Today’s blog is a reflection from Eric Miller as he prepares to transition in the coming months from his role as Field Director in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, into a new position with Students International in Tennessee. Looking back on nearly fifteen years of ministry, Eric shares how God’s mission of transforming lives was not only for the students and communities he served, but for him as well.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take a group of team leaders from Washington, Oregon, and California around to visit our ministry sites here in Jarabacoa. It’s something I’ve done countless times over the years, and it remains one of my favorite parts of my role as Field Director.

It never gets old hearing Esther at our Social Work site talk about her love for art and the ways God’s beauty and creativity are reflected in what He has made. She’ll quickly tell you that art itself is never the only point. The point is relationships. Through painting, drawing, and everyday conversations, she gets to walk alongside young girls and women, and watch God reveal Himself in their lives.

It never gets old hearing Eric Tyson and Jefry Tavarez joyfully share their love for Centro Especial Genesis and the incredible children and families who come there. They often talk about Proverbs 31:8 and the way they get to speak up for the voiceless; ensuring justice for those being crushed. You can see that calling reflected in both the passion with which they talk about their work but also in the way they serve every day. They consider it a privilege to advocate for those who are often overlooked, and to remind children and families living with disabilities that they are deeply loved, valued, and created in the image of God.

It never gets old hearing Dr. Fernando and Nurse Katie talk about their work in medicine. They care deeply about helping people experience physical healing, but they are just as passionate about sharing the Gospel. They know we are more than physical beings, and they love introducing people to the Great Physician who can heal our deepest wounds preparing us for perfect bodies in eternity.

I love hearing about our sports, medical, educational, and social work sites. Everywhere you go, you’ll find people serving, building relationships, and sharing the Gospel.

For nearly fifteen years now, I’ve had a front-row seat to these stories and the stories of transformation.

I’ve watched community members like my dear Dominican mom, Ramona, surrender their lives to Christ and faithfully walk with Him for more than a decade. I’ve watched young girls like Mabelis grow up in our ministry, discover their identity in Christ, and now invest in the next generation through the same ministry that helped shape her life. I’ve watched students like Jack arrive excited that they were coming to serve others but also discovered that God had something big for them as well. They returned home asking deeper questions about their calling, their purpose, and what it really means to follow Jesus with their careers and in their whole lives.

Those stories never get old for me.

What I didn’t fully understand when I stepped off a plane almost 15 years ago in the Dominican Republic was that God would use my “yes” to greatly shape my own life.

Back then, I was a 24-year-old from a small town in Indiana. I grew up surrounded by cornfields and the wonderful Amish/Mennonite people of that area. I hadn’t seen much of the world. I was excited, hopeful, nervous, and if I’m honest, afraid

I still remember the applause that erupted when our plane landed, a Dominican tradition that once again reminded me I wasn’t in Indiana anymore.

Within a few weeks, I had moved into a small apartment, bought a motorcycle, and started serving in Students International’s Microfinance ministry. Like many missionaries before me, I arrived believing God had sent me there to impact and change the lives of those I served.

And He did.

But what I couldn’t see then was how much He intended to change me too.

At Students International, we often talk about our mission of bringing students and the poor together in relationship, helping both be transformed into the likeness of Christ and discover their true calling.

For years, whenever I repeated that mission, I would naturally think of the students and community members we serve.

But as I look back on nearly fifteen years in the Dominican Republic, one thing has become abundantly clear:

The vision wasn’t just for them. It was for me, too.

Through friendships, disappointments, challenges, successes, failures, leadership opportunities, and countless moments of dependence on Him, God has been faithfully shaping me into the person He created me to be. Looking back, I can see the truth of Philippians 1:6 in my own life: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

What encourages me most is that my story is not unique at all.

This is how God works. He calls ordinary people to follow Him, and in the process of following and serving, He transforms them. The journey itself becomes part of His work of transformation. The calling is not only about where He takes us, but also about who we are becoming along the way.

God has gifted me far more than I could have imagined. He gave me a wife and three, almost four, incredible children. Together, we’ve had the privilege of serving and growing in the Dominican Republic.

And as I’ve mentioned, He changed me for the better. Through ministry, leadership, marriage, parenting, successes, and failures, He taught me greater dependence on Him. He grew my patience, peace, self-control, and love for others. He shaped me as a leader.

In November, our family’s season in the Dominican Republic will come to an end, and the transition is bittersweet. There is sadness in leaving Jarabacoa and a community that we have been apart of for nearly fifteen years. At the same time, we are excited for what God has next and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving with Students International. While our address is changing, much of our focus remains the same.

As I, along with my family, prepare for this next season, I leave convinced of the same truth that brought me here nearly fifteen years ago:

Jesus is worthy of everything you have.

Follow Him.

Trust Him.

Take the next step, even when it feels scary.

Sometimes we think we’re the ones being sent to change the world.

But in the end, we discover that God, in His great love and mercy, is changing us.