Flowers

Are these not the most amazing flowers ever??!! Birds of Paradise are about the weirdest and coolest flower, huh? Alberto (Dominican dad) came over with a huge bouquet this morning-I ended up with two vases full of flowers!

Wildlife

Just a little moth that flew into the house the other night...and stuck around for a few days. The problem with these things is that they have bodies-like a real body with arms and legs and they make loud fluttering noises when they fly. I'm glad he's gone.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

These people make my days brighter.

We took a trip to the beach the other night and got to sit and chat and enjoy one of the great parts of the Dominican Republic...the beach.

Heart Day

Happy Day of Love and Friendship! I like that translation better than the simple, Happy Valentine's Day. Anyhow, we had a special day with the kids and we got to see lots of smiles. We started after lunch with the kids handing out chocolates to each other where they had to hug and hand-off the chocolate...it was amazing! So many laughs and giggles as the names were called. All the kids camed dressed in skirts and dresses and some boys even had ties on! Each kid then was given a bag with underwear and socks (thanks Derek and Dan) and some toys or shoes.

I love these days. To see the kids excited about a bag of clothes, running it home, it's special. I mean, these days I get excited about getting a bag of clothes, but I can't say at 4 and 5 years old I would have been too thrilled. These kids are incredible. I will never stop saying that. My love grows more for them each day, with each second I have with them. Sometimes I just sit staring at them, amazed at each one of their lives.

Later on I had friends over for a Valentine's dinner. We had lasagna (American style) and some vegetable made-up thing and garlic bread...it was a really nice night, one that I've needed! We played Apples to Apples (in Spanish) all evening and ate heart cakes that my mom sent!

Gifts!

Thanks mom!!! I got Chai tea and Cheetos and Valentines treats and chocolates and Splenda and Taco Bell sauce and Skittles...today was a GREAT day!!!

Hurts

The office and nursing/mini-hospital continue strong as organizing is done and boxes fall into place.

Sometimes I wonder how much my heart can be broken, when the realities will stop, when I won't hurt because of what these kids come from. One of the kids came in the other day because he was dizzy and tired and light-headed. We talked about the things that he eats. He doesn't eat when he's not at school, if he does it is very little. His head hurts because of this. My heart hurts because of this.

How can I make this better? Am I helping? Am I doing anything here? When will it ever end? Why do they grow up like this when I got to grow up like I did? So I wrap my arms around him, love him, and look forward to seeing him at school each day when I know his tummy will be filled. Then I step back from it all and try to take it all in. It is too much to take in sometimes, when the daily realities sometimes just become normal, when it doesn't shock me as much as it ought to.

I know that we are making a difference, I see it in their smiles, in their lives. Sometimes I'd just rather forget though about poverty, hunger, pain...especially when it is in regards to our kids.

Tea time

One of my favorite drinks here is tea. Tea from leaves. Of course all tea comes from leaves, but it generally comes dried in a nice little pouch that you soak in your water in the cup. Here it is different. You go outside, collect leaves from trees (orange, lime, mango, pine-just kidding!), rinse them off, throw it in a pot with cinnamon and boil them. It is amazing. With lots of sugar, there really isn't anything better. I've learned to make lots of teas, as there is a tea for any ailment. One with passionfruit and lime and cinnamon for colds, one with celery and allspice and cinnamon for bad tummies...I love learning these things. And it's only slightly off-putting to see all the leaves in the pot!

To be a nurse

We've got shelves!!! Layne has been working so hard and made 3 sets of amazing shelves for the new nurses area! I get to be a real nurse now with medicine on the shelves and labels on my boxes and everything! It's exciting to be a part of all the changes and planning and growing that the school is doing right now. More pictures will be on their way as we get settled into the new space! Oh, and the spaces on the shelves are just big enough to nap in...

Beach days

The team finished with a few days on the beach to relax, enjoy the Dominican Republic water and sand and each other. It was really nice to see old friends and so special that they all came down here. We did about 160 school physicals and a moble medical clinic where we treated about 60-ish patients in the day. Really productive week!

Jarbacoa trip

We took the team to the mountains for the day to show them Jarabacoa...the Ark (our orphanage) and go hiking at Salto Jimenoa. It was a fun day and everyone thankfully made it out alive!

Wow

We have LOTS of kids at school these days. Our new little ones are amazing, beyond words I can even describe. Huge smiles, chubby cheeks, and the newness of being at school, are all fun to be around. Our cafeteria is full at lunchtime as we try to accomodate all the new kids, but it is an exciting reason to be squished. Even though it is only one year old, plans are already being made to expand it! I can't wait to know each of these little guys more, to know their names and their stories and continue to enjoy their lives!

More friends!

So my other friends from university, Dan and Derek, sailed their way into port over the weekend as well. They are sailing around the world (see links to their blogs on the right) and are stopping by to help us for a few weeks. They have had no problem jumping right into work and mixing with the kids. Lots of visitors from good old Grand Canyon University...who's next??!!

Friends team

My friends from university, Rachel and Patty, are here for a week with a team they brought down. It's been a fun week and they have helped so much. We did a mobile medical clinic the first day and the rest of the days have worked at the school. They were able to do all the children's school physicals which I have been trying to do for months! It's also nice to see the girls again and get to work together as nurses!

Back to school

We started back to school today, hooray! I felt like years and years went by without seeing my kids. My favorite part of the day was walking through the village while the kids were on their way to school and getting hug after hug after hug. My day turned around immediately!

We welcomed in our new little ones today as well, there were about 15 of them that came. They're all 4 & 5 years old and in the preschool class. They come with amazing smiles and energetic little bodies...I can't wait to get to know them all.

What a great day it was today, nice to be back to school.

Up the mountain

We (Josue, Benjamin, Robin, and I) hiked the Puerto Plata mountain again yesterday! We went a new way behind the mountain which was fun too. It was such a nice day for it with lots of talking, a few breaks, and lots of water-drinking on the way up. By the time we made it up the clouds were covering everything and we could barely see, but it was still worth the 2 hour hike up. We ended the day with pizza on the beach, which to me makes pretty much any day a perfect day!

Finally!

Sorry for the lack of posting. Due to many complaints and protests, I'm back to being a good poster! Anyhow, so it's been busy since getting back. Some of the best news is that we were able to get a fridge and stove and are now able to cook! Such a relief not having to buy food daily and cook only when there is electricity (which can be a problem!). And yes, the plastic bag is part of the rice-making process.

Back to the D.R.!!

I made it back! Alberto and his family picked me up from the airport (he's the director of the school). When I got to our apartment these guys were waiting to surprise me which was such a nice way to be welcomed back. We talked and talked and ate American licorice and talked more. It's nice to be back!

Last Oregon days

The last few days in Oregon were filled with more visits and more eating! I met up with high school friends Josh Kelson and Brandon Genty and it was, of course, so great to see them again. It's amazing how the years go by yet friendships can stay so normal! I returned cans with my Aunt Lindy which was AMAZING!!! Such a quick trip home, lots of visits with friends and time to talk with family which was the best part!

Happy New Year!!

We had a fun night last night, welcoming 2008 with all (or most) of the family!!

More snow

We spent the morning on Mt. Hood playing in the snow! The kids sledded a very little bit while John found a leftover fire from campers and got it going. It was COLD and took a while to thaw out afterwards, but was fun to play in for awhile!