Brandon had a severe case of traveller's flu, and we had a long wait at the airport. We persuaded him to rest in a wheelchair while we got checked in at the Santo Domingo airport (Photo courtesy of Vicki) 

This photo is out of order here, but this gentleman told us he was over 90, and wanted his picture taken on his horse, so his son would have something to remember him by when he dies. (Photo courtesy of Vicki) 

Sunday, June 25

We were up at 3:00 a.m, as our flight was to leave at 6:40 and we needed to be there early to check luggage and get through security. Brandon was sick again, and Jenny, Casey, Carol and Karyn were also feeling a little sick. Rick had taken Cipro, as he brushed his teeth with the water at the resort before we learned that it was not safe to do so.

At the airport, Arianne nudged me and pointed at the arrivals and departures board – our flight had been cancelled! We all looked at each other, thinking: “We could have slept in!” By this time, it was apparent that Brandon was quite ill, as were Casey and Karyn.

Vonda and Martires went to the ticket counter to try to get us on another flight. At first, American tried to put us on a flight for the next day. Vonda told them that was unacceptable, so they scrambled, and got a flight for us that day. We flew out of Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, we went through US Customs. Puerto Rico is a US Territory, so we were technically on US soil! We had a six hour layover, and Brandon was getting worse. So Vonda had paramedics who were on staff at the airport come over and check him out. They gave him an injection of Fennegren, an anti-nausea medication, and said he needed Gatorade or water with lemon or lime to rehydrate. Everyone had packed their Gatorade in their checked luggage. I had a package of Spark, which is what I use to stay hydrated, and gave that to him. Fred had just come back with a bottle of water for me, and we used that to mix the Spark for Brandon. There wasn’t any Gatorade in any of the stores in the airport, so I suggested checking the sports bar for lemon or lime. I think Karyn did that; I’m not sure. They had a lime, and gave us some for Brandon. He started getting better.

From San Juan, we flew to Tampa, where we were scheduled for a one hour layover. It was raining heavily. Our plane was delayed, and it was a two hour layover. Brandon was running a fever, and shivering. None of us had brought long sleeves, so Vonda bought a sweatshirt for him from one of the gift shops. We’d also borrowed some blankets from the airlines, and he lay on the floor wrapped in blankets. Carol was also running a fever. She wanted to take an aspirin, and I offered to get a bottle of water for her. She said, “I have an empty bottle – would you find a bubbler and refill it.” Oh yeah, we can drink the water! It’s good to be back in the continental United States!

We were able to use our cell phones in Tampa, so Vonda, Carol, and Vicki coordinated people to pick us up in Chicago and drive us to Madison. Several of us also called our families to let them know of the changes in plans.

From Tampa, we finally flew to Chicago, arriving at about 10 p.m. Noranne Heifner and Jonathan Hart (driving Rick’s van), both team members in prior years; and Wes Pike (Brandon’s dad) picked us up at the airport. We drove to the park and ride at 51 and The Beltline, arriving at about 1:00 a.m., where some of us were met by family, and others rode with Noranne, Jon, or Wes to their homes. Melanie met us with the van, and we took Arianne to her parents’ home to get her vehicle. She drove to her home in Fort Atkinson after that!

We got home and to bed about 2:00 a.m., so I was very surprised when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep!

All in all, it was a good trip. Although many people were sick during the trip (I’m the only person who got by without taking any Cipro or having any nausea), we were loved and cared for. God provided what we needed – from Juanita’s loving care to English speaking doctors, to paramedics at the airport, to the love and prayers of our teammates and the community.

The community of Los Botados is making progress, and that was very encouraging! God’s work continues, and it was great fun to be a part of it! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who contributed to our mission, and to all who helped us get there and back again!

God bless!

Rick has really nice hair. Vicki took this photo as this young girl decided he needed some "stylin". 

Saturday, June 24

After showers, we had a light breakfast at the camp. We were on the road by 9:10 a.m., which was only ten minutes past when we were supposed to be on the road! That’s something of a record, I think.

We stopped at one home so Karyn could deliver a gift to her sponsored child, and we stopped for bottles of water. We also stopped so Martires and Vonda could go to the construction site and look for the memory card from Vonda’s camera. They did not find it, and there were a LOT of pictures on that card! In Santo Domingo, we stopped to get gas in the truck and so several of us could use the facilities. Then we went shopping in the “Miguel” Gift Shop, which we visit every year. While there, we visited with a team of Nazarenes from Washington, DC, and there was another team from Ohio working with FH! Andres, who was with our team in 2005, was with that team. They’d been in Constanza, and were heading back to the US later on Sunday than we were. We also learned they’d be staying at the same place we were for the night.

Then we drove to the chicken place for lunch. The chicken was very good, and we also had yucca, and rice. The mustard bottle on the tables holds yucca oil & lime, not mustard. It’s a little salty for me, but some on the team like it.

We then headed to the resort where it rained all afternoon. Some of the team went for a walk, while some of us chose to just rest up. I wrote some in my journal (I got through Tuesday), hoping to capture the memories before they fade.

At supper, we learned that Carol and Karyn were sick, and Casey was resting because she wasn’t feeling quite up to par, either. She came for the meeting after supper, though. Vonda presented Martires and Victor with their models of the church (given to last year’s team), and we took pictures and exchanged hugs. Kristy (Martires’ wife) and their children were there, as well as Victor’s wife, Lucy. We enjoyed a nice visit. We also took a few pictures with both teams (Ohio & WI) together. Then off to bed – we had an early flight to catch!

Karyn has sponsored Ramona (the girl in front wearing light blue) for several years. Rick took this picture of Karen with Ramona, her mother, and her sister. 

Casey was terrific with the kids in VBS! (Photo courtesy of Rick) 

Ariane took this photo of the "ringers" Jose recruited for the baseball game. 

Ariane after the farewell ceremony, with a couple of her friends. (Photo courtesy of Ariane) 

After the annual baseball game, Pastor Miguel at the farewell ceremony, with Martires translating. (Photo courtesy of Vicki) 

Victor's wife and niece joined us later in the week. (Photo courtesy of Vicki) 

Friday, June 23.

“Revenge is a dish that is best served cold”, says the Klingon adage. Apparently, it’s at least second best in the heat. And Brandon (allegedly) found a way to exact revenge. He put notes and copies of his picture on many colors of duct tape, and made a veritable web of tape across Vonda’s door (and, consequently, Carol and Ariane’s door, as they were all in the same room). We all shared a good laugh, and then it was off to breakfast and another busy, busy day.

Brandon wasn’t feeling well, so this was his day for Juanita’s ministrations!

We had VBS in the morning, because the annual Dominican/American baseball challenge was scheduled for the afternoon!

Today’s project was on the theme of giving your heart to Jesus, so each of the children had a felt heart to decorate, and then return to us so it could be glued to banners to hang in the church. They also colored and decorated a banner to send to High Point Church. Most were willing to give the felt hearts back, but some wanted to take them home or glue them to their clothing as decoration!

Lunch was spaghetti! I don’t know just how she does it, but Millie’s spaghetti is the best! She had two kinds this year – one traditional, and one made with corn and Gouda cheese that is sort of like macaroni and cheese, only better.

It rained a bit, and we thought the baseball game might be rained out. It cleared up enough that we could play, but about an hour later than originally planned (but exactly on time, as we were in the DR). While the others sorted out who would play what position for which team, Casey handed out jump ropes for the children to use during the game. She and I “turned” so children could jump. It was fun, and the children wanted to count in English, so we counted their jumps.

Later, I sat on the cooler in the truck, visited with some of the children, and watched a little bit of the game. The truck was parked far enough away to keep from being damaged. Since some of the team were “ringers” from the minor league training camp nearby, that was quite a ways away, so I didn’t see much detail. The American team lost this year’s game! But they convinced the DR team to play a second 2 inning game, to have a chance to get even. Our team won by a score of 1-0, and celebrated extensively!

After the game, we drove to the school for the farewell ceremony. Francisco, the president of the neighborhood association, said that this is not goodby, but more of a “so long, we’ll see you again later”. There were many tears, and thank yous. Fred stood up and said thank you to all the people who’d helped him while he was sick. I have to say, I felt we were very much loved and cared for in the Dominican Republic. It was almost as though our own families were there!

We got back to the camp quite late, so we had supper quickly, said a prayer together, and went to packing and to bed.

One of the tarantula's found on the campgrounds. 

The children loved having their pictures taken! (Photo courtesy of Ariane) 

One of Fred's young friends thought his hat was pretty cool! (Photo courtesy of Ariane) 

Alejandrina's "Eggplant" (Photo courtesy of Ariane) 

Karyn was on the first team, and this is her first trip back in six years. I think she was happy to be back, don't you? (Photo courtesy of Rick and Casey) 

Brandon, aka "Quiqui" aka "Rojo" with a few admirers. All of the children wanted pictures of "Quiqui". 

The VBS lessons were about being created by God, who loves each of us. These two are showing off the mirror frames they decorated. Jenny and Casey came up with some terrific projects to emphasize the lessons! 

Construction on the community center went well. It was overcast or raining much of the week. 

Thursday, June 22.

Wonder of wonders, we all awoke in good health!

Breakfast at the school, then part of the team went to the construction site, and a few to home visits. At one of the homes, we visited with the “Maestro” from our 2003 mission. The Maestro had been our “job boss” on the school construction project. He had not been available for the 2005 kitchen project, as he had paying work with the stadium in Yamasa. He sent greetings to his brother, Tom Klingbiel. He asked about John and Esther, and the rest of the family. We told him they were doing well, but unable to come to the DR. Maestro’s wife was ill, so we gathered around her and prayed for her.

Another home we visited had many roosters. We asked if they raised them for food, and were told they were raised for the cock fights!

At another home, we were given a gift of pineapples. We took them to Millie and her team of cooks to be properly cleaned and prepared for lunch. They were a lighter color, but very good! I thought it was a more pineapply-tasting pineapple than we get from the store. I don’t know how else to describe it!

After lunch, it was a busy afternoon! Part of the team continued with construction, while part of the team did VBS, part of the team met with the community leaders, and part of the team hosted an outing for the women of the church!

At the meeting with the community leaders, the team invited them to ask questions. Someone asked what the team members do at home. Rick told them he works with a government program to get benefits to the needy. They were quite surprised that anyone in America was needy! They also asked how many more years we’d be coming down. Our church made a 10 year commitment – and we’ve sent teams down for seven years. Vonda said we’d be coming back as long as the Lord led us to do so. This, of course, is a second hand report, as I was with the VBS team.

We had about 130 children at VBS. It was more orderly. For one thing, it seems word had gotten around, so there were more mothers and men from the community. Calvin, the youth pastor, and Elvis, who wants to start a Christian radio station, were both there. Also, we asked Victor to explain to the children that if they weren’t willing to wait their turns, and started rushing around us and grabbing, we would simply pack everything up and send them home.

After VBS, we handed out the foam airplanes to the children (after they mobbed Rick, Victor made them all go back to their seats, where they were handed out one at a time), and dismissed them out the side door, where the women were meeting. Big mistake! They all wanted to join the women’s group, which was meeting in the shade of the trees near the church. All the children wanted to do the women’s craft, which was making cards. With Martires, we shooed them back. I always dislike turning children away, but we felt it was important for the women to have some time as well.

At our evening meeting, the construction team shared that the Dominicans had been working very hard on the community center. It was almost as if our team was slowing them down! We were thrilled, as this is part of the “Vision of Community” that Food for the Hungry emphasizes. (If you’d like to learn more specifics, visit www.fh.org. I won’t plagiarize their material here!) After all, these trips aren’t about the project – we could hire local contractors if that was all that was needed. The real purpose is to share Christ, and help the community grow in Christ, as we try to help develop the community in more earth-bound ways. (Clinics, good nutrition, education, etc.)

As we were going to bed, Vicki asked if Fred would be taking the teens on a tarantula hunt. It’s become a tradition to spend some time looking for tarantulas. I said he was already in bed, so probably not. When I told Fred, he said, “Well, it’s drier than it has been all week, and it’s late enough, so this is probably the best night for it.” So, he got up, got dressed, and he, Kati, and Brandon went tarantula hunting. They found a few, but none as big as the one Kecia saw the first year.

Turns out they played right into Vonda’s hands! Allegedly (all evidence is circumstantial), she and a couple of accomplices used red duct tape and wrapped it around Brandon’s mattress, door, and anything else to which it would stick. (His other nickname, because of a long joke he tells, is Rojo, meaning red.) They’d also put his picture on the mirrors and walls in the men’s room.

Didn't turn out as clearly as we'd have liked, but here is Fred with his Spanish teachers. He said they were very demanding teachers! 

Fred and I with our sponsored children, Rafael and Maria.  

Wednesday, June 21

I overslept! When I got up, it was 7:10, and the team was leaving at 7:30! We hurriedly got dressed, and hopped on the truck. Turns out the reason Vicki had heard us talking was that she was already awake, due to being ill. She took Immodium and Cipro right away, though, and said she was feeling a little better. Karyn was also feeling ill. They both wanted to stay with the team, so we drove to the school for breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed to church for the sponsored children’s outing. Sponsors back in Wisconsin sent cards down with us, and we had a gathering for the children to get their cards, and an opportunity to make cards or bookmarks to send to their sponsors. Casey and Jenny are very crafty, so they’d purchased all sorts of neat stickers, ribbons, and such for the children to use to make cards. Only about a third of the children for whom we had cards and/or letters were able to attend.

Rafael, the young man we began sponsoring after Elison left the program, was there. We learned his favorite subject in school is mathematics and he wants to be a soldier when he finishes school.

Mary (Maria) is no longer in the program, but lives near the church, so someone ran to her house to see if she could come. So we also had a nice visit with her! She is almost finished with her secondary education – she told us she has tests to take and then will be finished. She is not sure what she will do after school. She has a job, but would like to study either accounting or medicine. She likes both, but studying medicine would take many more years than accounting!

Then, after lunch, we had VBS. This was the day the children were to make hand puppets from paper bags. We’d brought paper bags, with the tongue and mouth already glued/drawn on, and lots of stuff for them to finish the project. It was rather chaotic! All of the children (and there were approximately 150 of them) wanted all of the stuff – stickers, markers, crayons, glue, cut outs, etc. And they weren’t willing to sit still while we handed things out! I am somewhat uncomfortable in large crowds, and especially if they are pressing in upon me, and I lost my temper. Casey was wise enough to send me out for a break! I took a chair, and sat in the shade behind the church until I regained my calm. I was very glad it was cooler. I forgot to bring the thermometer, though, so I don’t know how much cooler!

After VBS, about six of the little girls decided Fred should learn some Spanish, and they should teach him. He told us they were quite demanding instructors! He had a lot of fun though!

We discussed on the way back to camp ways that we might be able to have a more orderly time in VBS. One thing we decided was that we had to set limits. In the chaos, it would have been easy for one of the smaller children to get hurt, and we certainly don’t want that!

Martires, Jose and Victor, from Food for the Hungry 

This is Juanita, who looked after Fred while he was sick on Tuesday. They were in a room at the back of the church. 

June 20, Tuesday

I woke sometime after midnight, as I often do even at home. Fred asked me to check the temperature in the room – it was 80°. Then he asked me to check his temperature. I said I didn’t bring an oral thermometer, and asked if he was feeling sick. He said that he’d been shivering, and he never shivers in a room that is 80°! He tried to get more sleep, and I prayed for him until I dozed off again.

In the morning, we told the rest of our teammates. Vonda suggested that we stay back at the camp so Fred could rest. However, Fred and I both felt it would be better to go with the team. If we stayed at the camp, and he got worse, we had no way to call them and let them know we needed help. I don’t know enough Spanish to communicate what he might have needed to the guards at the camp! So, we went with the team to have breakfast.

This year, all the cooking for the team was done in the kitchen built by last year’s team, so we had breakfast at the school. Millie and her team prepared a delicious breakfast of eggs scrambled with onions, jugo (juice), bread and jam. Fred tried to eat a little, but couldn’t eat much at all.

After breakfast, we drove over to the church. We discussed whether I should stay with Fred, or go on the home visits. When I was in the DR last year, I’d bonded with Juanita, and she had been anxious to watch over me and take care of me. She’s a very caring person, with several grandchildren, so I thought she would be willing to take care of Fred. Especially since he just wanted to sleep. He’d taken a Ciproflaxen at breakfast. She was more than willing to do so – she seemed happy to be asked.

Knowing Fred would be well looked after, we set off for the home visits. One of the homes we visited that day was Alejandrina’s home. We’ve visited there in past years, and her home is easy to remember. She has a very nice garden, and she has decorated a plant in her yard by putting blown eggs over the tips of the leaves. It is very festive! She remembered me from our visit last year. We had a very nice visit – she and her husband, who works in Santo Domingo, have ten children. Three of their children attend the University in Santo Domingo.

After some home visits, we walked back to the church to check on Fred. He was sitting up, and had taken another Cipro. Juanita had brought a mattress for him to lie down on. She’d also brought an oscillating fan, and had it blowing on him. Someone had loaned a bandanna (I think it was Carol), and Juanita soaked it with cool water and put it on his forehead.

We re-read the directions on the Cipro, and realized we had misread the directions – he was to take one every 12 hours, not every ½ hour! We all discussed that, and decided to see how he felt later. The Cipro had stopped one of his symptoms, and his fever also seemed to be down. It was hard to be sure, though, as we didn’t have an oral thermometer there.

Since he didn’t feel like eating, we left him in Juanita’s capable hands while we had lunch at the school. I think we had chicken, with vegetables and fruit, but I don’t remember for sure. We were delayed in getting back to the church when it rained – a real gully washer! Throughout the rest of the day, we had downpours alternating with light rainfall.

Calvin, the youth pastor, stopped by the school while we were there. He said his father had been injured and couldn’t work, so he was driving cab to help the family. (His father raises cacao.) His father is getting better, though, so Calvin thinks he can go back to school in September. He wants to be an attorney. He is also on a multi-church committee of pastors trying to put together a Christian library for the community. He’s pretty excited about that!

Fred was still very sleepy. Vonda said we should wake him every 30 minutes to make sure he drank some water to avoid getting dehydrated. I didn’t have a watch with me, so I borrowed Karyn’s watch for the afternoon. Before the rest of the team left for the construction site, we all gathered around him and prayed for him.

The team didn’t stay long at the construction site, as it kept raining. Almost everyone ended up helping with VBS.

When I checked back on Fred, Yulisa and Fredi were helping Juanita. Yulisa is a doctor at the hospital in Yamasa, so she checked him over. She brought a blood pressure cuff, and found his blood pressure was elevated. He was still quite out of it when VBS was over, and said he was achy all over. Martires, Vonda and I decided it would be a good idea to take him to the hospital in Santo Domingo.

The only vehicle we had was the truck, so Martires needed to get the team back to the camp first. I also needed to go to the camp to get the travel insurance paperwork. We left him with Juanita, and drove back to the camp.

Since there was a chance that we would need to stay overnight in Santo Domingo, I packed a change of clothes for each of us, as well as our medications and toiletries. Vicki and Arianne made sandwiches for us to eat on the way . Carol got the insurance card for us, and Vonda unlocked our passports. On the way back to church to get Fred, Martires, Vonda and I stopped at a clinic to ask about an ambulance. They didn’t have any available, and suggested we check with the fire department. We decided not to take the time.

Plan B: We drove a route that would take us past Calvin’s house. His cab was there! So we stopped, and Martires ran inside to look for Calvin. He must have been told Calvin was visiting a little ways away, and pretty soon, Calvin and Martires came running back. Calvin followed us with his cab to the church, and carefully helped Fred into the cab, and made sure I was buckled in safely.

Then off we sped to Santo Domingo, with Vonda and Martires in the truck and Fred and I in the cab. There are many twists and turns, and a fair number of bumps in the road from Los Botados to Santo Domingo! Shortly after we entered Santo Domingo, Fred became ill in the cab. Calvin’s compassion showed again, as he patted Fred’s back until he was finished. Then we sped on to the hospital.

Once Martires explained the situation, Fred was whisked into a bed in the emergency room. The internist who initially examined him could also speak English! That helped matters substantially, and took some of the load of translating off of Martires. Fred’s temperature was 38° Kelvin; I asked and learned that 37° is normal, so his temperature was not high. They took a blood sample, and determined he was dehydrated. His stomach was hurting, too, and he was achy all over. His blood pressure was still a little high.

The internist consulted with the floor physician, a woman. While they were consulting, Fred and I talked and came to the realization that he probably hadn’t digested Monday’s blood pressure medicine before getting sick, and had not taken Tuesday’s medicine. When the internist returned, we told him and he said Fred should take the medicine. He also had the med tech start an IV, and give Fred an injection (through the IV) of something to help his stomach.

We told the physician about Fred taking too much Cipro. She asked, through the internist who translated, why he took it at all. She said that Cipro is a preventative. (When we told Rick that, he said, “Sure, it prevents you from breaking your ankle racing to the bano!”)

It was warm in the ER, so I stepped into the hall for a while. Martires and Vonda were playing a competitive game of double Solitaire to pass the time! Luis of Food for the Hungry, and his wife and youngest daughter came to see how we were, too. His wife and daughter are both very beautiful.

Fred improved rapidly after that. The doctor wrote two prescriptions for him, verified he could be up and about without being dizzy, and said we could go. Martires took care of paying the hospital bill, since we didn’t have any pesos, and Jose Almante drove us back to the camp. At one point, I noticed the speedometer needle was at 100. I was briefly worried, but then realized it was KPH, not MPH! Whew!

Vonda and Martires stopped at his house to see his wife and children briefly, and then found an all night pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled.

We got back to the camp at about 1:00 a.m. I wanted to let Carol know that we were back, and Martires and Vonda would be back later, but didn’t remember what room she was in. So, I ended up waking Karyn and Jenny. Karyn was very surprised to see us, and extremely happy that Fred was okay. She said they’d been praying intensely for Fred that evening. While I was filling Karyn in, Vicki heard me, and came out to give me a hug. We woke Carol to let her know, too. They were all thrilled Fred was okay.

While Fred and I were getting settled in to sleep, Vonda and Martires pulled in (about 2:00 a.m.). Knowing everyone was safely back at camp, I slept like a log (for what was left of the night)!

Natanael (Nah-tah-nye-ell) who is the child sponsorship coordinator for Los Botados, and Victor, who translated for us, and is marvelous at leading the children in VBS! 

Usually, the children want their photo taken. This day, one of the little girls wanted to take photos of us with our camera. This is inside the church, "La Senda". 

June 19, Monday

We had breakfast at the camp – cereal and milk, bread, peanut butter, and jelly. It hit the spot! Then we drove over to the church.

It was hot. How hot? Well, this year, we brought an outdoor thermometer so we’d know. In the shade, it was 85°. In the sun, 110°. Fred and the others thought that might be a faulty reading though, as I’d taken it with the thermometer setting on the frame of the truck.

Did I mention it was hot?

While the rest of the team started construction, Casey, Karyn, Victor and I set off to visit homes in the area. In past years, we’ve made a point to visit the homes of sponsored children, especially those sponsored by team members. This year, we just set off in one direction, and visited homes as we came to them. We visited five homes on Monday. We asked their names, and the names and ages of their children so we can pray for them when we get home.

We also asked about their faith. In some cases, we were encouraged by their faith. At two of the homes, Casey shared her testimony. She and Victor also shared that, although our backgrounds, skin color, etc. are different, all that matters to God is that we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

At each of the homes, we also invited them to ask us questions. (Our own version of “Ask Me Anything”!) Most did not have many questions for us. Those who did typically wanted to know something about one former teammate or another, or if we knew their child’s “patricinador” (sponsor).

And it was still hot.

Pastor Miguel and his lovely wife, Josi (Photo courtesy of Vicki) After the welcoming service, there was an evening service at the church, "La Senda". 

With some of our Dominican friends, behind the church, after the welcoming ceremony (Photo courtesy of Vicki)