Wow! What a week it has been! Thank you all so much for your prayers, i cannont put it into words how much it is appreciated. I don´t know if there could have been a more difficult way to say goodbye to everyone, first the majority of the group left on Sunday, then Sam, Hallie, Heather and Mrs. Leinbach left on wednesday, and finally i had to say goodbye to Peter on Saturday! But God has been good to me and i´m surviving :).
As most of you know I started teaching English this week. Monday was my first day of teaching. i had to teach 3rd grade and 7th grade. Honestly, I don´t think i have ever been as scared about anything as i was about teaching English. I didn´t sleep much Sunday night, and i thought that Mrs. Leinbach had done me in for sure this time. I had been praying a lot and i know that i had a lot of other people praying for me as well, even some from Canada that i didn´t know about. This encouraged me a lot! Monday morning and into the afternoon God gave me a peace about everything that was ahead of me. I went into my classes and taught the students and for the most part everything went really well, PRAISE GOD! After my classes i felt the biggest relief of my life, i was free, i could do this (with God´s help). Such a burden was taken off my shoulders that afternoon and i think for the first time since i got here (at Tony and Lary´s house) I was happy and able to be myself. I celebrated with the family by sharing some oreos with them :).
Now i feel like i can focus on the language a little more, since i don´t have to worry about teaching as much. Please continue to pray for me as I teach, it still isn´t going to be easy for 4 months. Pray for me as i am working with the language. I don´t think there are too many things more discouraging than not being able to understand someone when they are talking to you, or just not being able to understand whats going on. Also, there aren´t too many things more humbling than having to ask people to repeat and repeat and talk slower and talk slower and repeat. It makes you feel bad but its what you have to do. So please continue to pray for me as there are still many challenges ahead of me. Like Joe and Shannon, who could have known? but that takes away a little bit of a comfort zone for me also. Continue to pray for them and for Solid Rock as they look for a fill-in. Blessings to all and thank you all so much for your prayers!
En Christo,
Danito
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
The Adventures of Pedro y Daniel
Thought I'd give a quick update on the happens in San Juan since the last of the team left on Weds. The last couple days have been packed but I'll try to give you a quick run down on their happenings.
The team was picked up from the guesthouse early Wed. morning by pastor Juan Ernesto and dropped off at the bus station to catch a bus to Santo Domingo. Daniel and I awoke at 5:45 and said goodbye to the team. Daniel said watching Tammy and the team leave was like having his security blanket ripped right from his hands. It was starting to become real to him what four months in the DR might really look like. Tony, Daniel's host-family dad picked us up from the guesthouse latter on that morning. We headed over to the home of Daniel's host family, dropped off our belongings, and promptly left to begin orientation at the school where Daniel will be teaching English. Larys, the mother of Daniel's host-family, is the principal of the school. The school is affiliated with the Evangelical Mennonite church and is located right in the heart of San Juan. We got a quick look at the school and were then taken to the "teachers lounge" where we spent the rest of the morning preparing lesson plans for English classes. For those of you who don't know, Daniel will be teaching English to middle school students while he stays in the DR. Thankfully we were helped by another English teacher at the school, a Dominican named Ramon. He was really helpful in teaching Daniel how to put together a lesson plan and collect material he'll need for his classes.
Daniel is doing a great job pressing through with all the unknown territory of teaching English and learning Spanish at the same time. He feels a little overwhelmed and stressed since he's never taught a class before. Plus, there's the challenge and mental wear down of learning and communicating in a foreign language. We found out that Daniel will be teaching students for 2hrs. a day, five days a week. He also has the added challenge of teaching grades 3rd-7th, which means he has to be prepared for just about every level of learning. I know he's up for the challenge but he'll need your prayers along the way! Pray that Daniel can take the new process of preparing and teaching lessons one week at a time without getting overwhelmed.
Wed. night we went to a church service on the very edge of town where two of Tony and Larys sons were playing in the worship band. It's been so encouraging to worship along with Dominican believers even though we both don't speak the same native tongue. I was explaining to Daniel how I found it interesting that the songs the Dominicans sing most passionately are the one's sung while the offering is being collected. I don't feel like this is coincidental considering the joy and excitement the people of this culture have when it comes to giving. This has been observed by Daniel and I once again as we stay in our host-family's home. My manners and idea of hospitality have seriously been challenged during my stay in the DR.
Tuesday morning was more time in the teachers' lounge preparing lesson plans and getting a better idea of what Daniel would be doing while teaching here. We met up with the rest of our Dominican family for lunch at a local restaurant in town. Then it was back to the house for a much needed siesta. It's really been enjoyable spending time getting to know Daniel's Dominican Family. They have three sons, Tommy (17yrs.), Seth (15yrs.), and Amos (11yrs.). We've had some good times with them already and I'm sure Daniel will have some good stories to share about them.
Today was once again a lot of work preparing lessons for classes, but we had something to look forward to this afternoon. Last night as we were eating dinner Tony asked me if there was anything I wanted to do with my last day in San Juan. I told him I couldn't think of anything so he suggested we go to the beach with the family after we had finished our work at the school. So, around 2:00 today we all loaded into the back of Tony's pick-up truck and set of for the beach! It was about an hour long drive and the view was beautiful! Tony is quite the driver. It's definitely an experience driving down the road at 65mph while sitting in the back of a pickup truck... fun times. We got to the beach and enjoyed ourselves for a couple hours before returning to San Juan.
Tonight really is a sad night. I had to get all my stuff packed up since we leave with Tony for the Capital tomorrow morning at 5:30am. I really don't want this trip to come to a close. God has shown me so much and I've truly grown to love the Dominican people. It's going to be really hard saying goodbye to Daniel tomorrow night when he returns to San Juan. The plan for tomorrow is to meet up with Gustavo (Tammy's friend) in Santo Domingo around 8.30am. We'll hang out with him and his family for the rest of the day and then Daniel will leave with Tony for San Juan later on that evening. I'll stay with Gustavo, go to church with him and his family in the morning, and then leave for the airport around 12:00pm on Sunday. If all goes to plan I will be Chicago by 11:00pm Sunday night. This will probably be my last blog post but keep on reading because Daniel will be posting while he's in the DR.
Peter & Daniel
The team was picked up from the guesthouse early Wed. morning by pastor Juan Ernesto and dropped off at the bus station to catch a bus to Santo Domingo. Daniel and I awoke at 5:45 and said goodbye to the team. Daniel said watching Tammy and the team leave was like having his security blanket ripped right from his hands. It was starting to become real to him what four months in the DR might really look like. Tony, Daniel's host-family dad picked us up from the guesthouse latter on that morning. We headed over to the home of Daniel's host family, dropped off our belongings, and promptly left to begin orientation at the school where Daniel will be teaching English. Larys, the mother of Daniel's host-family, is the principal of the school. The school is affiliated with the Evangelical Mennonite church and is located right in the heart of San Juan. We got a quick look at the school and were then taken to the "teachers lounge" where we spent the rest of the morning preparing lesson plans for English classes. For those of you who don't know, Daniel will be teaching English to middle school students while he stays in the DR. Thankfully we were helped by another English teacher at the school, a Dominican named Ramon. He was really helpful in teaching Daniel how to put together a lesson plan and collect material he'll need for his classes.
Daniel is doing a great job pressing through with all the unknown territory of teaching English and learning Spanish at the same time. He feels a little overwhelmed and stressed since he's never taught a class before. Plus, there's the challenge and mental wear down of learning and communicating in a foreign language. We found out that Daniel will be teaching students for 2hrs. a day, five days a week. He also has the added challenge of teaching grades 3rd-7th, which means he has to be prepared for just about every level of learning. I know he's up for the challenge but he'll need your prayers along the way! Pray that Daniel can take the new process of preparing and teaching lessons one week at a time without getting overwhelmed.
Wed. night we went to a church service on the very edge of town where two of Tony and Larys sons were playing in the worship band. It's been so encouraging to worship along with Dominican believers even though we both don't speak the same native tongue. I was explaining to Daniel how I found it interesting that the songs the Dominicans sing most passionately are the one's sung while the offering is being collected. I don't feel like this is coincidental considering the joy and excitement the people of this culture have when it comes to giving. This has been observed by Daniel and I once again as we stay in our host-family's home. My manners and idea of hospitality have seriously been challenged during my stay in the DR.
Tuesday morning was more time in the teachers' lounge preparing lesson plans and getting a better idea of what Daniel would be doing while teaching here. We met up with the rest of our Dominican family for lunch at a local restaurant in town. Then it was back to the house for a much needed siesta. It's really been enjoyable spending time getting to know Daniel's Dominican Family. They have three sons, Tommy (17yrs.), Seth (15yrs.), and Amos (11yrs.). We've had some good times with them already and I'm sure Daniel will have some good stories to share about them.
Today was once again a lot of work preparing lessons for classes, but we had something to look forward to this afternoon. Last night as we were eating dinner Tony asked me if there was anything I wanted to do with my last day in San Juan. I told him I couldn't think of anything so he suggested we go to the beach with the family after we had finished our work at the school. So, around 2:00 today we all loaded into the back of Tony's pick-up truck and set of for the beach! It was about an hour long drive and the view was beautiful! Tony is quite the driver. It's definitely an experience driving down the road at 65mph while sitting in the back of a pickup truck... fun times. We got to the beach and enjoyed ourselves for a couple hours before returning to San Juan.
Tonight really is a sad night. I had to get all my stuff packed up since we leave with Tony for the Capital tomorrow morning at 5:30am. I really don't want this trip to come to a close. God has shown me so much and I've truly grown to love the Dominican people. It's going to be really hard saying goodbye to Daniel tomorrow night when he returns to San Juan. The plan for tomorrow is to meet up with Gustavo (Tammy's friend) in Santo Domingo around 8.30am. We'll hang out with him and his family for the rest of the day and then Daniel will leave with Tony for San Juan later on that evening. I'll stay with Gustavo, go to church with him and his family in the morning, and then leave for the airport around 12:00pm on Sunday. If all goes to plan I will be Chicago by 11:00pm Sunday night. This will probably be my last blog post but keep on reading because Daniel will be posting while he's in the DR.
Peter & Daniel
Thursday, August 19, 2010
living in the last days... and then some
Monday, August 16
4:00am came way too early! The sleep we got was more like an extended nap. Everyone packed into Monchi´s bus (the guesthouse's bus driver) and set out for the capital. It was a three hour ride into the capital and the plan was to arrive in the Zona Colonial and spend some time shopping before we took the group to the airport and they began their journey home. The Colonial part of Santo Domingo is the oldest part of the city and is well known for being to oldest part of the new world. The architecture is very Spanish and some of the buildings date back to the 1500s. For a short moment you might actually forget you're in the Dominican and think you've stumbled back in time to a little city in Spain. While we were there the group broke off into small groups and walked around the city exploring the sites and shopping in the little stores. Tammy managed to sit down in a small cafe and complete a full three paragraphs of journaling(although she claimed she wasn't that far behind)! It was a relaxing time to take a few minutes and think about all we had seen and experienced that last week.
Then it was off to the airport where we promptly said farewell to the team and loaded the remaining six people back onto the bus. Daniel noted, "It's strange watching the team get smaller and smaller. Pretty soon it's just going to be me left by myself. Every time I see a team member leave it's like a small part of my comfort blanket is removed." Before the team left everyone was given their "I OK; U OK" bags which contained notes of encouragement from team members throughout the week. It was a real joy and encouragement reading some of the notes people had written each other. What a great team God put together in the DR this summer!
After we said our goodbyes and a few tears were shed, it was back on the bus, and off to San Juan... or so we thought. After we left the airport we made a detour for a nearby gas station to fill up. As we set off, the bus driver commented that the vehicle was making a strange noise and he wanted to check it out before we got to far. We crept along the road until we found a small parking lot to pull off into. Then Monchi set off to find the mysterious grinding sound. We were in no big hurry and were assured, "Don't worry, we'll get it fixed and still have you back in San Juan sometime today!" This was actually a small blessing in disguise as it gave us plenty of time to debrief about our two weeks. After an hour or so we were told that they hadn't fixed the problem and we'd have to head back to the shop. The problem was the shop was closed since it was a Dominican holiday and everyone had the day off. We pulled up to the shop (which was in the middle of a neighborhood) and waited. It was fun watching family life of the Dominicans as we waited. We witnessed a baseball game comprised of children in the middle of a street, as well as a full house cleaning, complete with hosed out floors!
About 30 minutes later (but no one was counting -- we were in the DR) Monchi told us that the gas station had put regular gas in the bus instead of the required diesel! More waiting. Finally, another bus arrived and we were rushed inside. This was an experience! It was a public bus and we got to ride back with a full bus of Dominican passengers. The bus stopped every few minutes to pick up more passengers and we began to wonder if we were ever going to make it back to the guesthouse. Although, there were some nice perks about this bus. One of these was the complete lack of leg room between you and the person in front of you (Daniel and I enjoyed this one the most). Secondly, the entertainment rocked! It was old Korean movies with Spanish voice overs! Even Jackie Chan! Talk about a complete loss of any cultural barings! The team decided to use our time for fun and make a game out of our predicament. We all guessed on what time we would arrive back at the guesthouse and said the person who guessed closest wouldn't have to do dinner dishes. Ended up that Tia Tammy was our winner with the time of 5:59.
Later on that evening the guys were invited over to the house of Miguel and Christine (local AIM missionaries) for a guys night out with another short term group. We loaded into a taxi and set off for a fun evening of man time. We arrived in the middle of a physical strength competition and enjoyed watching everyone else sweat their tails off while we watched and laughed. Most of the evening was spent in a time of discussion talking about what it means/looks like to be a man of God. The conversations was awesome and really hit the hearts of most the guys there. I know i was personally challenged to build upon the conversation by living out what was said. Good times. Unfortunately, we stayed out a little too late and had the girls (especially Mrs.Leinbach) a little worried about our whereabouts; especially since I had two minors with me! Thankfully we all got back to the guesthouse without any problems!
Peter (for the team)
4:00am came way too early! The sleep we got was more like an extended nap. Everyone packed into Monchi´s bus (the guesthouse's bus driver) and set out for the capital. It was a three hour ride into the capital and the plan was to arrive in the Zona Colonial and spend some time shopping before we took the group to the airport and they began their journey home. The Colonial part of Santo Domingo is the oldest part of the city and is well known for being to oldest part of the new world. The architecture is very Spanish and some of the buildings date back to the 1500s. For a short moment you might actually forget you're in the Dominican and think you've stumbled back in time to a little city in Spain. While we were there the group broke off into small groups and walked around the city exploring the sites and shopping in the little stores. Tammy managed to sit down in a small cafe and complete a full three paragraphs of journaling(although she claimed she wasn't that far behind)! It was a relaxing time to take a few minutes and think about all we had seen and experienced that last week.
Then it was off to the airport where we promptly said farewell to the team and loaded the remaining six people back onto the bus. Daniel noted, "It's strange watching the team get smaller and smaller. Pretty soon it's just going to be me left by myself. Every time I see a team member leave it's like a small part of my comfort blanket is removed." Before the team left everyone was given their "I OK; U OK" bags which contained notes of encouragement from team members throughout the week. It was a real joy and encouragement reading some of the notes people had written each other. What a great team God put together in the DR this summer!
After we said our goodbyes and a few tears were shed, it was back on the bus, and off to San Juan... or so we thought. After we left the airport we made a detour for a nearby gas station to fill up. As we set off, the bus driver commented that the vehicle was making a strange noise and he wanted to check it out before we got to far. We crept along the road until we found a small parking lot to pull off into. Then Monchi set off to find the mysterious grinding sound. We were in no big hurry and were assured, "Don't worry, we'll get it fixed and still have you back in San Juan sometime today!" This was actually a small blessing in disguise as it gave us plenty of time to debrief about our two weeks. After an hour or so we were told that they hadn't fixed the problem and we'd have to head back to the shop. The problem was the shop was closed since it was a Dominican holiday and everyone had the day off. We pulled up to the shop (which was in the middle of a neighborhood) and waited. It was fun watching family life of the Dominicans as we waited. We witnessed a baseball game comprised of children in the middle of a street, as well as a full house cleaning, complete with hosed out floors!
About 30 minutes later (but no one was counting -- we were in the DR) Monchi told us that the gas station had put regular gas in the bus instead of the required diesel! More waiting. Finally, another bus arrived and we were rushed inside. This was an experience! It was a public bus and we got to ride back with a full bus of Dominican passengers. The bus stopped every few minutes to pick up more passengers and we began to wonder if we were ever going to make it back to the guesthouse. Although, there were some nice perks about this bus. One of these was the complete lack of leg room between you and the person in front of you (Daniel and I enjoyed this one the most). Secondly, the entertainment rocked! It was old Korean movies with Spanish voice overs! Even Jackie Chan! Talk about a complete loss of any cultural barings! The team decided to use our time for fun and make a game out of our predicament. We all guessed on what time we would arrive back at the guesthouse and said the person who guessed closest wouldn't have to do dinner dishes. Ended up that Tia Tammy was our winner with the time of 5:59.
Later on that evening the guys were invited over to the house of Miguel and Christine (local AIM missionaries) for a guys night out with another short term group. We loaded into a taxi and set off for a fun evening of man time. We arrived in the middle of a physical strength competition and enjoyed watching everyone else sweat their tails off while we watched and laughed. Most of the evening was spent in a time of discussion talking about what it means/looks like to be a man of God. The conversations was awesome and really hit the hearts of most the guys there. I know i was personally challenged to build upon the conversation by living out what was said. Good times. Unfortunately, we stayed out a little too late and had the girls (especially Mrs.Leinbach) a little worried about our whereabouts; especially since I had two minors with me! Thankfully we all got back to the guesthouse without any problems!
Peter (for the team)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday: A day of Jubilee!
Sunday was the last day the group was together ministering through drama and song. Claire Reinhart left early that morning to fly home and it was sad losing one more teammate. Claire had been the key orchestrator and director for all the dramas. She did a fantastic job of making sure everyone was in place and had the needed props. Thanks, Claire for all you did! So, I don't think it would be fair to go any further without explaining what took place the night before. Allow me to regress for a moment.
Saturday night the group was gathered around relaxing, laughing, and reminiscing about the weeks activities. Suddenly, someone got an idea that we should pull a prank on Joe because of the shenanigans he'd pulled while driving with the group (Joe and Shannon run the guest house and Joe drives us around town). We thought and thought until someone finally came up with an idea. Joe just recently purchased a new scooter for him and his wife to ride around town. The group had been giving him a hard time saying, pasolas (scooters) are for girls; real men ride motors (motorcycles). The plan was to kidnap Joe's pasola, hide it from him, and give him clues to find the missing pasola. At this point you must also know that Joe and Shannon have been watching the TV series "LOST" and are midway through the 4th season. Joe has been talking non stop about it and he seems to be slightly "obsessed" with the show. So, we hid clues around the compound a with "LOST" theme that would eventually lead him to his missing pasola. Around 1:00am the team was scurrying about the guesthouse hiding clues. We even made a life-size doll (complete with a jean jumper) and set it on his pasola! The next morning when Joe woke up he saw the clues and had a blast on the scavenger hunt for his missing pasola!
Sunday morning we headed out to another local church in San Juan where we performed our dramas for the last time. It was a sad yet relieving moment when the congregation applauded at the end of our fourth drama. God has taught the team so much through the dramas and it was sad to see them end. Who would have thought a year ago that we would have been doing dramas in the DR and now we've finished up our second year of non stop schedule for dramas. The exciting thing about the dramas this year was the opportunity for everyone on the team who wanted to have a part in the dramas to be involved. God allowed the team to jell together nicely and everyone knew their parts. Once again, Juan Ernesto did a fabulous job of explaining the dramas afterward. The dramas wouldn't have been nearly as effective had it not been for Juan!
Following the dramas the pastor gave a message regarding the dangers of Roman Catholicism in Latin America. He explained many of the false doctrines they have implemented into their worship serves. He didn't condemn all Catholic but did give a strong admonishment to guard what we've been taught though careful study of the scriptures in order to test what we've been taught. Also, while we are all as Christians catholics (an word used in the early church to describe the unity of those who follow Christ) there is a big difference between Roman Catholics and catholics. after the sermon the team got to hear a special musical guest at the church. He was a touring Latin musician who'd stopped by the church to perform some traditional Dominican style music. Everyone (except Joe) really seemed to like the different style and a couple youth even bought his CD. Sing along team: En Puerto Rico -- se alaba a Cristo, en Barahona -- se alaba a Cristo. Yes, Sam was particularly touched and excited by the music. Dominicans could buy the CD for $100 pesos; American price $5 U.S. Hmmmm, the exchange rate was a bit off.
The rest of the day was spend packing and fellowshipping at the guesthouse. The activities went on late into the evening as we also celebrated Daniel's birthday with the team since no one will be here on his real birthday (Sept. 18). Somewhere along the line somebody found left over part balloons which got made into swords. Needless to say there were several "sword fights" that occurred throughout the evening. Even Cindy and Justina got persuaded to make a balloon sword attack on Peter and John's room as they packed their bags. It was so sad saying goodbye to the rest of the team, realizing this was our last night together in the DR. Their were plenty of laughs and smiles to be shared as the team retired to their rooms and prepared for Monday's departure. More to come sometime soon... depends on when I can find Internet again.
Peter (for the team)
Saturday night the group was gathered around relaxing, laughing, and reminiscing about the weeks activities. Suddenly, someone got an idea that we should pull a prank on Joe because of the shenanigans he'd pulled while driving with the group (Joe and Shannon run the guest house and Joe drives us around town). We thought and thought until someone finally came up with an idea. Joe just recently purchased a new scooter for him and his wife to ride around town. The group had been giving him a hard time saying, pasolas (scooters) are for girls; real men ride motors (motorcycles). The plan was to kidnap Joe's pasola, hide it from him, and give him clues to find the missing pasola. At this point you must also know that Joe and Shannon have been watching the TV series "LOST" and are midway through the 4th season. Joe has been talking non stop about it and he seems to be slightly "obsessed" with the show. So, we hid clues around the compound a with "LOST" theme that would eventually lead him to his missing pasola. Around 1:00am the team was scurrying about the guesthouse hiding clues. We even made a life-size doll (complete with a jean jumper) and set it on his pasola! The next morning when Joe woke up he saw the clues and had a blast on the scavenger hunt for his missing pasola!
Sunday morning we headed out to another local church in San Juan where we performed our dramas for the last time. It was a sad yet relieving moment when the congregation applauded at the end of our fourth drama. God has taught the team so much through the dramas and it was sad to see them end. Who would have thought a year ago that we would have been doing dramas in the DR and now we've finished up our second year of non stop schedule for dramas. The exciting thing about the dramas this year was the opportunity for everyone on the team who wanted to have a part in the dramas to be involved. God allowed the team to jell together nicely and everyone knew their parts. Once again, Juan Ernesto did a fabulous job of explaining the dramas afterward. The dramas wouldn't have been nearly as effective had it not been for Juan!
Following the dramas the pastor gave a message regarding the dangers of Roman Catholicism in Latin America. He explained many of the false doctrines they have implemented into their worship serves. He didn't condemn all Catholic but did give a strong admonishment to guard what we've been taught though careful study of the scriptures in order to test what we've been taught. Also, while we are all as Christians catholics (an word used in the early church to describe the unity of those who follow Christ) there is a big difference between Roman Catholics and catholics. after the sermon the team got to hear a special musical guest at the church. He was a touring Latin musician who'd stopped by the church to perform some traditional Dominican style music. Everyone (except Joe) really seemed to like the different style and a couple youth even bought his CD. Sing along team: En Puerto Rico -- se alaba a Cristo, en Barahona -- se alaba a Cristo. Yes, Sam was particularly touched and excited by the music. Dominicans could buy the CD for $100 pesos; American price $5 U.S. Hmmmm, the exchange rate was a bit off.
The rest of the day was spend packing and fellowshipping at the guesthouse. The activities went on late into the evening as we also celebrated Daniel's birthday with the team since no one will be here on his real birthday (Sept. 18). Somewhere along the line somebody found left over part balloons which got made into swords. Needless to say there were several "sword fights" that occurred throughout the evening. Even Cindy and Justina got persuaded to make a balloon sword attack on Peter and John's room as they packed their bags. It was so sad saying goodbye to the rest of the team, realizing this was our last night together in the DR. Their were plenty of laughs and smiles to be shared as the team retired to their rooms and prepared for Monday's departure. More to come sometime soon... depends on when I can find Internet again.
Peter (for the team)
The Last Leg of the Trip
Saturday, August 14
Sleep in!! Breakfast at 7:45! The team was feeling the weariness of the week. It's evident because the group ambled more slowly to climb into the back of the pickup. Those in the back of the pickups have coiffed hair at the destination. No beauty contests -- thank God!
The morning schedule -- dramas for the Evangelical Mennonite Jovenes from all over the island at Campamento Bethel. Jovenes are young people, anywhere from 15 to 30 years of age. When we arrived at 9:30 for the 10:00 a.m. service we were told that those at the camp hadn't eaten breakfast yet. We were told that the propane ran out and the cooks were waiting until the tanks were returned. That was OK by our team as we had a chance to be in a lovely, green setting to start our debrief about the trip. Besides a very strong orientation before the missions trip, a time to process and reflect on all the experiences is key to discovering what the trip means for each individual. We've had opportunity to do this 2-3 times before, but this time we had Juan Ernesto with us to share as well. He spoke about the dramas and what a tremendous message they give. "I'm confident that when you are in heaven you will have people come to you and tell you that their hearts were changed because of the dramas." Moreover, Juan Ernesto's thrust at the end of the dramas is a "shout out" to Christians who need to be renewed in their faith and to live righteous lives. Such is what happened after the dramas. Dominican young people came forward to pray for a new breath of the Holy Spirit. We explained that Juan Ernesto was an answer to Tammy's prayers as she didn't know who from the Dominican side would fill in the necessary gap to give an appropriate application to the dramas. Enter Juan Ernesto! He laughed when we told him of our answered prayer because he too had a prayer that people would come to stir the hearts of his people in the name of the Lord. Next time, he said, give him 3 days notice and he would book us all around the island to present dramas.
The group of 400 jovenes rejoiced in song before and after our presentations, singing familiar melodies while we joined in in English. One of the youth even had a vuvuzela (a horn typically used in soccer matches) which he played throughout the time of worship. It was exciting for many members of the team as we ran into other Christians we had worked with while we stayed in El Cercado. Travis and Peter even met the man who's house they'd stayed at during the home stays. Then we all loaded up into the pickup trucks and made it home. Made it home might sound a little too simple... you must keep in mind that Joe was driving 80 kpm! After we unloaded from the truck Daniel commented, "Joe drives like a wild man on fire, with only one goal in mind: speed, determination, and reckless abandonment for all life!" Joe likes to play the game, "smack the passengers in the face with tree branches" as he veers around the road hoping to elicit a response from the screaming passengers. Another favorite game of his is, "atomize the passengers with windshield wiper fluid" as he spatters fluid over the cab.
During the afternoon we rested and rejuvenated. A lot of people took 3 hour siestas, participating in a sleep-a-thon. That night we planned on going to Santil's church, the anesthesiologist at the clinic. That afternoon there was a steady rainfall. Rain in the Dominican keeps the people at home because they don't want to walk or ride their motorcycles around in the rain. So we waited until the rain subsided and ended up leaving an hour later than planned. The church service was held on the second floor of a building, with a balcony that was within reaching distance of the telephone and electrical wires. "That was kind of fun," said Peter. "Touch that, and you're instantly dead," said Mike as he dared us to touch it. The music was lively and the people were genuinely in love with the Lord. The majority of the people there were young people. Again, Juan Ernesto called people up after the dramas to come and rededicate their lives to Christ. Two people also gave their lives to Christ for the first time. It was inspiring to see even more people touched by the Lord and wanting to commit their lives to Him.
Later that night, as Claire packed up to go home the next day, most of the team congregated in Claire, Erin, and Justina's room for a lively and slapstick time of bonding. We talked about the week and shared lots of laughs. It was once again incredible to see how a group of 20 people who didn't really know each other before the trip came together to serve God and left as good friends. Thinking it through later, we realized that there were no cliques or ostracized members. We were all in it together. There is such a joy in knowing one another as Christians. "The fellowship of believers is key in the New Testament, and we definitely experienced it this week," said Peter. It is sad to see our group slowly disband and return home, yet encouraging knowing that the same purpose that we shared here in the Dominican, will continue in CA, MI, OH, IN, PA, Canada, and Holland.
Gloria a Dios!
Tammy, Peter and Hallie (for the team)
Sleep in!! Breakfast at 7:45! The team was feeling the weariness of the week. It's evident because the group ambled more slowly to climb into the back of the pickup. Those in the back of the pickups have coiffed hair at the destination. No beauty contests -- thank God!
The morning schedule -- dramas for the Evangelical Mennonite Jovenes from all over the island at Campamento Bethel. Jovenes are young people, anywhere from 15 to 30 years of age. When we arrived at 9:30 for the 10:00 a.m. service we were told that those at the camp hadn't eaten breakfast yet. We were told that the propane ran out and the cooks were waiting until the tanks were returned. That was OK by our team as we had a chance to be in a lovely, green setting to start our debrief about the trip. Besides a very strong orientation before the missions trip, a time to process and reflect on all the experiences is key to discovering what the trip means for each individual. We've had opportunity to do this 2-3 times before, but this time we had Juan Ernesto with us to share as well. He spoke about the dramas and what a tremendous message they give. "I'm confident that when you are in heaven you will have people come to you and tell you that their hearts were changed because of the dramas." Moreover, Juan Ernesto's thrust at the end of the dramas is a "shout out" to Christians who need to be renewed in their faith and to live righteous lives. Such is what happened after the dramas. Dominican young people came forward to pray for a new breath of the Holy Spirit. We explained that Juan Ernesto was an answer to Tammy's prayers as she didn't know who from the Dominican side would fill in the necessary gap to give an appropriate application to the dramas. Enter Juan Ernesto! He laughed when we told him of our answered prayer because he too had a prayer that people would come to stir the hearts of his people in the name of the Lord. Next time, he said, give him 3 days notice and he would book us all around the island to present dramas.
The group of 400 jovenes rejoiced in song before and after our presentations, singing familiar melodies while we joined in in English. One of the youth even had a vuvuzela (a horn typically used in soccer matches) which he played throughout the time of worship. It was exciting for many members of the team as we ran into other Christians we had worked with while we stayed in El Cercado. Travis and Peter even met the man who's house they'd stayed at during the home stays. Then we all loaded up into the pickup trucks and made it home. Made it home might sound a little too simple... you must keep in mind that Joe was driving 80 kpm! After we unloaded from the truck Daniel commented, "Joe drives like a wild man on fire, with only one goal in mind: speed, determination, and reckless abandonment for all life!" Joe likes to play the game, "smack the passengers in the face with tree branches" as he veers around the road hoping to elicit a response from the screaming passengers. Another favorite game of his is, "atomize the passengers with windshield wiper fluid" as he spatters fluid over the cab.
During the afternoon we rested and rejuvenated. A lot of people took 3 hour siestas, participating in a sleep-a-thon. That night we planned on going to Santil's church, the anesthesiologist at the clinic. That afternoon there was a steady rainfall. Rain in the Dominican keeps the people at home because they don't want to walk or ride their motorcycles around in the rain. So we waited until the rain subsided and ended up leaving an hour later than planned. The church service was held on the second floor of a building, with a balcony that was within reaching distance of the telephone and electrical wires. "That was kind of fun," said Peter. "Touch that, and you're instantly dead," said Mike as he dared us to touch it. The music was lively and the people were genuinely in love with the Lord. The majority of the people there were young people. Again, Juan Ernesto called people up after the dramas to come and rededicate their lives to Christ. Two people also gave their lives to Christ for the first time. It was inspiring to see even more people touched by the Lord and wanting to commit their lives to Him.
Later that night, as Claire packed up to go home the next day, most of the team congregated in Claire, Erin, and Justina's room for a lively and slapstick time of bonding. We talked about the week and shared lots of laughs. It was once again incredible to see how a group of 20 people who didn't really know each other before the trip came together to serve God and left as good friends. Thinking it through later, we realized that there were no cliques or ostracized members. We were all in it together. There is such a joy in knowing one another as Christians. "The fellowship of believers is key in the New Testament, and we definitely experienced it this week," said Peter. It is sad to see our group slowly disband and return home, yet encouraging knowing that the same purpose that we shared here in the Dominican, will continue in CA, MI, OH, IN, PA, Canada, and Holland.
Gloria a Dios!
Tammy, Peter and Hallie (for the team)
A Demonstration of Love: the Shoeshine Boys
Friday, August 13
Friday was the culmination and focal point of the majority of our preparations for the trip: the shoeshine boy camp. Room 7, aka our Dominican Wal-Mart, was emptied out of 180 water bottles, suitcases full of boys underwear, and wash clothes.All week we had been handing out fliers to the shoeshine boys, inviting them to our limpiabotas (shoeshine boys) camp. We had no idea how many boys we would get.
For those of you who don't know, the shoeshine boys are the street "riffraff"of the Dominican Republic. Some are homeless but all are needy boys ranging from the age of 5-20. If they have a family, it's a lower income family, and any money they make is used to buy their own necessities. Last year, Frank told us that the boys have a higher chance of being involved with drugs, sexual immorality, and drunkenness. The boys aren't held accountable by anyone and are therefore their own little business managers at very young ages. We set up a camp for these boys so that we might share the love of Christ with them, give them a day of fun, and a chance to just be a kid.
The limpiabotas camp was held at a local Solid Rock Christian school called CCED. The boys either walked or were picked up in the town center and bused to the school. When we arrived, there were already about 50 boys lined up waiting for us. After we quickly set up out stations and the bus arrived, we began registration. And so it began. We divided the 157 boys into four groups (by physical height and size, not age), pinned colored name tags on their shirts with numbers, and collected their shoe shine boxes. Daniel became Tammy's new favorite team member when he volunteered to take the oldest group of boys. Once we had everyone accounted for, we took the boys to the cafeteria for a snack (since they probably hadn't had breakfast) and an opening session. They were told the schedule for the day and the rules, and were separated into their groups. Following the opening session we rotated each group between 5 stations: backpacks (which were sewn out of old pillow cases -Thank you Margret Everson and family and friends for making and praying over 163 backpacks- that were decorated by the boys), crafts, games, face painting, and a combined station of giant bubbles, hair cuts, and a wellness check by Mike and Cora. It was fascinating to us to watch the boys decorate their backpacks with sharpie markers and see their lack of developmental skills. We take it for granted the skills that we teach out children through simple tasks such as coloring, cutting with scissors, and fine motor skills just because we have the means for supplies. After the activities we ate a homemade lunch of salad, rice, beans, and chicken. During the activity and lunch time, there were some minor scuffles. Matt made good use of his single Spanish word "muchacho" as he would snag a fleeing child and take him back to his group. Many times, a group of us would have to corral a boy just to get him back with his group. Peter: "It was like we were wrangling children. The only thing we lacked was a large stick and a lasso."
Shortly after lunch we went back to the main meeting room and gathered for the closing session where we clearly laid out the message of the Gospel. We sang and performed the Zacchaeus skit and two dramas: the Chair and the Broken Heart. Once the closing was complete we gave out their backpacks and crafts that they had made, new water bottles, bags of donated hygiene kits, shoe polish, and new underwear to the boys. The hygiene kits included, among other things, two washcloths and two toothbrushes so that they could use one of each for polishing shoes and another for their own hygiene. It was incredible to see the genuine excitement in these tough street boys as they opened up their backpacks and found these wonderful gifts. The boys would would sit together and try to guess what each other got before opening their bags. We were shocked and relieved that there were no fights, only trading and negotiations. Later, we talked with our group about how we are humbled to see these boys' excitement over their simple gifts.
Before we were even done with the camp, a little boy was asking "Are they coming back?" They were trying to look forward to when they were going to have it again.
In hindsight, we can see why the camp and the entire week went as smoothly and successfully as it did. It was because of God's divine orchestration, through unity and the manifestation of the universal church. Through the integration of Western resources and manpower and Dominican communication and cultural knowledge, God was able to use our strengths to compliment one another as we served. It was a very clear demonstration of the church at work in the Dominican Republic. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own churches and denominations that we neglect our brothers and sisters around the world. We could clearly see how God was orchestrating everything for His Divine purpose. He took our feeble efforts and used them to do a mighty work to further His Kingdom. This is a ministry that was started by a local Dominican national named Frank. Every Christmas he would hold a celebration for the shoeshine boys and share the love of Christ with them. Last year, an American team was able to come along side Frank and partner with him in his ministry. This year, Frank is in PA with his family and wasn't physically able to be a part of the ministry. Now we assume part of the responsibility of finding Dominican nationals with whom we can come along side to help them perpetuate this ministry.
We thank God for our Dominican Christian brothers and sister whom we helped at the Limpiabotas camp:
-Frank, calling at 9 am from PA, gave last minute instructions about "voladores", kids flying over the wall to try to be a part of the camp and also to tell us to make sure that the kids didn't have their boxes with them because they might be carrying knives. He forgot to tell us to pick up every single rock in sight so that they could not be used as blunt forces weapons.
-Joaquin and Juan, both Dominican gym teachers at local Christian schools, came on the bus. It was like seeing the cavalry equipped with their whistles.
-Quiqui, an energetic young lady from Frank's church, was an immense help with managing the energetic boys by singing and doing cheers. She helped in Peter's group and was invaluable.
-Juan Ernesto, a local evangelist, who helped kick off the morning and started the activities
-Lisette, principle of the CCED school, who shifted all of her own plans for the teachers workshop to accommodate us
-bilingual Bienvenida, who managed to stick it out in the sauna craft room, and helped bring the day's lessons to a close
-Tony, the janitor at the Clinic, came in on his day off to help wrangle/lead boys
-Larys, the principal for a local Christian school, was the point woman on the Dominican side, gathering cooks and food and transportation, all this while trying to get ready for classes which began Aug. 17
-Nieves, our young Dominican helper from last year, joined us again for special times. She is a delight and always welcomed in the group.
-and our ever delightfully, "hard working" translators: Olvis, Amaury, Richard, and Rudy, who were invaluable when it came to communicating with the Dominicans.
Because at this point, the majority of our team is gone, we are going to attribute quotes for them, which they may or may not have said.
Justina: "How did all these bubble sticks get tied into a knot?!" when she found the giant bubble's straws and strings in one big knot.
Travis: "Though my elbows and knees are scraped horrendously from my numerous injuries, I thoroughly enjoyed being "El Jeffe" of the youngest boys group." (The two f's are for Claire.)
Claire: "I bet I'll need carpal tunnel surgery after cutting hair for 2 1/2 hours with only scissors and a comb."
Mary: "Tammy, tell these older boys to stop telling me how to cut their hair."
Stephanie: "Being down here in the heat has been great for my blood sugar levels. I've been sweating so much! I took a shower this morning. I wasn't expecting to take a shower this afternoon, but I will definitely be taking another one this evening." Stephanie worked tirelessly in the sauna of a craft room during the limpiabotas camp.
Peter: "I'm trying to think of an adjective to describe my horrendously horrible terrible redundant grammar."
Cindy: "Can you tell the kids to stop scraping and washing off their paints so they can come get more pictures painted on their arms?"
Mike: "They need to stop scraping off scabs just so they can get a cool band aid."
Heather: "When can these kids go to the next station?" This said after 15 of the 30 minutes and the boys were trying to escape through the doors.
Hallie: "Writing a blog is like writing a 5 paragraph paper every day... on vacation!"
John: "O'Malley could have single-handedly run this camp with his eyes closed while living in the future." O'Malley was John's and Joe's pretend class mate who was continuously quoted doing feats that no one else could accomplish.
Peter: "Cora is like the energizer bunny. She has so much to do in a very small amount of time."
Dan: "Why did I volunteer to take the older boys??"
Becca: "I'm tired of painting the chair. Can someone else paint it?"
Matt: "Hey, Sam, will we break another chair during the skit this time? We've broken only 2 so far."
Greta: "Tammy, we have only 109 hygiene kit bags." Tammy's response: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Chad: "One of the boys just ran out of the room, Heather. You may want to go catch him."
John: "I'm liking bopping this inflatable ball in the faces of the trouble makers.
Sam: "Tia Tammy, I'm not sure my helper (Tony) likes me."
Lotte: "Oh, no. We're missing backpack number 21. We must find backpack 21."
Erin: "Now what do we do?"
Tammy: "Where's Frank? Where's Juan Ernesto? Rounding up these boys is like herding cats."
In the afternoon, Cora and Peter ran errands and took some supplies to a local missionary couple, Miguel and Kristen. That night we all went out for the last time together as a team for a traditional Dominican meal (chicharrones, tostones, arroz y habichuelas) and ice cream. Cora and Lotte flew back to Canada the next morning.
On a personal note, Cora challenged us to remember that, when working with the limpiabotas, some of these children may not have eaten in the last 24 hours. They may have slept in a wet bed or may not have slept at all. We don't know what family relationships are home are like, or if they even have a family. We are to look at them compassionately and show love to them, even when they are demanding and dirty, and we are exhausted beyond measure. Jesus came down and showed love to us, and we are called to be like Jesus by following His example.
Tammy, Peter, and Hallie (for the team)
Friday was the culmination and focal point of the majority of our preparations for the trip: the shoeshine boy camp. Room 7, aka our Dominican Wal-Mart, was emptied out of 180 water bottles, suitcases full of boys underwear, and wash clothes.All week we had been handing out fliers to the shoeshine boys, inviting them to our limpiabotas (shoeshine boys) camp. We had no idea how many boys we would get.
For those of you who don't know, the shoeshine boys are the street "riffraff"of the Dominican Republic. Some are homeless but all are needy boys ranging from the age of 5-20. If they have a family, it's a lower income family, and any money they make is used to buy their own necessities. Last year, Frank told us that the boys have a higher chance of being involved with drugs, sexual immorality, and drunkenness. The boys aren't held accountable by anyone and are therefore their own little business managers at very young ages. We set up a camp for these boys so that we might share the love of Christ with them, give them a day of fun, and a chance to just be a kid.
The limpiabotas camp was held at a local Solid Rock Christian school called CCED. The boys either walked or were picked up in the town center and bused to the school. When we arrived, there were already about 50 boys lined up waiting for us. After we quickly set up out stations and the bus arrived, we began registration. And so it began. We divided the 157 boys into four groups (by physical height and size, not age), pinned colored name tags on their shirts with numbers, and collected their shoe shine boxes. Daniel became Tammy's new favorite team member when he volunteered to take the oldest group of boys. Once we had everyone accounted for, we took the boys to the cafeteria for a snack (since they probably hadn't had breakfast) and an opening session. They were told the schedule for the day and the rules, and were separated into their groups. Following the opening session we rotated each group between 5 stations: backpacks (which were sewn out of old pillow cases -Thank you Margret Everson and family and friends for making and praying over 163 backpacks- that were decorated by the boys), crafts, games, face painting, and a combined station of giant bubbles, hair cuts, and a wellness check by Mike and Cora. It was fascinating to us to watch the boys decorate their backpacks with sharpie markers and see their lack of developmental skills. We take it for granted the skills that we teach out children through simple tasks such as coloring, cutting with scissors, and fine motor skills just because we have the means for supplies. After the activities we ate a homemade lunch of salad, rice, beans, and chicken. During the activity and lunch time, there were some minor scuffles. Matt made good use of his single Spanish word "muchacho" as he would snag a fleeing child and take him back to his group. Many times, a group of us would have to corral a boy just to get him back with his group. Peter: "It was like we were wrangling children. The only thing we lacked was a large stick and a lasso."
Shortly after lunch we went back to the main meeting room and gathered for the closing session where we clearly laid out the message of the Gospel. We sang and performed the Zacchaeus skit and two dramas: the Chair and the Broken Heart. Once the closing was complete we gave out their backpacks and crafts that they had made, new water bottles, bags of donated hygiene kits, shoe polish, and new underwear to the boys. The hygiene kits included, among other things, two washcloths and two toothbrushes so that they could use one of each for polishing shoes and another for their own hygiene. It was incredible to see the genuine excitement in these tough street boys as they opened up their backpacks and found these wonderful gifts. The boys would would sit together and try to guess what each other got before opening their bags. We were shocked and relieved that there were no fights, only trading and negotiations. Later, we talked with our group about how we are humbled to see these boys' excitement over their simple gifts.
Before we were even done with the camp, a little boy was asking "Are they coming back?" They were trying to look forward to when they were going to have it again.
In hindsight, we can see why the camp and the entire week went as smoothly and successfully as it did. It was because of God's divine orchestration, through unity and the manifestation of the universal church. Through the integration of Western resources and manpower and Dominican communication and cultural knowledge, God was able to use our strengths to compliment one another as we served. It was a very clear demonstration of the church at work in the Dominican Republic. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own churches and denominations that we neglect our brothers and sisters around the world. We could clearly see how God was orchestrating everything for His Divine purpose. He took our feeble efforts and used them to do a mighty work to further His Kingdom. This is a ministry that was started by a local Dominican national named Frank. Every Christmas he would hold a celebration for the shoeshine boys and share the love of Christ with them. Last year, an American team was able to come along side Frank and partner with him in his ministry. This year, Frank is in PA with his family and wasn't physically able to be a part of the ministry. Now we assume part of the responsibility of finding Dominican nationals with whom we can come along side to help them perpetuate this ministry.
We thank God for our Dominican Christian brothers and sister whom we helped at the Limpiabotas camp:
-Frank, calling at 9 am from PA, gave last minute instructions about "voladores", kids flying over the wall to try to be a part of the camp and also to tell us to make sure that the kids didn't have their boxes with them because they might be carrying knives. He forgot to tell us to pick up every single rock in sight so that they could not be used as blunt forces weapons.
-Joaquin and Juan, both Dominican gym teachers at local Christian schools, came on the bus. It was like seeing the cavalry equipped with their whistles.
-Quiqui, an energetic young lady from Frank's church, was an immense help with managing the energetic boys by singing and doing cheers. She helped in Peter's group and was invaluable.
-Juan Ernesto, a local evangelist, who helped kick off the morning and started the activities
-Lisette, principle of the CCED school, who shifted all of her own plans for the teachers workshop to accommodate us
-bilingual Bienvenida, who managed to stick it out in the sauna craft room, and helped bring the day's lessons to a close
-Tony, the janitor at the Clinic, came in on his day off to help wrangle/lead boys
-Larys, the principal for a local Christian school, was the point woman on the Dominican side, gathering cooks and food and transportation, all this while trying to get ready for classes which began Aug. 17
-Nieves, our young Dominican helper from last year, joined us again for special times. She is a delight and always welcomed in the group.
-and our ever delightfully, "hard working" translators: Olvis, Amaury, Richard, and Rudy, who were invaluable when it came to communicating with the Dominicans.
Because at this point, the majority of our team is gone, we are going to attribute quotes for them, which they may or may not have said.
Justina: "How did all these bubble sticks get tied into a knot?!" when she found the giant bubble's straws and strings in one big knot.
Travis: "Though my elbows and knees are scraped horrendously from my numerous injuries, I thoroughly enjoyed being "El Jeffe" of the youngest boys group." (The two f's are for Claire.)
Claire: "I bet I'll need carpal tunnel surgery after cutting hair for 2 1/2 hours with only scissors and a comb."
Mary: "Tammy, tell these older boys to stop telling me how to cut their hair."
Stephanie: "Being down here in the heat has been great for my blood sugar levels. I've been sweating so much! I took a shower this morning. I wasn't expecting to take a shower this afternoon, but I will definitely be taking another one this evening." Stephanie worked tirelessly in the sauna of a craft room during the limpiabotas camp.
Peter: "I'm trying to think of an adjective to describe my horrendously horrible terrible redundant grammar."
Cindy: "Can you tell the kids to stop scraping and washing off their paints so they can come get more pictures painted on their arms?"
Mike: "They need to stop scraping off scabs just so they can get a cool band aid."
Heather: "When can these kids go to the next station?" This said after 15 of the 30 minutes and the boys were trying to escape through the doors.
Hallie: "Writing a blog is like writing a 5 paragraph paper every day... on vacation!"
John: "O'Malley could have single-handedly run this camp with his eyes closed while living in the future." O'Malley was John's and Joe's pretend class mate who was continuously quoted doing feats that no one else could accomplish.
Peter: "Cora is like the energizer bunny. She has so much to do in a very small amount of time."
Dan: "Why did I volunteer to take the older boys??"
Becca: "I'm tired of painting the chair. Can someone else paint it?"
Matt: "Hey, Sam, will we break another chair during the skit this time? We've broken only 2 so far."
Greta: "Tammy, we have only 109 hygiene kit bags." Tammy's response: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Chad: "One of the boys just ran out of the room, Heather. You may want to go catch him."
John: "I'm liking bopping this inflatable ball in the faces of the trouble makers.
Sam: "Tia Tammy, I'm not sure my helper (Tony) likes me."
Lotte: "Oh, no. We're missing backpack number 21. We must find backpack 21."
Erin: "Now what do we do?"
Tammy: "Where's Frank? Where's Juan Ernesto? Rounding up these boys is like herding cats."
In the afternoon, Cora and Peter ran errands and took some supplies to a local missionary couple, Miguel and Kristen. That night we all went out for the last time together as a team for a traditional Dominican meal (chicharrones, tostones, arroz y habichuelas) and ice cream. Cora and Lotte flew back to Canada the next morning.
On a personal note, Cora challenged us to remember that, when working with the limpiabotas, some of these children may not have eaten in the last 24 hours. They may have slept in a wet bed or may not have slept at all. We don't know what family relationships are home are like, or if they even have a family. We are to look at them compassionately and show love to them, even when they are demanding and dirty, and we are exhausted beyond measure. Jesus came down and showed love to us, and we are called to be like Jesus by following His example.
Tammy, Peter, and Hallie (for the team)
Sunday, August 15, 2010
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times! Guachupita & Thursday Church
Today's post is a trip back to the archives and a test of my memory recall. That's right, we're going all the way back to Thursday! Things have been absolutely crazy and it seems like any minute we're not out and about is spent trying to catch a little sleep. Needless to say the blog has fallen a little behind :(
Thursday morning was the team's "trial run" of the program we were hoping to run at the shoeshine boys camp on Friday. The plan was to run a similar program in a low income slum of San Juan called Guachupita. The area was definitely one of the more materially poverty stricken areas I've seen. When we arrived in the barrio (neighborhood) we met up with a local missionary from Adventures in Missions named Miguel. He and his wife have been ministering in San Juan for the last five years and have had quite an impact on Guachupita. We all unloaded our supplies in a local building owned by the Catholic church that the community uses as a general public meeting place. On our arrival there were only a few kids gathered around the building so we split up into small groups and walked around the barrio asking kids if they wanted to join us. It didn't take long for us to realize this neighborhood was packed with kids! We went from a handful of children to 85+ in a matter of an hour! We divided up the kids into four groups according to their sizes.
We started off by gathering everyone into our main meeting room (a challenge in itself). Tammy and a few of the team members did a fantastic job teaching the kids a couple Christian songs. The smiles on the kids faces were just about enough to melt anyone's heart. They really liked singing "arriba, abajo, acentro, afuera" (I'm in right outright upright downright) and it was hilarious watching the rest of our group try to keep up with the ever increasing tempo. When we finished up the main group session we divided off into our different colored teams. We had four teams with about twenty kids in each group. The groups traveled to four different stations doing various activities at each station. The first station was bubbles and face painting. Mary Krueger and Justina Johnson were the brave souls in charge of the bubble bucket. Quite a lot of fun as children slung bubbles far and wide. Heather Cechner and Cindy Swift armed themselves with paint and brushes to design baseballs and flowers on the arms of children. Station number two was the energetic and hectic game station equipped with our enthusiastic team members Travis Johnson and Matt Kuivenhoven, and Sam Derkin. Cora Hunse and Erin Lowe devoted themselves to story time with puppets and hygiene talk. Stephanie Meyer and Lotte Somsen diligently managed the craft station enduring the intense moments of children rushing their station. Peter Krueger, Claire Reinhart, Daniel Krueger, and Becca Everson had the ominous job of "team leaders" and moved the children from station to station.
Following the stations we gathered everyone together again and sang some more songs. Then we performed our Zacchaeus skit (see post about Weds. for more details). The kids were all eyes and ears, as we ate our breakfast, brushed our teeth, climbed the tree, told the story of Jesus coming to Zacchaeus' house, and shared with the children about Zacchaeus' repentance. Everything seemed to go smoothly. Once again the whole team pulled together and worked as one body united in Christ. The kids seemed to grasp the gospel message and we pray that our conduct and actions demonstrated God's love even more! Pray that God would continue to bring other Christians into these children's lives who can help nourish their spiritual lives.
Later on that evening we were booked to perform our dramas once again in a local church. Keeping with "Dominican schedule" it rained that evening so we didn't head out to the church service until 7:30. the church was located on the edge of town in a very small building. Later, Cora told us that the church had been constructed of wood from an old church that had been torn down. The church was no wider than 10ft and had a very, very small stage. What made the setting for our dramas even better was the single light bulb, powered by a propane tank, that lit the room. After, the dramas Juan Ernesto, the Dominican pastor whose been working with our group gave a powerful gospel presentation and encouraged believers to re-devote their lives to the Lord. It was a long day but nothing in comparison to the hectic schedule Friday brought us! More to come about the Friday later on tonight...
Peter (for the team)
Thursday morning was the team's "trial run" of the program we were hoping to run at the shoeshine boys camp on Friday. The plan was to run a similar program in a low income slum of San Juan called Guachupita. The area was definitely one of the more materially poverty stricken areas I've seen. When we arrived in the barrio (neighborhood) we met up with a local missionary from Adventures in Missions named Miguel. He and his wife have been ministering in San Juan for the last five years and have had quite an impact on Guachupita. We all unloaded our supplies in a local building owned by the Catholic church that the community uses as a general public meeting place. On our arrival there were only a few kids gathered around the building so we split up into small groups and walked around the barrio asking kids if they wanted to join us. It didn't take long for us to realize this neighborhood was packed with kids! We went from a handful of children to 85+ in a matter of an hour! We divided up the kids into four groups according to their sizes.
We started off by gathering everyone into our main meeting room (a challenge in itself). Tammy and a few of the team members did a fantastic job teaching the kids a couple Christian songs. The smiles on the kids faces were just about enough to melt anyone's heart. They really liked singing "arriba, abajo, acentro, afuera" (I'm in right outright upright downright) and it was hilarious watching the rest of our group try to keep up with the ever increasing tempo. When we finished up the main group session we divided off into our different colored teams. We had four teams with about twenty kids in each group. The groups traveled to four different stations doing various activities at each station. The first station was bubbles and face painting. Mary Krueger and Justina Johnson were the brave souls in charge of the bubble bucket. Quite a lot of fun as children slung bubbles far and wide. Heather Cechner and Cindy Swift armed themselves with paint and brushes to design baseballs and flowers on the arms of children. Station number two was the energetic and hectic game station equipped with our enthusiastic team members Travis Johnson and Matt Kuivenhoven, and Sam Derkin. Cora Hunse and Erin Lowe devoted themselves to story time with puppets and hygiene talk. Stephanie Meyer and Lotte Somsen diligently managed the craft station enduring the intense moments of children rushing their station. Peter Krueger, Claire Reinhart, Daniel Krueger, and Becca Everson had the ominous job of "team leaders" and moved the children from station to station.
Following the stations we gathered everyone together again and sang some more songs. Then we performed our Zacchaeus skit (see post about Weds. for more details). The kids were all eyes and ears, as we ate our breakfast, brushed our teeth, climbed the tree, told the story of Jesus coming to Zacchaeus' house, and shared with the children about Zacchaeus' repentance. Everything seemed to go smoothly. Once again the whole team pulled together and worked as one body united in Christ. The kids seemed to grasp the gospel message and we pray that our conduct and actions demonstrated God's love even more! Pray that God would continue to bring other Christians into these children's lives who can help nourish their spiritual lives.
Later on that evening we were booked to perform our dramas once again in a local church. Keeping with "Dominican schedule" it rained that evening so we didn't head out to the church service until 7:30. the church was located on the edge of town in a very small building. Later, Cora told us that the church had been constructed of wood from an old church that had been torn down. The church was no wider than 10ft and had a very, very small stage. What made the setting for our dramas even better was the single light bulb, powered by a propane tank, that lit the room. After, the dramas Juan Ernesto, the Dominican pastor whose been working with our group gave a powerful gospel presentation and encouraged believers to re-devote their lives to the Lord. It was a long day but nothing in comparison to the hectic schedule Friday brought us! More to come about the Friday later on tonight...
Peter (for the team)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Ministry in San Juan. Wed Aug. 11th
Wed. was another jammed pack day. After we finished our 7 o'clock breakfast we all loaded into the back of the guesthouse pick-up trucks and headed off to the local market in San Juan. We had a challenge set for use in scavenger hunt fashion. The team broke off into small groups of 3 or 4 and had a to find specific item and places in the market while speaking as much Spanish as we could. It was a fun time wondering around the market, seeing the stalls & vendors, and experiencing the culture.
After our market excursion we headed back to the guesthouse for an afternoon filled with different work projects. Some of the group worked in Joe's workshop, others painted the outside of the medical clinic, while another group work in the medical/pharmaceutical room arranging meds. Everyone worked together really well and we got a lot accomplished in a couple hours.
Later on in the afternoon, a number of the medical members in our group headed over to the clinic, where surgeries were going to take place. Everyone scrubbed up, laced up their masks, and donned their o-so-fashionable head garb. We were able to observe 2 hysterectomies and an abdominoplasty. It was fascinating watching the surgeons skillfully operate on the patients and explain what they could to our group. For many, it was their first time watching a surgery. As medical personnel, it was encouraging to see the compassion and care a couple of the Christian doctors had toward their patients. This, in comparison to several other doctors who weren't quite as gentle in their demeanor with patients. It truly goes to show that the love of Christ is transforming in people's lives!
Rain seems to be something that's worked its way onto our schedule every evening. Monsoon season has definitely arrived here! The condensation collects in the mountains during the day, gets pushed out over the city in the evening, and resulting in some great thunderstorms. Since many of the Dominican's get places by walking and riding motorcycles, rain can slow down the entire city's plans. So, our church service that was were supposed to start at 7:00 didn't end up starting until 8:00. It was funny to watch the congregation slowly grow over the time span of the service. We started with 12 people and had over 25 by the time we dismissed. I'm thoroughly convinced that people in the US haven't experience true hospitality until they've come to the Dominican Republic. This was even evident in the church we visited. We were given such a warm welcome! The music at this church was interestingly different... let's just say the phrase skipping around in my head most of the service was: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." The piano player really only knew 1 song and the music leader was "at tad" bit off key but the sincerity of worship was there. It was a good reminder that God asks us for our heart in worship. Even when we try to make things look "pretty" or sound "right" they are filthy rags in the sight of God apart from the redeeming work of Jesus! We performed all four of our mimes and the congregation seemed pretty moved. Thank you, Jesus.
Off to camp Bethel, where a group of 400 youth are gathered for a conference. We get to share our dramas with them and hang out with them for their morning session. More to come later today!
Peter (for the team)
After our market excursion we headed back to the guesthouse for an afternoon filled with different work projects. Some of the group worked in Joe's workshop, others painted the outside of the medical clinic, while another group work in the medical/pharmaceutical room arranging meds. Everyone worked together really well and we got a lot accomplished in a couple hours.
Later on in the afternoon, a number of the medical members in our group headed over to the clinic, where surgeries were going to take place. Everyone scrubbed up, laced up their masks, and donned their o-so-fashionable head garb. We were able to observe 2 hysterectomies and an abdominoplasty. It was fascinating watching the surgeons skillfully operate on the patients and explain what they could to our group. For many, it was their first time watching a surgery. As medical personnel, it was encouraging to see the compassion and care a couple of the Christian doctors had toward their patients. This, in comparison to several other doctors who weren't quite as gentle in their demeanor with patients. It truly goes to show that the love of Christ is transforming in people's lives!
Rain seems to be something that's worked its way onto our schedule every evening. Monsoon season has definitely arrived here! The condensation collects in the mountains during the day, gets pushed out over the city in the evening, and resulting in some great thunderstorms. Since many of the Dominican's get places by walking and riding motorcycles, rain can slow down the entire city's plans. So, our church service that was were supposed to start at 7:00 didn't end up starting until 8:00. It was funny to watch the congregation slowly grow over the time span of the service. We started with 12 people and had over 25 by the time we dismissed. I'm thoroughly convinced that people in the US haven't experience true hospitality until they've come to the Dominican Republic. This was even evident in the church we visited. We were given such a warm welcome! The music at this church was interestingly different... let's just say the phrase skipping around in my head most of the service was: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." The piano player really only knew 1 song and the music leader was "at tad" bit off key but the sincerity of worship was there. It was a good reminder that God asks us for our heart in worship. Even when we try to make things look "pretty" or sound "right" they are filthy rags in the sight of God apart from the redeeming work of Jesus! We performed all four of our mimes and the congregation seemed pretty moved. Thank you, Jesus.
Off to camp Bethel, where a group of 400 youth are gathered for a conference. We get to share our dramas with them and hang out with them for their morning session. More to come later today!
Peter (for the team)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Soaked and Stoked
Tuesday, August 10
What a day! Tuesday morning was the last time at our host homes before we said goodbye and set off on another medical outreach clinic. The home-stays were so much fun and everyone seemed to have a blast trying to use whatever Spanish skills they had. Needless to say, there were many funny moments where things didn't come out of our mouths in complete clarity. Travis remembered this when, after speaking in Spanish for 1hr. he said, "Man, my kielbasa really hurts... wait, I don't think that's the Spanish word for head" (The correct Spanish word for head is cabeza). It was hard for the team members to say goodbye to their host families that had been so generous and loving to complete strangers. After our goodbyes the groups met together once again for a delicious Dominican breakfast under our little backyard cabana. While we ate, a devotional was shared from James 2 and Philippians 1. The topics where faith and joy; something we all could use a little practice on. We then gathered into small groups and spent some time praying for our day and thanking God for the things he had/was/would be doing in our lives.
The destination for our outpatient medical clinic and outreach was in the farming community of La Colonia. It had rained quite a bit the night before so the roads were quite wet and muddy. I suppose now would be a good time to briefly describe the road conditions to you... rough! The blacktop on the roads had recently been taken off by government officials, they told the people that their roads would be repaved if they voted for a certain political party. However, after enough votes were collected the officials reneged on their promise and the roads remain unpaved. As we made our way through the mountainous countryside we came upon a river. The caravan suddenly stopped and a group gathered at the riverbank. Due to the large amounts of rain water from the previous few days half of the bridge crossing the river collapsed and now lay in shambles; impassable for any vehicle larger than a motorcycle.
Without hesitation the team members sprange into civil engineering mode. Some cuffed up their pants and waded into the river searching for large stones to repair the bridge. Others formed a line to pass rocks to the needed bridge. Within a half hour we'd collected enough stones that the collapsed portion of the bridge was now stable enough for our vehicles to cross. With a quick prayer and a "pedal to the metal" the truck and van managed the bridge and kept sliding up the muddy hill on the other side. Cheers went up as the team members crawled into vehicles and continued on our way without any trouble (apart from our muddy shoes and wet scrubs).
We set up camp for the clinic very similar to the day before. Things went even smoother than Monday and everyone was able to operate efficiently without any major problems. We were able to see 138 patients and had the opportunity to share the gospel with each of them. It was incredibly encouraging to see the team work together so well and we were even able to share a drama with the patients while they waited for their prescriptions to be filled. Later, we found out that we had been the first group to come into that community since the roads had been torn up. We also heard that several families walked 2.5hrs., crossing rivers, and grinding their way through the mud in order to make it to the clinic. We were greatly encouraged to help the community and bring the gospel message via Pastor Morales to those who were lost. We raced to finish filling all the scripts and pack up before the next storm approached. We made it just in time. Once everyone had loaded into vehicles the downpour came. It literally rained "gatos y perros" or "cats and dogs" in English. Those treated with the privilege of riding in the back of the pick-up truck soaked. Since it was my birthday, one of the translators gave me the privilege of riding back to town on his motorcycle. Under normal circumstances this would have been a fun and relatively safe experience. However, due to the massive amounts of flood water and puddles up to your knees this was neither a normal nor safe experience... but it was still an experience fishtailing on the back of a motorcycle, soaked, muddy, and praying for safety!
Once we made it safely back to El Cercado, the group changed out of their wet cloths, gathered around for dinner, and enjoyed a spirited conversation and time of fellowship with one another. Shortly after we packed onto our bus and headed 1.5 hrs back to San Juan. Flooded streets and washouts were seen as we passed through the various villages on our way.
For the most part everyone crashed as soon as they sat down on the bus. It was funny to see an entire bus full of people so exhausted. Even more funny was asking that the heat be turned on in the bus as wet passengers felt cold. Once in San Juan the group chilled out at the guesthouse for the rest of the evening. Most of the team members enjoyed a long awaited shower since that hadn't had one since Sunday.
More to come tomorrow. There's always hope that we'll be able to catch up to present time and day on the blog by then. God has been working in our group and we pray that we will continue to be observant and watchful for his leading. Tonight the group shared their dramas in another local church but more about that later. Everyone has been pretty tired here, so it was really great to hear the group break out into hysterics when Daniel and I practiced our "little Nemo" skit for tomorrow's outreach. We're presenting the story of Zacchaeus by doing a skit were one guy plays the hands of a short person while the other uses his hands as the feet. We present the story the three days and we pray it goes well. The sewing of the sheets for the background of the skit was done by Sam before coming on the trip. While in country, Claire, Mary and Peter painted a sweet-looking tree on it to make it look as if Zacchaeus was up in the perch, looking for Jesus. So many talented folks collaborating for the cause. How great is that???
Prayer Requests:
-Continued health and safety
-Rest and energy for those who are physically drained
-Spiritual renewal in the midst of very busy and stressful living
-Spiritual awakening for those we come into contact with who don't know Jesus as Lord & Savior
-Protection as we work in a ghetto tomorrow with children. AIDS+ HIV are very prevalent.
-Cooperation and a smooth outreach as we work with very rowdy kids
-Patience among group members and a lack of gossip
Peter (for the team)
What a day! Tuesday morning was the last time at our host homes before we said goodbye and set off on another medical outreach clinic. The home-stays were so much fun and everyone seemed to have a blast trying to use whatever Spanish skills they had. Needless to say, there were many funny moments where things didn't come out of our mouths in complete clarity. Travis remembered this when, after speaking in Spanish for 1hr. he said, "Man, my kielbasa really hurts... wait, I don't think that's the Spanish word for head" (The correct Spanish word for head is cabeza). It was hard for the team members to say goodbye to their host families that had been so generous and loving to complete strangers. After our goodbyes the groups met together once again for a delicious Dominican breakfast under our little backyard cabana. While we ate, a devotional was shared from James 2 and Philippians 1. The topics where faith and joy; something we all could use a little practice on. We then gathered into small groups and spent some time praying for our day and thanking God for the things he had/was/would be doing in our lives.
The destination for our outpatient medical clinic and outreach was in the farming community of La Colonia. It had rained quite a bit the night before so the roads were quite wet and muddy. I suppose now would be a good time to briefly describe the road conditions to you... rough! The blacktop on the roads had recently been taken off by government officials, they told the people that their roads would be repaved if they voted for a certain political party. However, after enough votes were collected the officials reneged on their promise and the roads remain unpaved. As we made our way through the mountainous countryside we came upon a river. The caravan suddenly stopped and a group gathered at the riverbank. Due to the large amounts of rain water from the previous few days half of the bridge crossing the river collapsed and now lay in shambles; impassable for any vehicle larger than a motorcycle.
Without hesitation the team members sprange into civil engineering mode. Some cuffed up their pants and waded into the river searching for large stones to repair the bridge. Others formed a line to pass rocks to the needed bridge. Within a half hour we'd collected enough stones that the collapsed portion of the bridge was now stable enough for our vehicles to cross. With a quick prayer and a "pedal to the metal" the truck and van managed the bridge and kept sliding up the muddy hill on the other side. Cheers went up as the team members crawled into vehicles and continued on our way without any trouble (apart from our muddy shoes and wet scrubs).
We set up camp for the clinic very similar to the day before. Things went even smoother than Monday and everyone was able to operate efficiently without any major problems. We were able to see 138 patients and had the opportunity to share the gospel with each of them. It was incredibly encouraging to see the team work together so well and we were even able to share a drama with the patients while they waited for their prescriptions to be filled. Later, we found out that we had been the first group to come into that community since the roads had been torn up. We also heard that several families walked 2.5hrs., crossing rivers, and grinding their way through the mud in order to make it to the clinic. We were greatly encouraged to help the community and bring the gospel message via Pastor Morales to those who were lost. We raced to finish filling all the scripts and pack up before the next storm approached. We made it just in time. Once everyone had loaded into vehicles the downpour came. It literally rained "gatos y perros" or "cats and dogs" in English. Those treated with the privilege of riding in the back of the pick-up truck soaked. Since it was my birthday, one of the translators gave me the privilege of riding back to town on his motorcycle. Under normal circumstances this would have been a fun and relatively safe experience. However, due to the massive amounts of flood water and puddles up to your knees this was neither a normal nor safe experience... but it was still an experience fishtailing on the back of a motorcycle, soaked, muddy, and praying for safety!
Once we made it safely back to El Cercado, the group changed out of their wet cloths, gathered around for dinner, and enjoyed a spirited conversation and time of fellowship with one another. Shortly after we packed onto our bus and headed 1.5 hrs back to San Juan. Flooded streets and washouts were seen as we passed through the various villages on our way.
For the most part everyone crashed as soon as they sat down on the bus. It was funny to see an entire bus full of people so exhausted. Even more funny was asking that the heat be turned on in the bus as wet passengers felt cold. Once in San Juan the group chilled out at the guesthouse for the rest of the evening. Most of the team members enjoyed a long awaited shower since that hadn't had one since Sunday.
More to come tomorrow. There's always hope that we'll be able to catch up to present time and day on the blog by then. God has been working in our group and we pray that we will continue to be observant and watchful for his leading. Tonight the group shared their dramas in another local church but more about that later. Everyone has been pretty tired here, so it was really great to hear the group break out into hysterics when Daniel and I practiced our "little Nemo" skit for tomorrow's outreach. We're presenting the story of Zacchaeus by doing a skit were one guy plays the hands of a short person while the other uses his hands as the feet. We present the story the three days and we pray it goes well. The sewing of the sheets for the background of the skit was done by Sam before coming on the trip. While in country, Claire, Mary and Peter painted a sweet-looking tree on it to make it look as if Zacchaeus was up in the perch, looking for Jesus. So many talented folks collaborating for the cause. How great is that???
Prayer Requests:
-Continued health and safety
-Rest and energy for those who are physically drained
-Spiritual renewal in the midst of very busy and stressful living
-Spiritual awakening for those we come into contact with who don't know Jesus as Lord & Savior
-Protection as we work in a ghetto tomorrow with children. AIDS+ HIV are very prevalent.
-Cooperation and a smooth outreach as we work with very rowdy kids
-Patience among group members and a lack of gossip
Peter (for the team)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9
In the morning, we were all picked up from our homes and gathered together in the back yard of a local Christian who had volunteered to cook for us for our stay in El Cercado. Our meeting place was an outdoor cabana equipped with a leaky palm frond roof and a plethora of outdoor animals, including, but not limited to: chickens, the stray dog or two, parakeets, cats, and goats. Once everyone had finished their delicious Dominican breakfast, our whole group of 25 packed into our pick-up truck and van and we headed out on the mountain roads for a scenic ride (on dirt roads) to our first outreach medical clinic. As we traveled, Travis commented, "I'll bet 2 pesos that this truck won't make it up the mountain." We found out the next day we found out that it does help to have more than one drop of oil in the truck. Thankfully, Travis lost his bet.
We operated our clinic in a small school building located in the village of Carmonial. As the patients came, they first went to triage, or an assessment that included name, weight, blood pressure, and history of present illness. Then they were directed to the consults with one of three doctors: Grecia, a local Dominican doctor, Cora, our co-leader, and Mike, an emergency RN on the team. Once the doctor had diagnosed the patients, they handed their script to the pharmaceutical station and proceeded to the waiting room where a brief gospel presentation was given. Afterward, some of our team members distributed hygiene items, much needed shoes, and toys to the people.
"It was crazy!" Sam said. "As soon as I said, 'Quieres zapatos' (Do you want shoes?), I knew it was a mistake. I've never felt more threatened by 70-year-old women! Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful helping people and getting the shoes where they needed to go. You could see the gratitude on their faces, but that initial shock of everyone rushing you was intense." Sam was in charge of helping to give away shoes. Later, we found out that if children don't have shoes, they can't go to school. Pastor Morales said that we helped a lot of children be able to go to school.
Then the patient was given their medicine after it brought over from the pharmacy. We were able to see over 100 Dominicans. All throughout the day Tammy was busy with the kids while they waited their turn with general health lessons and the gospel message. She has been blessed with a wonderful gift of being able to show love and enthusiasm for children for an entire day! It was truly a blessing to be a part of God's mission work at the clinic. Everyone on the team worked really hard and it was really cool to see each person finding the part that God had for them. We truly became the body of Christ, each with his or her own part to do.
"I have a better appreciation for patients who come into the hospital who speak a different language and challenges that come with it," says Cindy, our neonatal ICU nurse from CA. She worked in the mobile pharmacy filling scripts for the clinics.
We went back to El Cercado for dinner. After dinner, we were supposed to present the dramas at a local church. However, since El Cercado is located in the mountains and it is currently monsoon season, a monstrous storm came upon us and we were trapped under the leaking cabana. We proceded to have a dance party, which included the merengue, purple stew, the mango, and swing dancing. Even our translators, Amaury, Olvis, and Richard entered into the fun. It was a great time of bonding and fellowship.
"More hips, less shoulder," says Tammy to Travis as he practices the merengue for the Everything skit.
After the rain finally let up, we packed up and headed off to the school building were we were to present our dramas. A team of Dominican guys were in front of the building trying to clear away mud and debris from the flood waters that had rushed down the hillside during the storm.
God gave us extra strength because we were all wiped out from the long day at the clinic. The dramas went well and God was pleased. "We are evil twins for God's glory!" says Stephanie to Hallie as they walked out of the school. Stephanie plays the part "Muerte" (Death, in English) during the "Strings" drama, and Hallie plays Muerte in the "Everything" skit. They are both doing a great job representing the character of death.
After the dramas, we headed back to our homes for the night. Somehow, Peter and Travis were unsure of where their home was. Finally, we found it in the dark on a narrow street. Peter and Travis were still complaining that they were "forgotten" to be picked up in the morning.
PQs:
- that the truck keeps running
- continued health and safety for the team
- that we would be able to show the shoeshine boys love and compassion and have a great time with them on Friday
praises:
- the clinics went really well
- the home stays were a great experience
- we are all in good health
- God is being glorified through the dramas
Hallie and Peter (for the team)
In the morning, we were all picked up from our homes and gathered together in the back yard of a local Christian who had volunteered to cook for us for our stay in El Cercado. Our meeting place was an outdoor cabana equipped with a leaky palm frond roof and a plethora of outdoor animals, including, but not limited to: chickens, the stray dog or two, parakeets, cats, and goats. Once everyone had finished their delicious Dominican breakfast, our whole group of 25 packed into our pick-up truck and van and we headed out on the mountain roads for a scenic ride (on dirt roads) to our first outreach medical clinic. As we traveled, Travis commented, "I'll bet 2 pesos that this truck won't make it up the mountain." We found out the next day we found out that it does help to have more than one drop of oil in the truck. Thankfully, Travis lost his bet.
We operated our clinic in a small school building located in the village of Carmonial. As the patients came, they first went to triage, or an assessment that included name, weight, blood pressure, and history of present illness. Then they were directed to the consults with one of three doctors: Grecia, a local Dominican doctor, Cora, our co-leader, and Mike, an emergency RN on the team. Once the doctor had diagnosed the patients, they handed their script to the pharmaceutical station and proceeded to the waiting room where a brief gospel presentation was given. Afterward, some of our team members distributed hygiene items, much needed shoes, and toys to the people.
"It was crazy!" Sam said. "As soon as I said, 'Quieres zapatos' (Do you want shoes?), I knew it was a mistake. I've never felt more threatened by 70-year-old women! Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful helping people and getting the shoes where they needed to go. You could see the gratitude on their faces, but that initial shock of everyone rushing you was intense." Sam was in charge of helping to give away shoes. Later, we found out that if children don't have shoes, they can't go to school. Pastor Morales said that we helped a lot of children be able to go to school.
Then the patient was given their medicine after it brought over from the pharmacy. We were able to see over 100 Dominicans. All throughout the day Tammy was busy with the kids while they waited their turn with general health lessons and the gospel message. She has been blessed with a wonderful gift of being able to show love and enthusiasm for children for an entire day! It was truly a blessing to be a part of God's mission work at the clinic. Everyone on the team worked really hard and it was really cool to see each person finding the part that God had for them. We truly became the body of Christ, each with his or her own part to do.
"I have a better appreciation for patients who come into the hospital who speak a different language and challenges that come with it," says Cindy, our neonatal ICU nurse from CA. She worked in the mobile pharmacy filling scripts for the clinics.
We went back to El Cercado for dinner. After dinner, we were supposed to present the dramas at a local church. However, since El Cercado is located in the mountains and it is currently monsoon season, a monstrous storm came upon us and we were trapped under the leaking cabana. We proceded to have a dance party, which included the merengue, purple stew, the mango, and swing dancing. Even our translators, Amaury, Olvis, and Richard entered into the fun. It was a great time of bonding and fellowship.
"More hips, less shoulder," says Tammy to Travis as he practices the merengue for the Everything skit.
After the rain finally let up, we packed up and headed off to the school building were we were to present our dramas. A team of Dominican guys were in front of the building trying to clear away mud and debris from the flood waters that had rushed down the hillside during the storm.
God gave us extra strength because we were all wiped out from the long day at the clinic. The dramas went well and God was pleased. "We are evil twins for God's glory!" says Stephanie to Hallie as they walked out of the school. Stephanie plays the part "Muerte" (Death, in English) during the "Strings" drama, and Hallie plays Muerte in the "Everything" skit. They are both doing a great job representing the character of death.
After the dramas, we headed back to our homes for the night. Somehow, Peter and Travis were unsure of where their home was. Finally, we found it in the dark on a narrow street. Peter and Travis were still complaining that they were "forgotten" to be picked up in the morning.
PQs:
- that the truck keeps running
- continued health and safety for the team
- that we would be able to show the shoeshine boys love and compassion and have a great time with them on Friday
praises:
- the clinics went really well
- the home stays were a great experience
- we are all in good health
- God is being glorified through the dramas
Hallie and Peter (for the team)
A Day of Ministry
Sunday, August 8
We started the morning off with a visit to Pastor Wilson's church, a local Dominican pastor. It was our first time doing the dramas for Dominicans. We only practiced a little bit the night before, so when they all went so well, we know that it was God who did it. The dramas are The Chair, Broken Heart, Strings, and Everything. The people understood even though we didn't use any words. God was present and worked through us. We will put up videos of the dramas soon. The pastor said that there was no need for a sermon since the dramas had spoken as the sermon. The church was in a lower income area, but the room was packed with people, mostly children. The worship was enthusiastic, joyful, and sincere. The music was loud music sung to with a CD. Tammy our group leader said, "It was like Hillsong United in Spanish on steroids." She was sitting 5 feet from the speakers and couldn't hear questions from the rest of the group for the next few hours. We sang one song for them, which has now become our Christian greeting song, called Dame la Mano, or Give me your hand. During the chorus we go around and shake everyone's hand. It was such a blessing to be able to worship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
The afternoon was filled with orientation about the guest house and what was to come in El Cercado, lunch at 2, packing for El Cercado, rest time, and a light dinner at 4. We left San Juan by 5 and headed up into the hills for El Cercado,which is about an hour west of San Juan and is located in the mountains.
That night we went to another church service at Pastor Morales' church, where we did all four dramas. Everything in the dramas went really well and everyone seemed to be more comfortable in the different parts. Once again, God really used the efforts on the group to spread His message. After the dramas, Pastor Morales gave an alter call, and a young girl in the church, Marcia, came up and committed her life to Jesus. Though we couldn't speak the language, it was encouraging to the group to be a part of the fellowship and joy of a new believer within the body of Christ. (Sidebar: Mary did her best to use her Spanish with some of the young boys in the church. They'll never forget it -- neither will she!)
Following the church service, we all loaded into the church van and the pick up truck, and were dropped off at our home stays. The home stays were host families from Morales' church who opened up their homes and had us live with them for the time we were in El Cercado. It was exciting and terrifying as we dropped off team members two by two at their houses, wondering which house would be the house in which we were to stay. It was quite the experience meeting the families that night and trying to speak in Spanish enough to communicate with them and carry on a conversation. Keep in mind, the families we stayed with didn't speak any English. Everyone's experiences were very different, and it was funny and exciting listening to everyone's stories the next day at breakfast.
Hallie and Peter (for the team)
We started the morning off with a visit to Pastor Wilson's church, a local Dominican pastor. It was our first time doing the dramas for Dominicans. We only practiced a little bit the night before, so when they all went so well, we know that it was God who did it. The dramas are The Chair, Broken Heart, Strings, and Everything. The people understood even though we didn't use any words. God was present and worked through us. We will put up videos of the dramas soon. The pastor said that there was no need for a sermon since the dramas had spoken as the sermon. The church was in a lower income area, but the room was packed with people, mostly children. The worship was enthusiastic, joyful, and sincere. The music was loud music sung to with a CD. Tammy our group leader said, "It was like Hillsong United in Spanish on steroids." She was sitting 5 feet from the speakers and couldn't hear questions from the rest of the group for the next few hours. We sang one song for them, which has now become our Christian greeting song, called Dame la Mano, or Give me your hand. During the chorus we go around and shake everyone's hand. It was such a blessing to be able to worship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
The afternoon was filled with orientation about the guest house and what was to come in El Cercado, lunch at 2, packing for El Cercado, rest time, and a light dinner at 4. We left San Juan by 5 and headed up into the hills for El Cercado,which is about an hour west of San Juan and is located in the mountains.
That night we went to another church service at Pastor Morales' church, where we did all four dramas. Everything in the dramas went really well and everyone seemed to be more comfortable in the different parts. Once again, God really used the efforts on the group to spread His message. After the dramas, Pastor Morales gave an alter call, and a young girl in the church, Marcia, came up and committed her life to Jesus. Though we couldn't speak the language, it was encouraging to the group to be a part of the fellowship and joy of a new believer within the body of Christ. (Sidebar: Mary did her best to use her Spanish with some of the young boys in the church. They'll never forget it -- neither will she!)
Following the church service, we all loaded into the church van and the pick up truck, and were dropped off at our home stays. The home stays were host families from Morales' church who opened up their homes and had us live with them for the time we were in El Cercado. It was exciting and terrifying as we dropped off team members two by two at their houses, wondering which house would be the house in which we were to stay. It was quite the experience meeting the families that night and trying to speak in Spanish enough to communicate with them and carry on a conversation. Keep in mind, the families we stayed with didn't speak any English. Everyone's experiences were very different, and it was funny and exciting listening to everyone's stories the next day at breakfast.
Hallie and Peter (for the team)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Quick Update- but a bit delayed
Ooops! I forgot that I never posted this. Here's what happened the first four days (Aug 4-7) before the second half of our group arrived. Sorry for not posting this earlier!
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Peter has asked me to fill you in on what's been happening since our first half of the team got here. I'll try not to ramble, as a lot has happened in a short time.
We arrived in San Juan by 7:30 pm on August 4 after a very long day of travel. Our flights went well, as did the bus ride from Santo Domingo to San Juan de la Maguana. It was so interesting to watch out the window and see all of the different things. Some of the biggest differences that I noticed, besides the fact that everything is in Spanish and all of the people are Dominican, were the driving and buildings. The driving seems to be like a chaotic dance, that some how everyone makes it through. At many cross roads there are no stop lights, so the traffic going every which way just barrels through in all directions with horns blowing incessantly. The cars come so close to each other that I was sure someone would hit. At least 50% of the 'car' on the road are motor conchos, small motor bikes. People on them zip through the traffic everywhere. At one point, we passed a car that was completely flipped over. There were gawkers everywhere and a big traffic jam. The buildings are mostly made of cinder blocks painted bright colors. The doors and windows all have bars on them for safety. The bus ride was about 3 hours long and we were all glad when we got to the Solid Rock Missions guest house.
Last week there was another group from Ohio Northern University at the SRM guest house, so we couldn't stay the nights here. So after a delicious and much needed Dominican meal, we loaded our stuff into Joe's (the SRM guest house host) truck, and drove off. In the DR, there is no law against riding in the back of pick ups. So we piled in to the back and held on as we raced through the streets of San Juan. It is so much fun! We stayed at another guest house where a group from Adventures In Missions (AIM) is staying for a month. I think Peter explained a little bit about what they are doing here in his previous blog. It was so fun to fellowship with them and get to know them a little bit. I miss staying with them now that we are all moved into the SRM guest house.
The next day, August 5, we came back to the SRM guest house for breakfast. Then we started to unpack all of the suitcases full of supplies that we had brought down. The breakfast tables and benches were covered with everything from boys underwear to kids vitamins to water bottles stuffed with everything you could think of: granola bars, silverware, sharpies, toys, and underwear. In the afternoon we sorted and labeled pills for our out clinics in El Cercado.
That night we had a special treat. Cora and Tammy, our two group leaders, took Charlie, a prosthesis consultant from Roanoke, VA who was down here for two days to measure some patients, out to dinner at a local restaurant. The rest of us got to go along and experience a Dominican restaurant. It was very confusing trying to order from a menu that was completely in Spanish. But the food was delicious and the fellowship was wonderful. We got to walk back in the dark under a beautiful sky full of stars.
On Friday, August 6, we went to the market in the morning. Three of the people from the Ohio Northern group came with us. It was incredible to experience a little bit of what some Dominicans do for a living. You could find and buy almost anything at the market, from clothes and shoes, to spices and freshly cut meat. It was so fascinating. Afterward, we drove to the local hospital where we had a quick explanation of the medical system here and got to look inside a little bit at the front of the building and the waiting room. We also stopped at the local Catholic church, but it was locked, so we couldn't go in.
We arrived in San Juan by 7:30 pm on August 4 after a very long day of travel. Our flights went well, as did the bus ride from Santo Domingo to San Juan de la Maguana. It was so interesting to watch out the window and see all of the different things. Some of the biggest differences that I noticed, besides the fact that everything is in Spanish and all of the people are Dominican, were the driving and buildings. The driving seems to be like a chaotic dance, that some how everyone makes it through. At many cross roads there are no stop lights, so the traffic going every which way just barrels through in all directions with horns blowing incessantly. The cars come so close to each other that I was sure someone would hit. At least 50% of the 'car' on the road are motor conchos, small motor bikes. People on them zip through the traffic everywhere. At one point, we passed a car that was completely flipped over. There were gawkers everywhere and a big traffic jam. The buildings are mostly made of cinder blocks painted bright colors. The doors and windows all have bars on them for safety. The bus ride was about 3 hours long and we were all glad when we got to the Solid Rock Missions guest house.
Last week there was another group from Ohio Northern University at the SRM guest house, so we couldn't stay the nights here. So after a delicious and much needed Dominican meal, we loaded our stuff into Joe's (the SRM guest house host) truck, and drove off. In the DR, there is no law against riding in the back of pick ups. So we piled in to the back and held on as we raced through the streets of San Juan. It is so much fun! We stayed at another guest house where a group from Adventures In Missions (AIM) is staying for a month. I think Peter explained a little bit about what they are doing here in his previous blog. It was so fun to fellowship with them and get to know them a little bit. I miss staying with them now that we are all moved into the SRM guest house.
The next day, August 5, we came back to the SRM guest house for breakfast. Then we started to unpack all of the suitcases full of supplies that we had brought down. The breakfast tables and benches were covered with everything from boys underwear to kids vitamins to water bottles stuffed with everything you could think of: granola bars, silverware, sharpies, toys, and underwear. In the afternoon we sorted and labeled pills for our out clinics in El Cercado.
That night we had a special treat. Cora and Tammy, our two group leaders, took Charlie, a prosthesis consultant from Roanoke, VA who was down here for two days to measure some patients, out to dinner at a local restaurant. The rest of us got to go along and experience a Dominican restaurant. It was very confusing trying to order from a menu that was completely in Spanish. But the food was delicious and the fellowship was wonderful. We got to walk back in the dark under a beautiful sky full of stars.
On Friday, August 6, we went to the market in the morning. Three of the people from the Ohio Northern group came with us. It was incredible to experience a little bit of what some Dominicans do for a living. You could find and buy almost anything at the market, from clothes and shoes, to spices and freshly cut meat. It was so fascinating. Afterward, we drove to the local hospital where we had a quick explanation of the medical system here and got to look inside a little bit at the front of the building and the waiting room. We also stopped at the local Catholic church, but it was locked, so we couldn't go in.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Hola! Mi nombre es Hallie. I am on the team with Tammy and Cora and will be helping Peter out with the blog. A few facts about me: I am from Ypsilanti, MI. I come from a homeschooled family with 5 kids. I am 18 and just graduated from high school and will be going to nursing school in the fall. I love Jesus with my whole heart and have a passion for helping people and mission work. I heard about this trip from Tammy, one of our leaders, a very close family friend. I am so excited to be here! I arrived with Tammy on the 4th and will write more tomorrow about what we've been doing since the our first half of the team got here.
Praise God! The rest of the team arrived tonight safely and only an hour behind schedule. After they ate a delicious Dominican meal, we started to unpack and get situated. Some of us got to sing Spanish songs with Tia Tammy and had a great time of fellowship. We practiced the dramas that we will be doing in the church tomorrow morning. Some of us went in our 'Wal Mart' room where we are unpacking the twenty some 50 lb bags that we brought down here full of supplies. The room is an explosion and looks like a full out Wal Mart. Most of the team is in bed now, especially the ones who have been up since 2 am this morning.
The plan for tomorrow is church in the morning, where we will share three of our dramas. Some time after lunch we will pack up and move to El Cercado for our home stays. We will be there until Tuesday. Tomorrow night will will share more dramas in Morales' (a pastor in El Cercado) church. Then the team will spread out to our various homes for the night.
PQs:
(prayer requests)
-that God would continue to bless us with good health
-that God would give us extra energy and strength
-that we would all have good attitudes and the right motivation as we serve and minister to the
Dominicans
-that God would continue to keep us safe in all that we do
-that God would keep our hearts and minds open as we try and learn new things, especially
while we are at our home stays
-that as we work together as the body of Christ, that all the different parts of the body would be
able to find the place and function in that place that God has for them
-that, from the relationships we have established, we will be able to share Christ
Praises:
-that the team arrived safely
-that everyone is in good health
-for the time of fellowship with other Dominican believers
-for the good community within the group
-for the good ministering opportunities with other Westerners working in the DR
More to come tomorrow...
God Bless!
Hallie (for the team)
Praise God! The rest of the team arrived tonight safely and only an hour behind schedule. After they ate a delicious Dominican meal, we started to unpack and get situated. Some of us got to sing Spanish songs with Tia Tammy and had a great time of fellowship. We practiced the dramas that we will be doing in the church tomorrow morning. Some of us went in our 'Wal Mart' room where we are unpacking the twenty some 50 lb bags that we brought down here full of supplies. The room is an explosion and looks like a full out Wal Mart. Most of the team is in bed now, especially the ones who have been up since 2 am this morning.
The plan for tomorrow is church in the morning, where we will share three of our dramas. Some time after lunch we will pack up and move to El Cercado for our home stays. We will be there until Tuesday. Tomorrow night will will share more dramas in Morales' (a pastor in El Cercado) church. Then the team will spread out to our various homes for the night.
PQs:
(prayer requests)
-that God would continue to bless us with good health
-that God would give us extra energy and strength
-that we would all have good attitudes and the right motivation as we serve and minister to the
Dominicans
-that God would continue to keep us safe in all that we do
-that God would keep our hearts and minds open as we try and learn new things, especially
while we are at our home stays
-that as we work together as the body of Christ, that all the different parts of the body would be
able to find the place and function in that place that God has for them
-that, from the relationships we have established, we will be able to share Christ
Praises:
-that the team arrived safely
-that everyone is in good health
-for the time of fellowship with other Dominican believers
-for the good community within the group
-for the good ministering opportunities with other Westerners working in the DR
More to come tomorrow...
God Bless!
Hallie (for the team)
Week 1: Part 1
Ey ey ey... It's been so long since I've posted... I don't even know where to start.
Sunday night I arrived safely at the guesthouse in San Juan after a 3.5 hr. bus ride from the capital, Santo Domingo. The plan was to get picked up around 4:00 pm by Morales (a Dominican pastor) and drive another 1.5 hrs. to El Cercado, a northern town located in the mountains. In typical Dominican fashion he didn't arrive to pick me up until 6:30 that evening. I was a little terrified of driving 1.5 hrs. and trying to keep a conversation going with minimal Spanish. Luckily, Morales brought a young man, Tomas, along for the ride, who spoke a little English. About 15 mins. into the trip, as we were driving, we approached a bus pulled off on the side of the road. As we neared the bus, a man walking off the bus, crossed right in front of us into oncoming traffic. Without hesitation Morales slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The man jumped, hurled into the windshield of our car, flew off, and landed in the road where we proceeded to push him 10ft! We were traveling about 45 miles per hour and our front windshield was completely blown out. We rushed out of the car where the man who had been hit was frantically pacing around. His shoulder was torn open, his legs and arms were scraped, and his head was bleeding. Never before have I felt so helpless. I had some of the skills needed in order to help this man but I had the barrier of not knowing the language. The Dominicans who'd seen the accident now piled around and everyone was talking about the damage done to the car but little attention was shown to the man who'd been hit. After about 30 mins. of talking and cleaning out the car (the front windshield now lay inside the car) we finally headed back to the clinic so the man involved in the accident could receive medical help. We arrived at the clinic and bandaged the mans shoulder and road rash, and then we took him to the hospital. Early reports were that he sustained a dislocated shoulder, broken humerus, bruised ribs, but no internal bleeding or concussion. Ultimately, I don't know what the condition of the man was since we left shortly after he arrived at the hospital. Two hours later I arrived in El Cercado where I met my host family briefly and spent the night... more to come about my trip later.
Right now I'm sitting in the guesthouse with the rest of the team from Ohio/Michigan. Everyone seems to be doing well and is in high spirits. Actually, most of the team is taking a "Siesta" (nap in Spanish) as we've already had a long day. I met up with everyone yesterday evening in San Juan were we've spent a lot of time doing preparatory work for the upcoming week. Lots of counting out vitamins and pills for our out patient clinics next week.
The team had been staying at a different guesthouse in San Juan until the rest of our team arrives today. The house is owned by a mission agency called Adventures in Missions (AIM) the house had 27 people from around the US staying there for a month long period. The people at the house are on an eleven month journey where they visit 11 different countries, spending a month at each destination, and doing missions work. They were all very welcoming to our group and we had a fun time getting to know them. Today we finally moved into the Solid Rock Guesthouse and helped get everything turned over from the last group. Plenty of beds to make, toilets to clean, and floors to mop :) This morning was another time of preparation for next weeks events. However, this afternoon was a real treat as we all climbed into the back of the pick-up truck and headed out to visit the rice patties of a local teacher, Socrates, who has a plot of land. It was quite an experience seeing the irrigation routes and learning a little more about the Dominican's agricultural heritage. After our "field trip" to the farm we were invited over to Socrates' house for lunch. (He's married to Eulalia, the head of the lab at the Clinic.) We had a fantastic time of fellowship, singing, and eating! What an enjoyable time with Dominican and American believers. We did hear from the rest of the team arriving today that their flight was delayed 1.5 hrs. in Atlanta but they are still scheduled to get in this evening around 9:00pm. More to come later on tonight!
Peter (for the team)
Sunday night I arrived safely at the guesthouse in San Juan after a 3.5 hr. bus ride from the capital, Santo Domingo. The plan was to get picked up around 4:00 pm by Morales (a Dominican pastor) and drive another 1.5 hrs. to El Cercado, a northern town located in the mountains. In typical Dominican fashion he didn't arrive to pick me up until 6:30 that evening. I was a little terrified of driving 1.5 hrs. and trying to keep a conversation going with minimal Spanish. Luckily, Morales brought a young man, Tomas, along for the ride, who spoke a little English. About 15 mins. into the trip, as we were driving, we approached a bus pulled off on the side of the road. As we neared the bus, a man walking off the bus, crossed right in front of us into oncoming traffic. Without hesitation Morales slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The man jumped, hurled into the windshield of our car, flew off, and landed in the road where we proceeded to push him 10ft! We were traveling about 45 miles per hour and our front windshield was completely blown out. We rushed out of the car where the man who had been hit was frantically pacing around. His shoulder was torn open, his legs and arms were scraped, and his head was bleeding. Never before have I felt so helpless. I had some of the skills needed in order to help this man but I had the barrier of not knowing the language. The Dominicans who'd seen the accident now piled around and everyone was talking about the damage done to the car but little attention was shown to the man who'd been hit. After about 30 mins. of talking and cleaning out the car (the front windshield now lay inside the car) we finally headed back to the clinic so the man involved in the accident could receive medical help. We arrived at the clinic and bandaged the mans shoulder and road rash, and then we took him to the hospital. Early reports were that he sustained a dislocated shoulder, broken humerus, bruised ribs, but no internal bleeding or concussion. Ultimately, I don't know what the condition of the man was since we left shortly after he arrived at the hospital. Two hours later I arrived in El Cercado where I met my host family briefly and spent the night... more to come about my trip later.
Right now I'm sitting in the guesthouse with the rest of the team from Ohio/Michigan. Everyone seems to be doing well and is in high spirits. Actually, most of the team is taking a "Siesta" (nap in Spanish) as we've already had a long day. I met up with everyone yesterday evening in San Juan were we've spent a lot of time doing preparatory work for the upcoming week. Lots of counting out vitamins and pills for our out patient clinics next week.
The team had been staying at a different guesthouse in San Juan until the rest of our team arrives today. The house is owned by a mission agency called Adventures in Missions (AIM) the house had 27 people from around the US staying there for a month long period. The people at the house are on an eleven month journey where they visit 11 different countries, spending a month at each destination, and doing missions work. They were all very welcoming to our group and we had a fun time getting to know them. Today we finally moved into the Solid Rock Guesthouse and helped get everything turned over from the last group. Plenty of beds to make, toilets to clean, and floors to mop :) This morning was another time of preparation for next weeks events. However, this afternoon was a real treat as we all climbed into the back of the pick-up truck and headed out to visit the rice patties of a local teacher, Socrates, who has a plot of land. It was quite an experience seeing the irrigation routes and learning a little more about the Dominican's agricultural heritage. After our "field trip" to the farm we were invited over to Socrates' house for lunch. (He's married to Eulalia, the head of the lab at the Clinic.) We had a fantastic time of fellowship, singing, and eating! What an enjoyable time with Dominican and American believers. We did hear from the rest of the team arriving today that their flight was delayed 1.5 hrs. in Atlanta but they are still scheduled to get in this evening around 9:00pm. More to come later on tonight!
Peter (for the team)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Went to church this morning and then we drove three hours to the city of San Juan. Arrived at the guesthouse safely and moved in all the teams luggage right before it rained. Have to run now because i'm getting picked up to go up to El Cercado for the rest of the week. May not post for a while...
Peter
Peter
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