At long last....(with a L_O_N_G post!)

Wow...this post is so far overdue it's ridiculous.... I think of things to post, but then get sidetracked....or ill..or busy..or the power is down.... (Warning: this is LONG! It' making up for lost time! ha!)

Two weeks ago I was quite ill. On Friday we thought it was just a plain old garden variety head cold (itchy eyes, sneezing, scratchy throat). By Saturday I did not want to move, and by Sunday I could barely get out of bed. I ached horribly, and had NO energy or strength. Fortunately, NO fever! It left me drained for a week afterwards, and with a nasty, hacking cough for a week. At one point I was taking three different cough meds just so I could get some sleep...impossible to sleep when you are coughing to the point of gagging... But I thank the LORD for medicine and that I am over what Bob called a 'respiratory flu" (as opposed to intestinal flu)

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On Friday when I thought it was just a simple head congestion, I started sewing a doll for Yoselin. Due to the fact that I was not thinking clearly, it was quickly nicknamed *frankenbaby*. For some reason, I thought I had sewn the arms in wrong, so I took them out and restitched. It wasn't till the doll was finished that I realized that I had resewn them in a permanent "praise the LORD" position. Which is not bad ~~ just impossible to get the sleeper on it! So, I removed the arms, which created a problem because I had already completely assembled the doll (stuffing and all) and had nicely done re-enforcing stitching to be sure no limbs would come loose in the future.

I was working under a time-frame since Tuesday was mail day, and with many meds, ......so that's my excuse, the replacement of the arms caused them to be *miss placed*. Definitely not some of my best sewing.

Poor thing...even the ears are lopsided and different sizes! What med was I taking?

Lyndie has been quite kind and is renaming it Lucy....David, thinks it should be Helga! Me thinks I should make a new one and not torture my dear granddaughter!

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Last Saturday Tim, Evelyn, Bob and I left for the northern coast. Bob had located a nice resort in Las Galeras (all-inclusive) at a good rate. It was beautiful! relaxing! French owned so it came with a French chef. I want to personally thank the chef for the Swan cream puffs on Monday's night buffet. I ate two before the main course! And we're not saying how many after dinner, and back in the room!

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This was one of our many meals! In the morning we had chickens walking around eating whatever food we *dropped*

We spent much time under a palm tree on the beach reading and relaxing. Walked the shores and gathered seashells. Would you believe I found a rusted horseshoe? Bob and Tim went sailing

Tuesday morning we travelled back to Samana (still on the north coast). It's only about 25km but took 45 minutes to get there due to the condition of the roads. But we went out on a large boat to go whale watching. We headed from Samana Bay out on the Atlantic Ocean.

We saw whales! humpback whales! One pod of 5, and then another 2 together in a different location. Regulations require that all boats keep a certain distance. Unfortunately, every time the boat stopped to observe the whales, the boat would rock, and rock, and rock, and rock. So, every time the boat stopped, I *fed the fish* over the side of the boat. But I really did love seeing the whales!

~~Unfortunately, I am still experiencing motion sickness 4 days later...not happy about that.~~

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Thursday night Noah arrived, and yesterday the rest of the group! What a joy to be reunited with friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ! This morning the group is heading over to Monte Criste to the almacen (storage facility) to do some major sorting and organizing. I'm planning to go over to SCORE to spend the afternoon with them.
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Unfortunately, with being sick and then away, the laundry didn't get done. (The maid never shows up here! hmmph!) We are experiencing power outages here about every 7-10 days. They usually last about 8-10 hours. They're not hard to endure, just inconvenient. While the power company plans them to conserve power, they don't alert us as to when they will occur. I had a load of laundry started yesterday morning when the power went out. I was able to finish it at 10:00 last night. But now while I have power today, I need to get at least one, hopefully, 2 loads completed.

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All in all, our life is wonderful! I truly praise the LORD for allowing us to be here. Yes, there are frustrations, illnesses, inconveniences, and oh, how I miss my family! But I feel blessed that the LORD would want me here. That He would allow me to be part of all this!

Currently, we have missionaries here representing Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama and the United States. What fun it is to interact with so many different cultures and know that we all serve the same wonderful, glorious LORD and Saviour!

This is Diana from Costa Rica. Oh, what a blessing she has been to me!

My Spanish is starting to pick back up...working in the clinic and having to explain medicines and how to take or apply them is helping with that. Plus, Diana from Costa Rica is helping me tremendously. I can understand her Spanish, and she knows how to reword (and reword) until I can understand what she's telling me! Smart girl, that Diana!

Marianella (recently from Costa Rica but my mind just went blank on what South or Central American country she originates from, it might be Ecuador) Anyway, she speaks a little English, but she helps me too.

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I love my time in the pharmacy. It can be a challenge, but I know it's what the LORD has for me at this point in my life. Never did I picture myself doing this! But "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me." An added bonus is that I really do enjoy being in the pharmacy! Having people return from a previous visit and show how they, or their children, have recovered is a tremendous encouragement!


We had a little girl who was in the clinic 3 weeks ago. She was one years old and weighed 12 lbs 4 oz! We gave the mom all the soy formula we had, thinking it might be a food intolerance. Mom brought her in on Thursday. In three weeks the baby has gained over 1 pound! This time the little girl was sitting up and alert!



Monday I am hoping to actually go out with the group on a med clinic in a village. Please, pray that I recover from this motion sickness before then. A 75 minute bus ride with motion sickness before I start is not appealing.

But again I say: My life here is wonderful. Praise the LORD for allowing me to be a part of this!
~until the next time~

love,
~anna~