The Dominican Republic {Day 1}

We arrived in Santo Domingo around four in the afternoon and were picked up by Gaby and Pastor Tanis. The first thing that met us when we stepped out of the air port was dominican sun and the ocean breeze. While we rode away from the city we spent our time staring out at the gorgeous ocean views and the americanized everything. We listened to Kristen chat with Gaby, half in choppy spanish and half in intentional english. We drove through poverty and paradise, and saw run down streets and commercialized hotels. We pulled into San Pedro de Macoris, and Las Colinas II, respectively, and saw the little, dust covered faces of Dominican and Haitian Children. We saw tiny, malnourished dogs wandering the streets. We saw beautiful palm trees sprouting from the dry earth, and bearing beautiful fruit. We saw the functional cement buildings, adorned with colorful exterior paint. We filed off the bus and waited to be led to the visitor's quarters, and we were taken up an outdoor stair case, past a dog who greeted us with her own joyful voice. Abandoning our belongings in our gender specific sleeping areas, we were led on a short tour of Las Colinas II. We passed teenage boys playing basketball in the hot sun, and a beautiful concrete church, still waiting on construction. We wandered past corner stores unlike anything in the United States and dozens of men, women, and families riding down the bumpy streets on old and worn out motorcycles. We saw little Haitian and Dominican boys and girls running with tires and sticks down these roads and laughing because they don't know what it means to have. A truck with half a dozen little boys in the bed flew past us, and when they stopped, they giggled and blew kisses at the "Americanas". I was urged not to encourage them. We tripped along the beautifully worn streets, until we turned a final corner and secured ourselves within the boundaries of Colegio Moriah's school and church grounds. We were pulled along to a hot meal and a plate of pineapples, and ate graciously. We discussed our highs and our lows and we took very quick, very cold showers, and prepared for bed. Some of us joined chuck for a reading and discussion of John 1. We went to bed rested and content, anxious for saturday's full day of work.

Stretching in Boston Logan Airport before our 7:30 {ish} flight

Experiencing the adrenaline of boarding the plane

Flying over beautiful Boston

Name that island

Claiming beds

Friday, March 9th was a busy but uneventful day for us. These are just the high light pictures of our time from the airport at 5:30 to bed time around 11. The rest of the week was so thrilling and much more eventful. There'll be many more pictures to follow.