ELIAS PINA DAY 3

Today we tackled the mountain and we won!!!  Everyone made it to the top of the mountain even Ms Simon & Betty!!  It was a great sense of accomplishment.  We had fun walking with our new Dominican friends.  We observed how different life is up in the mountains.  Children walking barefoot carrying large jugs of water for their family and just really homes that are basically nothing compared to where we are living for the week.  It was much warmer today without a cloud in the sky.  Temperature in the shade reads 92 degrees. We all had a frozen fruit bar when we got done with our walk and that hit the spot.  We are all a little exhausted so after breaking into a little of the chocolate that we brought along, the students are resting a bit before heading out to play more with the kids.  Tonight is the Easter Vigil Mass at 9:00 pm so tomorrow we will sleep in and then we are SO EXCITED for the Easter party with the little kids.

It is looking like our paint will not arrive until Tuesday afternoon so on Monday we are going to do a little laundry and play some more with the kids on their last day of vacation and work in the bakery.  The students are really starting to get attached to some of the people here (especially the little kids).  We are having a blast.  Last night we spent more time with our families and have lots of stories to share!!

Our group at the top of the mountain

A little excited to get to the top of the mountain

Grace showing the kids the picture she took of them - they reacted like they hadn't seen a picture of themselves before

ELIAS PINA DAY 2

Today began early with the Stations of the Cross through town and ending at the top of a small hill along the border of Haiti.  It was a great way for us all to begin our Good Friday.  After the Stations we spent some time playing on the playground with the children who were waiting for us when we return to the parish.  After a hot morning of playing we had American Mac N Cheese for lunch - 10 boxes for 15 people and we finished almost all of it!!  This afternoon we are going to walk and see more of the town - yesterday was Market Day and too busy to walk around town too much.  We are going to visit all of the homes and see how everyone lives.  Most of the students are in homes with buckets for baths but most do have indoor plumbing except for Emily, Rachel & Millaine but they have been great sports about it and embracing the experience.  Here are some of our memories from the morning.

Connor giving out jelly beans to some of the kids

Betty, Rachel and Reed taking a break from bubbles for a group picture

Every looks pretty happy at 8 am - this is right before we began the Stations of the Cross

Matt & David posing with some of the girls in their family

 Rachel, Emily & Milaine with some new friends they made along the stations of the cross.

Our group after the stations of the cross with Elias Pina in the background

Anne & Leah coloring with a little girl on the playground

DAY 1 ELIAS PINA

Our day of travel couldn't have gone much smoother than it did.  We all arrived safely and all 28 bags made it as well.  Last night the students met their families for the next 9 days.  Everyone settled in and had a much needed good night of sleep.  Some have already commented on the roosters beginning to crow before the sun is even up but that is the Dominican way of life.  We got a chance to play for a little bit on the playground this morning before our first lunch of beans, rice and chicken.  Everyone seems to be doing well and fitting into life here.  God has a way of knowing what we all need.  Today was overcast with a few sprinkles here and there - not nearly as hot and humid as it normally is here but it is warm enough for all of us being that we came from such a cold climate.  It has been a way for our body's to adjust to such a change in climate.  We plan to play on the playground a little bit more this afternoon, work in the bakery for a little bit and then get ready for Mass at 8:00 tonight.  A full day but we are all getting along great and there have been lots of smiles and laughs and memories made already.  Enjoy our pictures from the playground.

Leah helping to put on a temporary tattoo

Troy playing "monkey in the middle" with two little boys

Emily found a new friend.  

Reed waiting to jump rope with her new friend

Millaine & Anne playing bubbles

A game of volleyball with the older kids

David & Emily painting Carolina's finger nails