El Campo

Let me tell you, the rules for driving in the Dominican Republic are, if you get there first, it's your turn. And the roads are bumpy. Every moment is an adventure here. I can understand and speak some, but Dominican Spanish is very fast, and very hard to understand! I know that with time I'll get better.

I woke up around 10 a.m. this morning and Ruben came and picked me up to take me to his farm. Ruben drives a Toyota truck that seats five, but today it seated seven, including eight-month-old twins. Wistli, a Haitian man who works on the Makarios farm, has two adorable twins, Nefti and Neftali. Unfortunately, they were very sick. So today I went to the doctor, the supermarket, and the countryside.

I have never been so humbled in my life. This country is so poor and I got to spend time with familes who had nothing yet were living richly. I have everything and am nothing like them.

Let me tell you a little bit about Ruben. He is 55 and a native Dominican but lived for thirty years in the US. He became a Christian at 26, where he says his life "really began." He became a monk for awhile, actually a Franciscan, and lived basically as a poor man for the Lord. But Ruben felt called back to his home country and so he came back here. Over the next several years until now, he adopted three boys, got married to a woman who had a son, and had two little daughters. Naomi, who is three and goes by Niní, and Rosalina, who is four, took up most of my time today. They took me into their room and showed me every single doll they had (most of which had no clothes and were missing at least one leg).

Ruben's farm is absolutely amazing. It took an hour to get about twenty minutes away because of how rough the roads are, but I got to see the most beautiful view. Ana Maria, Ruben's wife, prepared me a Dominican meal which was delicious, and the farm has all kinds of wonderful fruit growing. I got to sit in his hammock for about an hour with Niní and Rosalina and it was great--I told Ruben I could stay there forever and he said I could as long as I helped his wife around the house!

Ruben's kids took me around to meet all the neighbors. They are all so hospitable, offering chairs and insisting you sit down and offering coffee. Not to mention that everything is so green, and so beautiful.

I am back at the White's house for the night. Oh, and I got to meet Jacob and Isaac, the Haitian twins that Sharla is in the process of adopting! Isaac is almost completely deaf and so they are teaching them sign language in addition to Spanish, English, and possibly Creole. I can't wait to post pictures.

Pray for safety in traveling, because tomorrow Sharla and I are headed to Puerto Plata, where the Makarios house is, in the morning! Also be praying for our staff retreat this weekend and for God to direct us for the summer. Pray that I don't lose heart with my Spanish but that the Lord will give me the strength and confidence to speak!

Love you guys!