warm welcome

It is beautifully warm in Sosua and humid too. Or as My brother Jake put it, "hot & sweaty"? The breeze is lovely and the sea water is so blue. What a paradise.
Our condo this year is very adequate, nicer looking than last year but does not have the hot water at the kitchen sink after all. Oh well, we are still so fortunate for the air conditioning in the bedroom. We are doing well.
Others here are not so fortunate and we feel like we hit the ground running. We have met with the local pastors and others who all express or indicate great need, though usually not asking for anything. Our hearts go out to those in Maranata & Sosua Abajo, on the outskirts of Sosua who lost so much in the flashflood last weekend. Through our Canadian group, Dominican Connections, Pastor Garcia & Jenny were able to purchase emergency food for distribution in their neighbourhood. They themselves had 2 feet of water in their house and lost much. We saw (& smelled) their hosed down mattresses today, which are back on their beds. Even their month old grandson was sleeping peacefully on a stinky, though dry, mattress. Yes, new ones are coming, thanks to others' generosity, and it is so good to see the people from other areas who do not have much share with those who have even less.

Better go catch a few rays befoe the sun disappears behind the building. After the sweaty morning assembling food hampers this will be sweet. We'll need to re-energize before our supper with the other pastor aas it is amazingly exhausting trying to communicate in spanish all day. Lovin it.