My preshioussss....

Well, it finally happened.

After three years and countless chances to bounce into a storm grate, be left on a fast food tray, or simply fall off my fat finger, my wedding ring has flown the coop.


Yes, it's true - all of you who always warned me about spinning my ring on tables (Laura Troup got especially upset about this once), playing with it when I'm bored, and dropping it under a pew during church - you were all wrong. None of the above caused my ring's demise. It was the ocean. The deep, unfathomable surge and pull of the ocean took my ring off of my finger during an afternoon of pretty respectable body surfing. I got out of the water, sand in every place it shouldn't be, and thought "Something is different... Are my trunks still on?" That's when I noticed that it was gone.

My $70 WalMart band with the "comfort fit" and faded white gold plating (we always figured I would lose it in a month or so after the wedding)... taken by Mother Ocean. I contemplated searching for it - even made a few half hearted attempts at watching the sand for extra glintiness... but I knew when it happened that I would never see it again.


It only makes sense that the place that introduced me to Holly, Love of My Life would someday demand payment in the form of my wedding ring. So, with a sad sense of completeness, I will look for another cheap band of metal - maybe even one with the special "comfort fit"- but I will miss that little symbol of love - and I still feel like I am walking around naked without it.

(And Holly - don't get any ideas - I've got you, ring or no ring, Baby!)

Thanksgiving on the beach

Well, it's just not Thanksgiving without the autumn weather... But we had a wonderful Turkey Day celebration with our friends, mentors & fellow missionaries, Brian & Tammie Wallace. We opted for cheeseburgers at Jose O'Shea's, our favorite Irish pub on the beach.

Thankful

We find ourselves, on this hottest of Thanksgivings, thankful.

We are thankful for this life, in this place, with these people.
For our mentors here, Brian and Tammie,
and those who at other times have helped remind us who we want to be.
For technology that allows us to be so close
to those we love in the States and worldwide.
For our marriage, as we realize that, here,
more than ever, we have to lean on each other.
For our friends and family that we miss so much
but whose sacrifices make it possible for us to be here.

Dominican lawnmower

Yes, that is a machete in his hand. Yes he is approximately seventy-five years old. Yes, he could probably beat me up. To all my old landscaping bosses: Lynn, Nick, Rodrigo, Steve, Jon, and Randall- thank you for not handing me a machete to cut grass with. (well, except for Rodrigo... that experience didn't go over so well.)



These guys are "fixing" the street in front of our apartment. First- they make a fire in the empty lot across the street to heat up the tar- then they fill the holes in the street with sand and rock (a kind of clay called "caliche", here), then they cover the hole with the hot tar. (along with whatever else they come across). Somehow- I ended up with tar on the seat of my cargo pants. You can imagine how that looks when Im walking around.

TJ

Birthday Hugs

My beatiful wife, Holly, turns 26 tomorrow, and she is too far away to get hugs from everyone she loves. Sooo... why not send her some birthday "hugs" with an email or on the blog?!!!
As you can see-some of our regular "chiquitos" got the idea- now it's your turn!

We love and miss all of you- see you in December!

This is a beautiful place to live.

Psalm 19


The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.


Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.


They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.


Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.

Pics from the Weekend

Well, TJ was phenomenal. Absolutely captivating. And the kids really listened to what he had to say. God spoke through him, and spoke WELL! TJ told great stories, sang powerful songs, and brought God's message of sin, love and grace to life.

We had a great weekend in Jarabacoa - we spoke English, hung out with other Americans, and enjoyed hot showers. Sign us up for summer camp!

________________________________

PS...


Can you tell us apart?! Okay, so we're not identical, but we do look alike, and people kept getting us mixed up all weekend! This is Kristie - she's a 2nd grade teacher at Jarabacoa Christian School.

Jarabacoa

We're in Jarabacoa this weekend. That's right. The "Little Switzerland" of the Dominican Republic. That's really what people call it. And it really is gorgeous. Pine trees, waterfalls, and steep gorges in the middle of a tropical island.

TJ is speaking & singing at a Young Life camp, weaving stories & a few of his songs into a basic presentation of the Gospel. I'm looking forward to seeing my wonderful husband in his element, as we so often feel out of our element here!

Cheaters

The boys love War.
No, not the state of conflict (although they are fond of fighting, too), they love to play the card game called "War". This is a new game to them, and they took to it like fish to water (or Democrats to Congress, whichever works).



The thing they enjoy most about this mind-numbingly simple game, is that every single card laid down is like a little battle. There is the suspense of not knowing what's in your hand, not knowing whats in the other guy's hand, and if you should both lay down the same card... well, it can get pretty exciting. Even with the triumph of victory or the agony of defeat available about every five seconds, I thought they would still tire of the game, as most of us did about the third time we played with our dads, but these guys- they just love it.



They argue and laugh and cheer and scream with each new card laid down- but most of all, they accuse each other of cheating at every turn. This was strange to me- I thought, surely they just dont understand how to play, until I realized that every one of them was pointing at the other and screaming "tramposo!"- mainly because every one of them was cheating. When they would win a high face card, they would slide it to the front of the deck and play it more often. Some would play from the bottom of the deck- others would just steal the cards, even if they didn't win, hoping the other guy wasn't paying enough attention. Under these conditions, the game is less about the cards, and more about who is better at cheating.



As I watched this, I couldn't help but picture God shaking his head in frustration as we sit at the table of Grace, pointing our fingers at our brothers in Christ- with an Ace under our sleeve. Because my sin is less ugly than yours- because my worship is more "first century" than yours - because our reading of the scripture is "closer" than yours- none of this makes a true difference, because in the end, we all have to admit that we are all outside of the rules of the Game. Where the Law is concerned, being more or less of a cheater doesn't earn you anything.

It's crazy, but only when we start to point those fingers at ourselves and see our own helplessness to play by the rules- that's when we start to win.

Thank you, Father, for seating tramposos like us at the table of your Grace.

How to

Saturday was laundry day. It was a toss up between going to the beach and having clean clothes for the week. Clean clothes won out - when towels & sheets & clothes start to stink here, they REALLY stink.

Just in case you ever need to know, here's a rough idea of how to do laundry in a developing country. I didn't know - had to ask our nice Dominican lady neighbors for a tutorial...



1) Have big-strong-man carry Dominican style washing machine downstairs to courtyard. Also ask big-strong man to fire up the generator, as the power from the street isn't strong enough to run the washing machine.

2) Sort the clothes into tiny 5 pound piles, as that's all the machine can handle. Don't sort according to color, sort according to how dirty the clothes are. You will need to smell nearly every piece of sweaty clothing to ascertain how dirty it is. Wash the dirtiest clothes first.

3) Begin filling the washing machine by hauling buckets of water from the cistern. Add detergent, then clothes, then start the machine. It will agitate (i.e. gently swirl & swish) the clothes for 15 minutes.

4) Wring the clothes out and place them in the spin tube for 5 minutes. Drain the water out of the washing tub - the water will just run into the grass. That is okay. Fill the washing tub again with buckets from the cistern. This is the rinse water.

5) When the clothes are finished spinning, place them in the rinse water and agitate for 10 minutes. Wring them out again, and into the spinner for another 5 minutes.

6) Hang the clothes on the line, making sure everything is inside out to protect the fabric from fading in the sun. Secure all clothing with clothespins, to prevent underwear from ending up in the church yard next door. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rain. If it does, your clothes will mildew & you'll have to wash them all over again.

7) Start again with a new load, using the rinse water from the last load as the wash water for the new load. This will conserve water, and if you're lucky, you will have enough water left to wash dishes & take a shower that night.

8) Repeat this process 6 times for every week's worth of laundry, taking care that the generator doesn't run out of gas and that you don't fall into the cistern.

9) When finished, dry the washing machine in the sun, then ask big-strong-man to haul it back up to the security of your guest bedroom. Take your somewhat-stiff clothes off the line, then fold them & put them away. It is optional to wait until the next day to put them away.

10) Remember with longing & fondness the small miracle of automatic washing machines & dryers. Try to think of a way to have the little Snuggles bear bring his fresh, clean softness to the Dominican.

Wanna play?

Yes, its true. We have conned churches into paying for us to play games all day. Yes, it is fun but yes, it is ALL day long.

These are a few pics of what our days look like right now. The games, the guitar lessons, the constant admonitions to share... all of that has been a good intro into this life and a great way to get to know these kids. The playing will continue, but we are working towards more structure, building opportunities for meaningful conversation and what Tim Woodroof calls "teaching moments".

By the way, when you come visit, make sure you work out the rules for Checkers before you start playing. They have their own rules, and they are the MASTERS of the board, no doubt about it. In approximately two thousand games, I have never, NEVER won. Neither has Holly. So, if a talent for Checkers is your spiritual gift, come on down. We need help.