Site Acrobats :-)

There were a few sights to take in at the jobsite as well.  

Check out our acrobatics :-)

A few Sights

There were a few other "sights" that we saw while in the Dom Rep.  Motorcycles are everywhere and they carry almost anything.

A Family of 4 was a common sight

 A Family of 5 after church.  This was the most we saw this trip.

PVC Piping

 Why not the mattress?

And the Crib!

We are home!

On Thursday, we traveled back after our time in the Dominican Republic.

We started our day with breakfast at the CRC Ministry Center where we stayed in Santo Domingo and then packed everything up for the trip home. 

On our way to the airport, we made a couple of stops since we didn't fly out til the afternoon.  We stopped at Los Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes) which is a beautiful underground water/cave feature that has crystal clear water and many unique rock features.

After this, we stopped at a couple of different Christian schools in the area and saw the children, classrooms and construction projects that they had going on as well as seeing some of the programs that they have working in the local communities like lunch programs and a medical program for the community around the school.

We then arrived at the airport and we were off.  The flights went well and we had a longer layover in Atlanta where the group enjoyed having some American food :-)  We arrived back in Omaha just after 11 PM with all our luggage and made our way home.  I am guessing you would have heard most of the team members heads hitting their pillows around 2 AM.

Thanks for all the support and prayers during this trip.  We could definitely feel the support and strength during our time away.

Please stay tuned for a few more pictures and wrap up from our trip.  After all, it has been a bit too serious.  There might be a few pictures that make their way to the blog :-)

Wednesday - January 31 - Packing up

The day started out by a small group going up to the site and taking the last of the concrete forms off on the roof gable.  We then had our last breakfast with Gloria at the hotel restaurant and finished packing everything up for the trip home.  After packing the tools, luggage and finally the people into the 2 vans, we traveled back to Santo Domingo, to the ministry center where we will spend the night. 

 

Since we had the afternoon free, we went to downtown Santo Domingo, to the Colonial District and did a little sightseeing of the area where Christopher Columbus first landed and set up a fort.  In addition, we spent some time checking out the cathedrals and other sights as well as the market district.  The only downfall was that there is a lot of traffic near this area and we spent a lot of time on the road and waiting.

Steve and Sandra Brauning, the missionaries here, invited us for supper at their home and so we spent the evening with them and had a good American meal of chili out on their rooftop patio.  We spent some time discussing many of the projects and churches and what some of these church congregations face for challenges.

It was a good day and we did a lot of reflecting.  We are looking forward to packing up and heading home tomorrow.  Please pray for safety as we travel home and return to our families.

Tuesday - January 30th

We had a sunny hot day without any rain delays today!  The gable ends needed to be completed on the west side of the church, as the east side of the church continued to dry.  Putting the forms on the roof requires a little creativity and flexibility. Our men mixed all the concrete and yet another bucket brigade of cement was sent up to the roof of the church. 

 After putting those finishing touches on the building, we had the opportunity to dedicate the church with Pastor Michel and some members.  Some time was spent sharing our thoughts about the past week along side one another as well as singing some favorite hymns in Creole and English.  

Tomorrow a few of us will return early in the morning to remove the last few forms before we head back to the ministry center at the capital.  We are all ready to see our families but have taken many pictures and videos to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ from Sabana Larga.  

Monday - January 29

Dona Gloria's breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, bread, and coffee prepared us well for the big day today. 

We started the work day visiting the lumber yard to pick out tin for the roof and the guys who have been here before were impressed with the quality and safety of the tin available.  Those of us who have not been here before were impressed simply by their response.  By the end of the morning the roof was on and the front gable had been filled in with block by the locals.  We broke for lunch and were very glad the roof was on for the rest of the afternoon. 

Rain caused a few work delays but also created some time to play with the kids in the dry interior.  At one point a football, soccer ball, and small ball were flying around the church in close pursuit of kids of all ages. 

The rain didn't slow down the baseball and soccer games, jump ropes, bubbles, and coloring.  We were thankful for a chance to play and get to know the kids a bit more. 

Once the rain cleared a little,  frames were prepared and were placed in a little more rain as well as the leveling of the interior floor in preparation for pouring the concrete. 

This evening we had the opportunity to listen to Pastor Michele's story and hear more about the ministry in Sabana Larga and beyond.  It's exciting to hear how God is working in the Dominican Republic through the work of the people here!

Sunday - January 28th

It was a typical Sunday morning breakfast, scrambled eggs, seventy degrees and sunny. 

We then had an opportunity to worship with the congregation we are serving.  Another typical worship service of robust singing, movement and percussion.  It was also a typical two hour worship service.  What wasn't typical for this congregation was the six foot tall white men that joined the service. We were welcomed warmly and enjoyed the vastly different style of worship.

After a typical round of rice, beans, avocados, and stewed chicken for dinner, we headed off to Playas Salinas beach.  We enjoyed some time of combing the beach for shells, relaxing and taking in the sunshine and
showers.  We were also able to check out a salt harvesting operation, Minas de Sal.

We enjoyed another round of beans, rice, avocados, and stewed chicken topped off with coffee for our evening meal. After words, Duane filled us in on the Christian Reformed church's involvement in the Dominican Republic.  Ice cream may have been a part of our evening, but we can neither confirm nor deny that fact.