Where have the blogs been?

Dear Brothers and Sister of the cause,

Mercy League has continued in its slow transformation into relevancy. There are more people than ever emailing, donating time and funds, offering to go, send and organize for the cause of mercy. It has been a robust beginning to the New Year.

Mercy League Cause: FaceBook

As many of you know, we are utilizing social networking sites, and building a new website that is nearing its launch onto the Web. It will be a place to go and connect with likeminded people interested in engaging in missions throughout the world, but especially to our project in the Dominican Republic... We would like to see rapid progress this year, and hopefully be able to hand the reigns over the Dominican Board by this time next year.

The blogs have been missing why? Well there are many good excuses I could use, but foremost on the list is that fact that we had a setback last month that was quite disheartening. Our January team contacted me about the response to their negotiations regarding a long term lease on the property that we have been working on for about 18 months. The news was that the son of the elderly gentleman, whom we have a good relationship with, has taken over negotiations and declared that they would only accept a lease of 2 more years, and at a 50% increase. The price for the 1.55 acre parcel of land was $269,000 US dollars (about 10 times the going rate).

This came as a shock to the Dominican Board members, and to our team. When they told us the news we were all flabbergasted. That's really a good word for it too. Al of our work on the site, and building improvements were contingent on the fact that there was an offer to lease for the long term from day one.

Our response was to lease another smaller property with a finished home, within the city. This home will serve as our base of operations for the children's home while we continue our program. We plan to begin locating orphans within two weeks of today, but our program of sustainability has been severely backed up. We are now looking at two options while we continue: 1 try to reason with the family at our original location... we have until the end of April left on our lease with an option on another year at the same rate (But they will put the property up for sale in the meantime... at a price that is ridiculous) or 2 Begin to search the area for another property, but purchase it outright or negotiate a long term lease from the outset.

What do you think? Our board has decided to let things settle for a month and then make a decision.

Our objective has always been to wait on taking on children (orphans) until we have our sustainability factors in place, but I don't think I can wait any longer. I will put my own money into it if that is what it takes to begin making difference in a real way. Man... it has been a difficult road to go... trying to work against the entrenched system of paying salaries, child sponsorship, Western missionary types coming to the rescue and applying Band-Aids that do not fix the problem... It would have been easier to go with salaries and child sponsorship from the beginning, but I still believe in our mandate to hold the national people (Dominicans in this case) accountable to care for their own people, and to make it sustainable.

I have agreed to abandon some of my high fluting principles and work this from the other side. I want our cause to begin making a difference in more than a theory based sense. We need to take on some abandoned children and get involved in that way. We plan to begin with 2 and increase it to 6 by the end of the year. We also have put pressure on our Dominican churches and volunteers to take on the burden of responsibility, and not to expect that all good works for the cause of mercy must be paid for by foreigners. We want them to take pride in being Dominicans, and care for their own people. We will help in this, but unfortunately… the missionaries of bygone decades have trained everyone to think that service and mission must be paid for by foreigners. We aim to change this thinking, but it is an uphill battle.

What now?

We have hundreds of people on our mailing lists, and hundreds more by extension. We are not asking for you to donate, because many of you already are. What we are looking for is your “active involvement.” We have needs that go beyond money… to things praying. Nothing is more important than that. Please don’t give a penny if you can spend time in prayer for us all. It is greatly needed.

Offer to send someone on a sojourn, or plan a meeting or event and invite me to come and speak. I will come! (I don’t have a job… and I am in grad school, so I have time)

Send me an email and tell me what you can do to help…

Be Well,

Shane

P.S. Be looking for the launch of our new website… soon!