TEAM 2008 - We always take a serious photo, and a silly photo. Can you tell which this is? :-)

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Up at 3:20 a.m. to check in for our flight, which we discovered was postponed. Had we taken that flight, we would have missed our connecting flight in Florida. So Martires and Vonda worked with the ticket agents to get us on entirely different flights. We flew Delta out of Santo Domingo into Atlanta, Georgia, where we went through Customs, then American Airlines to Chicago, Illinois. Dilio and Martires stayed with us at the airport as long as they could, but they had another team waiting for them. We prayed for them – they’re scheduled with back-to-back teams for a month, and Dilio’s family lives too far away to come into Santo Domingo while he’s there.

We planned to take the Van Galder bus from Chicago to Madison, but Lynn’s husband, Kent, and their son and his wife, Reed and Becca, drove down in vans to take us home. He said: “My wife and daughter are two hours away and I’m going to wait for them to ride a bus? I don’t think so!”

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Finally got a good night’s sleep! Some of the youth from the group of music students stood around and watched as we packed up. Boomboxes are, apparently, another universal. The young men had it cranked up.

Since all our stuff was packed onto the truck, we rode in an air conditioned van to Santo Domingo. What a luxury!

We went shopping at the mall we always visit. Another of the annual traditions is for Fred to get his shoes shined by one of the people outside the mall. Since he wasn’t along, I planned to get mine shined (they needed it!), but there were no shoeshine boys today!

We had lunch at the same chicken place we visit each year – good food, lots of seating space. Martires has the waitress pack up the leftovers in doggie bags, and gives them to the young boys who are begging nearby.

After a short stop at the offices of FH, we drove on to our hotel. Eliezer headed out to meet the next team – we were sorry that he couldn’t stay with us another day. Lynn, Talia and I shared a room. We all enjoy being just a little on the chilly side, so we had the air conditioning cranked up! We headed for the pool right away. The water was warm and soothing. When we got there, some of the others were already involved in a game of keep-away with some of the other hotel guests, who looked about the age to be college students.

Some of the team decided to go for a walk along the beach. Kristi (Martires’ wife) and Krismar, their daughter, stayed, so I did too. I was really enjoying the pool! The college students also stayed in the pool. They’re trying to learn English, so practiced with me. I thought one of them asked “How old are you?” - quite impertinent! Kristi cleared that up, though, he’d said “How are you?” One little word can lead to so much misunderstanding!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Game day!
Each year, the team faces off against the local folks, mostly church members, on the baseball diamond! Talia, Vicki and Lynn came up with a great idea to create a shaded “dugout” using ponchos on the rack of the truck. I can’t pitch, hit, or run, so I guarded the water in the dugout. It was really great to have the shade! It seemed like only a short time until the game was over. We lost this year! :-(

We went back to the camp for an afternoon nap, and to get our things together. Then we came back to the church for the community farewell, with kind speeches from the leaders in the community, and the president of the neighborhood association.

When we got back to camp and had finished supper, we decided it was time for another annual tradition: the tarantula hunt! Since Fred wasn’t along, and I thought it would be good to have a male presence, I invited our interpreters, Dilio and Eliezer. Eliezer was surprised to learn there were tarantulas to be found. Both wanted to know what we were going to do with them. We said we just take pictures. So, I grabbed the big flashlight, and Dilio, Eliezer, Courtney, Katie, Sarah and I went tarantula hunting. Dilio is a natural – he found tarantulas the rest of us would have missed. One was so far in its hole that, even after he pointed it out, we had to look twice to see it. We found four, including one that made its home in the outside wall of the men’s restroom.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Today was my turn to work at the construction site! While things got organized, I sat in the shade. Pretty soon, there was a small group of children around, wanting to sing. Pharaoh was pretty popular, as they were quickly learning that one. This year’s construction project is to stucco the community center that was built last year. So, there was a huge pile of sand, and some in a wheelbarrow. Katie and Talia added a little water to the wheelbarrow, and started showing the kids how to make sand castles. The kids had a great time in the big pile of sand – until the other adults came and chased them out. Oops!

It quickly became apparent that I wasn’t going to be much use with stucco, so I was assigned to guard the water. We have to buy water while we’re there, to avoid getting parasites or whatever from the well water. So, it’s important to keep the spout of the cooler from getting dirty. Sometimes, the smaller children try to drink directly from the spout, so we guard the water. It worked out well for me, because the water was in one of the rooms of the community center. It was out of the sun, and there was enough breeze that day to keep things fairly comfortable if one was out of the direct sunlight.

After lunch, we went back to the job site, and left a different team off to do VBS. It quickly dawned on them that all the singers were at the job site (me, Lynn, Talia), so Vicki came to get me to help with singing. With Nataniel and the other Sheila, the singing went really well. Still, I missed having Lynn there to do the Pharaoh motions!

At the end of VBS, we handed out the baseball caps. They were a smash hit! We got a little taste of what popular ball players must experience, as the children mobbed around us. Those who couldn’t speak English ran up to each of us, pointing at our name on the hat, and then at the team members, letting us know they knew which signature was which person. It was pretty cool.

That evening, the church hosted a farewell to us. Of course, there was lots of singing, let by the other Sheila. She invited me up to sing “Yo Celebrare”, which was a lot of fun.

Pastor sends his greetings to Fred, and hopes to see him next year.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

My devotion time is focused on Wisconsin – my son meets with his attorney for the first time today.

Breakfast was oatmeal, which always tastes better in the DR. No idea why; Millie says she does nothing special.

We met with another of the children Fred and I sponsor, Yesica. We drove in the truck, because it’s quite a ways from the school. Yesica, her brother and her sister live with her grandparents, and attend a charismatic Catholic church. Her grandparents said that protestants in the DR don’t think Catholics are Christians. I shared that I do, I grew up Catholic, and know that, as in many faiths, there are believers in Christ, and people who just go to church. Religion does not make a person a Christian; faith in the blood of Christ does. Dilio shared that, when he decided to accept Christ and leave the Catholic church, he was fired from his job in a Catholic school. Her prayer request is for her grandfather’s health.

Next we visited Phil, Sarah and Courtney’s sponsored child, Rosa. She was very shy. During the course of the visit, we learned that she and her sister sang in the church choir, so we asked her to sing her favorite song. She was too shy to sing alone, but when her sister agreed to sing with her, they sang a very beautiful song for us. We invited them to join us in the afternoon at VBS.

I don’t think I mentioned that it was hot. It was very, very hot. I didn’t take the temperature this year – when I did so last year, it seemed to make the heat harder to take! So, suffice it to say, it was hot.

At the home of Carol’s sponsored child, there really wasn’t room for all of us to go inside, so Courtney, Sarah and I sat on the porch and visited. Courtney asked me what it was like to grow up Catholic. I had an overwhelmingly positive experience in Catholic schools, so I shared that with her.

After that visit, we went back to the school for a lunch of spaghetti with chicken. I must’ve looked hot, because Vicki insisted on having me use her fan, which was a more powerful than mine. We hitched a ride on the truck to the church for VBS, singing all the way. I’ll get those songs down, yet!!

Nataniel and Katarina joined us to lead singing. I saw Rosa and her sister, and the were all smiles during Pharoah! I’m not as graceful as Lynn doing the motions, so I’m sure it was pretty funny to watch! One of the songs Nataniel and Katarina sang was called “Tu Fidelidad” and it’s very beautiful. If I got it down right, the words are:

Tu fidelidad, es grande
Tu fidelidad incomparable es
Nadi es como tu, Bendito Dios
Grande es tu fidelidad

Quiero llenar tu trono de alabanza
Quiero llenar tu trono de Adoracion
Quiero Adorar postrado en tu presencia
Y Proclamar te Señor

The craft project for the day was to make friendship bracelets. Courtney had cut all the colors of the strings, and sorted them into baggies with a bead for each. She went to a lot of work! The kids loved the craft – the strings were braided together about halfway, the gold bead added, then the rest of the string braided. The children were to give it to a friend.

After VBS, I was pampered so much I joked about getting the spa treatment – Martires and Lynn brought me ice water, Mario fanned me, Nataniel gave me a shoulder rub. I could get spoiled!

Some of the team were handing out more letters to sponsored children, and we took the other children outside. One of the children asked me if I liked to dance (because I’d been doing the motions to Pharaoh, I suppose). I said, yes, I used to enjoy doing a polka. Naturally, that wasn’t a dance they knew, so I had to show them. There’s nothing quite like a vigorous polka in the 100+ degree heat! After I showed them the basic steps, I dragged Rick into the demonstration. Dilio also took a go at it. It was fun!
Phil, Sarah and Courtney led the devotional on what it means to be a missional church. Wish I’d written more down, because it was a really good devotional.

Dilio looked very sad, so a couple of us talked to him and learned he would be away from his family for a month. He showed us pictures of his wife, and said he has two sons and an infant daughter.

Then we gathered in the camp’s conference room to sign caps. Sarah had the great idea to get baseball caps, and have all the team members sign them, to give to the VBS students. 150 caps take a while to sign, so it got to be a bit late before we slept.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The coffee drinkers on the team were delighted to be having breakfast at the school, because it meant that Millie would have coffee for them! We enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs (huevos), toast with guava or pineapple jelly, and fruit – papaya and mango.

Today’s home visit was to one of the children we sponsor – Rafael. His home is near the school and kitchen that previous teams built. When we got there, only Rafael and his older sister were home. Both parents work in the city of Santo Domingo. We had a nice visit. When we asked for prayer requests, Rafael asked that we’d pray his mother finds a better job. They sent us on our way with plenty of fresh coconuts to share with the team! We dropped those off at the kitchen, and walked on to visit Jenny’s sponsored child, Ray (rah-ee).

As we walk, we often sing, and I noticed Nataniel sings very well. I asked him if he would help sing in VBS, and he said that he didn’t bring his guitar. (He leads music at his home church.) I tried to convince him he didn’t need to play guitar to sing, but he seemed reluctant.

Ray is very tall! Jenny has sponsored him for several years, since he was quite small. His mother, Freddi, is a community health care worker. She shared that, a few years ago, leaders of the church walked around their community, claiming it in the name of Christ. This reminded Dilio of one of the songs we’d been singing, “Look What God is Doing”, so with him translating, we sang the verse that applied: “He is calling faithful men, to carry out His plan. So in the power of Jesus’ name, go possess the land!”

Freddi asked about Fred (my husband), and I assured her that he was well, but could not come to visit. A few years ago, he injured his knee badly. It’s fully recovered, but it took several months of therapy and treatment. He became very ill last year, and it took a long time to recover completely from whatever that was.

Jenny and Ray had a nice visit. He is handsome as well as tall, so we weren’t surprised when a lovely teen from nearby stopped in to talk!

Ray has a friend with a guitar that Nataniel could borrow, so no more excuses! He’ll be helping with singing this afternoon!

The last home we visited has four sponsored children! Their sponsors were not on the team, but we knew at least one of the sponsors. The oldest child is 15, and she showed us some of the academic awards she’s received. One of the boys’ names sounds like “Beeto” when he says it, but it’s Victor. He has an infectious smile!

After lunch, off to VBS! Nataniel, Sheila (in the DR, it’s pronounced Shay-lah) and Katarina helped us with the singing. The kids are catching on fast to the Pharaoh song!

After VBS, letters were given to the sponsored children. Lynn and some of the kids kept doing Pharaoh, and we tried to keep the children who didn’t have letters busy with singing and games.

Martires has another team coming before we leave, so he had to ride the bus into town to do some of the preparation. It’s a two-hour ride. I don’t envy him the schedule he’s keeping!

We were joined by Eliezer (Ay-lee-ay-TSER), a young man from Constanza, about two hours north of our location. At 19, he’s taught himself English. The team enjoyed teaching him and Dilio some English idioms – piece of cake, mind your p’s and q’s, that sort of thing.
Supper was mashed bananas and onions, similar to having mashed potatoes, and cheese. Eresmende of FH joined us for devotions. Then he talked about how FH and the church we work with, Iglesia La Senda, and Pastor Miguel have worked together. He talked about how the churches tend to be somewhat insular, and learning to reach out to others outside the church is a challenge that Pastor Miguel is meeting.

Monday, June 18, 2007

I woke earlier than Carol and Vonda. I tried to get my stuff so I could brush my teeth and do my devotions while I waited for the rest of the team to wake, but I wasn’t very well organized. I kept making enough noise to disturb Carol. While I was doing my devotions, I realized I didn’t have my pen or my reading glasses, so instead of disturbing Carol and Vonda AGAIN, I used it as prayer time. My daughter was traveling to New Jersey, and my son and his wife are getting a divorce, so there was no shortage of prayer material.

Dilio found me trying to practice “Alabare”, so he helped me get the words right. Throughout the rest of the trip, he and Nataniel and I sang it pretty often!

After breakfast, we headed to the work site. TeAnni was there, along with several other children, to greet us. TeAnni speaks some English, so she helped us carry on conversations with the children.

The VBS team went on home visits. The first day, Sarah, Lynn, Talia and I were on the home visits. Dilio translated, and Luis and Nataniel, the youth workers with FH, determined which homes we’d visit, and helped us find them!

We visited Lynn’s and Talia’s sponsored child first. Lynn and Talia hadn’t gotten to see their child in six years, so it was pretty exciting! Talia speaks Spanish quite well – she was home schooled, and her Spanish tutor is from Peru – so she was able to talk directly with their child. Their child is right next door to Maria, whom we sponsored for many years. During the course of the visit, we learned Maria had married an older brother of the child we were visiting. At each home, we ask if there is anything they’d like prayed about. Isobel would like us to pray for her husband, who is straying from the faith.

After lunch, we got ready for Vacation Bible School. Sarah prepared the lessons, and it was obvious she put a lot of work into the planning and preparation. While we were waiting for the children, I shared that the previous night, I dreamed we had 50 children on the first day of VBS. I pointed out that I don’t usually have prophetic dreams, so it was probably just a dream, but wouldn’t it be cool if we had 50 or so kids come?

Lynn and Talia opened with the singing. I mostly sat by the open door – I was feeling a little wobbly. (The temperature in the church is typically about 95°F, and it always takes me a day or two to get to where I’m drinking enough liquids to handle the heat.) I enjoyed watching Lynn and Talia teach the children the motions to “Pharaoh, Pharaoh”. Lynn is always so graceful in everything she does.

One kinda neat thing I noticed: When we do that song at our home church, there are almost always a few 4th or 5th grade boys who come up in the front to “strut their stuff”. Some things are universal – there were two boys today up front doing the motions. I had to smile! J

This week’s theme is Moses – how he answered God’s calling. Dilio told the story for the first lesson. He’s very good with children, his teaching experience certainly showed through. He kept the children engaged, attentive and involved.

Today’s craft was coloring a picture related to the story. We had Dilio emphasize to the children that we would distribute the paper and crayons and they were to stay seated, and share the crayons. It went very well – and the children enjoyed showing us their coloring.

Sarah did a head count, and was tickled to find we had 53 children on our first day!