Kidney stones and the will of God

Last January I was in the Dominican Republic with a group of seven doing some missions work. Our plan was to work in a village on the north coast and then visit a Young Life program in Santiago over the weekend. There wouldn't be any time for a visit to Santiago Christian School, where I taught for four years. As it turns out, things didn't go according to plan. Missions trips can be tricky like that. One of the guys in our group got kidney stones and we had to leave the north coast early for Santiago to be near good medical care. While he was healing up, the rest of us decided to volunteer at SCS for the day.

I was sitting in the teacher's lounge at lunch time and someone asked me what I was going to do when I finished grad school that spring (may 2004). I described the nonprofit that I was hoping to start - one in which we would work to provide better educational opportunities for impoverished Haitians and Dominicans. From across the room, Brian Rea spoke up. What was I doing? We talked for a bit and he told me that he had been praying about finding a job in which he could do that very type of work.

In February, Makarios became official, and Brian and I prayed about his potential involvement. By April, it was clear to both of us that he was the perfect fit for the job, and God was opening all the doors.

In case you don't know Brian, or his job description, let me just explain something. What he is now doing with Makarios in the DR is what he had already been doing in his spare time. He loves these kids and they love him. Just last week, one little two year old was crying like mad because Brian was leaving the village for the day. And Brian couldn't stand leaving. He has teaching experience, speaks Spanish and Haitian Creole, and loves building relationships. He is perfect for this job. Praise the Lord!

So there you have it. God used kidney stones to bring Brian to Makarios.