Thursday, November 29, 2007

Ohhhhh, Kay-lah.....

Look what Ozzie made today!



He's pretty talented, and cute to boot!

And very much looking forward to seeing you in TWO weeks. (He can't stop talking about it.) We're looking forward to seeing you, too. Gus promises to be on his best behavior.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007


TJ's in a songwritin' mood.

Love songs.

I like it!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Pageant Practice

Practice is in full swing for the first ever Centro Cristiano Christmas Pageant!

We'll have Pescadores, Princesas, Christmas carols, a nativity with live animals, Christmas readings, red & green Crocs galore, apples, grapes & a roasted pig.

The kids are convinced that Alfredo has to be baby Jesus. (He's small and his skin is lighter.)

You don't want to miss this...

December 15, 6pm. Come on down!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

A week away from the Creek

Two months ago, a group from Otter Creek took our little corner of the island by storm. We hiked to the river, danced the Macarena, taught about hygiene, visited the hospital, fed people who live on the dump, played Twister, threw Cocoa Puffs, LOVED on kids, made friendships, went on a scavenger hunt, ate lots of plantains, roofed a house and lounged on the beach.

The week was a true blessing to God's work in the Dominican Republic. Otter Creek planned (and bought all sorts of fun supplies for) activities that the kids LOVED, required little Spanish, and taught great messages.

We are thankful, Otter Creek. Now if you will just get yourselves back down here so the kids will STOP asking us when our friends are coming back!!!









Tuesday, November 20, 2007

An odd realization

We were on our way out of town the other day, when I (Holly) had an odd realization.

I like hazelnuts.

I just turned 27, so I mostly have my likes and dislikes down. Like onions, dislike raw tomatoes. Like mango, dislike papaya. Like Spanish, dislike French. Like ACU, dislike Harding. (Sorry, Bison, but it's true!)

So it was very odd for me, when TJ asked me if there was anything I wanted from the store (besides the requisite cold Coke), to realize that I wanted a Ritter Dark Chocolate Hazelnut bar.

Which continues a previously unrecognized pattern of fondness for hazelnuts: Nutella, Ferro Rocher truffles, and now, the Ritter Dark Chocolate Hazelnut bar.

Would I like hazelnuts without chocolate? Probably not. Does anyone besides TJ care about my hazelnut revelation? Probably not.

I also like amaretto and marzipan, now that I think about it. And we're coming home for Christmas in a month. I'm just saying...

Monday, November 19, 2007

All I want for Christmas is my...


Chico, one of our favorite little rugrats, had an accident.

He fell out of a hammock, and landed (on a rock) on his teeth. He came to us the next day, trying to talk and keep his drool in his mouth, and told us the story. He wasn't worried about it, as several friends have lost their front teeth lately.


But Chico's teeth were permanent. The doctors in Rio San Juan told him that they would grow back. Remind me never to get sick in Rio San Juan.

We decided, immediately, that an eight year old would probably need his teeth as he grows up, and that we should help somehow. We contacted friends and dentists in the States, and got an appointment at a well-respected dentist in the town near us.

(That was a hairy experience... you try to convince Chico to let someone plunge a needle into his gums! Let's just say, the morning included chasing Chico down after he broke out of the exam room, six dental assistants holding him down, and bribes of toys, ice cream, and cartoons.)

After the appointment and some email consults from several gracious stateside friends including Dr. Corbyn Van Brunt, the prognosis is this: Chico will probably need a few root canals and either a partial denture or dental implants.

Please pray for Chico - he's a great little guy. We are going to try to get him two front teeth for Christmas. (Email us if you'd like to help.) But even without his front teeth, he can charm a Beanie Baby right out of your hands.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Mayhem

Running at break-neck speed though knee high grass in pitch darkness, holding on to the chain of Pescadores for dear life.

Glo-in-the-dark Blob Tag with a bunch of Spanish speaking ragamuffins: we highly recommend it. (Thanks, Otter Creek, for the bracelets!)

We have not laughed so hard, or had fun like that, in YEARS.

We "kidnapped" birthday boy, Hansel, and 12 other Pescadores for a party out at the camp. It was beyond fun, and the boys were SO good.

They didn't even try to jump out of the truck while we were driving. Progress, people. We're making progress!



Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Its good, but...



Our friend and co-worker, Osvaldo, was born and raised in Rio San Juan. A few years ago, he and Kayla (a missionary here before us) met, fell in love, and got engaged. They are waiting on a visa so Osvaldo can live in the US. To say that Oswaldo is in for the culture shock of a lifetime is an understatement.

Yesterday, Osvaldo and I went to Puerto Plata for some work, and stopped at a "tourist" restaurant for lunch. I sat down and realized that he may not have ever eaten in a restaurant like this, let alone seen a menu like this. Dominicans eat rice and beans, chicken and fish. Every day, day in and day out, except Christmas, when someone kills a pig or two.

Osvaldo speaks English, but the menu didn't make sense. I commenced to describe all the items. "Thai chicken salad, chicken ceasar wrap, beef medallions in red sauce, coconut chicken curry..." the list goes on. The choices were new to Osvaldo, and I let him know that they did have rice and beans. He declined and decided to be adventurous.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Chicken pot pie... its chicken and vegetables in a bread crust - kind of like a big empanada."

"OK. I'll have that," he says.

The food arrives and we start to eat, and I can tell he is uncomfortable with this new food item.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"Yes. It is very strange, but I think it will be better in a moment."

He then proceeded to drown his chicken pot pie in ketchup and continued eating happily.

"It's good - but much better with ketchup!"

I can't wait to take him to Chili's one day.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Paint the town

One of our best friends, Caroline Martin, came in last week with Mary Pulias, and her mom, Marylin Switzer. It was so great to have friends from Otter Creek here, as well as the blessings that they brought the ministry here.

They helped us with our first-ever girls retreat, complete with Modge-Podge crafts and mini-makeovers, and painted both the Outreach Center and the Children's wing of the Puerto Plata Hospital!



Monday, November 12, 2007

Midnight Monopoly


Thanks for the Monopoly game, Paul. Giving your favorite toy to the Pescadores was very kind, and they will always remember you!!!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Noelle, Part Deux


Tropical Storm Noel is history.

Joyeux Noelle, here we come.

Our little homemade Christmas tree makes us feel so festive. We look forward to celebrating Christmas with friends and family. We can already taste the sausage balls, Chex mix, Cowboy cookies and puppy chow.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Just Another Day in Paradise

We were on our way home from Santiago yesterday, when we ran into this.




A huelga (strike). Who knows what they were upset about... Probably power or water.

Strikes in this country aren't violent, just annoying. They generally consist of upset villagers blocking the roads with rocks, trees, and burning tires until the police come clean it up.

They are usually planned in advance. The president picks a day, say November 18, and they whole country can "strike" on that day. Make a mess & a fuss, about whatever they're upset about. But on November 19, everybody has to go back to work...

This huelga almost made us late for Daniel's birthday party. Daniel is one of our poorest, most troubled boys. He's never had a birthday party, and we wanted his first one to be special. We made it back to RioSanJuan just in time, and celebrated Daniel's 14th birthday with tres leches croissant cake & a showing of Goonies.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Hours of Bauer


Earlier this year, our friends the Thompsons loaned us several seasons of the TV show "Alias". It was, to say the least, addictive.

In August, our friends the Farmers loaned us five seasons of the show "24", about a special terrorism unit that saves the world in 24 hours every year or so.

We got hooked. With over 72 hours straight of rain rain and more rain, the kids arent out in the streets and we have had less to do, and even less will to do it. So, during lunches and evenings, we save the U.S.A. from certain doom with Jack Bauer.

Here is how I know I have been watching too much "24"...

Last night, I dreamed that Moriah Farmer worked for CTU (the terrorism unit), and I was a field agent, tracking down an old "friend" of mine from High School who was now a terrorist. Moriah worked the information systems/ satellites and I raced through the city looking for the bad guy. She gave me bad intel, though, so I got arrested and detained at an Indian Casino for trying to rip off a slot machine. Then I woke up.

Yeah. Too many hours of Bauer, I think.