Algodonas pictures

A Mass Email

Hi Guys 

Sorry about the mass e-mail.

I've had to economize my time on the internet and this seems to be a good way to do it. Hope you don't mind.

We have been spending a lot of time in Algodonas lately. Sitting in at the little school in preparation  to trying to teach was a real eye opener, those teachers deserve a medal. To find out more about the school visit our blog (I've attached a link)  Some of you have been asking of a way to send things down here and so far we haven't been able to find a way, that does't mean there isn't one though.  We just haven't had the time to look very hard yet. 

Yesterday Sandy myself and the teacher who lives in the village walked around and did a count of all the families and houses in the town (all the houses had been numbered at one time but many of the numbers have been painted over or changed or forgotten so it was quite difficult because there were constant repeats and revisions.  It was quite hot yesterday and today Sandy is paying for it with a lot of leg pain and sunburn ( there was a lot of climbing up and down)

I came home caked in mud (and other things) but I think I'm getting used to the village, the smells and sights hardly fazed me. (perhaps that's not a good thing)

We find we really miss home sometimes, especially friends our small group and Runnymede Church.

God bless you all

(PS thanks for all your e-mails, sorry it's so slow for me to return them, but we really appreciate them. )

Dave and the Pink One (Sandy)

Urgent Unmet Need

Hi from the D.R. 

It has been a little while since we have been able to post anything to the blog and I'll try to keep you up to date with all that has happened (boring you silly).

Sandy and I have been trying to become familiar with all the towns and churches that have sprung up as a result of the work of Fundacion Samaritano (Elio Madonia) We drive all the roads and walk through the villages and we are trying to find all the churches (we are told that there are ten) we have only been to three so far as well as one English speaking church (we needed a break)

not that we don't love the Spanish and Creole churches it's just that constantly trying to understand and be understood is exhausting.

We have overcome our rat problem by blocking all the doors in the house at night. (they only come in at night, ....I hope)

We also had an opportunity to visit the little school held in the church at Algodonas.

Here is where we found an urgent unmet need that I talked about briefly before.

The room where the school is taught is roughly the size of a garage, concrete walls and floor .

The 2 teachers teach simultaneously competing to be heard above the din of children's voices separated by rough unpainted masonite partitions that double as blackboards.

This school handles remedial students in the morning (those who go to school elsewhere but need help) and in the afternoon they teach the students who can't get in to other Dominican schools.  All in all they have 66 students. There is a great need for this school in the village. 

Unfortunately the school has lost it's financial backers and the teachers have been coming and teaching for free for three months. One lives in the town and the other travels in by motor concho.  The teachers are very committed to the children but can't continue to go unpaid and the school may close.

I believe the amount needed to keep the school open would be about $600. Canadian a month.

(A correction) Sandy figures the cost at more like $450. because one of the teachers works 1/2 days.

Now is when I get down on my knees and pray and beg for someone to come forward with that money.  I know it is a lot to ask but what incredible opportunity to do good in a place where it will really make a difference.

OK, I'm off my knees now.  And I'm posting this before the power goes out.

Please keep us in your prayers,

Dave

Blood Pressure Ex-spurt.

Friday, January 18, 2008

We did our first stint in Dr Bob's medical clinic.  Dr Bob is a vet who happens to run a free clinic  that has become quite popular.  While he did diagnosis we ran into the storeroom to rummage through stacks of medicines to find the one he asked for. Thank God there were other volunteers to help us and someone has taken the trouble to label everything that comes in and place it in an organized system, (we just have to learn the names of the medicines and find them in the dosage and quantity he asked for).  I learned to take blood pressure but they let me fumble around with the machine until it sprang off the patient's  arm as it increased in pressure....  they had a laugh at my expense, ( I'm the new guy after all)   Dr. Bob has a wonderful manner, great patience (excuse the pun) and sense of humor. 
As he looked at human patients a few dogs were also brought in and looked after with the same quiet easy manner.  Elio asked us to try working in the clinic to give us a little experience to prepare us to help out in the medical clinic in Los Algodonas.  

Good medicines that aren't out dated are very hard to get here.  Companies with good intentions send down out dated medicines but by the time they get here many are so outdated that they are of no use.  Also the climate here spoils things quickly.  

Due to the irregular power supply we don't have much time to respond to e-mails. Sandy types them as I try to compose as quickly as possible before the power cuts out. I can only open new e-mails when the power is on and then I have to run up the hill to Elios patio where there is a connection.  So what I'm doing now is composing the e-mails from our apartment and then wait till the power is on and run up the hill and send them. (I'll be in great shape soon)  There is no way to know when the power will be on since it doesn't seem to have any pattern accept that it goes out  3 or 4 times a day, sometimes for several hours.  Somedays it's out more than it's on.  Not to mention that our landlord has a inverter that sometimes works and then....well...
We can only shower or do laundry when the power is on because the inverter can't handle that much of a drain.   So there are days when we will just be dirty and re-use the old clothes.

We have been touring around the villages trying to become familiar with them and get to know some people, but it is very difficult without any French or Spanish language skills.  (my English isn't that good on a good day) 
Sandy is very brave and tries her best to communicate with the limited vocabulary she has quickly learned (she is way better at it than me)  We must look a pretty strange site, a mute man and a woman chattering in some foreign tongue being dragged through the villages by good intentioned souls who try to communicate with us with great patience and wonderful hospitality.   

Oh yes, I believe we also had our first Tarantula spider.  We were sitting in the semi darkness when Sandy noticed something moving across the wall.  Hard to believe something so big could crawl across a wall with such speed.  Sandy was quite calm but I wasn't as I smashed it with my shoe.  Sorry to all you animal lovers but I wasn't thinking very clearly at the time.

I'll try to post this,  Friday Jan. 18.

God bless you all and thank you for all your prayers.
(Being here has certainly increased our prayer time, especially when driving)



Dave and Sandy

Los Algodonas at last

Tuesday Jan. 15, 2008

Back at home in Sosua after spending the morning trying to find Los algodonas all on our own. We overshot it by a bit and ended up in Puerto Plata where we actually found our way back to Casa Nelsons (Honest Eds). We visited here a few days ago shopping for house supplies and this time we picked up a few things we missed. Got back on the road again and miraculously ended up finding Los algodonas. We wandered around the town escorted by several children on each hand. Got some pictures of the new medical centre foundations being dug, the new school and the new wall and gate that will mark the entrance to Los algodonas. Elio had the idea to build a really nice gate and wall just like a gated community to mark the entrance and to try to overcome objections from the neighbors about the village affecting their property values. (even in the D.R. we have a "not in my backyard" problem).

Almost drove by Pastor Joseph on his motorcycle as we drove up to the village, we said hi and explained why we were there and that we would be living in the village soon. He gave us a broad smile and welcomed us. Pastor Mike had asked us to inquire of Pastor Joseph what type of Bibles he would like for his church. He told us French Creole would be the best as most of his village speaks it. We will need to get half dozen minimum for Algodonas as well by the looks of the limited spanish speakers.

It's now after lunch and I have to try to find a way of connecting to the internet so that I can upload this to our blog and get some e-mails. Unfortunately the power is out again so I will have to wait. There is no internet without power. Several times a day the power goes out for an undeterminable amount of time and you just have to hope it comes back on so that you can take a shower or have refrigeration, or find an internet cafe to send e-mails. One good thing about the power going out is that it's quiet, (I think it's the only time it's quiet).

Dr. Bob the vet of "Crossroads" has invited Sandy and I to come and work at his clinic (medicare for the very poor on Mondays & Thursdays) so that we will be familiar with the kinds of things we will be dealing with in L.A. (Los algodonas) when we move there. We will visit the clinic on Thursday to see if we can be of any use to him. We will also be getting some Spanish lessons from John and Lilliana and in return I will teach their kids some art lessons.

From Sosua abajo (Lower Sosua)

Monday Jan.14, 2008

Morning, 4:33 am
This is our third day living in Sosua abajo (lower Sosua)
Dominican Republic.
I can hear the roosters crowing but the neighbors are finally quiet, except, of course, for the dogs.
We have equipped our apartment with all the basic necessities.
Let me bore you with a list; 4 plates, 4 glasses, 4 cups, a full set of cutlery, a set of knives, 2 pots and teflon frypan, 2 large jugs of water, 2 gas cylinders, cleaning supplies, some large bowls, etc. ....

Yesterday we went with Elio Madonia to church in Ascension Village. On the way we stopped at Pancho Mateo (a Haitian cane cutters village) we walked the narrow alleyways and streets through the mud, by a small church where people were worshipping and singing. Past small shops, one looked as though the whole of the contents consisted of a few bottles and a package of hotdog buns hanging in the window. We ducked under laundry and as we walked I thought something was missing. There were no chickens, only one dog and very few children. Elio asked a man working on a roof where all the people were? We are all sick he said, and pointed to several doors on down the alley "them and them and them, there is no work, he shrugged" .
Elio noticed one of the men visiting with us was making a list and asked what he was doing he said he was writing what was in the houses; one chair, one pot, small shack, mud floor 5 x 8 ft., four people...

Saturday we went with John Huizinga and the other John (oh this is going to be confusing) and visited Los Algodonas, the village where we will live. We saw the work being done, the new water, the foundation being started on the medical clinic and the almost completed school building. Some children took possession of Sandy and I and led us around, one kept trying to braid my hair as we walked.

John H. met with a man who has been teaching an informal school in the little church building but is growing frustrated as he was promised a regular salary and has not been paid for at least six months. The person who originally agreed to pay him could no longer do so and another person had agreed to take over, but could not or would not follow through with the obligation. The man lives with his family of six right in the village. The amount of money that had been agreed on for teaching was $300. US a month. John said this is an example of what often happens with projects here, people have good intentions and everything works great for a while, but then the enthusiasm dies down and the projects peter out. All the man was asking from John H. was a piece of foam for his son to sleep on.

Step by step

friday jan.11, 2008

Sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for John to pick us up.
Today we move into an apartment in Sosua for the next 3 months. It's one step closer to living in Los Algodonas. Step by step we have been gently moved from our comfort zone. Truly we have been spoiled by Elio with a lot of help from others who have silently lent their support. John and Lillian have offered to help with our Spanish and John has driven us here and there shopping for the best deals to furnish our apartment with all the basic necessities while serving as translator and bargainer.
Elio suggested that I teach an art class to John and Lillians children in return for Spanish lessons. John also suggested that one of the village schools could use art lessons because the teachers really have no experience with that. John is a teacher in Toronto who has taken 8 months "Sabatical" to serve here and he has truly been a blessing. I believe he said he teaches in some of the villages and his wife Lillian has been helping Jane H. with the sewing school in Ascension Village. As they both speak perfect Spanish it has been a great help. (I'm sorry I don't remember John's last name)
Storycity has been sending me work to do on my laptop as they still haven't found a replacement but they had better soon because once we move to Los Algodonas there will be no internet connection there. I appreciate the work though as it may help with expenses. The weather looks great today with no sign of rain but that seems to mean nothing here as the rain comes in a flash and is gone just as quick.

The view from here

Waiting for the rain to stop

Jan.4,2008

Toronto Airport Departure Lounge, 5 pm... waiting... to depart.
we were supposed to leave 1 hour ago, It has been announced we will leave at 8:00 pm but I am doubtful. There is trouble with the planes engine, Sandy says she is happy to wait while they fix it, (it beats the alternative) They have given us a voucher for dinner ( Sandy is going for Swiss Chalet while I wait with the luggage) Who knows when we will have chicken again? (probably tomorrow) People around us are agitated but generally in a good mood talking and joking.

As a start to our year in the D. R. perhaps it's a reminder to keep our sense of humor, practice patience and slow down and look to God to move first.

This morning I went into the office for the last time. I picked up my last cheque and said goodbye. I was reminded that one of the founding members of Storycity, Mary Dorich lost her husband Steven to liver cancer over Christmas. He left behind two young boys (1 and a half and 4) he was only 34.
This is the kind of thing that leaves me completely confused and unable to comprehend the why behind. I can accept it and I don't blame God or stand accusing him but still my heart breaks for them and I can't offer any comfort or encouragement, What would I say that would be any help? All I can do is say I'm sorry and pray. Sometimes I guess all you can do is give it to God.

Well it's nine thirty and I think we are leaving now. See you in the D.R.

Jan. 5, 2008
6:09 pm.
Writing from room 1427 of the Puerto Plata Village Hotel.

Arrived at 3 am. this morning and collapsed into our room. But only after dragging what remained of our luggage behind a tall thin man carrying the bulk of it on his head and in his hands two blocks in pouring rain to our room in a building somewhere on the hotel complex grounds. (this place is vast).

This morning we got up at 9:30 and went to check out the grounds, meet the tour representative and attempt to arrange a change of our return dates, (they would not offer a refund of any part). However, they where helpful and do offer great rates on one way flights so perhaps we will book our return through them despite our previous delayed flight.
Phoned Elio Madonia and he has arranged for us to meet with a couple John and Lillian, who are here for 8 months on sabbatical and speak fluent Spanish. He has arranged for them to show us around and help us shop to furnish our apartment. He (and we) also hope they will be able to teach us some Spanish.

Evening- Went to the Italian restaurant in the Hotel complex for dinner, (we are so spoiled in Canada that it was hard to adjust our pallets to Dominican flavored Italian cooking). We have decided to eat our dinners at the hotel buffet, again, we are so spoiled. I thank God for blessing us with the opportunity to relax a little before we begin to assimilate into D.R. culture. Spent some time at the hotel's internet lounge and sent out some e-mails (we have a half hour free internet with our package) but the time goes awfully fast when you are using an unfamiliar Spanish keyboard and slow connection speed (did I mention how spoiled we are?). Went and to see a show put on by the staff of the hotel, they are all very talented dancers. Sandy remarked that the waiter who served our dinner had been practicing his dance moves while carrying the trays. We retired to bed around 11 pm.

Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008
Epiphany (Three Kings Day in the Dominican Republic)
Like our Christmas, They give gifts and have a holiday.

This morning we attended a very relaxed Catholic service held here at the hotel. The young Spanish Priest was welcoming and open to all who came. He gave a wonderful reading from one of the Catholic Prayer books about the three wise men who came to find a King and followed a star until it led them to a very humble place where they found Jesus, far from being discouraged by His surroundings they worshipped him and offered their gifts. I was reminded that we also have been called to go to a very humble place and offer our gifts and that we should not be dismayed or discouraged by appearances.

We are here

just got 5 minutes , internet slow.
Want to say hi


Sandy and Dave