Where We Breathe Right Now

When we step off our street into our temporary home, we enter the large living area of the two-story Genesis House. It has five bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen and a laundry room.

  We have described this assignment as managing a B&B for missionaries-in-training. During our month here, we collaborate meal planning and grocery shopping, preparing meals, and maintaining the house.

Here is the kitchen where we work, beginning at 6 a.m.  

The electricity in our zone shuts down from 7 a.m.-12 p.m., which means if we want coffee and want it while it's hot, then early is defined as scurry pronto!  We have two missionaries-in-training from Mexico and Costa Rica and will probably host several drop-in visitors here on business during this month.   We meal plan with our guests and buy all the ingredients necessary.  For Sunday lunch, we served penne pasta with red meat sauce, salad and fresh, surprisingly acceptable French loaf bread.  They requested that meal again...so, perhaps we can prepare and serve more "Americana" foods than we had expected.  They have volunteered to prepare their traditional plates, too, so we will bring home new recipes.

You may wonder if the electricity returns later in the day.  It does.  It reports for duty again from 12:00-3pm. Yes. Then off again until 8 pitch-dark p.m.   The good news is the Genesis House has a huge generator.   The bad news is diesel is about $5.00 a gallon.  So, wise usage is advised.

This past Saturday, we were invited to join the district youth power group for an all-day visit to a poorer neighborhood  and offer a day of leisure and fun to the children who live there.   There were three teams: medical, yard care, and personal care.

We worked with the personal care team that washed and braided hair and gave hand massages to the girls.  It was fun to see the little girls line up for beauty care and the little boys for hair cuts, which we graciously left to those who had barber skills.

This is a very rewarding assignment despite the normal challenges that hold hands with Central and South American assignments:  jungle-like heat and humidity, can't flush the t p, can't drink the water, and, of course, our limited Spanish skills.  However, all of that is minimized when we see the little boys in our neighborhood playing baseball (It is the DR, after all) and when our neighbors call us the missionaries in the yellow house.  Proud of that label!    Gracias A Dios!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:  for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth...." (Romans1:16a)

Keep Looking Up and thank you for following our blog!
J:m and L:nda