6 Weeks, 1 Day

You might expect this adventure to be getting easier, but it’s not. With only 6 weeks to go I find that I still have mornings when I don’t want to get out of bed, walk down the street, or interact with the world. I still daydream about my favorite restaurants and food carts, and have long bouts of nostalgia centered on Portland and all the good times I’ve had there. In the back of my head I know that my kids at school will continue to test my limits, and their behavior at the end of the year will more than likely get a little worse rather than get a little better. I wish this DVD could “skip” to the next scene.

It’s hard to walk through the barrio. The clutch pedal on the TEARS bike broke recently, so I’m loaning my motorcycle to Alberto. This gives the occasion to walk through the barrio to get to church and whatnot. I walk through the barrio and have no hard time wondering why Kisha has started getting sick again; the air is thick with pungent toxins that give me a bit of a headache just thinking about them. There aren’t any real sidewalks, and people drive up and down Principal like it’s a highway instead of a residential area. The noise is unlike anything else I’ve ever known, with competing stereos, motorcycles that have removed the muffler, people yelling, and the occasional popping sound of a kid playing with homemade fireworks. I basically can’t talk to anyone while we walk, and if people ask me a question in the street, I usually have them repeat it at least once. In short, it’s a lot like my classroom at SCS :0)

I think you really have to be called to Maria Auxilliadora to be okay with working there. It’s a place full of foreign people, foreign words, and a foreign way of living life. Kisha does just fine in this environment, talking with people, saying hello, and—I know you’re not gonna believe this—being a social butterfly. You can hear little girls and teenage boys and old timers calling her name as you walk with her, and she’s close to celebrity status.

I hear Oregon calling me back home. Honestly, I would have come home sooner if it wasn’t occupational suicide to quit in the middle of the year as a teacher. So now I’m just waiting, but it’s kind of a long time to wait because I’ve already been waiting for so long. It’s interesting to think that this has been the longest time that I’ve been away since we moved to Portland 15 years ago. I used to think of our family as somewhat nomadic, what with the frequency in which we moved around. But it seems we’ve scratched out a little corner on the west side, and being gone for too long is something of a problem. My daydreams include Lebanese, Indian, Mexican, Moroccan, Thai, Gourmet Pizza, Chinese, Vietnamese, and some good Portland vegan grub. I’d love to hook up with people when we get back, break bread (or noodles, or burritos, or whatever depending on the restaurant :0)

James... James Bond

Let me introduce you to a new friend of mine...

There is a Canadian team here from Calgery. They are froming a relationship with our Haitian pastor so we have spent our time in the Soto Barrio. On our first day there a young man was talking to one of the team members and I helped translate. He introduced himself as James.

James is 20 years old has been learning Spanish for a year so we were communicating in both of ours second language. James requested any materials I might have to help him learn English. Since I had some books that could help the next day I brought them to the church and gave them to the associate pastor. Manuel did not know who James is. Now that made me wonder. So I took Manuel to the window and pointed at him. "OHHHHH Congo!" Alright so now I have a new name that the community will know Congo... not that unusual here as everyone has a street name and their proper name.

In the after noon we are sitting in a circle and I am translating for the team. Now here comes James--I mean Congo. When some of the team greets him by saying Hi James! A Dominican who is with us says, "his name is not James it's Tony!" Wait a second, hey Congo why did you tell me your name was James... He giggles as the Dominican says "He wants to be James Bond"

So meet Tony, Congo, James Bond...

Photo Journey

Waves Near Sosua Bay




Rentals at Encuentro Beach




Sosua




Yuli the New Mommy




Kisha & Our Godson, Eric




Alex & His New Son




Hammock Time




Kisha's Dog Art

Semana Santa

Hanging out watching tube

Kidney Stones

The plan for this weekend was to take a couple of our Dominican friends to the beach for a day of relaxation after all the crazy that ensues when the groups are here. But we had to interrupt that show to bring you this public service announcement:

If you managed to miss the posts of Facebook, then you are still unaware that Kisha was in the hospital for a night. She has kidney stones, which are usually not life-threatening, but also not fun. She's on a fistful of meds, laying low, and hoping that the stones are small. She also has a small infection, but the doctors are pretty sure the antibiotics will take care of that. So far she's not a big fan of this version of sick, so please pray she gets better soon.

We now return you to our usual broadcasting...

Canadians Are Cool, Too

Kisha and I spent the last week and a half hanging out with a group of Canadian nursing students from Calgary. As it turns out, Canadians are cool, too! It was really nice to just hang out and speak English with people who know how clever I can be with my words :0) It made me miss my ONU days, and reminded me of the mission trip I took to Denver. Good times.



We're doing okay. We just helped host two groups in a row, so I'm learning about the rhythm that is practiced by the people involved with TEARS. We have recently finished the TEARS dormitory, which means that the groups are staying on site now, rather than staying at the conference center in the middle of La Vega. I think it works pretty well, though a little less rain would have afforded a little less mud. This new way of doing things offers jobs to people from the barrio, so they can serve as cooks and help with cleaning in addition to the translating that a few of our Dominican friends provide.



Part of the rhythm is the crash after a batch of groups come through. That's the part we're in now, and it takes some getting used to. I actually got pretty sad on Friday morning when the group was leaving, mostly because a whole crew of English-speaking homies were leaving, but also because I wish I could be getting on a plane as well. I'm leaning good coping skills, and trying to do my very best at school so the kids receive a good education, but I'm also keeping the end in site. Today marks 100 days before my big plane ride.



I'm also keeping an eye to the now, which I think is the lesson I've been learning from God this year. I'm sure somewhere way down the road I'll do something more traditional like kids, house, etc., but that's not what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I'll also be transitioning back to the US in the future, but that's not what God has for me right now. Right now I have 3 classes to finish well, a relaxing spring break, and at least 3 more North American groups to help host here in the DR. Not only am I leaning to be content with these things, I'm learning to look forward to them!



In the wise words of Rocco from The Boondock Saints, "The Lord works in mysterious ways, Man."

Group Time

February 1st started the group season here at TEARS. We have 2 women visiting planing their summer missions trip. Then we have two teams coming from Canada. March has one week empty... and so goes the schedule. The challenge is keeping life balanced in the midst of people coming and going. I have my 5 boys and Yuli to maintain a strong connection to while serving the teams who come in. This disruption in schedule will be a hard on my routine but can be enjoyable as well. Last night Eric and I took the 2 ladies, Jessica and Kathy out for dinner and ice cream.

The tornado has begun...!