It’s the middle of the week (no kidding, right) but that means a couple of different things to us this week in the DR. We’ve been here for several days now, working in the hot sun, living out of suitcases, sharing showers and space with relative strangers (or family members, who can be even more strange!). We’re a little sore and tired, and our emotions are pretty close to the surface. Plus, we’re now on the short-end of how much more time we get to spend with the boys here. We’re trying to finish all the work that we planned to do and squeeze as many hugs, hand-holds, and snippets of conversation we can out of the rest of the week.
Here are a couple of bright spots from today:
1. There’s a bot here named Daniel who has experienced a breakthrough. A couple of years ago all he did was sit in the dirt and yell unintelligible words. Today he strummed a guitar and talked with Levi–only a few words, but it was intelligent and clear. This afternoon someone asked him where I was, and he walked them around the building right to where I was working! How cool is that?
2. Our team is functioning really well. Usually we have Brooks Way with us as our head honcho, giving us directions throughout the day, making decisions, etc. Brooks couldn’t come this trip, so we’ve had to make other arrangements. We’ve relied on a couple of capable young leaders for our work detail, and Becky Romig has handled all the admin duties with grace and style. We even went to the hardware store and chicken store this morning without a Dominican translator. And I haven’t gotten us lost on the streets of San Juan yet! Maybe I’m developing a gps gene…
3. Tonight at supper we ran into Nicole Eby, a friend from a former trip. She’s a nurse, working with the Solid Rock medical clinic. She’d heard that we were in town and came to find us. She’s a wonderful woman who has been here since December 20, and will be staying until August. She knows just about everybody in San Juan, and could give us updates on a lot of the boys who are no longer at the orphanage.
OK, I’m off to bed. We’ll celebrate Christmas with the kids tomorrow–lots of gifts, smiles, and hugs. I’ve never been here for Christmas. I’m looking forward to giving our gifts to Bernardo, Juan Ulises, and Rubelisa in person…
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