Life Is Different But Enjoyable

I have been here in Banica, Dominican Republic for three weeks. Life is different here but so very enjoyable. I live on the main street leaving Banica on the way to the next town of Pedro Santana. The sky is so very beautiful at sunrise and sunset. From my front porch I can see both as there are screens on three sides. The photo of the sunset was taken from the porch.

I have been visiting different communities and am struck by how dry everything is. Very few crops are visible but lots of goats and sheep. Yesterday we drove about an hour along the river separating Haiti from the Dominican Republic and passed the military transport full of illegally residing Haitians from the area. The people have houses, planted their crops, have their families here but still have no legal residency so are being sent back. It has been mentioned that the deported people will be able to return by crossing the shallow river at night within a few days. It is estimated that thousands of Haitians are crossing every month.

The church we visited had 7 adults and over 40 children. By the end of the mass there were more children chasing the chickens out of the church and church grounds than sitting in the pews. The singing was robust but very off key. Needless to say I am enjoying these masses in isolated communities.

I went to help one of the catechism teachers. It was a 30-minute drive to get there, we waited over an hour for the students to come, then taught the single child who showed up for about ten minutes. The teacher had a different book than the student but still read passages from her book to explain the topic, which was not in the student’s book . It was kind of confusing to me but the teacher has been doing this for 37 years so I have great respect for her. Improving the religious education here is one of the hopes the priests have for me. Confirmation is in four months, and they hope for more candidates. This sounds like a challenge!

Welcome Back to Being a Missionary

I am very excited to be back working/living as a missionary. I arrived in the Dominican Republic and knew I was back “in mission” when the airport gate would not attach to the airplane and the bathroom had a long line and no paper towels. Welcome back to being a missionary!

I arrived at the mission site, after 26 hours of travel, at 10:30 at night. The driver, who has what I am beginning to recognize as a typical Dominican sense of humor, spent the drive telling me that the house had no furniture, food, kitchen or anything but we would “work on that”. I was so tired after traveling all night without sleep that I figured the floor would be fine for one night! As it turns out, the house was incredible and had everything I could have hoped for and more. I am so happy to be here. To top off how well I am being cared for here and welcomed, I have already inherited a dog and a goat (which anyone who knows me well can attest that these are my favorite animals that I had been missing so much).

In the week I have been here: I have visited four communities, eaten in a family’s home, got my first accounting lesson for my new job, been to four masses, visited with both groups of religious sisters, bought my way thru the open air market that comes over the border from Haiti, shopped at two grocery stores, ate out twice in nice restaurants and was invited for dinner with the two American priests. My days are very full.

My first impression is of a warm, friendly people who can laugh about anything and tease each other about everything. The undocumented are very poor here and have no access to education for their children and no medical care. It is dry and has no crops for at least 6 months of the year here. Lots of need, and so many things that need doing, which I slowly hope to become involved in.