Land of Magnolias

...well they're not blooming yet, but they will be in June....
Saw a very unusual sign on a corner coffee/doughnut shop this morning.
** Owner broke his hip, help us buy him a new one. Buy Something**
Now that sounds like desperation to me...I'm just wondering~~how many cups of coffee or doughtnuts must they sell to clear enough for the owner's new hip. I just picture this poor man laying in a hospital bed wondering when he will have his new hip. Not trying to be uncaring, this one just hit me as a very funny sign.
I got to go to some garage sales this morning. What fun....Incase, you are wondering....no, they do NOT have garage sales in the Dominican. Dominicans are the untimate recyclers. But I was able this morning to get Stephan and Samuel some t-shirts like new for 50 cents each. And a copy of the book *Charlotte's Web* for a quarter. The boys love to read and to be read to. I LOVE garage sales!
This is the first I've gotten to go online without a squirmy 2 year old on my lap. Shiloh on my lap makes for some interesting typing/spelling. But thankfully, there is a bookstore less than 2 minutes from Shan's house that has free wi-fi! Thank you LORD! My tracphone will not allow me to call Bob in the Dominican. The phone would but Lynchburg is in a valley between the mts and is very particular about calling signals I guess....gggrrrrrr.....and Bob has not been able to connect to either my phone or Shan's. Which makes no sense because I could call Shan from my cell phone before I left. Crazy airwaves. Thank the LORD for email, laptops and wifi!

Hope everyone is well....it was great seeing some of you last Sunday.

In Ole Virginnny

Well I left out yesterday A.M.(on the road after stopping at gas station by 5:55). Had a very uneventful trip and arrived here at 2:30ish. Boy~~ an 8 hour trip in the States is nothing like a 5 minute trip in the Dominican....only saw one motorcycle the entire way! Everyone was in their respective lanes and going in the appropriate directions. Every single vehicle had all of its windows and doors. The most I saw in any vehicle was three people ...the record for what I've seen in the DR is 27 in a 15 passenger van along with all their groceries! Nobody had tied their horse to the side of the road. For that matter, there was not one single section of guardrail needing repair, missing or totally demolished. In the DR the roadcrews install guardrails and if people find them to be in their way, they just remove whatever sections are blocking their passage! The only cows I saw were in a pasture...I didn't share the road at any time with goats, chickens or roosters. Not one single vehicle was on the side of the road having one or two of its tires changed. And absolutely no one was riding on top of any of the truck loads...
Like I said my trip was very uneventful....
But I'm here and all is well.... thanks for your prayers!

Broadway Joe's

~~It is 9:45 Am Thursday and I am sitting at Broadway Joe's with a large cup of Highlander Grogg, doing the Wi-fi thing and hoping someone I know decides they would like a cup of coffee now too!

David and Lyndie are both at work, Bob is in the Dominican, and I don't have anyone's phone number, nor can I find a phone directory and I don't have a car...so my options are limited.

But if anyone gets this soon, and cares to join me I'll be here until about 11AM. Then over to the library, then maybe the Christian bookstore. We'll see how the ankles hold up : }
I LOVE being able to walk around safely and have cool places to stop in. and a coffee shop in the morning is delightful beyond words!

Spring time....

Our group left out on Saturday. What a blessing they were to us. The teens are always ready to serve, and are an encouragement to us in so many ways! We stood at the airport crying as they wound their way thru the Delta line. Seeing 26 people in a Dominican airport calling out *I love you* and some of them blowing kisses at us was truly a moment to be remembered~~
But now my days are changing again. We had our tickets purchased to come *home* in July for about 5 weeks before going to Costa Rica for language school thru December 18th. Well, thru changing circumstances I will be flying out tomorrow (Wednesday) into Dayton. I'll be at Grace on Sunday!!!! Then Monday I'm heading down to Lynchburg, where I will be staying with Shan and the kids. I'm going to be helping her by taking care of the kids at night while she works and getting them off to school in the morning (she gets home from work at 2:30AM!) It is a temporary thing, but it means I will be in the States again for about 10 weeks before Bob arrives July 12th.
I'm delighted to have this special time with my daughter and my grandchildren. Bob and I have been praying about this for over a month, and Shan would like for me to come.
Last year at this time I was at David and Lyndie's for 10 weeks recovering with my heels. I didn't know going into it how much I would miss Bob and being here in the Dominican. This time I know before I leave how hard it will be to be gone for so long. (Actually with the planned time in July and then language school, I will be gone from tomorrow thru December 18th, but at least Bob will be with me starting in July:)
As I said I am happy about being able to spend this time with Shan and to able to interact with Stephan, Samuel and Shiloh for an extended time period. But I would covet your prayers for all of us....you may not know all the details but the LORD does and He knows why you're asking....
So, hopefully, I'll see many of you this weekend sometime. David, I'll see you at the airport Wednesday night at 9 and you won't have to carry me up any stairs this year!!!

Fun times~~

Well, we have a group here from North Carolina. This is their third trip in two years. When they came on their first trip, they were all in Jr-High and there were only 13 including leaders. Now they have grown to 26 with 4 leaders. The original leaders have moved to TX, so it's a new group of leaders. I asked why the group had grown so large. The one leader said, "Because when the kids come back they are so excited, they get everyone else wanting to come!"
This is such a great group to work with....they encourage us so much! When we are home on furlough in the Fall each year, we stay in the home of one of the girls who has come each year. They feel like famly to us.
I'm so looking forward to this week! All weeks are good, but this week is special!

Also there is a group of missionary wives getting together for a retreat April 24-26 at Casa de Campo. Only about 12 ladies, but I get to go! Yes! I am really looking forward to this. Some of you may know Ron Bishop's sister, Paula Hodges and her daughter, Allison. They are heading it up. We're going to each share about our ministry, what we're doing, what our plans are, our needs, concerns etc. and then have time to pray for one another. How wonderful is that???

So hope y'all are having a blessed week. Did David and Lyndie get moved????

7:05PM......
I got to talk to David and Lyndie this afternoon!!!! YES!!!! I love Alexnder Graham Bell and his wonderful invention! They sound happy, relaxed and at peace...this Mama is smiling!

they call them *lemons*

Greetings~~
Haven't been able to write for a few days....aggravated my ankles again and have been off my feet and unable to leave the apartment. Wheelchair and braces are back in use....while I am thankful to have these items when I need them, I can still wish that I didn't need them. Imagine wearing the old snow boots in August and you get an idea what my "personal foot suanas" feel like.
But Sunday I got to go to church. We went to Manny's church in Consuilito. What a wonderful time of refreshment. ((If everyone here spoke as clearly as Manny does, I could actually learn Spanish and understand a whole lot more.)) Sunday was their communion, so Manny spoke about the wage of sin is death but Christ paid it all. No one else could pay it, we can do nothing. It was so good to actually understand most of what was said.
After church, we walked over to Evangelista's home, just a couple hundred feet from the church. Her son-in-law, Esidro, works at SCORE in the maintenance. A dear brother in the LORD. His wife is pregnant (6 weeks) but 5 months ago she had a routine exam and the Dr gave her antibiotics for an infection. Esidro had Bob look at her lab results two weeks ago....she has early stage cervical cancer. Last week she had new tests, nothing has changed...which is good, but she is 6 weeks pregnant so they have to wait for the delivery of the baby before they can operate.
She is a believer. They have two other little boys (about 4 & 2). So please pray for this family and for the safety of the baby in all of this.
While we were there, Evangelista gave us a bag of fruit. They look like grapefruit. In fact Manny said they were, but Evangelista said "NO!" Dulce! Turns out they are called sweet lemons. They look like grapefruit, are the size of an orange, are called sweet lemons and taste nothing like a lemon, orange or a grapefruit! But they are delicious. Very mild, and it's what they use to make lemonade after adding mucho azucar!!! (much sugar).
Ron is here today working on plans for Kosmos 2006. So we just had a big staff meeting to discuss plans. There should be about 450 people here all in one week in June. Please pray for this special time also....it should be exciting!
So trust all is well with everyone there!

*As Seen on TV*

Have you seen the "As Seen on TV" ad for the cat claw covers? I saw it for the first time this morning while watching CNN headline news. ((Not my favorite news station,~~Robin & Co gets on my nerves at times~~ but it's the only one we get in English. Well there is DW from Germany that alternates an English/German broadcast that is really interesting, but I digress...))
Back to the claw commercial...
I kept waiting for the Energizer bunny to march across the screen "Still Going...." But for $19.99 +S&H you can get a three month supply of plastic caps (claw shaped) to attach to your cat's claws.
You will never have to worry about your cat clawing the furniture or your children. (okay, that's a nice feature) They come with a tube of glue and show a cat sitting calmly while the adult attaches them. (yeah, like that is realistic!)
They are veterinarian approved, incase you were wondering.
Knowing how cats like to lick and clean themselves, how long do you think before there is a lawsuit when someone's "Fluffy" chokes on one and dies????

Another week goes by....

Well I managed to make it thru doing three loads of laundry, making simple curtains for two windows in the SCORE orphanage, along with sweeping, dusting and dishes before the smoke drove me crazy!!!! or crazier, as the case may be.
Dominicans are always burning something. Seeing smoke or flames is very rarely a cause for concern. Instead of clearing a field, burn it! About 50 feet away from the front gate of our apartment, someone decided to burn some trees and brush in two different lots today. I could hear the crackling in the laundry room (which is on the backside of our apartment). When I went to look, the flames were quite tall and the smoke very thick. That started about 11AM. While I could smell the smoke, it wasn't too bad. That is until the wind shifted! When I go back, my house may smell of smoke..but, oh well.
Had a crazy end of the week. Thursday the landlord, Joe, and Pabo, the caretaker, decided they were going to fix the ceilings in our apartment. Last year we had a problem for a short time with leaks in the ceiling. During one particularly bad storm, I had 9 pots out collecting drips (BIG drips!) Pabo took care of the problem, but this is a cement bldg with a cement roof. When he sealed the leaks, it trapped the moisture in. As the moisture evaporated slowly over time, I guess it affected the paint in the ceilings as it began to bubble and eventually turn to powder and fall off. The worst was my sewing room. I had a circle of bare cement three feet out from the ceiling fan and spreading! There were spots all over that room that were flaking. I couldn't even use the room to work in any more (with all the paint dust, burn soot that makes it in along with dirt it was really getting annoying!)
Anyway, they had to scrape ceilings in all but one room (Bob's tiny study has a perfect looking ceiling---most people's bathrooms are bigger then his study). So, besides the sewing room they scraped and painted the kitchen/living room, bedroom and the bathroom.
They used drop cloths. But it would have been more helpful had they folded them up and shook them out before moving them to the next room, but that's just my personal opinion : }
At the same time they were *fixing* the toilet. Bob and I got quite a chuckle out of this one. They spent literally 4 hours *fixing* the toilet. It wouldn't stop running, wouldn't always flush, occasionally had water running out of the back. They tried working with the current parts, they bought new parts, they tried jerry-rigging those parts, they re-installed the old parts. Finally at 5:00 Joe declared they were done. All of the ceilings looked great! I went in a few minutes later to flush the toilet----it didn't flush! Bob came in, I told him and in less than 5 minutes he fixed it---shortened the chain and bent the bar. ~~sheesh~~
Friday was a delightful day! Bob and I spent the day at Guavaberry. That's the wonderful beach less than 5 minutes from out apartment. We walked the beach several times; sat on lounge chairs and read, drank diet Coke, ate lunch in the outdoor restaurant (our burgers were 5" tall with the lettuce and tomato---alot of two-handed squishing required). There was a really strong breeze that day and no clouds. We sat under the shade trees and relaxed. I read outloud several chapters of "End of the Spear" by Steve Saint. Then quietly enjoyed my James A. Michener book, *Texas* --I think I only have about 250-300 pages left in that book.
Saturday Bob had to work on realigning both of our vehicles with Wilkins help. Then the cupboard in my laundry room needed some reinforcing. They finally realized they would have to remove it from the wall, reconstruct it, make new reinforcements and remount it. Three hours later I had the room back to reassemble! But I no longer fear my cupboard falling off the wall if I put another can of soup in it. This cupboard is about 8 feet long.
Yesterday I woke up with a stomach bug...let's just say I am very glad the toilet was fixed and working properly. Bob went to church, I stayed home drinking many cups of ginger ale...no Vernor's here though!
Right now we don't have any groups here so this is when we take care of the *normal* things of living. So, how's your life?

Neon signs in church

Did you ever sit in church and as the message began you felt like there was a big neon sign over your head with a flashing arrow pointing right at you and a statement saying "This one's for her!" That was my experience today!
If any one of you read my post yesterday, you know I was not a happy camper. I was extremely frustrated and annoyed at our neighbor for his loud *music* (although I still contend that a continual repetitive bass beat with no notes is not music).
I had a beautiful day with no responsibilities. I had several hours of uninterrupted time. I planned on sewing curtains for the orphanage. I was looking forward to this time. BUT our neighbor blared his *music*, so I became extremely annoyed. ~~yes, notice the emphasis on *ME*
Then I went to church this morning. In Dominican churches at the beginning of the service, they read in unison the passage that the pastor will be preaching from. Today we read I Corinthians 13. That well known passage on *LOVE*. Oh yes, the neon sign was glowing brightly and flashing quickly!!!
Learned alot today even if it was in Spanish~~
We breathe because of God's love and mercy; we stand because of God's love and mercy; we walk because of God's love and mercy; we exist because of God's love and mercy. We are nothing without God's love and mercy.
Because we are His children, we should love the Father.~~ we love Him because He first loved us.
Because of our love for the Father, our whole life is to be a service to Him--If we lack godliness, then we cannot love and truly serve others. ((OUCH!))
Love is not a sentiment; Love is an action and the direction of our life.
The Lord allowed much testing of Job, but Job still served God --"The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
from Deuteronomy 13:3 "...for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your mind."
Psalm 119 vs 157 "Many are my persecutors and my enemies; yet I do not turn from Your testimonies."
Psalm 119::163 "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble."
My actions and attitude yesterday did not reflect God's love. For those of you who read that post, please forgove my complaining spirit, and lack of love. Yes, the music was obnoxiously loud and annoying; but I know I didn't handle it right. Instead of mumbling and complaining, and having a horrible attitude, I could have been praying for them. Yes, I had things I wanted to get done, but I could have prayed and asked the LORD to help me to overcome the circumstances. There were any number of things I could have prayed about, but I chose to complain, be self-centered and become bitter.
I'm sorry if I caused any of you to become discouraged, also.
I would ask for you to pray for me that I will show the love of God. Before we moved here a missionary, Jay Munoz, preached one night and he basically said "Don't go into fulltime missions, or come to the Dominican, because you love the country or you love the people. You won't always be able to love the people. Come because you love God and want to serve and please HIM." That is what I need to remember and focus on...remembering God's love, patience and mercy for me...focusing on Him...then serving Him because of my love for Him...and allowing His love to flow through me.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day!

thump-thum-thumpthumpthump

Today started off with a *bang*...actually it started off with a very heavy bass beat compliments of the neighbors at 7:30 this morning....gggrrrrr....
Neighbor doesn't even live next door, simply owns it and every few months decides to have an all day party. Picture 2 six foot speakers and a keyboard set to automatically play the same beat all day and you have the *music* for the day! the beat is ~~thump-thump-thumpthumpthump
Every once in a while someone decides to actually *play* the keyboard, which means they find three keys and play them repeatedly for about 5 minutes! Our landlord has tried to get him to turn down the music, even went to the police station and found out "Yes there is a noise ordinance! It goes into effect at 11pm" Something to look forward to at least!
This is the same neighbor who technically had his electricity cut-off for non-payment, but simply had someone connect a new line on thursday in preparation for today. The same neighbor who pays someone to clean the place for his parties but not to do the clean-up afterward, so his inground pool becomes a cesspool of mosquitoes! Last week there was still about a 10" deep by 10 foot across puddle of brown sludge in the *deep* end of the pool. With malaria and dengue fever on an increase here, and since these are spread by mosquitoes, and mosquitoes breed in standing water, this is a real annoyance!
I have an entire day free with no other responsibilities that I had planned for sewing. SCORE is partnering with a pastor in starting an orphanage. They currently have a very nice home in LaRomana with a woman, Josephina, to care for the children. There are 4 children--- 1 girl and 3 boys. But there are no curtains on any of the windows.
So, I have fabric, a sewing machine, the desire to sew and now I have curtains for 10 windows to make. I have the 2 sets completed for the girl's room --very pink and girlish. The set for the dining room is done--Waverly fabric in a really pretty floral. I tried working on the boys' curtains today. About one hour's worth of work left, but the thump-thump-thumpthumpthump from next door was driving me to insanity so I had to leave.
Have now been away from it for 3 hours "hiding" out here at SCORE. I told Bob I had to leave the apartment before I lost my Christian testimony..~~ time to go back and give it another try.
Incase you ever doubted, yes, missionaries have really bad days also!
Days when I remind myself that I am here because I love the LORD and I want to obey and serve however He desires and with the right attitude. Keep praying that this is a reality for me today!
Hope y'all are having a much calmer day!

Oh where, oh where did my caffeine go?

"The principal reason that caffeine is used around the world is to promote wakefulness. But the principal reason that people need that crutch is inadequate sleep. Think about it: We use caffeine to make-up for a sleep defecit that is largely the result of using caffeine." ~~T.R. Reid, National Geographic Jan 2005, p.16~~

Woke up this morning intending to have my customary 2 cups of morning coffee. But I think I needed the actual caffeine before I tried to make the coffee.
Normal routine--remove the permanent type-filter---just empty, rinse, replace in coffee maker and add coffee grounds. Simple right?
Next add water and hit *start* simple right?
Well, to start with I did empty and rinse the filter, I added coffee grounds, poured the water in and hit start. Now I only had just enough bottled water to make my customary two cups as I forgot to ask Pabo, the apartment caretaker, to bring me up a 5 gallon bottle yesterday.
I heard the pot sucking up the water and brewing my pot of coffee. The smell was *heavenly*---it was Starbuck's Verona blend that someone gave me this Summer. Imagine my surprise when I re-entered the kitchen and saw coffee and grounds streaming down the outside of the pot and across the counter!!! YIKES-O-RAMA!
It would appear in my haste to make coffee I forgot two key things---I didn't re-insert the permanent filter--I put the grounds right into the basket without the benefit of a filter. I also failed to screw the lid on properly on the Gevalia Thermos coffee pot! This tends to create problems!
I pulled out the pot thinking this would stop the coffee from flowing, NO! Fortunately, I had another Gevalia thermos coffee pot handy (gift from another missionary whose Gevalia coffeemaker bit the dust). Put that pot in place... and began the clean up process...12 paper towels later, I discovered I actually had 1 1/3 cups of coffee between the two pots!!! Really only 1 cup because when I tried to drink that final 1/3 in the pot, I discovered I had a mouth full of coffee grounds...BLECGK!
For all of those who have Broadway Joe or Montage in your plans today, drink a nice strong one for me!

~~"For a man to be away from his coffeemaker is a sorry state of affairs, Mrs Graves," he said..."Bring your nostrils over that and tell me it isn't the aroma of heaven." ~~
~~As if gazing upon aqua vitae itself, he grasped the container and held it up to the window. 'Ah, the hue of steaming coffee is a thing of beauty, is it not?' he exclaimed with wondrous pride in the liquid he had created. ~~Michael Phillips, *A Rift in Time* p. 214 & 215

Something new in the DR....

Please pray as the *national gas association* for this country has decided to protest something ~~so the gas stations are going to only sell current supply and refuse deliveries of more gas until the govt complies with their wishes. That could get bad fast! We personally use on the average about $75-$100 a week and gas is currently just under $4.00 a gallon! We're hoping that they don't intend to raise the price even higher.
All of this could greatly effect SCORE with the consumption of fuel in each bus and the van.
Along with this, the value of peso is once again falling --- it was at almost 35 to one US $1...now it is down to 31 in less than 2 weeks. This may not sound like much but it begins to effect things quickly.
************
Thursday's update on the gas situation~~
The 'gas association' has given the government until this Sunday to reach some sort of agreement. Sunday is when the current supply is predicted to run out. Right now, we're just keeping our gas tanks full and praying for the best!

Alabama Conference

Well, I finally have time to sit down and write about our trip last week to Alabama. To say it was "incredible" would be putting it mildly. We felt welcomed before we ever arrived. The correspondence with several from the church in the weeks preceeding was so encouraging.
Of course, stepping off the plane into 38* temps was a little eye-opener! Fortunately, the couple who came to pick us up had an extra coat in their car and Patsy is my size!
We had expected a church of about 1,000 from all we knew they were involved in. This is actually a church of about 350 where everyone is very committed to serving the LORD. They just do the work of a 1,000 or more people who love the LORD! Of course, we were there for a missions conference so the emphasis was on missions. But everyone we talked to ---and this was a very friendly church, so we talked to a lot of people!!!--- had either been on a missions trip at least once, was in the planning stages of a trip, or someone in their immediate family had been or were going on a trip.
There were 5 other missions represented. A *retired* couple serving in Nicaragua, a young single lady serving in Peru, a couple going to Togo, W Africa (He grew up there as an MK), a family with 4 small children home on furlough from Brazil, and a young couple serving in the local public schools. This man has actually been given an office in the local public high school and is able to do Bible-based counselling, share at assemblies, etc. He had an incredible testimony (all right I know God saving anyone is incredible, but you know what I mean). We had such a blessed time just meeting and getting to know these other missionaries and to see what God is doing in other countries and other mission agencies. Astounding! God blesses more than one mission agency! :)
What was really encouraging to see was the church involvment in this conference. The kids were part of everything. Some stuff was obviously geared just for them, but many things were included with the adults. The kids had little booklets to collect info on the missionaries and their countries. I was asked for my autograph countless times along with my favorite verse!
But so many things that have grown to become part of their conference are not *church sponsored*. In other words, the pastor didn't at some point say "We are going to do.....now I need a group of volunteers to do it" A few years ago one retired couple decided they wanted to host a supper on Sunday evening as a way for the missionaries to get to meet one another along with the pastors and their families. So, that's what they did. They cook the entire meal, set up the tables, decorate, etc. On Sunday after the service we got to spend time just getting to talk to the other missionaries. What a joy that was!
Another lady thought a few years ago that there should be a luncheon with the missionaries and the retired adults. So, on Tuesday we had a delicious meal with the retired adults. This woman and her friends put on a spread that would put any restaurant to shame! By the way, these adults may be retired from their secular jobs, but they definitely have not retired from the LORD's work! These people had questions and have been on numerous trips! Not church sponsored but held at the church with the pastors there.
What ever vision these people have, they run with it and people fall in to help. The spirit of this church was so warm, and vibrant and ALIVE!
Another woman a few years ago wanted to take the words "exceeding abundantly" (*perissos* in Greek)and apply them to giving to the missionaries. We were asked to send a list of items we needed or wanted. No item too big or too small. Then she took the lists, wrote tickets with stubs and displayed them on a bulletin board. People had a ticket then to attach to their purchase and she had a stub to know what was going to be purchased and supplied.
Wednesday night was the International Dinner and Operation Perissos. I don't really want to focus on the gifts, but let me say these people gave in big ways!!!!! The couple going to Togo have to actually build the camp they will be ministering from. Their pile basically looked like someone had transferred Lowe's power tool department to them! The couple working in the public school now has more than enough $$$ to completely outfit their office along with a laptop, and scanner/printer/fax etc, etc. Some men in church have delivery companies-- or attachments to them-- so they are taking care of the delivery fees for those out of state as no way would any of it fit into their vehicles.
Along with all the candy (remember *exceeding abundantly* hence 15 pounds or more)we have a new generator (Honda---super quiet) for use in the med clinics when the power goes out or for running the video projector for showing gospel films in villages on Saturday evenings. I don't have to feel guilty about taking pictures as I have an *exceeding abundance* of film.
Like I said earlier I don't want to focus on the gifts, but these guys were sacrificially generous. We have been saying we want and need to go to language school in the Fall in Costa Rica from the end of August to near the end of December. We have been hoping to collect enough money so that we would only have to use part of our regular support to supplement it, as our regular expenses will continue here (apartment, health insurance, etc.) Someone on Wednesday went into this lady's office and said they wanted to underwrite our entire language school expenses....airfare, tuition, apartment in San Jose, living expenses...everything! This is no small amount and thru this *nameless* person the LORD has covered it totally! The two of us stood in front of the church embraced and sobbing, but that's okay because they were crying and rejoicing with us.
The couple we were staying with told us to use their phones to call our kids whenver we wanted and to talk for as long as we wanted and not to feel guilty...just to enjoy it! What a blessing that was to talk to y'all without having to worry about our phone card running out. Anytime we go back for a conference there, this couple also told us to invite our children and their families so that you could be with us for a few days. AND they mean it!!!!
Please, don't just see the material things in this post ---and there are many--- but I wish you could see their hearts, their love, their concern for us. Of course, they wanted to know all about SCORE and what we are doing, about the medical aspect of our work, about the villages, the new med clinic (Oh, by the way one man is purchasing all the cabinets we need for the clinic, took Bob to Home Depot to be sure that Bob could pick out exactly what was needed, is paying the shipping on them thru MFI, and in May he and his wife are coming for a week to install them in the med clinic! That will go along way in helping in the ministry!). But as I was saying, they not only wanted to know about the ministries, they wanted to get to know each missionary.
We came away rejoicing, laughing, crying for joy, encouraged.....I can't even begin to describe how the LORD used this week. To know that this group is supporting us in prayer is tremendous. I KNOW that the LORD has called us to the Dominican, but last week when we were flying home I just felt that extra big confirmation that we are definitely where the LORD wants us. Can't put it into words properly, but I hope you know what I mean.
We now have more missionaries to pray for and to correspond with. We can see how the LORD is working around the world, not just in the Dominican. We saw other missionaries being encouraged and blessed. Wish you all could have been there to receive the encouragement and blessing we received. PLEASE, don't just read this and see the material items...that was all just an outward display of what the LORD is doing in their hearts and lives.
Every week, every conference, every church can't be like last week, it would be too overwhelming; but to experience it for just those five days was an incredible encouragement.
Hope you all have a blessed week!

Back from 'bama

Incredible time! Will write more later....too busy unpacking all the goodies! Now where should I store the 25 pounds of Hot Tamales????

Down in Alabama

Well we arrived Saturday night to 38* temps when we got off the plane. The people have been wonderful. Every person we have talked to who has either been on a mission trip, or has a family member who has been on one. The main speaker is fantastic. He was a missionary in Okanawa for 25 years with his wife. He knows what the missionary life is about. I felt refreshed after just one service, and he's spoken twice more since then! He looks sort of like Lyndon Johnson, but has a far superior message!
From all we had heard about this church's involvement in and commitment to missions, we were expecting a huge congregation, like about 1,000. There were probably 350 people total between the 2 morning services. There are 4 other missions represented here this week. One couple going to Togo, Africa; a family of 6 returning to Brazil: a single lady returning to Peru; one couple that works within the local school system here in town. So, much fun to sit with other missionaries and hear what the LORD is doing in their lives and ministry.
Last night they had a dinner at church after the evening service for all the missionaries, so we could fellowship with one another. This morning the Pastor and his wife are hosting a brunch for all the missionaries in their home. We're going out with another couple from the church for dinner followed by a service tonight. Tomorrow Bob and I share at the luncheon for the retired adults. They may be retired from their secular jobs, but these people have definitely not retired from life.
Bob and I also present our ministry in tomorrow night's service. So, please pray for clarity of speech and wisdom in what the LORD would have us to share.
We're having a wonderful time, are keeping busy but definitely feel recharged and energized!

forgot again....

Okay, brain is totally not functioning this morning. Forgot to include the 'thanks' I originally was going to post.
1. For bright sunshine....it is gorgeous outside!
2. For Kermie---my *pet* 4" lizard that inhabits my laundry room. I see him several times a day, usually scurrying away from me...but he eats mosquitoes!
3. That Bob was finally able to find the part that connects the hose to my washing machine. I do NOT have an American style machine, but I love what I have. But I had been having to drape the hose over the edge of the machine, then lay part of it in the bottom and cover it with the laundry to hold it in place. this works, but if I forget to set a timer to remind me the tub is filling, then it over fills, the hose is released from under the clothes, and I have a fountain in the laundry room. I can go weeks without a problem, and then this week I had to mop up the laundry room twice in two days! Now I know why they build laundry rooms with drain holes out the side of the wall! HONEST! But Bob found the right connector, now the hose is actually attached, it will not become a fountain! and an added bonus, because the hose is connected, I can flip the switch that will then allow the water to flow into the 'centrifugado' and rinse the clothes while they spin. I couldn't use that feature for the past 16 months. NOW I CAN!!! I am truly a happy camper! I love my washing machine!
4. That we get to go to Prattville, Alabama for this mission conference. Always fun visiting churches. This one we only know one person. He's a lawyer, who makes regular visits to the DR and is a big supporter of SCORE.
5. That this time we get to fly Delta and NOT American Airlines. Everyone who has done the Delta flight says they will never go back to AA. Delta actually serves a meal...for those of you who have not flown recently...the size of the peanut bags is about a 2" square with about 12 peanuts max!
6. I checked and this flight is showing in-seat movies, and one of them is "Pride and Prejudice". I saw a preview on it one day and it looks so good. I sure hope I didn't misread the Delta site!

okay...time to go.

Sheesh!

Well, guess I need to get my fingers and brain functioning first! Hit the wrong button and sent an empty post....oops!
We leave in a few minutes for the airport and then to Montgomery, Alabama, by way of Atlanta. Five hour layover in Atlanta....actually looking forward to the layover time. I love airports and people watching. Fun times!
We will return on Thursday after a four day mission conference at a church in Prattville. Our correspondence with them has been great, they truly seem to want to serve Christ thru this time. Please pray for us for health (going in to 40-50* weather from 85*); travel safety (we'll now be driving on US roads and have to obey travel laws-church is providing us with a vehicle while we're there); rest (we arrive at 10:30 tonight Alabama time-12:30AM for us!); clarity in speech and thought as we present the LORD's ministry here in the Dominican; and anything else the LORD brings to mind for you to pray about regarding us!
love y'all,

So many 'thanks'

Every day is NOT like this....

Bob has had 4 weeks of non-stop med teams without a day off, other then to go to Santiago to get our mail and go grocery shopping. One med team would leave on a Saturday at noon and three hours later the next team would arrive at the airport. So.....today was OUR day!
We had heard that there was a beach we could go to near our apartment but had never gone there. WOW! Such a nice surprise to find so close...3 minutes from our front door by car. We pulled up to the parking lot and the guard let us in. We walked down to the beach and indulged in 5 hours of relaxation...no phones, etc. There are comfy beach chairs, little tables, or tables to sit at. a huge beautiful crystal clear pool with a waterfall (lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas around that), an open air restaurant. It is actually owned by the Guavaberry Golf Resort about 8 miles away. But the resort is not on the beach, so they purchased this to have beach access. If you stay at the resort, this is free. The only thing we had to do was buy a beverage (coke for 25 pesos = approx 75 cents). Since it was our first real day off together in about a month, we opted to also buy lunch. We could have had it served to us right on the beach, but we opted for the restaurant. I got the most delicious hamburger. Well the menu called it a hamburger with portabella mushrooms and cheese. It was a 1" thick steakburger! with fries, etc. Bob got a "cesar ensalada con pollo" He did ask them to hold the anchovies! But then had to send the salad back and ask them to please put "el pollo en la ensalada" For those w/o Spanish knowledge --he had to ask them to put the chicken in his chicken salad!
But this beach is very quiet, soothing music playing in the background and the sound of waves hitting the coral reef. No street sounds, no merangue music, no construction sounds...just total relaxing sounds... Not very busy either. The entire time we were there there were never more then 30 people there at the most. There is a guard so it's okay to walk off and leave your stuff on the chair.
We relaxed, we walked on the beach collecting pieces of big conch shells for our coffee table display (we decorate different here) and pieces of sea glass (broken glass that has been worn smooth by the water and sand (again, we decorate differently here!), we each had a coke, we read, we walked some more, we went into the ocean, we read, we ate lunch, we went into the pool, we walked on the beach, we read...we didn't want to leave.
What's nice is that this is a very safe place I can go to by myself on occasion. There are very few places I can do that. Even going to the store requires going thru SanPedro traffic (NOT relaxing).
So, we are grateful that the LORD has provided this place that is close to home that if we just had a free morning we could go to. We can order cafe con leche and sit on the beach and read and not feel guilty about spending money. Cafe con leche was only 35 pesos ($1.00).
I am totally relaxed ...and my hair is back to blond compliments of the glorious sunshine!

Another week in *Paradise*

Well here it is another Monday. I met with Erica and Lucy for our prayer time this morning. Erica is another SCORE missionary serving here with her husband, Nate. They've been here about a month and are living in the house here at the ministry center. Lucy is an intern that is here until the end of July.
Last week held lots of interesting events. I drove by myself for the very first time to San Pedro to Jumbo, (which visiting Americans say is a Dominican Walmart---yeah, right!) This may not seem like much but, believe me, it is MAJOR! Esp. given the driving conditions in San Pedro. The whole trip was bathed in prayer---part of that prayer was that I wouldn't get lost! Considering that in the States I regularly drove to Lynchburg, VA, by myself (also Roanoke, Longview, TX, etc) to suddenly lose *driving rights* is hard. I won't be driving their often, but it's nice to know that I can at least do it if I want to.
The med group that was here last week did a clinic at the fire department in San Pedro for the families of the firemen. At the end of the day, they were all given certificates. Bob is now a major in the San Pedro Fire Department. His certificate has an official embossed seal. He had already been there last year, so he has a higher rank than those that were there last week. He was able to repair some of their med equipment, train them in how to use some of it and give them a blood pressure cuff. Previous to this, they had one BP cuff to use between two ambulances!
On Friday Bob and I went in to Santo Domingo. We went to a section of the city with lots of little shops that manufacture by hand a wide variety of items~~~mattresses (remakes from the hotels, etc), cabinets, metal items, iron works, etc. There are a gazillion fabric stores. Eliminate any pictures of JoAnn Fabrics from your thinking. These are just very dimly lit, some what clean, no frills tiny shops with huge bolts leaned up against walls; plastic bags full of trim from major companies (Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, etc) jars of buttons (many of them cut from old clothing), odd colored zippers in every size and style. I got dropped off at a 3 story fabric store, while Bob actually walked to some cabinet makers checking on prices and styles for the clinic. If you could even picture this area, you would understand how busy our guardian angels were! When he got back to where I was, we walked down this one street checking out little sewing shops. I have to make some divider curtains for the rooms in the clinic and I wanted some open style rivets for the curtain hooks. Found them in one shop ~~84 rivets for 49 Pesos (about $1.50) While Bob was waiting for the clerk to count them out, (they were stored in a jar) I was browsing the store. I got up near the front looking at the trims, when Bob called for me to come back. It appears the owner wanted me back where it was safer! Guess men in the past have rushed in, grabbed women's purses and made a quick get away. But the owner did give me a piece of candy. Delicous hard caramel candy!
However, when we left the store we were walking back to our vehicle and from out of nowhere a man appeared and tried to take my purse. Fortunately, I had it over my neck and across my chest. he never got hold of the strap (YEAH, for my guardian angel!) I twisted to the right, tightly grabbed my purse and loudly said, "OH NO YOU DON'T!!!" He turned and ran down a small walking alley between bldgs. Bob said he had an accomplice who opened the gate to the alley to allow him a quick escape. So, I'm fine and still have my purse, but I twisted both of my ankles in the process. My feet were 'derecho' (straight)my body twisted 'a la derecha' (to the right), and my heart was POUNDING! So, other then church yesterday morning I have once again had to stay off my feet and rest them. Back on pain meds for 3 days...yuck! But all is well and the LORD is my shield and my defender!
Needless to say, we decided not to do any more shopping that day...bummer.
This week, Bob is doing more organizing in the clinic with the help of Lucy and Wilkins. Wilkins is now on staff full-time with the medical ministry. He is a graduate of Jay's Timothy Project and has always had an interest in medical. He's 23 and a very godly young man. He has been a real blessing. Bob is teaching him about medical, replacing brakes on cars, sterile techniques, etc. Richt now, while I type he's in the hallway singing hymns in Spanish.
So, all is well. Tomorrow is mail day which means we have a trip to Santiago! YES!!! FUN!!
and hopefully, lots of mail! Saturday we fly to Montgomery, Alabama, for a missions conference at a church in Prattville. We're there until the 23rd when we fly back here. So, close to our family and yet so far!
So, did y'all get any residual fallout from the blizzard going up the East coast? How I wish I could see snow! But thanks to David and Lyndid and our InstaSno, we have periodic snowfalls in a little dish on our coffee table. Thanks guys. By the way, I really like those purple pens you sent. When we opened the box, there was no doubt that those were NOT Papa's : } Although, I did offer him one....

love you all,,,,