past 2 years as CFO of Faulkner/Haynes & Associates has been a great place to grow and God has provided for us through this company.  However, now I will be putting those skills to use in full time ministry with Makarios.  Jen, who worked as a nurse up until 3 years ago, will be able to use her nursing degree as well if needed.

Makarios is a Christian organization which provides educational opportunities to young children in poverty stricken areas of the Dominican Republic, ministering equally to Dominican and Haitian immigrant children.  There is a great need for education in these areas, as many of these children will otherwise end up working on coffee or sugar cane farms without hope of advancement in life.  The Makarios school not only provides a traditional education, it also brings Christ into the life of these children.  They also provide two meals a day for all students, as malnutrition is one of the major issues facing the people of the Dominican Republic.  I will be functioning as the director for Makarios in the Dominican Republic, with duties including leadership over the operations and coordination of short term mission teams and community outreach.  We will live in a small apartment in a large house where Jen and I will be in charge of hosting the mission teams that come to serve the school and community.  This will include preparing meals for the teams and overseeing the house.  Jen will be homeschooling the kids as well and will be able to spend time at the school and in community outreach.  We have dedicated the next two to three years of our lives to serving with Makarios unless God directs us otherwise.

As we follow our calling to serve God with Makarios, we ask that you would partner with us.  First and foremost, partner in prayer that God is over all and through all that we do.  We are serving not only to provide daily needs but also spiritual needs in the community, and we pray that God will use us to touch the lives of others in His name.  We also ask for prayer for safety, health, safe travel and financial support.  For our family, we need partners to give around $15,000 in start-up costs along with $4,200 per month for daily expenses.  The startup costs include a 3 week missionary training course in August, travel costs, and initial cost to set up our living space in the Dominican Republic.  We are trusting God to provide the support for us and for our house to sell in time for the move.  You can give online and get more information through the Makarios website at www.makariosinternational.org or click on the "donate" button at the bottom of the page.  If you would like to subscribe to our blog feel free - just submit your email below and you will recieve notifications of postings. 

We are so excited to begin this journey as God has called us to follow Him and branch out in faith to bring education and the Gospel to the children of the world!  Thank you for reading this post and partnering with us.  We would also love to hear from you and any ways we could be praying for your life!  If you have any questions or prayer requests, please post them below.