Another (and an especially) glorious day! Some of the kids got up early for prayer time and then, following breakfast a devotions led by Sally and Molly, we took a field trip. We started out at about 9:00am led by Javier to see a waterfall. The Jarabocoa area is world famous for it's waterfalls, in fact, one of them is featured in the opening sequence of Jurassic Park. Although that is not the one that we went to, we saw an amazing sight none-the-less. It was about a 60 minute trek to get there, and we were joined by a couple other kids as well as Mary Craig and Laird. Sadly, Madison was not quite up to speed today, and stayed back to rest. Molly stayed with her. (Madison is fine now, ibuprofen, Pepto and a long nap fixed her up right. I am really sorry she missed the trip) Jonathan carried Ellison on his shoulders the whole way there. She hiked some on the way back, and Nick carried her some, Jon carried here the rest of the way. Our trek was up and down, through puddles, over rocks and even crossing a river on a log. Not to worry though, the water was shallow, the log was not up high. A few people who didn't mind wet feet just crossed in the water. It was worth the long hike though, the fall was spectacular. Simply stunning! We waded in the water, stood in the mist, climbed the rocks and collectively took about 600 pictures. I got an especially nice one of Sally standing in the mist, another good one of Laura on a giant rock and some great group shots. Havier and his buddies scaled the cliff-- no ropes, no supports, no shoes, nothing-- as if they were climbing the slide on a playground and did a couple of spectaular dives into the deep water at the bottom of the fall. It was amazing. I would not let the team try this. There was some disapointment.
I really wish that I could post some pictures on here for you to see, but I have really limited means. Each night, when i have finished typing on this ridiculously small computer, Jonathan gets his cell phone and dials up the internet. We have to stand outside and hold it up in the air, turning and waving until we have a good signal, and then it sends to the blog. Still, the fact that we can do it at all is amazing. When I was here in 1999, we said goodbye in the Charleston airport, and the parents didn't hear from us again until we landed in NY on the return flight. I am excited to be able to let everyone follow our adventures in this way. Please forgive the typos and other mistakes, the keyboard is small and unfamiliar, plus I am usually doing this very quickly.
We got back from our adventure just in time for lunch, and we were seriously hungry. We could smell it up the way and we headed straight for the dining hall to eat. Madison was much better and was ready to join us. After lunch, we had a very brief siesta and then got to work. Our tasks included sanding chairs, more electrical work, further sorting of items from the shed and carrying them to various places. Jonathan had to go with Pablo to the hardware store and while he was there, he bought himself a machete to bring home. Guess what all the kids want now?
The kids have been working hard and have great attitudes. They have endured all of the hardships and indignities with great spirits and humor. We are in a place where there is no A/C anywhere, and yet shorts are not an option. We cannot put paper in the toilets, and cannot so much as brush our teeth with the water. We have to (discretely) use hand sanitzer constantly, we are away from TV, radio, Facebook and phones. It is a huge growth experience for them! They are all talking about coming back here, in one way or another.
When 5:00 came, the village children were lined up at the gate again, waiting to come in. Some of the girls set about braiding and fixing hair, the boys found the sports equipment and the playground filled quickly. Ellison and I were walking across the yard at just the right time to see some wild parrots fly out of a palm tree. It was really cool! A few moments later, God created a glorious rainbow over the top of the mountain. It was so beautiful! Another neat thing that happened is that one of the girls brought her photo album, and in it was a picture of me with Giselle in 1999! Giselle was thrilled to see it, as was I. It was a magnificent afternoon. At six, we invited all of the children to come to church and we all trooped down the hill. Sam-Neill and Rhett served as acolytes and our whole team was an inpromptu choir with Nick and Connor on guitar. Fr. Marshall preached and Mary-Craig celebrated the Eucharist. I don't know how many kids there were, but there were a lot! Our team fanned out and sat amoungst them and both Marshall and Mary-Craig complimented them on their willingness to serve, the lack of eye rolling and the politeness. They were impressed by the whole team. It was an exciting service, we sang some songs in English, the children sang some in Spanish. The passing of La Paz was expecially moving.
After that long day, we were ready for supper. We enjoyed the rest and the nourishment before a full scale cleaning of our rooms and then showers for all. Then we moved to other rooms due to a bug problem. The cleaning and moving was a huge task for already tired people, but by the grace of God, we finished. The dormitory is kind of like the large cabins at Camp Saint Christopher used to be, four individual rooms filled with bunks and each sporting a bathroom, all opening up into a central room. Here there are 20 campers per room, instead of ten, with 2 sinks, 2 toilets and 2 showers. Once settled in to the new rooms, it was time for Compline.Just then Havier showed up with an amazing bug with intensely glowing spots, the pictures we took do not do it justice. Fr. Marshall led Compline as it was his last night with us. I passed out everyone's "mail", read some letters to the team and even had a note myself. (Thanks, Brenda!) I read the kids some passages from Acts 2, starting with verse 42, and we talked about it a little, then, due to the insanely late hour, it was time for bed.
Until tomorrow,
Yours in faith, Dorothy
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