Dominican Republic Family Trip Photos
June 26-July 13, 2006
Monday
Storm/lightning during the night before we left. Martha June Graber accompanied us to Reagan International Airport. Traffic jam and streets closed off around the airport so we had some anxious moments wondering if we would get to the airport on time. Got there ok, and checked in and had breakfast at the boarding gate of the airport.
was uneventful. Arrived in Santo Domingo and all our bags arrived too. Another very large mission group, with all the same T-shirts, arrived at the samte time and milled around trying to find all their luggage. Glad we weren’t part of a big group like that! Met the group from PR there. Tourist visas, went through immigration, got our baggage and went through customs without problems.
Carlos Camacho
Jose Luis Vasquez
Genaro Santiago
Francisco Morales
Nancy Morales
Adrian Morales
Carlos Malave
Manuel (Junior) Bermudez
The church bus from Padre las Casas met us at the airport and we drove into S. Domingo. Had a fried (roast) chicken dinner together at a restaurant and then took the trip to Padre las Casas.
The pen that gives a little shock (belongs to Carlos Malave) gave entertainment. The conversation, with many jokes and laughter, was non stop during the 4 hour trip.
Nelson Delgado (Pastor)
Amauri- infant nutrition center
Lon
Manuel-teaches Bible at the church
Alejandro-“relaciones”-made up a song about the pen that gives a shock.
We arrived at the guesthouse and then had supper later. The guest house is run by Susanna with assistance from an 11 y.o. young girl named Ariela. The bathroom with barrel of water and dipper took some explanation and getting used to.
We learned later that Susanna’s brother had been in the resistance against the dictator Trujillo during the 1960s. We hoped that we could sit and talk with him about this but it couldn’t happen because he wasn’t feeling good during our time there. He is now an elderly man.
Every morning we piled into the back of the black pickup truck for a ride through the town to the Centro for breakfast, and from there to our activities for the day.
Tuesday
Devotional Exodus 35, Psalm 33
Had all our meals at the children’s Centro de Desarrollo Integral de la Iglesia Evangelica Menonita where some church ladies cooked for us, including Senora Luz, a kind elderly lady who used to be one of the pastors of the church, and now runs a craft center for the children.
Light “switch” in this center where there are constantly children milling about consisted of wires sticking out of the wall that you have to link together.
Took a tour in the AM (very hot) of the locations for the latrines and other construction projects to get the construction men going.
Jonathan sorted medications from PR in afternoon with help of Nancy and Carlos. Ruth and Carla went to visit Luz’s craft program with some 11-12 y.o. girls. Chris played toss the ball with a bunch of boys and our soccer ball. Andy played stick and rock baseball with a little boy, constantly dodging the rock which the boy hit practically every time.
12 persons in back of pick up truck wherever we went.
Supper included Dominican-made fried cheese, which was a first, and very good. “Upper 10” drink (instead of 7 up), Red Rock drink.
In the evening the kids (ours and the 2 PR boys) played Uno/Go Fish and seemed to enjoy each other.
Carlos took Jonathan to meet some Doctors:
Dr. Ana Parra pediatrics
Dr. Soto General Medical, HIV program
Feelings as we drive through town:
Clean streets: People seem to sweep their courtyards and the street/sidewalk in front of their houses every morning. The town seems very neat and orderly, pride in how their houses look.
Lack of privacy: People live right up off the sidewalk, doors open to the streets all the time.
For many life and “entertainment” revolves around the church. Practically every evening was “service” with lots of music and singing, prayer, testimony, a sermon or Bible study. After church was a lot of hanging around and socializing.
Electricity was off an on. Came on for sure every evening around 6:00 and stayed on until about midnight when everything shut down, and it was pitch black, just like when you’re in a cave and they turn the lights off! The next day we found our flashlights and distributed them to the kids.
Light, jovial relationships, people seem genuinely happy to get to know us, to play with our kids and show us around, eager to make sure we’re comfortable and well taken care of.
Evangelical Mennonite Church had subtitle of: “Fuente la Paz” (Fountain of Peace). We introduced ourselves that first night, Pastor Nelson spoke on Service. Much talking afterwards, and curiosity about who we are.
We didn’t see any other “Blancos” all that week except perhaps one riding on the back of a motorbike with a backpack.
Rides in truck: The kids always wanted to ride on the tail-gate, esp. Hana and Andy.
Wednesday
Devotional: Compassion must underlie our work.
Latrine construction: Jose was in charge and the boys helped and earned some community service hours. Very hot. Finished up the first latrine, for the old lady Sra Pocha Garcia who lives in a hot house right by the open sewer/canal.
Jonathan, Ruth, Carla and Hana took a hospital visit and tour with Carlos.
met with the hospital director in the morning. (Dr. Antonio de la Cruz)
Shots Birth BCG and HepB
2 months DTaP/HepB/HIB pentavalent and OPV
4 months ----------------------“----------------------------
6 months ----------------------“----------------------------
12 months MMR and Vit A dose (and every 6 months thereafter until 5)
4 y.o. DTaP and OPV
Hana got a pony ride by a nice boy who rode by Luz’s place.
We were serenaded by a Musical number during lunch (accordion, drum, metallic percussion instrument)….Mom really appreciated the accordion music! We asked some boys to sing us some Dominican musice near Sra Pocha’s house. Bachata (Local type of popular music); Perico Ripiao (Indigenous music). A teenage boy willingly sang for us.
Met with Pastor Martires Contreras who has a vision for an HIV/AIDS education program and also for Family Violence awareness project.
Church Service that evening (Bible Study) given by Pastor Nelson.
Thursday
Went on an outing with a number of the youth from the church to a river about 1 hours drive from the town on rocky mountainous roads. In the back of a big truck as we lurched along, with some spectacular scenery. The kids enjoyed the swimming, but Carla had stomach cramps.
I am impressed with the relational skills of Carlos. He is a true extrovert. An incidental visit to someone or meeting someone along the way by chance becomes the opportunity for a 30-45 min talk about various things. I am sure that this has been the reason why he has been so successful in building relationships in Padre las Casas. Even though it makes it hard to keep to a schedule and to wait for him.
Rested when we came home, and watched Cartoon network with Ariela. Kids played Uno.
No church in the evening so we took a walk after supper. The kids all came out to play with our kids. Taught us some clapping and dancing games. Someone took our kids for a motorbike ride one at a time. Was lots of fun and laughter.
Friday
A man who had had a stroke (high blood pressure) came to see Jonathan before breakfast, and we talked about what he could do to control his high blood pressure. I said that I would check about medication samples that we had brought. He was prescribed Analapril. We had no samples of this but I was able to buy some (one month’s supply) in a pharmacy nearby which I gave to him.
Nancy had the devotional (Matthew 14:13-21). She said that she no longer has to ask what is God’s will because she knows that she is doing God’s will.
We got a walking tour of some buildings and land that constitute the “vision” that Carlos has for the project. Building that houses some sewing machines, that he hopes might become a micro enterprise program. New church building being constructed. Land donated from Living Water International. The construction is proceeding gradually with funding coming from FEC (formerly EMC) on a matching fund basis. Found out later that Tim Bertsche came last Jan. with a group that helped with construction of that new church building. Land on a high point of the town (with a wonderful view) which Carlos envisions as a Mennonite Center, mission house, homes, etc.
We also went to see a large building that Carlos envisions as a Resource Center (pharmacy, community center, etc.). This is a big building that is well constructed with a fairly large tract of land adjoining it. It used to be a peanut processing plant but it is currently vacant with a big yard full of garbage in the back.
Later that day a girl with unusual hand lesions was brought to see me, and I wasn’t sure what it was, so Carlos and I, along with Nancy and Carla, went to see a pediatrician friend (local) who Carlos knows. He said Staph at first, then asked her to come to the hospital for some tests on Monday.
During the conversation, the pediatrician noted that there used to be a Nutrition Center in Padre las Casas but it closed due to some governmental changes.
Later that afternoon a relative of the girl above came to find me in the guest house. Her son (20 y.o.) has sickle cell anemia and she asked for help. I didn’t have much help to give her, but I said that I would find some vitamins to give to her.
Played Uno with young man from Sto. Domingo who teaches art on weekends at a local school. He drew a portrait of Christopher and Chris drew some cartoons for him in return.
Saturday
Coca Cola for breakfast (highlight for Andy?). I led devotion (1 Peter passage).
A girl, Danilka, sang for us. Her nickname is “golden lips” and she sang wonderfully.
Carla slept all morning. The other kids rested and watched cartoons with Ariela. Andy put in some Latrine-building time.
Chris and Jonathan went fishing with Jovan, caught some small fish (he did) which Sra. Luz fried and served with supper.
Ruth, Nancy and Carlos went to help Luz put together some crafts for El Sigual.
A running joke between Jose and Junior is that Junior is always at the front of the line for meals. Jose has diabetes and he always calls out “diabetics first”.
Sunday
Ruth had devotional, James passage on faith and works
On the way up for breakfast we forgot Chris for the second time. So I owe him 2 Cokes.
We traveled packed in the back of the pick up truck to El Sigual in the morning, not that safe but we made it. Over some dirt road for the last 30-40 min.
A village that ? years ago resulted in the resettlement of families fairly widely dispersed in the hills to this village, because of no availability of water and resultant great poverty. The village is laid out very geometrically in a rectangle, with each house being cinder block construction with another wooden house in the back.
a pastor type who accompanied us from Padre las Casas, taught the children church. He goes out there on Sat and Sun. The PLC church is renting one of the small buildings but is outgrowing that building and the village has donated a tract of land to build a church building. But they lack the funds for the actual building. We talked for a while about the pros and cons of conference relationships.
About 60 children (mostly) crowded into the small house for some songs (loudly and enthusiastically), and the story of Zaccheus. The visual story materials that he used were full of Caucasian pictures. One song was something about the Bicycle of Love. We sang a song too in English, “Zaccheus was a wee little man.”
Lunch time was goat meat (we saw the goat when we arrived tethered to the house, and we ate it for lunch. . . . ) yucca, fried banana, water. Andy had too much goat and nothing else, and the next day experienced “The Revenge of the Goat.”
Senora Marguerita has emerged as the church leader of this community. She seems like a very capable woman. She showed us her water filtration system. It uses a simple cloth filter and a few drops of bleach per gallon. The filter needs to be changed each year. Appropriate technology.
Chris and Andy climbed part way up a high hill to the N. of El Sigual. Chris found some cool lizards. Andy got a big thorn in his shin. They both got good an hot.
While there, they brought a 71 y.o. man who had a suprapubic foley catheter placed. He had received an operation for urinary blockage (?prostate) and couldn’t afford the operation to get the catheter out. We talked with him a bit. The simple operation to get it removed should be able to be done in PLC.
There are large rice fields near by El Sigual and they are being harvested.
Chris rode home on the back of the motorbike with the teacher.
The children are hanging in there, even though this has been a “stretch” for them. They fill spare time with reading (Chris- Lord of the Flies for school, Carla-, Hana books by Jerry Spinelli, and Andy numerous Star Wars series books.)
We came back and played a baseball game at a ball field here in PLC. Carlos had gathered used mitts, balls, bats and brought them to DR after seeing that they had been playing with sticks and rag balls.
Jose Luis gave the sermon tat evening on Isaiah 12:1-6. There was a Merengue and Bachata singer at church and the singing was especially spirited and enthusiastic.
The Merengue precipitated a little crisis among the group of Puerto Ricans. Gerano who is more religiously conservative apparently didn’t think that this kind of loud dance type music (but with a strong religious message) was appropriate for a church. They had to gather together the next day to process this out among the group.
Jose said that he was tired, like a frozen fish, eyes open but not seeing anything. He said that this morning, God woke me up with many thoughts. The other morning he said that he awoke early as well, “but it was not God, only my stomach.”
Monday
Jonathan worked in the hospital alongside Dr. Ramon (pediatrician), with Nancy’s help. Carla took px. He said that he did not have a nurse to work with him on this particular day so he had to do it all himself. The waiting room was full.
His outpatients included asthma, a girl with unusual hand lesions, Tenia nana parasitic infestation, a 6 y.o. boy with a Tet spell (cyanosis, clubbing evident, loud murmur, decreased exercise tolerance, Hct. 56%, Ascaris (rash, abdominal pain, scables, amoebiasis (Hct. 25%) He did have infant scales, made in the Peoples Republic of China. He ordered many ASO tests.
Inpatients
13 y.o. girl with Tuberculosis. There are no PPDs available in the hospital.
2 ½ year old boy with Glomerulonephritis.
No availability of BP cuff for children, no Ultrasound of Kidneys available, no cultures available in the lab.
patients are improving.
Tuesday
Gajo del Monte. (“Treeless top of the mountains”)
Leon (nurse) from Padre las Casas, had no medications to provide. We brought some limited supplies.
The list of meds that he usually gets includes (his list)
Acetaminofen
Diclofenac
Albendazol
Antigripal jarabe
Vitamina
Ampisilina 500
Sometimes people hitch a ride informally, usually when we go through towns. No one seems to mind making room for an extra 1-2 people and their belongings, and it’s free.
The clinic was crowded and hot. Ruth and the kids tried to do some entertaining things for the kids outside like drawing px and making bead necklaces. Jonathan “saw” approx. 210 kids in 6 hours…
Got stuck 3 times that day. The men pulled us out with a rope. The kids enjoyed standing up behind the cab of the truck for their ride. Had a delicious lunch of beef stew and rice, plantains, avocado, mango.
Wednesday
Ruth and the other three kids stayed at home and worked on the PPoint for church, adding animation schemes, etc.
Jonathan, Nancy, and both Carlos’, and Sr. Luz went to El Sigual in the morning and into the afternoon, saw 54 patients.
Carla spent most of the day with children from the church, visiting their homes, going to the park, crossing the streets with their protection. They were very kind.
Putting up more electrical supply into the town. A number of houses have solar panels.
When Nancy and I returned to Padre las Casas patients kept coming to see me at the Centro. Saw 5 more kids. I was pretty tired by that time. Amanda had 3 teeth pulled at the dentist that day. She still has a rotten one in the back of her mouth.
HUGE Feast at Pastor Nelson’s house in the evening, then church. Nancy had the sermon on pray without ceasing.
Thursday
Up early
Breakfast
Said good byes
Left on a sunny day by the same bus that brought us to Padre las Casas.
We had a good time looking at various things on our computer on the way back, including power point and photos. Hana had it on her lap and the others gathered around her.
We were once again impressed by the spectacular mountain views to the north as we returned to Santo Domingo.
Wiper blades for sale by street corner vendors.
We visited a craft market in Santo Domingo before heading out to the airport to say our good byes and rent a van. Was sad to say goodbye to our new-found PR friends, and to leave PLC behind and all the children we had gotten to know.
We drove (through some rather unpredictable Dominican traffic) to La Romana and looked for a hotel. We found one, the Hotel Luxor. It was undergoing renovation but we were able to get a room. The kids enjoyed swimming in their swimming pool.
We connected with Maria Openshaw who is there for the summer, and went out to eat at La Casita restaurant and had ice cream afterwards.
I set the “AC” on then lay down and it got hotter and hotter and I assumed that we were in for an uncomfortable night where the AC wasn’t working. However, Ruth noted that I had it on “Heat” so she switched it and it cooled off.
Friday
Breakfast at the hotel, then drove to Punta Cana.
Got through Higuey by following a red SUV that Ruth insisted was headed to the beach like we were headed. She was right, even though we wound rather circuitously through the town.
After some searching, found a hotel very near the beach, with a reasonable price, delicious breakfast included. The price of the resorts was $170 per person per day!
Swam in Ocean.
Movie on TV Stuck on You about Siamese twins one of whom is an actor the other one isn’t. A comedy.
Saturday
Breakfast at hotel.
TV
Swimming with Hana in swimming pool, told jokes to each other, made up riddle.
Chinese restaurant for supper.
Night time ocean swim for a while. (Chris, Andy, Hana) (Andy got sand in his eyes.)
Sunday
Breakfast
Beach/pool/reading/television
World Cup in Spanish
Head Butt by French play, Zadine (sp?)
Italy won
Parade of honking cars for a while afterwards, no doubt Italians celebrating.
Reviewed power point presentation with family and we had a chance to reminisce and to assign each other parts in the sermon that we will have in church next Sunday.
Monday
Went Snorkeling (“snorking” the side of the boat said).
Reading we are doing
Winesburg, Ohio Sherwood Anderson
Happy Land (Novella in Harpers Magazine)
Small Towns, Small Communites
Poem “Blind Date”
Curiousity regarding what lies below the surface (George Willard)
Unrealized dreams, love and passion, unrealized
Decided to cancel the Santo Domingo reservation.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Tuesday
Souvenir shopping, drum, Mom had “concert” with some of the guys in the shops. They are mostly Haitian and speak French. We can tell that they remind her of her Congolese friends.
Took a drive together to see the lighthouse and a wildlife refuge. Neither were there. We got some drinks.
Scrabble.
Night time beach swimming.
Photos on the beach.
Swimming in the pool.
Major Leage All Star game. Many if the players from the DR.
Wednesday
Pizza
Swimming
Went over sermon
Thursday
Breakfast at La Romana
La Romana à Airport
Window washing boys
Difficult driving and dangerous traffic
Airport routine
To Baltimore via Fort Lauderdale