Why is our family never bothered by mosquitoes?

   So as I watch Facebook posts and news from our home area of Northern Indiana, I see that winter is trying to set in. The temperature has been dropping, it has attempted to snow a couple of times and when we Skype our children or our parents, they have flannel shirts or sweatshirts on. We are also seeing signs of the change of season here but they are different. We see Christmas lights strung up on cone shaped Christmas trees made out of dried vines wrapped in a circle. We are starting to hear Christmas music in a few of the businesses, and we are getting ready to host our last two week team of 2013, arriving here on Tuesday the 29th. Where did the year go?

Making fresh squeezed Orange Juice. 

      I am constantly reminded of how our life here has slowed down from what we had in Indiana, and only by choice. We could have made some of the same choices there but just, for whatever reason, didn't.
      It seems like not a lot has happened since I last blogged but when I look at my October pictures, I see that actually a lot has happened in our lives. I see the day that Marcy and I made fresh squeezed Orange Juice for breakfast. I remember when Karen and the girls watched a movie together one night, or when Karen went to the girls' school to see Marcy give an oral book review of a book that she had authored. Then there was the night that I took all the crew guys from the base along with Eric Miller to go Bowling in Santiago. Now that was a true cultural experience.

Joan helping Carlos (blind) see where the ally is. 

We have made numerous trips to the river and the waterfalls, maybe even a couple of trips to the local ice cream stand. Buddy and I still try to walk every morning about 2 1/4 miles. Karen still enjoys her role at Genesis Special Ed School. I still enjoy overseeing some of the sites and doing some building maintenance as it needs done. Janae has been having more after school activities now that she is in 8th grade. Marcy is really picking up Spanish fast now since our new Dominican neighbors have a girl in her class.
      Speaking of our neighbors, I went to my first bible study at my neighbors last night and it was in Spanish. All went well until they started out by asking what our blood type was. I am thinking, is this a contact sport where I may get hurt, and end up in the hospital?????????? I thought it was a bible study.   I found out that the church wants that info to have on record in case there is an emergency with someone in the church and they need blood. Good idea. Problem is when they asked me what my type was, I told them I didn't know. If looks could kill....... I think the things is, that here they know that stuff like I know my passport number. It is a great idea though. So today I went to the clinic and paid the $2.10 for the blood draw, and the lab work and results and 15 minutes later found out I was B+. Funny thing is, I was concerned that I may not understand some of the Spanish, HA! I understood most of it fine - I just didn't know my blood type. Now I am a little worried about what they will ask next week that I don't know.

Buddy and Peso getting aquainted 

     We are also now officially house sitting for another families dog. Peso, one of Buddy's pups is about 2-1/2 years old now. At first neither was too sure about the arrangement but all seems to be good now. John and Rachel Sawyer work at Carribe Mountain Academy here in town, and they will be moving to the North
coast in February after they spend a few months back in the states fundraising, connecting with family and friends and so on.  I am not sure how many of you have ever been around a St Bernard dog, (Peso is not a St Bernard) but they have a very distinct characteristic about them, besides their size. Peso has somehow picked up that same trait. We now have to be very careful when we go outside as the sidewalk is always wet.

Buying our milk at the local comado.

    Lastly I want to share a story about our health. The milk that they have here for sale is not refrigerated, it is sold in Quart boxes on the shelf and it has a shelf life of about 4 months or so. It is ok, not great, but ok. We had joked about getting a cow when we get here but for many reasons, that has not been an option. However, I did find a colmado about 6 months ago that sold raw milk. It is delivered every morning at about 7:00 and it costs about 1/3 of what the store bought does and it tastes a lot better. We bring it home and cook it to 150 degrees and then put it in the fridge and we are good. Sometimes I get there right when the moped does that the farmer drives that delivers it but usually I don't. On the days that I am there, he has two yellow jugs of his own and dumps them, through a regular screen strainer into the colmado owners containers then he leaves and I buy my milk. Great process. It was only during one of my visits a few weeks ago that I realized that the two yellow jugs he was using to transport, were actually 2- 1/2 gal Pesticide Jugs. NO WONDER WE NEVER GET BITE BY MOSQUITOES!!     Ha! We still get the milk from him and we still are not getting bit. Is there a correlation? I don't know, I am not sure that I even really care.
      Thanks again for all that take the time to read these. My hope is that is gives you a glimpse of what we do, how we live and the impact that God is making on the lives of us and the people in Jarabacoa.

Un viaje a Los Estados

It has been more than my attempted two weeks between posts, for a couple of reasons. We had been back in Indiana for a week and a half but that is kind of a poor excuse. After all, they do have internet in Shipshewana and I could have found time to do it. I mean, I did find time to go to Dairy Queen three different times. Anyway, our trip back was kind of work related I guess. At least the timing of it was for sure work related. Every year at this time, Students International has a banquet in Northern

Dad and Marcy with the picker

Marcy unloading one of the loads of corn. OSHA approved of course

Indiana and I tried to help them get a few tables filled so it was good to be back for that. It was a great time to catch up with the California staff, past SI DR staff, Past SI DR team participants, and of course family, friends, and supporters. I spent the first few days making contact with current and past supporters of some of the ministry sites and current and past supporters of some of the national staff. It was great to meet some of them and to hear their stories of how they were affected by their short term trip there. Part of my job description now is to help the national staff with their fund raising efforts which includes, but is not limited to, "Thanks You's" for those that have helped them. Several of them had written letters of appreciation that I could hand deliver.
      The rest of the trip was spent with family and friends. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners and just visiting. Of course the timing could not have been better for Marcy and me to help out my dad get the fall corn harvest started. That is one of the things (few things) that I miss about being there, is helping him with the harvest each fall. I am not sure how much it really helps him but I sure enjoy being out there hauling and unloading the ear corn. We were even able to get in on a Sunday School class party.
     Another great short DR story to close with. About three weeks before we left, I had to make an airport run and while I was there, I asked about leaving a car there long term, maybe 2 weeks or so. They said no problem and just showed me where to park and said anywhere in that lot was fine. I got the pricing and did the math and it came to a little less than two trips there and back so I thought I would try it once so no one would need to take us there when we left. Upon returning on Tuesday evening, I went to get the car only to find a wheel lock on the front wheel. I looked for a security guy and he said that I had not filled out the right paperwork prior to leaving but it was no big deal (not to him it wasn't) and I could just take care of it when I left at the toll booth. I get to the toll booth to pay the $27 expected price, only to be told that my bill was $175. It was then that I was told that I was supposed to fill out the correct papers BEFORE leaving. I said that no one had told me about that, his reply was that I had not asked (deja vu of the water line at Genesis that they installed but there was no water in the lines in that part of town). As I looked at him dumbfounded ( I am getting real good at that look) I tell Karen and Janae to get every spare Dominican Peso bill they had and pass them forward. HA! another lesson learned in the DR.

The only thing missing in this move is a baby in the jumper (top left). I quickly got around him before something (or somebody) fell off.