The Carlile Chaos

Hello everyone! I am excited to share this update about our family and the mission!

Adam’s feet are still… yes, still…. recovering. At the end of May we had to make a hard decision and we opted for Jess to travel to the DR alone to receive the Ladywood High School Mission Team, the Aquinas College group and to do some training with our NEW long-term volunteers. While this was a hard decision to have to make, we are so thankful for the support of family and friends who helped with the kids and allowed our family to be temporarily separated so that we could keep a handle on all of our responsibilities in the DR. Most notably, Deb Coffelt deserves a huge gold star award for her daily help with the kids. THANK YOU!!!

Some snapshots of Jessica’s time in the Dominican Republic

Between the Ladywood High School group and our leadership team, we had over 40 people serving together!

LHS high school student at a mobile medical clinic along the Haiti – Dominican border

Aquinas College’s group of 8 visited mid June

AQ student working at our preschool in El Chivo

Our Medical Coordinator and two new Long-Term Volunteers Kayla and Stephanie signed official BBOH contracts!

Mobile medical clinics with the Aquinas College group

In the midst of receiving nearly 50 volunteers in two weeks, Jess and Kailey also moved our family home from the house we had been renting for 2+ years into an apartment in the same neighborhood. The reasons for this move were many, but most notably to reduce costs while we are in the States. The MVP award here goes to Kailey who spent countless hours looking at houses with us AND on our behalf while we were away. It feels good to know that our personal items are at a secure apartment complex while we are so far away. This is about as close as we could get to the American storage unit concept!

Just a couple days before Jess was set to fly back to the States she started experiencing some severe pain. Long story short, she went to a Dominican emergency room, got a magic shot of something (no joke, we’re still not 100% sure what it was!) and flew back to MI. We went straight to an American ER once she landed in Detroit and she was diagnosed with appendicitis. Though she hasn’t had the appendix taken out yet, soon she will be scheduling surgery to remove her appendix and gall bladder at the same time. Prayers please!

All in all, it’s been a chaotic 6 weeks or so. With both Adam and Jess facing possible surgeries, it doesn’t seem that the chaos will be letting up anytime soon.

As the old saying goes… “when it rains, it pours”…. so we’re learning how to dance in the rain. <3

Prayer intentions:
-For impending surgeries, quick recoveries and peaceful hearts about outcomes beyond our control.
-In thanksgiving for our family, friends and supporters who have kept us laughing and feeling encouraged.
-For our children who are very flexible with changing circumstances but also craving stability at the same time.
-For guidance as we discern the best schooling option(s) for Benjamin.