Patience!

From the time I entered into the the process of establishing the Ministry of North Coast Missionary Services here in the D.R.  I knew that patience would be the word of the time!  Right after I was baptized on Feb 4 2007, God placed within me the word..."patience".  I knew then that somehow I must come to embrace this strange but important concept.  Many of us have no time for this...what?   Patience?  Reminds me of a joke I heard when I was young...two buzzards sitting in a tree...one looks at the other and says, "Patience?  Patience my tailfeathers...I'm gonna kill something!"

We understood before we left Canada that the journey was not over, rather, it was just beginning!  Along the way He has allowed us to venture forward, gingerly stepping onto new ground, into new culture, and into new areas of Faith that we have never seen before.  He has allowed us to see with brand new eyes, a world full of danger and pitfalls unlike the ones we were so aware of in Canada.  The comfortable traps of things like shopping in beautiful department stores, you know, like driving on beautifully paved roads with traffic lights, and signs warning of work crews, or even trusting that one gas station works the same as the other...not so in this country!  I get it...all the things we trusted to make us comfortable and "lull us into a false sense of security"  are all thrown out the window here...so far I have found the only things that work the same, (or relatively close) as they did in Canada, are the pens and pencils I brought with me!  I know this sounds like complaining to some of you but please understand...Laura and I see all of this as God's will, understanding this culture will give us tremendous insight on how we are to impact the people here.  We are seeing great progress with all the mission groups we associate with.  We have made ourselves available to all of them to be helpful hands, or minds, or talents as they see fit.  Through this we are making progress in establishing our place within the culture.  This time has given us the room to learn the language...lets go here for a minute...Spanish in the D.R. is like trying to understand a highland Scottie speaking English!  Or for that matter Newfoundlanders speaking to Albertans!  That is how "different"  the Spanish is here from true Spanish!  It is no wonder we need patience!  We are taking language classes weekly now and are trying to communicate with the people everyday.  We are both seeing progress here!  Estamos estudiando Espanol todo el tiempo...esto es muy importante!  God has surely allowed patience to bear fruit with us and the language!  Dios quiere! 
The rest of our days are spent working back and forth between different Mission Groups...either working on a food program with Dominican Ministry, or painting a school with Dominican Advance, to counselling with Servants Heart on business!  We are using our time most effectively and allowing our efforts to be a blessing to these people.  Through our involvement we are seeing God unfold His will for us here...as we adapt to the culture, to the people, to the environment, we will see the culmination of North Coast Missionary Services...in due time...according to His will.
Patience...
Praise God for Patience...and the ability to step forward with growing patience and a mountain of Canadian frustration at the pace of the world around us.  The gringos...(other white folks)  call it "the Manana Syndrome"  or in other words...why do it today when you can do it tomorrow!   Gringos call it this because most of North America and Europe are "task oriented Cultures"  we have to get things done, our pace is frenzied, often in too much of a hurry, bringing stress and worry to our lives.  Most Latin countries are opposite...they are "relationship cultures"...not so much interested in the job or the project but rather the people they are with.  Who they are is much more important than what they do.  Everybody knows everybody and everyone cares...genuinely...about others.  It is not uncommon to be driving along the road and the car infront of you stops right in the road...because he saw someone he knows and has to stop to say hi...right in front of you.  So you can imagine this happening 100 times over...again and again...day in...day out...every day...rain or shine.  Patience...
I hope this little bit of levity has given you pause to smile with us as we continue to plod along this beautiful trail God has laid our before us.  I say plod because to run along this path would be terribly wrong, and we would definitely miss all of the wonderful things He has planned for us on the trail!  I believe in the journey of patience and that God Himself has ordained the time and the order for this ministry to which we have been called.  I ask from each of you as you read this that you continue to enjoy the journey with us as it unfolds...I promise I will try to bring you all up to speed as often as I can.
I pray that all of you can be encouraged by our journey and look to your own lives with a little bit more patience...for truly we could all take a note from the Dominicans and install into our own lives a little less tasking and more relationship.

Dios los Bendiga a todos

Michael and Laura....Patience

"my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  James 1:2-4

Continuing the Work!

Hi everyone and Bless you all at this time of year.  Following resurrection Day, I feel even more blessed to know that we are well within the Lord's will here in the D.R.  the past week we have been busy expanding another aspect of our Ministry here on the island.  NCMS has mandated that our purpose here is to assist mission groups with projects, needs and opportunities whatever they may be...as the Lord brings them to us.  I was praying that as we wait upon the Lord for His will in our guesthouse, that He will enlighten us as to our additional purposes here.  Through prayer and counsel we offered our helping hands and willing hearts to work side by side with mission groups already working on the island.  Last week we busied ourselves painting in two clinics which are operated by Willing Servants Ministries.  These medical clinics bring much needed medical support to two villages in the area.  Prior to these clinics existence, the people of these villages had to travel far for medical services that many of them could not afford...as a result...many did not have any services at all.  From our perspective in Canada the right to affordable medical service is taken for granted...here it is few and far between.  The least we can do is offer basic service for these souls.  It was a blessing for us that we could offer our help to these missionaries who give so tireslessly to help so many who cannot get even so much as a foothold on their own lives.  Whatever the Lord brings into our field of view is how we must approach our time here.  NCMS is dedicated to the support of missionaries in whatever capacity they require...

May is fast approaching and we will soon be involved in a Dominican Church plant...Dominican Advance, who ministers in education in two schools here on the island, is beginning the start up of a Dominican Church next month.   We have been asked to come alongside and offer our assistance as best we can.  We have a little insight as to our role here and we look to counsel and prayer for this venture.  Many of you who pray for us have valuable information that we could use as we walk out this next journey.  If you have it in on your heart please pray for us or even offer your advice . 

We have been delayed with our purchase of the project house we talked about five weeks ago...suffice to say that things do not always go as planned.
We look forward to the day when we can get started with the Mission House...for now...as we wait upon the Lord, we will busy ourselves with the work at hand.
Bless you all and please continue to pray for us in whatever way God leads you.
Michael and Laura Boisclair

Rio Vista has been Found!

The last few days has been a whirlwind of activity for NCMS...we finalized details of the incorporation process for our Non-Profit Dominican Corporation and entered into working agreements with missionaries here on the island.  We have been negotiating with a Dominican who owns a large property with two large buildings which have 20 bedrooms/20 bathrooms, large gathering areas, a pool, a gazebo for outdoor meals and a large empty lot for development as well.  Today the owner accepted our final offer and we will close on the property in June.  We must complete several renovations and upgrades to make the property work for NCMS but we should be ready to receive our first guests by August or September of 2011!  We have a conditional agreement on this property and we could close earlier on the deal (if we get all our funding in place).  We have only been on the island for three weeks and God has truly showed His hand.  All of the mission groups have rallied around us committing resources of time and support for the successful launch of Rio Vista GuestHouse!  Laura and I want to thank all who have been committed to prayer and financial support for God's mission for us here in the Dominican Republic.  Much work is still to be done and continued prayer and additional finances still have to be raised.
We will require set-up donations for the first mission team to bring once we have established a final close date for the property.  We are past the first step...and the second will continue to test our faith as we walk this journey out with God.
I will forward a list of required donated items which we need for the Guest House to the Mission Team leaders and Directors within the company.  If you have any questions or require more information please reply directly to this email or comment on the blog.  Financial contributions can be made through Bridges of Hope in Lethbridge with complete Canadian Tax receipts.
The Lord is Great and Greatly to be praised!!!!

Today I feel good, having endured the first cold in years and of course, as I'm sure you will all agree, summer colds tend to be worse!  Both Laura and I are adjusting to the climate and the colds we have both suffered are just another bump in the road.  We have been actively searching a variety of properties and several options have been presented through our contacts here in the D.R.  While we have not made a decision as yet, we both feel the Lord guiding us along a patient path...the calming presence of His spirit.  It is obvious to us that His will for us to continue to seek Him and trust He will provide the place and situation through His people is profound.  God has surrounded us with good, caring people who wish, above anything else, to serve the Lord.  Several Mission groups who operate here and bring teams of people here to work, have committed support for our operation once we are established.  Truly a blessing and more confirmation of our calling to be here.  This week we are asking for prayer support in particular with the location confirmation.  We are near a decision and trust that God has directed us to the right place and time.

Laura and I appreciate all of your prayers, please write us back as the Lord directs you if you have any questions or words for us as we continue our journey.  Once we have chosen our base we will put together a mission team to come to the island and help us get set up.  The options we have on our short list (we have four options right now) will all require substantial upgrading and in some cases complete rebuilding!

We miss you all very much especially our home group bunch!

Dios te bendigas!
Mike

Arrival!

Well everyone, the day has finally arrived...Feb 22 we flew from Toronto, but not without enduring one last trial in Canada!  It seems the Lord has a continued sense of humor as He unleashed a record snow dump on Windsor the day before we leave.  So I spent most of the day shoveling snow, digging out the folks...digging out neighbors...and of course 4 X 4 ing through the streets of Windsor!  What fun!   O to leave or not to leave...see ya!  We will pray for a swift end to the winter Canada enjoys so well!  Kidding aside...our flight was uneventful and quick, even Raven our dog did very well on her first flight!  She was a bit excited when we arrived and was very glad to see us.  We cleared customs easily with the dog and saw our taxi was waiting for us.  Laura and I were discussing our mission with our cab driver and explaining who we knew in country as missionaries and we discovered Jose also knew many of the people we had met of previous trips.  While driving down the road Jose suddenly pulled over and waved over a man standing on the roadside...Michel Drouin from Quebec was evangelizing again in the country.  We had stayed with Michel and got to know his heart for the Haitians who he ministered to.  Michel jumped into our taxi and we caught up quickly on the past two years.  What a blessing to see him again!  Michel immediately invited us to stay with him as he would be alone soon when his team returned to Canada in March.  Another blessing!  We will certainly explore this option the Lord has presented!  After settling in at our Hotel Casa Blanca in Cabarete, we enjoyed our first day venturing out to the community and seeing what was where.  We have met the owners of the Hotel, former pastor and wife from London Ontario, William and Dorothy have lived here for several years and now minister to locals and tourists alike as they use their hotel.  William is also a successful realtor on the North Coast and has several options for us to view!  Last night we met another pair of Missionaries who run a local orphanage and children's hospital here in Cabarete.  Martin and Cindy  work with street kids and abandoned babies.  We also met a family from Whitehorse who are here working with Martin on his Hospital.
The Lord continues to open doors and we are prayerfully vigilant of His guiding will...continue to pray for us and His direction as we go forward with these people and others who will surely come into our path.

Bless you all
Michael and Laura

One week to go in Canada!

Hey everyone, bless you all this day the Lord has made!  The last few weeks we have journeyed across Canada...U-haul in tow and now we find ourselves in Windsor Ontario visiting with the last few family members on Laura's side.  For those of you who didn't know it, it takes days to get across this province!  Ontario is huge!
And cold!  The Lord is giving us a good appreciation of winter before we leave,  I told you He has a great sense of humor!  I'm not complaining, we have enjoyed our time with family and are almost ready now to moake the final move to the island.  February 22 is our fly date and when we arrive we have several options to consider.  We will be staying at a Christian Hotel in Cabarete...Casa Blanca Hotel!  We look forward to getting there and activating our business plan.  North Coast Missionary Services is fully incorporated now in the D.R.  and we are praying the Lord will show his hand when we arrive.  Pray with us as we make this final step that God will bless and cover us as we go.  Pray with us for His blessing and covering for our children and family we leave behind.  We look forward to seeing many of you in the D.R. in the time to come! 

Bless you well
Michael and Laura Boisclair

A Celebration of God's Promise

Good morning to all who read and blessings to each of you in this New Year 2011!  I am compelled to write again as we enter the new year with all the blessing of God. We are excited at the pending launch of our Mission and at the same time pensive of our time here coming to an end.  Over the holiday we enjoyed a good deal of time with our children who, at various points on their own journeys, took time to respectfully be with us at our last Christmas together in Canada for a while.  What a blessing indeed!  As I muse over our children's paths that they are upon I can only wonder how God will direct their lives...how He will influence them with people, situations, and events in order to guide their steps and help them to reach their individual dreams.  We continue to pray for them most fervently and invite others to pray for our children as we step out on the path God has laid before us.  This path takes us away from our country, our church and friends within the body, and far apart from our children and family.  We have Faith that we have done the right things for our children and raised them in a way that they should go.  While life and distraction fills each of their lives I am hopeful that God will continue to work in them and direct them on their individual paths.  Our children never stop looking at us, as parents, mentors and role models, I pray that we can be humble enough to forgive them for the mistakes they will make, and courageous enough to continue on our paths so that we may be salt and light to them and others who look to God for direction.

The time is ticking down to our inevitable move date...and before we go we wish to invite all who have been a part of our journey, both within the church and outside the community of God.  On Sunday January 9, 2011 at 10:30 am at the River of Life Community Church in Lethbridge, please join us for our sending by our church into the Mission Field.  Join us after the service for a lunch to Celebrate God's Promise...He has given each one of us a promise and dream....we take this time to remember, thank, honor and strive towards our individual promises and dreams that He has shown us and the ones He has yet to come for us.  Join us to celebrate the Promise of God.

Michael and Laura