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.