Hello! Hola! Bonjour!

Mark Hernandez

Mark

This is my fourth trip to the DR.  There is so much to learn when you are in a different country and culture.  During this trip I made an effort to learn to greet my friends correctly.  You might think we greet them only the first time we see them.  In the DR you greet people every day.  Arriving at work you greet every person with a kiss and/or hug.  This was part of the greeting that I improved on.  When greeting you touch cheeks and kiss the air.  Your lips do not touch them.  If they are a good friend they might give you a real hug with it as well.  They say "bendiciones" (blessings) or "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you) or "como estas" (how are you?)  When arriving at church you greet everyone and before leaving again they give you a hug and blessings.

The children are taught at a young age to respect their elders and it is shown by how they greet them.  An example of this is that on Wednesday afternoon we ate lunch at Eddy's parents' house.  Adriana came home from school and entered the house.  She greeted me and Ruth with a kiss on our cheeks and then greeted Eddy and Carrie with a typical family greeting.  The custom is called "besando la mano".   The child greets the adult by calling them by what they are to them (mom, dad, grandpa, aunt, uncle, etc) and the adult responds by saying "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you).  So she went up to Carrie, kissed her on the cheek and said "Tia" (Aunt) and Carrie responded with "Dios te bendiga".   She then repeated the process with Eddy (Tio). 

Wednesday, January 30

Because last year we helped the newlywed Carrie organize her house.  This year we spent Wednesday afternoon organizing Shelley's house.  Shelley requested that we help her with the large closet in her daughter's room.  We emptied it, tossed lots of stuff (don't tell Sarah) and brought boxes of stuff to the school.  After invading her daughter's room and closet we felt comfortable enough to make some other improvements to her kitchen and living room as well.

Wednesday night us girls went out to eat at TGI Fridays to celebrate Shelley and Carrie's birthdays.  While we were out Shelley's son Mark called.  He had just gotten home and he wanted her to tell us all thank you for the work we did in the house.  It was very touching.

Mark is 11 years old; he is in 6th grade.  He attends Santiago Christian School (SCS) which is located around the corner from Pathway to Jesus School.  This is the school that Shelley visited when she was a student at Dordt College.  After graduating Shelley taught at SCS for 5 years and was principal for 5 years.
 Mark enjoys when the groups come down to work on the school.  Along with being bilingual (Spanish and English) he takes French in school as well. Mark is now on the basketball team at school. This year he also plays on the praise team at church. Mark has lots of friends because he is a outgoing kid!

The grannies spying on a class with their cameras.

Carrie greeting a teacher.

This picture is from Saturday. All students take turns greeting her.

The next girl greetings

Girls greeting each other.

Juicy Fruit

Tuesday, January 29

Before we came to the DR Karen and I had talked about the possibility of bringing some clothes down with us and having a garage sale to raise money for the school.  We talked to Carrie and Shelley about it and they thought it was a great idea.    Down the street from our school is a very nice private Christian school that often partners with Pathway  to Jesus  and there was some discussion that we might receive donations from their parents.  We also asked the parents of our school to bring donations.  We weren't sure if we would get any response from our families because most kids here only own very few clothes and when they grow out of are usually passed down to a sibling or cousin. 

The donations from the partner school didn't work out so we were a little afraid it would be a garage sale disaster.  On Monday Shelley and Carrie told their students about the sale and asked them to bring donations.  Every day more and more and more donations have been coming in.  This morning we started sorting the clothes in to adult and children clothes.  We have so many clothes there is no way we could have handled any from the partner school!  To see these families share what little they have has been a humbling experience. 

When school was done Karen and I were dropped off at our new friend Eladia's house for a lesson in making natural juice.  These juices are made from many types of  fruits and are a staple in the Dominican diet.  Many of them even have oatmeal water  in them!  Today we made three juices - chinola, lime and mango.  Even though we couldn't communicate with words we were able to learn  (with a lot of laughing and hand motions) how to make delicious juices during our time together.  Eladia has a warm and welcoming personality that makes you feel right at home.  She loves to cook and eat healthy so she cooks with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, many of which she grows herself.    She blesses  many people, especially those in need, with her juice.  It was a wonderful afternoon and we were blessed to get to know Eladia.

In the evening we went to Carrie and Eddy's for dinner.  While they prepared dinner we walked the neighborhood with Eddy's mom.  We were warmly invited into a number of houses and got to know many members of Eddy's family, many who live within a block of his house.  We were served spaghetti ala Eddy which is a Dominican American dish that Eddy and Carrie compromised on.  Basically it is regular spaghetti with corn on top and served with fried plantains.  It was very delicious and we enjoyed an evening of talking on the porch. 

We were surprised by a visit from a friend of Eddy's and his wife and child.  Last year Karen was made aware of some substantial needs that this family  had.  His house was falling down and they were living on plantains because they had no money for food.  Karen made some crafts and sold them and was able to send a donation that fixed his house.  When we were there last year we were able to purchase cooking items and food.    He spoke of how when those needs were met last year it was enough to get him on his feet and now he is self sufficient.  The most amazing thing we heard was that his wife who just year was asking him "Where is this God of yours - we have no food to eat" is now going to church with him.  That's where they were coming from when they passed by and saw us on the porch.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  James 2:14-17

Oh Rats!

Monday, January 28 - Day 3

It's Monday, so it's time to start working.  Last year we had a little extra time, so we spent one of our days cleaning out and organizing the preschool closets and cleaned all of the toys.  This year we started by going through the closets again and washing all of the toys because (I almost hate to say this) they have been having problems with rats.  The rats have been spending the evenings and weekends hanging out in the closets and have eaten all of the glue and crayons and paint leaving behind droppings when they go.  Well, thanks to rubber gloves and several new plastic bins for the toys and supplies, the closets are now spic and span!  (I bet you all want to be "Grannies on a Mission" members now!)  Carrie is very thankful that not only are the closets more organized, but now the teachers can use the toys, and books, and supplies without worrying that it is unsafe for the children. 

If you remember from last year's blog, I have a friend here, her name is Manuela.  Monday night we were invited to eat at her home.  Hospitality is a huge part of the culture here.  Manuela's husband, Osiris, is a pastor of a sister church in the area.  He also drives the school bus (van) 4 times a day for the Pathway to Jesus School.  Manuela was a teacher at the school for six years.  This year, due to her responsibilities as a pastor's wife and in other church ministries she needed a more flexible schedule.  She made the difficult decision to not continue teaching at the school, but she has a small store in which she sells clothes, accessories, home goods, etc.  Osiris and Manuela have two teenage daughters.  Their house is a busy place.  Five teenagers from the church were there having piano lessons in the carport.  They are learning so they can play in church.  Osiris' father is living with them as well.


In the Dominican Republic, lunch is the big meal of the day and dinner is usually smaller.  We were served a very typical Dominican supper.  It was yuca cooked with onions topped with scrambled eggs.  Yuca is kind of like a potato.  To drink we had oatmeal-orange juice.  Manuela served us first and insisted we started eating and then served everyone else.  Usually in Dominican homes the hostesses do not sit with their guests to eat, but we were very excited that after serving everyone, she did sit down with us to eat.  Manuela loves to talk and tell stories.  She talks very fast and is very animated.  Most of the time she didn't even give Carrie time to translate.  Ruth and I enjoyed hearing her stories, even though we didn't understand a word of it. I am thankful to call Manuela my friend!

Prayer before supper

Manuela's kitchen

Eggs come in a bag when you buy them at a colmado.

Manuela telling stories

Illiana students painted the walls

Carrie with the 2nd grade teacher.

Pastor Osiris, Ruth, Manuela & Karen

Inside Manuela's house

Manuela's front door.

My friend Manuela

Manuela

Yuca in far pan & oil in front pan to make eggs.

THEY'RE BAAAAACK!

 Sat Jan. 26 - Grannies on a Mission Day 1

With the blessings of our families and a personal invitation from Danilo Medina,  President of the Dominican Republic, the Grannies have again arrived in Santiago, DR.  (Ok, maybe not a personal invite from the Pres but they let us back in the country which is always a good thing.)

Saturday was a travel day and quite uneventful.  Our biggest surprise and blessing was that we were able to take in 260 lbs of clothes without paying for any extra luggage. The items will be donated to a garage sale that the Pathway to Jesus Parents Assoc. is  hosting at the end of the week.   

Sunday January 27 - Day 2

After a wonderful authentic lunch of rice, beans and chicken at Eddy's parents house we decided to visit the Monumento a Los Heroes de la Restauracion.  It was built in 1944 by the dictator Trujillo in his own honor and was renamed after his assassination and honors the heroes of the Dominican Restoration War.  It is very tall and has a spectacular view of the city and surrounding mountains.  Many Dominicans enjoy the park like setting as there aren't any parks in their DR. 

While we rested on the steps we were approached by a young boy wanting to shine Eddy's shoes.  While he worked Eddy asked him about his life and his family.  His name is Junior and he is 12 years old.  He is the oldest of three children and has been working since he was 9.  His father has passed away and he helps his mom support the family.  It is a two hour walk to the Monument and he comes every weekend.  He asks for 15 pesos for each shoe shine (about 40 cents).  Normally he makes 200 to 300 pesos in a day (between $5-8).  However, on this day, Eddy was his first customer and it was already past 3 o'clock.  After giving him some money for the shoe shine, Eddy gave him some food and water that we had.  It was possibly his only 'meal' of the day.  This is not an unusual situation and Eddy is very good  at determining if the story being told is truthful or a ploy to get more money.  It seemed Junior's  story was true and a reflection on many children's situations in the DR.

Church is on Sunday night and we enjoyed the singing and the fellowship.  We are sure the message that was delivered by Guille's brother was a blessing to all who were there but with neither of us able to speak Spanish we simply enjoyed the time together.  We have a full week of work ahead and look forward to sharing our experiences with you and telling about the people we meet along the way.