“We’ve always known, after we got married in 2000, that we were called to do missions work,” said Stephanie Kramer. “We often looked at organizations and tried to make them work for either one of us. But this was the first time that both of our giftings came together in a job that we could do.”
Dan and Stephanie Kramer are getting ready to serve with MAF in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they will operate the MAF guesthouse and Dan will handle facilities maintenance. What’s interesting is that these two actually met in Port-au-Prince over 20 years ago. Dan was working with an organization that ran short-term missions in the area, and Stephanie was an art teacher at the Quisqueya Christian School.
Dan interacted with MAF quite a bit back then, and one time he and MAF country director David Carwell went to a going-away party for someone in the mission community. Stephanie’s host family had invited her to the same party, on her first day in country. And that’s when she and Dan met.
They’re excited to return—this time with their five children, ages 7–17.
Dan and Stephanie both have a missions’ mindset, fueled by the impact earlier mission trips had on their lives. Since their marriage, they’ve lived very intentionally with as little debt as possible, so they could “go” if the opportunity arose. And they’ve raised their children to have similar values.
“We taught them to love the nations, to love the Lord, and to realize that we’re called to that as a family,” said Dan.
“Something we tried to keep in the forefront of our minds was to invite people in, whether it was for a meal or for somebody passing through,” added Stephanie.
That focus on hospitality will come in handy as Stephanie cares for the guests at the MAF guesthouse. And Dan’s administrative and management experience through his work in automotive maintenance, business, and agriculture will serve him well as he takes care of the base facilities there.
Together, the Kramers will be a great help to the Haiti team that is short-staffed and trying to keep up with all the demands of a busy program.
Dan and Stephanie Kramer need prayer and financial partners! Learn how you can be a vital part of their team at maf.org/dkramer.
A shorter version of this story appeared in the spring 2021 edition of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here: