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Happy 4th of July! Woke up wondering just how many roosters there are that we’re hearing? Based on what we are hearing, there could be a dozen or perhaps just two who are skilled at “throwing” their voices … Regardless, it appears that there is some kind of competition for which rooster can crow first in the morning , as it appears to be getting earlier and earlier each day … Typical morning chaos as folks try to get showered and out the door … Brought my small American flag with me (the one that showed up in our newspaper last week) and Kathy and I headed over to the school to get set up. We were a little thrown off (we thought it started at 9, like yesterday), but it was 8:30 in the church. We had planned to go over about 8:30 to set up, thinking that we had plenty of time. So much for that – scramble!
Taped today’s memory phrase up in each of the classrooms in record time. Then got about distributing the books, nametags, pencils, etc. That was close! Unfortunately, we missed the singing in the church this morning – we’ll get it right tomorrow!
Just as things were gearing up in the classrooms, Kathy and I ran into a little guy in the hallway, who was walking with his mother and weeping. My first thought was that he doesn’t want to stay and that his mother is taking him home. We inquired why he was crying and his mother explained the reason, in Spanish of course. It took Kathy and me together to figure it out. Turns out that “Daryl” is only 4 years old, and the children are supposed to be at least 5. He is crying because he wants to stay. OK – I’m on it. Quickly headed down the hallway to Ada’s classroom and asked her about him. Is he causing trouble or being disruptive? Could he just stay and color? Would that be okay with her? Yes, she doesn’t mind if he stays. Excellent! Daryl quickly takes his seat. His mother gives us a big smile as she waves goodbye. Daryl is beaming. Problem solved.
Today is the craft project that we have been dreading – the one with the beads. We knew it was just a matter of time before one of the cups, in which Kathy and I had carefully counted out 100 beads, would be hitting the floor. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. These teachers are so good at handing things out at the right time and controlling the supplies. The kids, even the littlest ones, carefully held the beads in their laps and it was fairly uneventful. That was until Kathy spied little Bernie, the toddler (Olga’s nephew who had heart surgery last year in the U.S.). Bernie had wandered in and was sitting on the floor. Kathy said, “I think he has some beads.” Sure enough, each little fist contained several beads. I gently took the beads from his hands and was about to leave, when I saw something in his mouth. Two beads! Quickly did the mouth sweep and checked for others. That was close. I’ve recently been recertified for CPR, but can’t imagine having to do choking/CPR for a toddler who has had heart surgery… Gracias a Dios! Another God moment. I went out into the hallway for a moment to compose myself…
Perhaps this is a good time to tell you about Bernie. Last
year was perhaps the biggest “God moment” that the Cathedral’s mission teams
have experienced thus far. Last year’s team also stayed at La Anunciacion and
helped with VBS there. During their stay, they met Bernie, Olga’s
nephew, who was about six months old at the time. Bernie had a bad heart and it
was unlikely that he would live to celebrate his first birthday. He was
considerably undersized for his age and very weak. One of the team members,
Yvonne (not the Dutch Yvonne who was part of this year’s team but a different
Yvonne from the Cathedral) had had heart surgery as a child. Because of this
childhood experience, Yvonne works for a foundation which brings children to the
U.S. for this kind of surgery. Think about it. What are the odds that a
mission team member would have had this kind of experience and know exactly how
to help? Yvonne was immediately excused from her VBS duties and was put to work
on this issue. Olga, who is an attorney, was able to handle all of the
necessary paperwork. A few months later, Olga, Karen Carroll and little Bernie
flew to New York for the surgery. He is now a healthy 18-month old. What if
Yvonne hadn’t been part of the team last year? Ah, but there are no “ifs” in
God’s world …
There is one little gal in the older class, who appears to
be “working us.” She keeps appearing at the door of the supply room, “Hola,
necesito …” As I went into the older children’s’ class later, she tried to
charm me out of supplies to do another project … Hilarious! After the little
ones were done with their projects and songs, we gave them the Play Dough –
that’s when things get very quiet as they concentrate on working the Dough.
After drinks and a snack for the kids, they headed outside. Kathy and I grabbed
the jump ropes and headed out too. In another attempt at
Spanish, I invited them to come and play with the “ropa” – which I knew was a
Spanish word and seemed that it was likely “rope”. As it turned out, I invited
them outside to play with their “clothing.” They looked at me and shrugged, but
then followed me outside, their eyes fixed on the three jump ropes. Clearly the
children think it is hilarious when I use the incorrect word (which happens all
the time). They grabbed the ropes and were quickly skipping across the
courtyard with them, as I ran behind them yelling “compartirte,” which I think
means “share” – but God only knows…
The children are surprisingly good at sharing – much better than I have observed in the U.S. Guess it’s a part of life here. If you don’t share, then no one will share with you. Thus, you would have very little. A good lesson … Forgot to mention that earlier I had shown Ana (middle group teacher) my American flag and told her that it was our Independence Day. She grabbed it from me, took my hand and led me into her classroom. She quickly explained the importance of this day to her students, who immediately recited something in unison and then clapped loudly. I’m not quite sure what they said, but their enthusiasm was inspiring!
After a short stint on the Internet, had lunch, and then we
all crashed for a nap. At 4:30 it was announced that the painter and paint were
here. Time to paint! We all suited up and headed outside. Much to our
surprise, we weren’t painting walls, but the groupings of metal chairs outside
the school – all yellow. In no time at all, there was lots of yellow
- on the
chairs, dripping on the pavement, on our clothes, in Smith’s hair, etc. After a
while, I noticed itching in both of my palms. Then noticed I was unable to open
my right hand completely. Here we go … Got a rag with turpentine and removed as
much paint as possible then headed inside for a good washing. Hmmm – now they
feel like they are on fire and getting quite puffy. Decided to take a
Benadryl. By the time I got back downstairs, discovered that I had been fired
from painting … OK – so I helped Lucrecia serve the snacks. Sheree did this
neat magic trick where she stuck the napkin to her open hand. Then we
discovered that Andi could do it with the plastic cup. Hilarious! Seems odd
that they serve hot coffee in a tiny plastic cup. Add a ton of sugar and maybe
some milk. Can’t pour much coffee in, because it is scalding and you wouldn’t
be able to hold the hot cup if you had filled it up to the top. From what I
understand from the coffee drinkers, you wouldn’t want a whole cup of this
coffee – quite strong indeed. We thought we were making good progress with the
yellow chairs until Sheree looked around the corner of the school and spotted an
additional five sets of chair banks … Karin didn’t work on the chairs – she was
inside with the painter painting one of the classrooms. After painting, some
took showers and prepared for dinner, then Bible study tonight.
Went to Ada’s (one of the teachers from La Enunciation) home for Bible study. An eye opener, for sure. My first impression was that the subcontractors didn’t show up. No stucco on the exterior, no drywall on the interior, and nothing but a concrete floor. The home was Spartan, to say the least. The standout was the blue lace curtains, at the windows (without the benefit of a curtain rod) and as a room divider. There was a small area rug on the floor in the living area. There was a TV, with a digital clock on top of it, which was blinking 12:00. I guess there’s not much sense in resetting the clock if the electricity is just going to go off again. We quickly overwhelmed the space with our presence. There was a dining room table with matching chairs, just beyond the blue lace divider. Chairs quickly became filled, the children yielding their seats to the adults. Smith plopped down on the floor in front of me. I tried not to be too obvious as I looked beyond the lace barrier. There was a kitchen area, and right behind my chair was a doorway to the outside. There didn’t appear to be any other rooms, but I couldn’t see around the corner in the kitchen area, so I cannot be sure. Without another room, I quickly surmised that Ada and her children slept in the living area, or possibly the kitchen area.
After everyone had welcomed us, Father Almonte quickly got down to business, selecting songs from the green paperback song books that were being distributed. There weren’t enough to go around, so Smith held ours while I shined my flashlight on it. All of the songs that the Father selected were familiar to us – we knew the tunes, but forming the Spanish words in time was a little challenging. After the songs, Father read scripture – Revelations – new heaven, new Earth, new Jerusalem dressed up like a bride. He then preached, speaking very slowly so that we could understand him and translate it mentally. He spoke of the importance of Independence Day for the U.S. (it’s 4th of July) and how we have the ability to experience liberty and peace in Jesus. It really struck me that in a home that is relatively modest, these people made a special effort to pray for the poor and for those who are not as fortunate as they are. We prayed for peace and liberty in the world. The Dominicans are such a beautiful people, very loving and benevolent. We had a closing prayer and enjoyed light refreshments. I couldn’t help but wonder about the money that it had cost Ada to purchase the soda and crackers that we were served. I wondered what she and her family might need to do without in the next couple of weeks because they have extended this hospitality to us. We piled back into Olga’s SUV and headed home. As we were leaving, I took another glance at the beautiful and well-kept flower bed that bordered Ada’s home. Clearly a happy place. During the drive home, I reflected on what Karen had told Kathy and me on Saturday, during our drive from Santo Domingo. Teachers make about $100 a month in the Dominican Republic. Ada is a teacher.
As I lay on my pool raft, trying to fall asleep, my mind keeps playing the same thing over and over again. Almost as though it is trying to solve an equation, but is unable to do so because it is missing one variable too many. Teachers make about $100 a month in the Dominican Republic. Ada is a teacher. She doesn’t have a husband. Ada has two children. Ada and her children must survive on about $100 a month… Teachers make about $100 a month in the Dominican Republic. Ada is a teacher. She doesn’t have a husband. Ada has two children…
