Hello everybody,
For those of you who didn’t see our first post before it mysteriously disappeared:
The D.R. is a very chill place! We spend our days in various ways: sometimes we go to the office and help with filing or translating; we go to the villages and play games with kids; Ashley helps with the sponsorship program in the villages; Taylor works with the clinic; Elizabeth teaches english (Ashley too!) We have a weekly schedule which is good because if we didn’t, it is so relaxed we would probably not do anything!
The main ministry here is in the Haitian villages, called bateyes. The people do not have legal standing in any way and are very poor, but COTN is doing incredible things to help bring the kids to a beter place through education.
We all live with host families which is an adventure! Ashley really likes her family; she says, “My sister is like the Dominican version of me!” Elizabeth’s family alternate between being completely silent and being very loud–there are 3 kids. Taylor lives with a doctor and a pastor. The language barrier is really difficult for all of us but the families are all very friendly despite our lack of ability to communicate properly. This has definitely resulted in a few frustrated days. The Dominicans all think that we don’t eat enough and it is hard to say no! Especially without knowing the right words to be polite.
Church is always an adventure. Ashley likes it; there are a lot of people her age and cute little girls. Elizabeth and taylor’s church is very, very loud, and a sometimes alarming experience, but it is something to learn more about the culture through. Everyone goes to church multiple times a week.
As you may have guessed from the title, we are halfway through our time here! It is hard to believe. It feels sometimes like we just got here! A couple of cool experiences that we have had:
One night there was a huge thunderstorm! We were all sitting up on the roof of the Casa (which is kind of the home base for visiting teams here in the DR, and a little piece of paradise) when we saw the lightning and heard thunder in the distance. Before we knew it the storm was upon us, and it was such a powerful testament to God’s power in this beautiful place.
We have all gone to various beaches and rivers, which is very popular. Elizabeth’s family often has no water at their house and goes to the river instead of showering sometimes. That is another thing here–water and electricity are often sporadic, which can be a challenge.
We have a retreat this weekend with our other 3 team members from other places. We are all very excited! We are going to go to a really nice beach (most of the beaches in Barahona are rocky and so-so) and get some time to just chill out a little! It will surely be a refreshing exerience.