I can't believe how fast this week has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that we landed at the Santiago airport and looked around for our missionary guide to pick us up. Today was our relax and rejuvinate day - a time to reflect on the week and give our muscles some rest. We had breakfast at the group home again, then drove to an area north of Santiago that has 27 waterfalls you can climb up to and slide down. It takes all day to do the 27 so we just did the bottom 7 but it was a blast! The second to last one had a jump or slide option and most of us did both (slid down then climbed back up and jumped). A few of us even jumped twice.
After that we drove to the beach on the north side of the island and spent 2 hours swimming in the ocean, sitting in the sun, and enjoying some of the local shops on the beach while enjoying some "cerveza" at the local beach hut. Our bus driver helped us negotiate good prices on beach chair rentals as well.
We're both sad and excited that the week has come to an end. Sad to leave this beautiful place and the beautiful people and mission here, but excited to be going home to family and friends and to share our story and and experience. We have some incredible stories to tell and are excited to share the mission here with others back in the US to make them aware of what is going on down here.
See you all soon, and thanks for the continued prayers as we finish our journey tomorrow!
Friday, June 26, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Too Hot to Handle (a Shovel)
!Buen dia a nos amigos en los EEUU!
Ok, that exhausted my Spanish vocabulary.
Today is the hottest day since we've been in the DR, but since we've all pretty much maxed out our sweat output, the jump from 91 degrees to 96 isn't anything to write home about ;)
Given that it's so blasted hot (and my back feels like I'm 83 years old), it was quite a relief getting to spend the morning painting the outer wall at la Escuela Luterana la Concordia instead of slaving away in the trenches. I had the honor of sketching the school logo on the wall yesterday and putting on the finishing touches today. A local Dominicano stopped by to watch me paint so I offered him the brush. He happily filled in the lamb until the woman for whom he was waiting told him it was time to go. He might not be the next Rembrandt but it was pretty sweet getting to share those brief moments with him.
And the most beautiful thing about this trip is that it's chock full of moments like that--moments when we connect with a stranger over something as simple as painting a wall or snacking on yucca or playing with a headlamp. Sometimes broken words are involved in those moments and sometimes words are completely unnecessary.
And now lunch break is over and I must join my brethren in the trenches for our final afternoon of dirt-slinging. !Adios!
--Kristin~
Ok, that exhausted my Spanish vocabulary.
Today is the hottest day since we've been in the DR, but since we've all pretty much maxed out our sweat output, the jump from 91 degrees to 96 isn't anything to write home about ;)
Given that it's so blasted hot (and my back feels like I'm 83 years old), it was quite a relief getting to spend the morning painting the outer wall at la Escuela Luterana la Concordia instead of slaving away in the trenches. I had the honor of sketching the school logo on the wall yesterday and putting on the finishing touches today. A local Dominicano stopped by to watch me paint so I offered him the brush. He happily filled in the lamb until the woman for whom he was waiting told him it was time to go. He might not be the next Rembrandt but it was pretty sweet getting to share those brief moments with him.
And the most beautiful thing about this trip is that it's chock full of moments like that--moments when we connect with a stranger over something as simple as painting a wall or snacking on yucca or playing with a headlamp. Sometimes broken words are involved in those moments and sometimes words are completely unnecessary.
And now lunch break is over and I must join my brethren in the trenches for our final afternoon of dirt-slinging. !Adios!
--Kristin~
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go
Today is the saddest day of the week for us, but not for the reason you'd expect. Today is our last work day and even though we are all sore and tired, we are sad to see this work end. This has been an amazing week so far and we look forward to finishing it strong!
Last night was our last church service for the week - this time at the building next to the group home where we've been eating our breakfast. All of the kids and young adults from the home and surrounding area were there and after the service they sang a song to us as well. It was just amazing. They called Pastor Josh up at the end of the service to introduce him and they jested with him about being dressed casual for church, which gave us all a good laugh. The group has been so much fun to work with here!
Today we are finishing as much trenching as we can at the building site and four of us are finishing up some painting at the current preschool site. Tomorrow is our rejuvenate and relax day which we're spending hiking at some waterfalls and spending part of the time at the beach. Pray for us to continue strong and have a safe trip home on Saturday.
Last night was our last church service for the week - this time at the building next to the group home where we've been eating our breakfast. All of the kids and young adults from the home and surrounding area were there and after the service they sang a song to us as well. It was just amazing. They called Pastor Josh up at the end of the service to introduce him and they jested with him about being dressed casual for church, which gave us all a good laugh. The group has been so much fun to work with here!
Today we are finishing as much trenching as we can at the building site and four of us are finishing up some painting at the current preschool site. Tomorrow is our rejuvenate and relax day which we're spending hiking at some waterfalls and spending part of the time at the beach. Pray for us to continue strong and have a safe trip home on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
In the Trenches
The past few days we have been in the trenches...literally. We have been digging the foundation of the new church building under the sweltering Caribbean sun. While that sounds like it would be unbearable, it isn't. We have been able to build great relationships with the Dominican workers even though we don't speak the same language. They are patient in showing us what to do and are quick to remind us to take water breaks. Yesterday a group of neighborhood boys were making comments to us. Despite not knowing what they were saying, I could tell from their tones that they were not encouraging in nature. When one of the Dominican workers heard them, he walked over to the fence and reamed them out. They left shortly after.
Despite the hard work, no one is complaining at the end of the day. There are no bad attitudes and everyone is excited to continue the work. That being said, we are all kind of glad there are nothing but cold showers at the end of the day.
Despite the hard work, no one is complaining at the end of the day. There are no bad attitudes and everyone is excited to continue the work. That being said, we are all kind of glad there are nothing but cold showers at the end of the day.
The Most Unlikely Things...
The most unlikely things can be the best things. I never thought I would ever play basketball with the kids here in the DR. I knew we would shovel dirt, go to church, work hard together as a team, and the like, but I never thought we would get to play basketball with the kids.
And it has been so much fun! It has built team chemistry, it is a way to compete that is also fun and transcends the language barrier, and causes tons of smiles and laughs. And if you are wondering how we have any energy after working hard all day to play basketball, your answer is as good as mine. But honestly, we know from whom the energy comes. The energy to work 4 days-in-a-row, the energy to keep smiling through it all, and the strength to play such a fun sport with some of the local kids as a way to communicate with them even for those of us that cannot speak Spanish, which includes me!
So one of the most unlikely things here has been one of the best things. Praise Jesus for how He works!
And it has been so much fun! It has built team chemistry, it is a way to compete that is also fun and transcends the language barrier, and causes tons of smiles and laughs. And if you are wondering how we have any energy after working hard all day to play basketball, your answer is as good as mine. But honestly, we know from whom the energy comes. The energy to work 4 days-in-a-row, the energy to keep smiling through it all, and the strength to play such a fun sport with some of the local kids as a way to communicate with them even for those of us that cannot speak Spanish, which includes me!
So one of the most unlikely things here has been one of the best things. Praise Jesus for how He works!
Another Beautiful Morning in Santiago!
I can't believe it's already Wednesday! This week has been flying by way too fast. We've had so many amazing experiences, and even though the work is hard our spirits are high and we are loving the experience. We wouldn't trade the cold showers, long walks up the hill to the Seminary, the picking and shoveling as we dig trenches - the experience has been incredible.
Last night we got back to the Seminary just before 5pm and quickly changed into some shorts and headed waited outside for our Dominican friends to signal us it was time to play basketball. 5 minutes later they were at the bottom of the hill motioning us down. 10 of us went down to play with about 8 of the Dominicans. As I was walking towards the basketball court, a little boy maybe 5 years old saw me coming and recognized me from yesterday. He started running towards me at a mad dash and jumped up and hugged me around the neck and started cheering. What an incredible feeling it was knowing they remembered us!
They assigned us into 2 teams, this time we started with 8 of us "Americanos" on the court. After 2 minutes, the Dominican that was organizing the game tapped me on the shoulder and motioned to swap some people out, so 2 Dominicans and the other 2 of us Americans swapped into the game. We played for just over an hour, swapping people in and out every 5 minutes or so. As Robin said in an earlier post, it's incredible to see how we can communicate so well even though most of us don't speak the language.
None of us had brought a watch or phone with us so I asked Tom how to say "what is the time" in Spanish and he and I went to ask one of the boys that had a watch on. After another 15 minutes we headed back up the hill to the Seminary, after making arrangements to return today after work for a quick game before we go to church.
We got back to the Seminary to discover the missionary preparing our dinner was running late so we all had time for showers and relaxing for a little before a dinner of pulled pork, coleslaw, corn salad and fresh pineapple.
This morning we arrived at the work site and Bill, the primary supervising missionary for the work site, told us we were half-way done with the trenching so we should be able to complete that before we leave! Its amazing to see the progress we've made so far and gives me a second wind knowing we're half way there.
Last night we got back to the Seminary just before 5pm and quickly changed into some shorts and headed waited outside for our Dominican friends to signal us it was time to play basketball. 5 minutes later they were at the bottom of the hill motioning us down. 10 of us went down to play with about 8 of the Dominicans. As I was walking towards the basketball court, a little boy maybe 5 years old saw me coming and recognized me from yesterday. He started running towards me at a mad dash and jumped up and hugged me around the neck and started cheering. What an incredible feeling it was knowing they remembered us!
They assigned us into 2 teams, this time we started with 8 of us "Americanos" on the court. After 2 minutes, the Dominican that was organizing the game tapped me on the shoulder and motioned to swap some people out, so 2 Dominicans and the other 2 of us Americans swapped into the game. We played for just over an hour, swapping people in and out every 5 minutes or so. As Robin said in an earlier post, it's incredible to see how we can communicate so well even though most of us don't speak the language.
None of us had brought a watch or phone with us so I asked Tom how to say "what is the time" in Spanish and he and I went to ask one of the boys that had a watch on. After another 15 minutes we headed back up the hill to the Seminary, after making arrangements to return today after work for a quick game before we go to church.
We got back to the Seminary to discover the missionary preparing our dinner was running late so we all had time for showers and relaxing for a little before a dinner of pulled pork, coleslaw, corn salad and fresh pineapple.
This morning we arrived at the work site and Bill, the primary supervising missionary for the work site, told us we were half-way done with the trenching so we should be able to complete that before we leave! Its amazing to see the progress we've made so far and gives me a second wind knowing we're half way there.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
It Rained, It Poured And We Dug Some More!
Monday night we went to bed listening to a heavy rain storm, assuming things would clear up by morning. Well, 7:15am came and it was time for us to walk down to the group home for breakfast and it was still raining, though not nearly as hard. It was more of a refreshing mist, but due to the heavy rains all night we decided to take the long route to the house instead of trying the rather steep steps that would be quite slippery after the rain. Monday, the group home had run out of gas and wasn't able to brew coffee but this morning we had 2 pots waiting for us, along with hard boiled eggs, some kind of sausage and some mangoo (a dish that is very popular down here). The coffee was a great boost of energy and a nice way to start the morning! After 2 cups, I felt ready to conquer the world - or at least some more trench digging.
And that's how we spent most of the morning. Four of the guys went to do some painting and carpentry work at the current preschool/church facility (building a picket fence to keep the kids away from the barbed wire fence) and the rest of us used pick axes and shovels to continue work on the trenches that will be the foundation for the walls. We're planning to dig down about 1 meter and so far we're almost 1 foot everywhere and close to 2 feet in some places. Working in the shade had the benefit of staying cooler, but the dirt (clay) there hadn't dried out so it was twice as hard to pick and dig.
After lunch, Kristin, Hannah, Ashley and myself walked back to the current preschool/church to sketch out 2 drawings that they want us to pain on the front wall surrounding the complex. The building was locked so we weren't able to start painting it yet but we got everything sketched out and ready for painting later this week.
The rest of the day will be filled with more digging, then heading back to to the seminary (and another round of basketball with our neighbors down the hill. They already told us they'd be ready by 5pm for us to play with them!)
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