Hi! I’m Hannah, and I think between Alejandro and me, I’ll be the one writing most of these blog posts over time. Alejandro and I are the newest members of the Solid Rock team here in the Dominican Republic, and we’re excited for everything that’s to come with this new role.
For those of you who don’t know us yet, I’ll give a quick introduction to each member of our family.
Isabella Alejandra
Isabella’s the newest member of our family! She was born in February and is the most perfect, calm-natured addition to our family. She’s very excited to get a lot of attention at the Guest House and be constantly held in loving arms.
Isaac Arturo
Isaac is technically the next youngest member of the family. He’s about to be 3 years old and was born 4 minutes after his twin Elsie! Isaac loves running, jumping, throwing things, playing with sticks, doing flips…typical little boy activities. He’s very excited to hang out with new friends at the Guest House and play basketball.
Elsie Joy
Elsie is the shy twin and is about to turn 3 too. She loves people…just once she gets to know them. She loves coloring, playing with princesses, watching Dora, and doing silly things. She runs behind her brothers as quick as she can, but her clumsiness makes her trip and fall a lot which usually ends in tears. She’s very excited to help in the kitchen while wearing a fun apron!
Aiker Josell
Aiker is the big boss amongst his siblings. He’s about to turn 9 and loves being in charge and acting like the CEO. He also loves Pokémon, ninjas, and spies, and is a blue belt in Taekwondo. He’s our sociable butterfly and is very excited to get to know new friends at the Guest House and show them around the DR.
Hannah
I (Hannah) keep everyone organized in the family. I’m the boring one who keeps everyone well-fed, well-bathed, and on-time for things. I was originally born in England and moved to America at the age of 5. I first came to the DR through a different ministry here in San Juan in 2016. It was on this trip that the Lord put a new desire in my heart to serve Him in this country, I just had no idea what that would look like. In 2019 I graduated from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs) and joined the Peace Corps. They coincidentally sent me to El Cercado, a little town only an hour away from San Juan. I met Alejandro while attending church one Sunday Evening and after lots of twists and turns we got married in July, 2021! I’ve been working remotely for different businesses as a Marketing Manager for the past 6 years, and I’m excited to jump into this new role with a heart open to whatever the Lord wants to use me to do.
Alejandro
Alejandro is the tall, friendly giant. He truly has a heart for serving people and loves to study theology whenever he gets the chance. He was born here in San Juan de la Maguana and studied at Lucille Rupp school thanks to a scholarship from Solid Rock. At school he learned about Jesus and began attending our church, Central Mennonite. Once he graduated from Lucille Rupp, he returned as a bible teacher and served at church as the worship leader. In 2015, he received a scholarship to study theology at a seminary here in the DR that is partnered with the Baptist Reformed Seminary in the USA. When he returned to San Juan after finishing he studies, the church voted to have him join the team of pastors. For the past 10 years, Alejandro has been working as a pastor of Central Mennonite and a Bible teacher at Lucille Rupp School. He’s excited to lead the Solid Rock team here in country, the organization that truly impacted the trajectory of his life all those years ago.
It feels strange that we’ve known everyone at Solid Rock for a long time, and we’ve even worked together through Central Mennonite Church a lot, but this is the first time we’ve come on board as an official part of the team. We’re all excited for what is to come, and excited that we get to do this as a family. I keep feeling extremely grateful that Alejandro and I have the opportunity to have jobs in ministry and jobs that allow us to bring our children along. I’m aware that most families spend the day apart while the parents work, and I’m also aware that so many Christians around the world are in ministry roles that don’t pay them anything. How blessed are we?
Alejandro and I are prayerfully thinking about how the Lord wants to use us in this new position. There are lots of changes to come for our family – new responsibilities to understand, a new way of looking at our finances, new schedules, etc. But we don’t look at any of it with fear. Our family’s story is one of God’s constant kindness. He has protected us, provided for us, and made a way when we couldn’t see one ourselves. As we enter this new season of life, we’re confident that we’ll experience new expressions of His love and faithfulness. We’re incredibly excited to see what He has in store for us.
If you would like to join us in prayer, please pray for wisdom for both Alejandro and I. I think of Solomon, who said in 1 Kings 3:15-20 :
“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
May the Lord give us a wise and discerning heart to support our team so that His glory can be on display for all who come close to the ministry.
