Too late to build an ark....

The past three days have been quite unusual. It began raining Saturday about noon, sort of off and on, but mostly ON! Then Sunday the winds began and the rain in earnest!

We started to hear faint rumblings about a tropical depression #16. Then it was a tropical storm named Noel. It was headed for Haiti but we were going to get some of it.

Well Noel had a mind of his own and he did NOT agree with the forecasters. He sort of slowed down at the Dominican end of the island. Progress had been 7 mph, but he slowed to 5 mph and took a turn to the Dominican. Juan Dolio, where we are on the southern coast, rec'd between 10-12 inches of rain by last night, (Monday).

The winds got up to 60 mph and at times were coming in three sides of the apartment at the same time. Didn't need any fans to keep it cool. For the first time since we moved here in December of 2003, I actually slept in long sleep pants and had a blanket on the bed! That part of it was nice.

I had to close the front windows to our bedroom completely as, obviously, the rain was coming in. The living room windows even though they face the same way are recessed because of our balcony and then another overhang. So, those thankfully could be left open.

Yesterday Bob and I walked up to the beach after the worst of it had passed. WOW! the waves were impressive. Just hoped it didn't ruin the new beachfront they finally installed after it was destroyed with Hurricane George in 1998! We then got in the car and drove towards Boca Chica. We stopped a few times along the way as this is all coastal driving. HUGE waves were churning, and clashing and rising about 10-12-15 feet just off the shore. When they would hit the coral shore, they would then send spray across the road. It was really something to see.

Our power went out yesterday morning. Turns out it was a nationwide blackout. Power resumed about 7ish at night. We have an invertor, but we didn't want to run too many electrical things. Since we weren't sure how long the power would be off, we wanted to save as much power as possible in the invertor to keep the frig going. Another reason to have a gas stove! We could still cook, and with our Costa Rican coffee maker we were all set.

We were settled in with our candles and kerosene lamps, reading together Brian Jacque's "The Voyage of the Flying Castaways" when the power kicked on.!!! YEAH! It took our invertor over 5 hours to recharge after that!

Our clinic is closed today since the workers are in San Pedro and the doctor is in Consuelo and the roads are flooded and a mess. There are some trees down, but not too bad..palm trees bend with the winds so are less prone to toppling. We did see one huge billboard completely pulled out of the ground and toppled over a bldg at the Metro Country Club. Needless to say the tile roof was in need of much repair.

We have about 10 pots scattered around our apartment gathering drips. The worst is in our bedroom, so we pulled the mattress to the living room floor last night. It's back propped up against the wall during the day. Flat cement roofs may be cheaper and easier to construct, but they make no sense in a tropical country that can get some heavy downpours. All that water just sits there soaking thru the cement.

Today is still overcast and quite breezey. Sky looks like it could rain again. It rained and thundered some during the night, but the worst is over. This was just a Topical Storm, can't imagine a hurricane!

On the Dominican news online there is much concern over the fact that the government here never issued a weather warning, eventhough Puerto Rico, Haiti and Cuba all had them.

Praise the LORD for safety and a somewhat dry apartment.

Finally!

Well it looks like I've finally figured out how to access my own blog. Have tested it out a few times and it seems to work each time. I never had this problem on the old blog style; but when it switched to google, it decided to make it very difficult for me to get on my own blog. Hopefully, it lasts!
We have been back in the Dominican Republic for a month now. Things seem to be settling into a routine, which is nice! I've gotten the apartment cleaned and everything back in its place. Leaving an aparment for over two months when it is prone to roof leaks requires some packing and covering of items to preserve items. Then there is the inevitable washing of most clothes, towels and linens to remove the musty smell. eewww!!!
It started raining yesterday, Saturday, about noon and it has not stopped other than for brief periods. It's expected to last thru Tuesday, as there is a tropical depression 175 miles off the southern coast. And yes, we live on the southern coast! They are predicting 6-10 inches and possibly up to 15! There are very few paved roads. San Pedro de Macoris is the closest town and is where the church is that we most frequently attend, (also the location of one of the grocery stores where we can trust the meat!). Just in a normal rain fall the roads flood and things are a mess. Can't imagine what it is like today.

Right now is sort of the *down time* for SCORE with very few groups here in the DR. Right now there are NO groups here at all. Last night we got together with two other SCORE missionary couples that live here too. Nate and Erica and their baby daughter, Mali, live in the house at the ministry center. Andres and Johanna just arrived about 3 weeks ago. So last night we had a cook out at Andres and Johanna's. Their little apartment is on the left side (as you are facing the ministry center, for those of you who have been here) that is basically reserved for new missionaries and interns. About 6 small apartments, but they also have a very nice covered patio area and a grill. Partway thru the meal Erica said "Do you realize that we have each apologized for some part of the meal we brought and it's defects?" The beef that Andres had grilled was impossible to chew (fortunately, we also had chicken and hamburgers). They thoughts it was ribs, but it was the toughest meat any of us had ever experienced. Erica made pasta salad but had to substitute some ingredients (it was still delicious). My green jello was soup despite the fact that I made it at 10AM and it sat in the frig for 8 hours! But the fellowship was great with much laughter and the encouragement needed by all.
Thanksgiving will be at our apartment and will be another combined effort. Now, if someone could just send us some fresh cranberrie, we would be so-o-o-o-o happy. Turkey is over $2 a pound, but it is available and we ALL want turkey! I actually found canned pumpkin, so we will have pie!

The medical clinic is going well. I am so-o-o-o-o enjoying working in the pharmacy. The clinic is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we are averaging about 25 patients per day.
There was a group here a couple of weeks ago doing med clinics in the batayes. While talking to the ladies one day, I mentioned that I was wanting to check into online Pharmacy Tech classes. One of the ladies said she had been a pharmacy tech for almost 9 years and is going to send me ALL of her books and materials. If I were to actually go for the degree, I would have to study things that I just won't need here (insurance forms, ordering the restock--and all of our meds are donated from the States). So this will be wonderful. I can't wait to receive the books and get started.
Well, hopefully, this has given y'all some idea of our life here right now. Please be praying for us and our service here.....