Kitchen Countertops

Finally some movement on the house! Today the kitchen counters got mounted and it's fantastic. It all happened so quick, the guys came, carried it in, put in some cement, and the next thing you know, we've got counters! Here is a before/after photo to show how quickly the house changes. Hopefully the rain continues to let up and they can finish working on the roof this week, as everything is dependent and waiting to move forward on that.

Remember

Then from on high-somewhere in the distance
There's a voice that calls-remember who you are
If you lose yourself-your courage soon will follow
So be strong tonight-remember who you are
(Gavin Greenaway and Trevor Horn, Sound the Bugle)

Bananas

I like bananas
I like this picture too

Hens

So as I've said before, Mercy Ships is here helping us with lots of things at the school. One of the main projects they are putting in place is a hen house, which will provide eggs and someday meat for the kids at school. Well, Monday was a big day out where we went to a few different cities to look at hens and hen house equipment...it was a good day full of new Spanish words, as I served as translator.

A few fun facts about hens that I've learned:
You don't need a rooster for hens to lay eggs
The thing on top of the head is called a comb
The thing under their chin is called the Waddle
The comb and waddle turn red when they are mature
When they begin laying, hens lay 90% (so if we have 100 hens, we should get 90 eggs/day)

That's it for now, but I'm sure there are more facts ahead as I venture into hen house land.

Check out this water

We're on BBC!

Told you there was a lot of rain lately...check this out

Weekend church

What a weekend! I went to church in the hills...we had to cross 4 rivers to get there! The main problem was that the rain continues, and it started again after we were to the top. We hussled down the mountain through the rivers again and to the bus...really really wet! Another hour ride on the bus and we were done, what a trip to church! (I'm holding Cacao, what they apparently make chocolate from...it's sweet to suck on the seeds, kind of like sweet snot-sorry but that's the only way to describe the texture and taste!)

Frankie

This is Frankie, he's amazing. His mom died in the fall from AIDS and TB and he is now living with his grandma and other family in the village. He has a lazy left eye and a crooked smile, but can fill me with love in one little hug. He knows more about life than any 8 year old should, it's been a tough life so far. He is mistreated by family, neglected and underfed, but he keeps going. He is so loveable and likes to sneak up behind and surprise you. He's a little boy, but sometimes it's hard to see past all the hurt that I feel for his life. I want him to be a little boy, I want to give him toys and friends and to take away the beatings and hunger, I want to make it all right.

More rain

The rain continues!!! I stayed in the village this weekend and it was WET! I couldn't believe that much rain could come down in such a short time...everything flooded. We went down to the river to see how high it got and it was incredible. The streets were rivers, everything was completely water-filled. It still is sunny in the mornings and then rain all afternoon and night, but hopefully sometime soon it will be back to sun!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has been a rainy week all around here. Rain is a problem for many reasons. We have to cross a river to get to the care center in the village, so when it rains, it rises. Today is was so high we couldn't cross, although there were motorcycles (taxis) that made a few trips through it. It's still amusing to watch and is sort of a reminder that we are not in control of what is around us, sometimes we just need to let go and allow things to happen the way they do...with no worries.

Here's Candace crossing the river to get to the village. Awhile back they built a foot bridge, but as you can see, it's fairly useless! Candace had a sweet girl hold her hand across the river as she waded through. Glad she made it without falling in! Gringas!!!

Lots of rain also means all construction on our house has come to a halt. They need to do work on the roof because the concrete is not even and it is causing rain to leak in. Anyhow, they did do the measurements for the kitchen countertops and we bought a sink and so that's pretty exciting. Maybe in the next week-ish it'll get finished, so long as the rain stops at some point. The main problem is that it is dry in the daytime so I get all excited, then it pours and pours at night, ALL night, drenching everything. Oh well, all in good time. I've waited a long time for this place, what's another few weeks?

Health checks

It has been a busy week, but all is going well. Currently Mercy Ships is in the village for a month and they have already been a huge help in their first week. We have done medical things all week which is a nice change! It is a little hard though because I've had to ask tough questions, well, tough because I don't really want to know all the answers. Things like How many meals do you eat a day? How many people live in your house? Can you read and write?. It's been eye-opening and a bit overwhelming to take it all in. It's good to have a base though, as we've done heights and weights on the kids as well as a dental check and eye exam. I look forward to continuing this process, knowing each child more, and doing my best to help in any way I can.

Jarabacoa in review

Candace's friend Natasha came to visit last week when we went to Jarabacoa and it was such a fun time. Nice to see some of Candace's life and spend time with Natasha. Candace is such a huge blessing in my life, I want everyone to meet her! I can't wait until we get to live together and play house every night, we have so many plans. Hopefully the house will be finished over the next few weeks and be ready to move in!

Another tour

New house tour

More of the house

The house is getting closer everyday! We (by we I mean everyone that is working on it apart from me) only have to finish the bathrooms and the kitchen and it'll be ready! It has changed so much in just a few weeks, I am so excited to move in and call it home for awhile! And yes, the spiral staircase is coming along just fine!

Hate

I hate cockroaches
I'm not sure if it's their quick movements or long antennaes
The cute little cockroach song "la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar",
they never met MY cockroaches...mine can jump and even fly.
They are not worthy of a cute little song.

I was awoken by four of them in a box next to my bed
I had no idea they could be so noisy as to wake someone up.
Apart from one being in my bed, they have never done anything to me,
I don't know why I despise them so much.
Maybe because these four are so big-the size of a mouse.
Maybe because they can crawl up walls, crawl upside down, have so very many legs.

What eats cockroaches? That's what I want.
I have a hard time killing the big ones,
they crunch and squish-they are juicy.
So as I sit here at 3 am with all my lights on, waiting for them to leave my room...
I hate cockroaches.

Jarabacoa Week

We've been having a fun week in Jarabacoa where it's nice and cool and breezy! Good thing we brought long sleeves with us. We've been working with Josie all week with medical charts, organizing and getting things in order after the last weeks of vaccinations and groups. We're back to Caraballo tomorrow (Friday) and are ready to see our kids again...I miss them.

More photos

Aunt Cyndi was speedy in getting her photos developed and posted from their trip here. There were so, so many, but here are a few for now!

Adios

1.5 weeks has come and gone so quickly with my aunt and uncle. It was such a fun week, full of hot showers, air conditioned sleeping, endless food, snack time, and lots and lots of good talks. It was so nice to show them around a bit and share in the fun times we got to have.

We went diving again on Saturday (it's great to have a birthday!) and saw so many awesome things. I held a sea urchin, had a fish bite my hand, and held a spiny starfish. The coral and other plant life we saw was beautiful...it was 100% better than the first dive we had, I'm so thankful to have gone again.

They left just a bit ago and I'm really looking forward to the next visit...

Colorful house

Our house is moving forward daily! They started painting the outside on Friday with a really nice blue, and the inside paint is almost done. It's actually lighter than it looks in the photos and it's beautiful! Hopefully the bathroom will go in soon so we can move in and get settled! I'm really looking forward to that part. It's turning into quite a fortress as well as the iron bars have almost all gone in and a brick wall is being built along the side. Alberto is taking care of us and making sure we will be very very safe in there.

Burning Cane

Last week they decided to burn the sugar cane which was quite an event. The cane was not cut this year due to economical situations with the factory, so it's grown so high. There was rumor that it would be cut at the end of this month, but we drove through and saw it on fire...they burned the whole field. Apparently it will nourish the ground for the next crop that will soon follow. It was so eerie driving through the roads while the fire was burning, to hear the sounds of the cane cracking, the smell of burning sugar (burnt carmel was the closest I could come to labeling it) and get lost in the smoke and cane ashes as we were on a motorcycle.

Interesting

Okay, so ringworm has been fascinating me for a few days now. How cool is this fungus? Really though, that it grows in such an exact circle and stays like that. Wow, what incredible things our bodies can do. So now that I've enjoyed it for a few days, I'm ready for it to go away which is seems to be doing. Kinda cool though, right?

Construction

Construction is happening so fast for our amazing house! New doors have been put on and painted a cool color, the backyard is getting sorted, a fence is going up, new brick is being laid, and painting is already happening. There is still a LOT to finish, but it is so exciting how quickly it is happening. Some more photos updates...

school visit

It has been fantastic having family here!!! I spent the night at the hotel which was a huge treat, hot water as much as I could ask for! They went to the school with me on Tuesday and got to see what life is like for me here. It's so special being able to share this part of me with them and have them take it back home with them. More playing with them tomorrow, but it's off to work for today!

PS. Ringworm is clearing up, but not before spreading to a few more places!

FUN-gus!!

What do you get when you hug on little fungus-filled kids everyday??? Ringworm!

House colors

We picked out house paint today! Outside will be Azul Llama (Blue) and inside will be Sol Cielo (yellow-heavenly sunshine literally). I can't wait to see it!

Home sweet home...almost!

(Beautiful staircase to the upstairs room, kitchen/secret garden, upstairs room, entryway)

We have a house! It is so amazing and long-awaited, but it is all coming together so amazingly now. So this is how it has happened: We found a house in Montellano (the city before the village) that was in mid-construction. The guy that was building it died and so construction stopped about 3 years ago. Anyhow, when teams come to work with Kids Alive, they need a team house to stay in. So we originally thought the house would be a team house for the summers...until we looked at it. It has the perfect set-up for teams and for us! There is a lovely big upstairs room that Candace and I can stay in when teams are at the house (four teams this summer will be in and out), then otherwise we will have the house. It is 3 bedrooms: one smaller one and one massive one downstairs, then the big one upstairs. It has a kitchen, dining room (extra bedroom if we need it), and a nice living room. There is a terrace outside the upstairs bedroom that will be great for BBQ's and drying clothes! There are 2 bathrooms downstairs too. It is perfect, more than I ever expected and we cannot wait to be in it!

They signed the contract on Friday afternoon and by Friday evening concrete was delivered. Saturday morning construction started, putting on new doors, iron on the windows, etc. It looks like it will come together quickly, or at least we are hoping so!

Still no news on when my thing will clear customs, but I am so thankful that as of yet it hasn't. Maybe it's time to get in touch with them now that we have a HOUSE!! It'll be a lovely house for so many reasons, we just want to have open doors and welcome anyone that wants to visit and know the village and the incredible kids we love.

Visiting the village

It's been so much fun having my aunt and uncle here. We've gotten to play at the hotel with them, enjoying the beach and pool and hot showers!! We went diving (birthday money treat!) on Friday which was really great...it had been a long time. We didn't see a huge amount of fish, but it was still a fun time to do it again. Hopefully I'll be able to do another one with them on Friday or Saturday. They visited the village yesterday and got to see the church and school and around the village...here's them riding back on the best way to arrive, by motorcycle!

Family in the D.R.!!!

My Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Dan made it in yesterday afternoon for my first family visit here! It was so fun to see them and have a birthday dinner on the beach...including dessert!!! We hung out at their hotel today and had fun swimming in the ocean and just spending time with them. Tomorrow I'm hoping to go diving with them, we'll see how it all comes together. I'm definitely looking forward to showing them this very special part of my life!

Bday flowers

These are very special flowers that Alberto, the dad of the family I'm staying with, brought for my birthday this morning. This family is so great and really supportive and loving in everyway. They know just what I need and are so faithful to listening and knowing God. They inspire me in many ways by how they live and the lives they lead. It has been a very special day for me, filled with lots of love and hugs and smiles.

Alberto with the flowers (and yes, that's my blackboard in the background in my room...just in case I feel like practicing my letters or something!)

Carnaval

We went to La Vega (about 1.5 hrs away) last night with Alberto and his family to stay with (and meet) his parents and siblings. All of February is Carnaval month, celebrating the independance of the D.R.

This morning there were parades from all of the schools in the city. It took me back to high school dance team all over again, marching in the Starlight Parade with equally horrendous blue outfits. Lots of drums and heat and sun, but it was fun to watch it.

Painted faces

The bottom two pictures didn't turn out amazingly well, as you can see, but basically these people celebrate carnaval every weekend in Feb. wearing these costumes and big masks/headdresses, but always having their faces hidden. On the last day (today) they take off their masks and march once more through the city showing who they really are. They also have some tradition that they carry these big mace-like balls without the prongs and they whack anyone they want...especially tourists and people taking photos. We managed to escape without getting hit, but mainly because I was hiding.

Catch-up

Candace and I have had an exciting couple of days! I was staying with her in a friends house in Montellano that she is house-sitting. Well, we had fun cleaning up puppy poo (from 2 new puppies) and deciding that we will NEVER have puppies in our house, nor any animals for that matter! So then it started raining, and when it rains here...it RAINS! The water was rising higher and higher outside the house and we had no choice but to start bucketing water onto the street, otherwise it would have flooded the house as it has done in the past (and is even more of a hassle). Needless to say we were soaked through and through only to get back in the house and find we were out of water to shower. We rememdied that after a few minutes of filling the tinaco (water-holder that sits on top of the house) from the cistern and were in business.

Waiting patiently, soaked, for the water to fill up for the house.

After a tough weekend of caring for the animals (2 cats too!) we decided we needed a trip to the beach, and being only 15 minutes from it, we were off! It was a bit of a disturbing ride on public transport, sitting next to a prostitute-my eyes were opened wide as to the need and despair that exists here.

As we were walking onto the beach scoping a nice spot to spend the day, there began a lot of hussle towards the water. A man had been seen bobbing in the water and so a group rushed out and pulled him in. They tried CPR on him for several minutes, but he was already dead. It was horrible and hard to believe it had happened just a few feet from the beach where all the people were sunbathing, literally right before our eyes. The wife of the guy that died was in total shock which was fully understandable but hard to watch. How we never know what the day before us holds, lessons learned.

Candace and I continued onto the beach and were so baffled by the strange events of the day that 2 hours later, with no sunscreen, we left with some nice red bodies! I still hurt and it is 2 days later. We have been using Solarcaine, after sun, and aloe, but relief has yet to come. Hopefully soon we will be feeling better, but I fear peeling is the next stage. I will be wearing LOTS of sunscreen on my next beach visit.

More to come...

It has been a whirlwind couple of days...I'll update this blog soon, I promise. For now, a little photo to keep you interested and coming back here. Lots of interesting stories and things taking place, but little time to tell all of them for right now.

I'm off to La Vega to celebrate a day of something, maybe independence (?), for tonight with Alberto and his family, and Candace of course. No classes tomorrow so we'll be back in the evening. Hopefully it's cooler there, I'M SO HOT and sunburned too!

Meet Wilson

This is our friend Wilson, he's 15 and fantastic. Yes, he's wearing a pink necklace, but he's a guy and we really like him. He's learning to speak English and loves practicing the things he has learned, some of which he's picked up from the village and we are deterring him from! He's a great kid though and I feel like he is my own because I really want him to do well and continue in school and become the pilot/cop/lawyer that he wants to be...but the obstacles ahead of him just make me want to cry. There is so much to overcome. My heart breaks for these kids, for the lives they have already lived, for the things that they face in the years to come. I want to take each of them and just show them how special they are, how much they are loved, for them to truly understand that they are so amazing...it is quite a task and one I wish I could fully accomplish.

House visits

This is a little 5 day old baby girl we visited in the village on Saturday. She is so little and lovely...I really have the best place to work in the whole world! She still doesn't have a name, so I'm pushing for Jessi. We'll see how it goes!!! Look at all her hair.

Her story is a bit sad though because her young mother already has 3 children and isn't able to care for this little one, so she will be living with her cousin (who works at the school) after she's a few more weeks old. Maybe I'll get to keep her a few nights if I'm lucky. She is precious.

Adios

So they came to pick up the jeepeta today to take it to the school in Constanza. It'll be worked on at the vocational training shop that Kids Alive has there, so hopefully some kids can learn helpful things about repairing, or should I say making, a car! To see them hoist this car onto a flatbed truck was incredible. They hooked up a whench to the roof, then hand-cranked the chain that pulled the car up, then pushed and pulled and moved the car around with large sticks, backed up the truck, pushed some more...and eventually it was on. What work!

Why I can stand...

"With precious, wobbly steps, we draw closer to Him. For a season of surprising strength, we stand upon his promises. It doesn't make sense that we are able to do this. We don't claim to be worthy of such an incredible gift. When people ask how in the world we can keep our balance during such stormy times, we don't boast. We don't brag. We point unabashedly to the One who makes it possible. Our eyes are on him." (Lucado)

Faith

Faith is often the child of fear (Lucado)

Where I live

So this is the house where I live for now in Puerto Plata. Today the Trautweins met us in church as they're up here on the north coast visiting and working. We had an amazingly big Dominican lunch afterwards and sat and chatted and played.

This family is so encouraging and loving, I only wish to share with others the openness they have offered me. It has been such a privilage to live with them as they continue to teach me about so many things. I never thought I would love it here this much, but I do more than I can even share or put words to. The sense of belonging and being and knowing is incredible. I know that this is where I need to be, what I need to be doing, and am so excited to be a part of this.

Gato

So the family got a kitten. He's a street cat that the boys found on the way home last night, but everyone is quite excited he's here...or she, not really sure! Anyhow, hopefully he'll be a good mouse catcher!

To the mountains and back again

It has been a busy week with so much going on. The school continues to grow and change everday. I have been getting into the village and the houses daily now to get more information for child histories which has been eye-opening. The stories these families tell are incredible, the immigration from Haiti, the conditions they live and have lived through, the children they have...I stand in awe.

I spent the last two nights with Candace in Jarabacoa at the Trautwein house. It was a nice time to catch up with the family, meet new friends, and fit into the flow of the Trautwein days! It's amazing how much cooler it is there than down here on the coast...I was actually cold at night and had to pull up the blankets (as opposed to it being 8pm now and I'm in a tank top, windows open and still sweating!).

So now I'm back in Puerto Plata at Alberto & Lydia's house. Our search for a place to live continues, as it seems EVERY apartment or house to rent is full. We have expanded our search to include Montellano and Puerto Plata, both options would work out really well. The places we have wanted have seemingly fell through, but we continue to hold out for something that we hope is amazingly around the corner. But as my things continue to hang out at the Santo Domingo customs dock, I'm not in too big of a rush yet. It's only been there for 2 months now, so what's a few more weeks (hopefully not months), right?

Feeling hot, hot, hot

Just in case you weren't following the weather as closely as you should be for the D.R., it was 86 today (30 Celcius). Yah, it's warm. And it's February.

I can handle anything...

None of life's precipices is too overwhelming if we have the proper attitude of trust in God.

(Pillars of Christian Character)

Why I love the Dominican Republic

Putting on bug spray as a nightly ritual (how much DEET is really safe on a daily basis?)
Bucket showers
Losing electricity
Being too hot to sleep
Hearing the neighbors like they're in the same room with me
Rain on the tin roof
Plantains and green bananas
Chicken feet (okay, not really, but they keep trying to make me eat them...I haven't even progressed from breast meat yet.)

And I learned recently that bug spray takes of nail polish, who would have thought?

New paint

The group that was at the school all week left on Saturday, but not before leaving a beautifully painted cafeteria. It looks so nice, I can't believe the change a bit of paint can make. They managed to finish almost all of the inside on Friday when the kids weren't there, so we're very thankful for the pretty building they left us!

Pobre Jeepeta

What happens when you have an 18 year old in the village drive to the river (20 yds away) to wash your car?

Changes to Caraballo

There are some exciting things happening in Caraballo! We got new palm trees to line the entrance and it is so pretty. I love the little changes like that because it makes such a difference. There is also a team in the village who wanted to help at the school, so they are painting the new cafeteria. After much talking and discussing and looking at all sorts of little papers of paint, we decided on the colors last night, and I think it looks so good. I'm looking forward to seeing it all done by the end of the week and all the other changes that are taking place in the months ahead.

More wedding photos

Just a few more photos I've uploaded (or downloaded) from the wedding day on Sunday. The above one is me and Erica and Candace...some of my favorite girls.

How amazing is this photo...I just love it! And I thought I might have had some rough bridesmaid dresses! And the guys with sunglasses on kept them on throughout the whole ceremony. Beautiful, the whole experience was great to be a part of.

Village weddings

I got to be a part of something so fun on Sunday...a village wedding! Weddings happen a few times a year at the village church, so there were 4 on Sunday. I can't even begin to describe it all, from the groomsmen dancing down the aisle with sunglasses on, the whole family walking down the aisle, the singing and clapping...it was very special to be there. I will have some more photos later, but for now these can be a little taste of it.

Weekend at Crossroads

I got to spend a really nice weekend with a team from St. Mary's (in CA) that have been here for a month. They have been doing soccer with the different Kids Alive sites in the D.R. and ended up here in Caraballo. We stayed the weekend at one of the most beautiful places with lots of areas for reading and thinking and talking. The sunsets and sunrises, as you can see from the photos, are brilliant. I found that, contrary to previous posts, I can have incredible talks even when not drinking Chai tea!

Addicted

I'm officially a sugar cane eater now and have become fairly addicted to it! Even as I type this I continue eating it! I tried it last week for the first time and it is fantastic! Candace said it right though, "kind of like eating wood"! The chewing and spitting aren't the most attractive, but it sure does taste great!

Candace and I got to hang out together at the Care Center and organized the office, she did an amazing job of putting pencils in a box. We hope to be moving in together sometime this month, when my things finally clear customs and we find ourselves an apt.

Leaving Jarabacoa

This was a little going mini-fiesta right before I left Jarabacoa for Puerto Plata. So it was discovered through talking and shopping trips that I like strawberry-anything. My favorite seems to be strawberry wafers, but I don't mind really what it is. So Josie found these amazing Strawberry Shortcake party hats at the store and then gave me everything else strawberry related! It was very sweet, literally, and a fun send-off to the north coast. I truly already miss these girls and hope to have some visitors soon.

Puerto Plata

I've officially made my way to the north coast now and am staying for the moment in Puerto Plata. It's only 10-ish minutes from the town I'll probably live in, Montellano, then another further 10 minutes through sugar cane fields to the village I'm working in-Caraballo. Just wanted to throw all those names into once sentence to see if I couldn't really confuse you.

It is still incredible to be here. I wish I could truly share the depth of what I feel being here and a part of all of this. I guess it is just beyond words.

I'm now staying with Alberto (the director of the Caraballo care center) and his family, who are all amazing. I'm learning Alberto-fast Spanish which has been good and continue to be challenged to know more! As they live a few blocks from the beach, we've gone on walks the last two nights on the boardwalk just talking and enjoying the ocean.

I'll put some pictures on once my camera cord catches up with me...my things seem to be all over this island!