Mosquitos and ants and wasps, oh my!

Well, here's a new first for me. I was taking a nap after a long day out in the villages, when I woke up suddenly and brushed something away from my eyes. That something struck me and immediately caused pain to shoot all through my face. I touched my cheek, or rather, the skin just below and to the right of my right eye, and could feel some sort of bump from a sting. Trying not to panic, I went next door to Alexia and Robin's room and asked for their help. Robin took tweezers and managed to pull out a really long stinger. Thank goodness it didn't sting my eye! It was huge! Too huge to be from a bee. And so close to my eye. I have iced it, rubbed garlic on it, and taken Benadryl, but even an hour or so later, it is still hurting. I guess you can pray for it to stop swelling and stop hurting! This is the most interesting thing to happen to me today so I think it merits writing about.

The new group who is here for the week are mostly part of a youth group from Philadelphia, and I am again continously amazed at how these people cross language barriers to love kids well. Not only do they tackle the villages with new energy that those of us who are here day in and day out simply do not do, but they encourage the staff as well too. I am so thankful for them!

Please keep Evelina in your prayers. This is a woman who lives in Chichigua. She was an English student of Alexia's and has four sons, Junior, Ernesto, Jesmarco and Ambiolin, some of whom attend Camille's classes. On Sunday, her husband passed away suddenly. We have no idea what happened, as it was a completely unexpected death, in the middle of a game of dominoes. Haitians and Dominicans grieve differently than we do--after the death they mourn outwardly, wailing and screaming and crying, and then they bury the body and live moves on as though unchanged. But this woman is hurting and needs comfort that she will not find here, so pray for her. Pray for the four little sons this man left behind, the youngest of whom probably does not even realize that his daddy is gone. Sorry it's sideways, but this is picture of Ambiolin, Evelina's youngest son. He wears sweatshirts a lot.

A picture from last week: Rebecca, Camille, Robin and Alexia in Cabarete -- all the current and former Makarios teachers!