We have friends visiting us from Swan River, Elmer & Maryann Friesen, and we have been doing more of the tourist scene the last two weeks. We have done a lot of walking, beaching in Sosua, and a little shopping on the beach.
Together we rented a car and spent an overnighter down the north shore at Samana on the weekend. Travel is fairly slow because you must be cautious at all times of both cavernous potholes the car could break down in and the crazy driving habits of others on the road.
We saw beautiful white sand and blue ocean water, dense coconut palm groves and some rolling hilly terrain covered with lush growth. There were rice paddies with young plants emerging. We drove through centres like Cabarete, Rio San Juan, Nagua (an area that was devastated by floods last winter) and Samana. We found a quaint old hotel to stay in at $25/night per room. It was small but very adequate and in the evening we sat on the spacious balcony and played some hilarious card games. There was a beautiful historic looking church across the street and we heard the singing from their Sunday night service.
The boat ride to the island Cayo Levantado was an adventure because it seemed the boat was really too small for the rolling waves/troughs. The island was exotic with its white sand and gradual beach but somewhat disappointing because of its' strong tourist focus. We had hoped it would be less developed. But, you don't grumble when you are in paradise!
Samana has an amazing long footbridge from the mainland to a small island and makes for a lovely walk. We saw local young guys having fun diving/jumping off the bridge to the sea below. The water looked awfully shallow for that to be safe but they thought that comment was funny and offered to do it again. Maryann was queasy at that point and asked them not to.
Arriving back in Sosua we all agreed this location is as beautiful as any and we were glad to be back.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Catch-up Notes
Since the last post we have ushered in a New Year. Not that it matters much over here, except our 2009 calendar in spanish is quite different in appearance, being a poster with one picture and all the months of the year.
Some further experiences since Dec 25th involved a lunch in Puerto Plata with friends Noemi and Raquel and her husband. They directed us to a beautiful open restaurant and the fried fish was incredible. It was fun to catch up with these friends, with Noemi attending university and Raquel and her husband working with youth in different places as a ministry.
We also spent a day driving to Santiago with Pastor Victor to shop for some musical equipment needed for the Los Charamicos church. Their keyboard and guitar were history and they were limping along. Knowing how important music is to them, a donor in Canada designated money for replacing these items. The highlight of the day for us was watching Victor riding the escalator in a department store. He was very timid about getting on & off, and for those who know him, he can be a powerhouse. We were successful in finding both items and the next night he and his son were at their best in the worship time. I think the store tag is still dangling off the guitar neck. The music sounds great.
Larry had the opportunity to appear on tv on a Sunday morning to speak. Pastor Garcia has 2 hours air time every Sunday morning and had invited him to come. There was a short interview as to why we are here for this time period and then Larry had a short teaching time. It was very interesting to see the station in operation. It is also a call-in program so Garcia answers calls live and has to think on his feet.
New Years Eve we attended the Los Charamicos church from 9:30 to 12:00. The evening was filled with music, dancing (church dancers), singing, prayer, short testimonies from individuals from the last year's experiences. It was a delightful and mostly joyful time. They did touch on some of the difficult times people had gone through, with moves, deaths, illness, etc. There was a lot of emotion and hugging at the end.
We have grown to love so many people here and gotten to know more about their lives. We are so impressed with their optimism, joy and hope in spite of devastating circumstances. God is their hope and they trust Him. He has turned their lives around and they depend on Him to see them through whatever comes. I have been drawn up short many times to reflect on my lack of faith and have also become more aware of how present God is.
Some further experiences since Dec 25th involved a lunch in Puerto Plata with friends Noemi and Raquel and her husband. They directed us to a beautiful open restaurant and the fried fish was incredible. It was fun to catch up with these friends, with Noemi attending university and Raquel and her husband working with youth in different places as a ministry.
We also spent a day driving to Santiago with Pastor Victor to shop for some musical equipment needed for the Los Charamicos church. Their keyboard and guitar were history and they were limping along. Knowing how important music is to them, a donor in Canada designated money for replacing these items. The highlight of the day for us was watching Victor riding the escalator in a department store. He was very timid about getting on & off, and for those who know him, he can be a powerhouse. We were successful in finding both items and the next night he and his son were at their best in the worship time. I think the store tag is still dangling off the guitar neck. The music sounds great.
Larry had the opportunity to appear on tv on a Sunday morning to speak. Pastor Garcia has 2 hours air time every Sunday morning and had invited him to come. There was a short interview as to why we are here for this time period and then Larry had a short teaching time. It was very interesting to see the station in operation. It is also a call-in program so Garcia answers calls live and has to think on his feet.
New Years Eve we attended the Los Charamicos church from 9:30 to 12:00. The evening was filled with music, dancing (church dancers), singing, prayer, short testimonies from individuals from the last year's experiences. It was a delightful and mostly joyful time. They did touch on some of the difficult times people had gone through, with moves, deaths, illness, etc. There was a lot of emotion and hugging at the end.
We have grown to love so many people here and gotten to know more about their lives. We are so impressed with their optimism, joy and hope in spite of devastating circumstances. God is their hope and they trust Him. He has turned their lives around and they depend on Him to see them through whatever comes. I have been drawn up short many times to reflect on my lack of faith and have also become more aware of how present God is.
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