Road Trip

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.

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.

New Experiences

Hola,

It is December 25th, and here I am writing a blog. Being far away from home is so different from the usual and we have had many new experiences over the last week.

On the 21st we were invited to attend a pig roast out in the country in Arroyo Seco. This was a celebration marking the end of school and Christmas. The farmer next door to the school and his wife donate a pig every year and the church and many from the community gather. We were allowed to contribute the pop and so loaded down with about 12 (2l) bottles of pop, 3 bags of ice and 200 cups we arrived in time to catch a pre-view of the already roasted pig. It lay wrapped in dry leaves of some kind (and a garbage bag draped over it). We weren't sure if it was a good idea to catch this glimpse!

Several donors, including a doctor and his wife from Sosua, had donated inexpensive toys for each of the kids. Giving first choice to the students from the school, each child got a plastic dump truck, imitation barbie, flute or tea set, among other items. Then we all lined up outside in the dark (no electricity in the area most evenings) for a plate of food. It really was quite tasty, with rice, cole slaw and yucca slices supplementing the pork.

It was a special time of celebrating with the community. The main challenge was wiping out the image of the roasted pig!

The next morning we returned to the same community to assist in packaging 100 food hampers for those less resourced in the area. As we were waiting to get started, we noticed there was a cow being slaughtered in the pasture next door. We were curious and asked if we could watch. It was fascinating to see the precision and speed (about one hour start to finish) with which the cow was reduced to 4 quarters plus pieces of meat in the back of a truck on the way to the meat market in town. Hardly a thing was wasted, from the intestines being carted away to be prepared for food to teh neighbourhood dogs cleaning up the scene when all was said and done.

Yes, we still eat meat, both pork and beef, but realize how conditioned we are by seeing it only as cuts of meat in a supermarket. This is a livelihood for the rural people where life is hard and life is basic. Puts a new perspective on life again.

Pre-Christmas away from Home

Okay, nothing to complain about here, after hearing about the cold temperatures in Winnipeg these days! The sun is hot these days and we sweat as we hike across town to see Pastor Victor at his church office. We walk the kilometer through Sosua Public Beach area, past all the vendors (shopping mall) trying to lure (or drag?) us into their shops and then emerge relieved at the far end. We have to exert more of an effort as the street slopes up into the poorer part of town. There is little evidence of the Christmas season except for occasional sun faded santa figures that once used to be animated, standing in front of shops. Then there are the occasional beautifully decorated trees, either artificial or possibly palm trees lit up. Oh yes, and then there's the "inflated" santas cruising the beach in Cabarete.

It feels surreal at times to experience this season away from family and friends, not doing any shopping or baking in anticipation. We did decorate our third floor balcony with mini lights and we put up a few hand made decorations inside, and we play our Christmas tunes on our IPOD speakers. It helps to create atmosphere.

Apparently there are celebrations coming up, like extra food distributions a few days before Christmas to ensure some of the poorest have at least rice and beans on Christmas Day. Then, we are invited to a community pig roast on the 22nd, out of town at Arroyo Seco. That will be an experience. So for now, we have to look at the calendar to realize how close we are to the festive season as we know it back home.

Food for a Community

Can't believe it's been so long so the last entry but life happens and then there's almost continuous drenching rain. That brings us to little or no internet connection from our condo so it becomes more difficult to communicate. Today there's sunshine and it feels very good.

As a result of both the flooding a month ago and the depressed economy, leaving people with little resources for food. So food distribution happened several times in two different communities. The Dominicans from the two church groups threw themselves into the opportunity to give to others and they did a very good job of mobilizing volunteers, purchasing and packaging the food and then identifying the neediest homes and delivering food. How uplifting to be part of the packaging and delivering. Each package contained 5 to 9 lb of rice, 1 to 2 lb of beans, some cooking oil, 2 pounds of sugar and pasta. I had the privilege of helping to babysit Garcia & Jenny's infant grandson during one distribution.

The truck filled with the food packages had to keep moving so as not to be swarmed by others who were not included in the indentified list. Obviously there is widespread need with only the neediest being assisted in this distribution. And then there were the macho young men hanging out down the lane from Garcia's, proud to receive their portion.

Condo Home

We are pretty much settled into our home in our condo. In spite of running out of gas for our stove last night in the middle of preparing supper for our Dominican friends, we have been quite happy here without the North American conveniences. Oh yeah, there were the little ants that suddenly took over the kitchen area yesterday as well, and then there was the heavy rain when we had to put out all 3 of our larger basins to catch the drips from the ceiling. But you know, the weather is perpetual summer, the people have been so friendly and welcoming and we are learning the spanish language because we want to communicate. We are happy to be here and feel this is where we need to be at this time.

Shopping

After seeing the losses people experienced with the flashflood in Maranata, we were also impressed with their resourcefulness. Even as loads of drenched mattresses were removed from the town, others were washing their's and lining them up in the sun across the street from our condo, for them to dry.

Our friends, Pastor garcia and his wife Jenny, had several feet of sewer flood water in their home and in spite of that were out helping others. They kind of cleaned their house and slept on their stained & smelly beds. Our Canadian group sent money to help replace some basic items.

So, we went with them to a larger centre, Moca, to shop for these basic items. First, we hit a music store and Garcia selected a Yamaha keyboard which he of course tested in the store. He was able to make amazing music as he is a gifted musician. To go with that, he needed to replace two speakers, and a dvd player. He & his wife Jenny couldn't contain their smiles.

Then we went on to a mattress factory. I had never been in one before so found it an interesting place. We were free to enter the work area from the show room to watch them manufacture a mattress. The workers were more than pleased to pose and delightedly looked at the images in the digital cameras. The couple found suitable mattresses, including a small crib mattress for their infant grandson who lives with them, and then the negotiating began, from prices to time, method & price of delivery. Of course the process included testing the mattresses!

We also included visiting their families while there and were treated to their hospitality. We were served a lunch of rice, fried eggs and fried platanos and even Larry was able to eat the gluten free meal. We were again touched by their acceptance of us and how they welcomed us. Each visit ended with a request that we all pray with them. It was pretty special.