Texas, Our Texas

Howdy folks,

I am back in the great Lonestar State.  What did I do when I first got back?  Well, I have eaten lots and lots of Tex Mex.  This plan sounded amazing, but I found out first hand that going from a diet of rice, beans, and chicken to jalapenos can wreck you.  Ha.  While my body has been adjusting, I have spent incredible relax time with my family in Brenham.  On the island, I told myself that I needed to have a true Texas Experience when I came home.  I can say I have fulfilled my expectations completely by accomplishing the following:

1.  Coyote hunting

2.  TexMex

3.  Hog hunting

4.  Bluebell eating (made in my hometown)

5.  Backroad driving (in my dad's pickup)

6.  Absorbed a outdoor cowboy Christmas village (Santa's Wonderland in BCS)

7.  Shot a .357 revolver

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed my break.  It has been shocking to see the differences between here and there (island).  By January 14th, I will be ready to head back on down to my home for the year and continue sharing the love of Jesus to the Dominican and Haitians.

Keep me in your prayers,

Weston

Blame it all on my roots...

Yeehaw.

Life is good. As I mentioned in my last post, I started an English Class at night. My objective was to get to know more older kids in the neighborhood, build relationships, and also to provide them a FREE way to learn English. Most jobs on the Northern Coast require mastering the English language. When I say most jobs, I am not referring to cutting sugarcane, sorting garbage, or shoe shining. I mean self sustaining work at resorts or restaurants or banks. This provides a huge motivation to learn OUR language. As far as I can see from my first two classes, these youth desire to learn....truly. Most of them long for the day to have running water, tennis shoes, and three meals a day. I have seen the same fervor during my P.E./English/Survival skills Class. Thats what first sparked me to offer a more in depth, organized class at night. Yall can be praying for me as I attempt to design lesson plans conducive for class. Also, dont forget to pray for the relationships that I will be building through this. My last class one of my student's dads came up to me and thanked me for what I was doing. He said that he would never of imagined a FREE English class in their neighborhood especially when paid classes are too expensive for them.

I LOVE and miss all of yall. Thanks for yalls financial, emotional, and prayers these past months. Am I homesick? Well, I want some TexMex and hug my family and friends. However, I am at a peaceful place right now here. I am finding why I am down here: build relationships and show God's love to this island. That sounds like a no brainer, but I have just recently embraced that amazing truth.

ALSO, everyone of you should read Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution. I do NOT agree with everything he says or has done, but it provides an amazing look into a Christian that has found what it means to LOVE (especially our poor brothers and sisters). The book is really radical and might work you up (if you have grown up in a Conservative/Republican Christian home....get ready). Read it.....think about it.......and then get off your bum.

Kicking back in boots,

Weston Woodward

English Class

I am starting an English class with some older kids in the village: pray. it will be awesome.

Fall in the DR

What can I say? I am living in the Dominican Republic. Crazy. Sometimes I still feel like it is a dream and I am going to wake up back in Texas. Most 23 year old guys do not spend their year after college in another country. Although times get tough, I feel truly blessed that I have this opportunity to serve and be changed by Christ. I wish I could have yall walk in my shoes for a week or so. Each day when I arrive at school I am attacked by 10 or more beautiful children screaming my name. Consistency in these kids lives is so POWERFUL. They are experiencing the love of Christ through us. Not only are we able to provide for their hunger and educational needs, but also showing them the unfailing love of God. These people have nothing. Do you know what most kids suffer with? Besides lacking healthy love all the time, they struggle to have a full stomach (one not full of parasites), many contract weird skin fungi or bacterial infections because of the poor sanitation, most kids have rotting teeth due to poor education, bad diet, and not being able to afford a dentist. God calls us to the poor. I really encourage every one of yall to remember this. YOU do not have to jump in a plane to minister to the poor. There are thousands of AMERICANS (including our brothers and sisters in Christ) that barely scrape by to put food on the table on a daily basis. When was the last time you went to bed hungry? What if you didn't own a pair of shoes or had only one shirt? If you were a kid and coke and water cost the same, what would you buy? Ridiculous? No just truth.

I love what it says in James 1:27: "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

We should ask ourselves this very simple question: are we caring for those in distress? Think of the people even in our churches....the single mothers who struggle to make enough to feed their kids. What if we sacrificed one of our American luxuries to provide basic necessities for a child in need. Remember, we never know when we are entertaining angels.

Thanks so much for your prayers and financial support. I will be home in five weeks!!!

Preschool Days

Como tu ta? This week was great besides Tropical Storm Noel. Therefore, school was cancelled nationwide. Instead, I spent the week doing odd jobs and learning first aid and financial planning from our head doctor. It was fantastic. I learned so much about my finances and saving kids lives. Well, I wanted to spend this excerpt to layout what I do during the preschool program. So, here it goes:

We being our class with circle time. This consists of singing the days of the week and numbers 1-10...(You should see the kids energy). After our beautiful vocal exercises, we have the kids tell us an interesting story from the night before or the morning. Every day, at least three of the kids stand up and tell a story about a dog and cat fighting. Sometimes death is involved or a frog pops up in the tale. Next, we break the students up into different stations which include puzzles, blocks, reading, and the learning table. Camille and I call up students and work one on one showing them how to write out letters and count. Sometimes it tests my patience, but it is truly rewarding when a child understands. Towards the end of class, we serve the students lunch (bread, egg, banana, milk, vitamin). Some of our kids eat more than others.....mostly looking like feverish animals as they divulge. We repeat this schedule every day. Although it seems repetitious, these kids are developmentally behind compared to American children. We are forming a good foundation for them to learn. They will excel beyond their peers which attend regular Dominican public schools. I am happy that I get to be a part of educational development down in this needy country.

les extrano

Weston

Neifi: the 50 yr. old smoker in a 4 yr. old body

Family and friends,

I have seen God answer so many prayers since I have been down here. For two months, I longed for male companionship (I was living in a house with 6 girls). This prayer was answered when I had the opportunity to move to Montellano, where our school is located. As soon as I got settled in, I was greeted by a multitude of Dominican hombres. I have become one of their friends....talking in Spanish, watching poor American action movies dubbed in Spanish, and giving advice about American women. Soon after meeting the Dominican guys, I met a really cool American missionary named Layne. We have spent countless evenings talking theology, guns, and history while the girls talk about girlie stuff. It has also been a blessing to see how God has provided for Layne as he struggled for the first five months until God pulled a 180 on his life. Even at the Makarios school, God has been actively at work. The other week, two kids trusted Christ...RIDICULOUS. Continue to pray for the school and me. Here are some things you can pray for:

the rest of my support: $3000
Spanish proficiency
stronger relationships
more time spent in the Word
Figure out which Dominican woman I am going to marry....ha
Kids will hear and understand God's love during Bible class

So.....who is Neifi? Besides being in charge of P.E. and Survival Skills, I also am a teacher during the Preschool Program. Every kid has a very unique personality. One of these squirts, Neifi, sticks out among the rest for various reasons, but namely: her 50 year old smoker voice and her loopy loopy behaviour. At first glance, Neifi is an adorable wide eyed smiling 4 year old. Yeah she might roll around on the ground or curl up in a ball, but who could resist that cute smile and puppy eyes? Then....she opens her voice....imagine Marge's sisters on the Simpsons. I love her uniqueness and definitely expect a video on Facebook in the near future.

I am Dominican

I wake up to cocks crowing
I have no windows in the house I live in
Running water?
Bucket Showers
Watch Baseball on TV every night
Get hissed at by girls
Ride on Gua-guas (not an animal)

These are a view reasons why I am Dominican.

Seriously, this past week or so living in Montellano I have begun to feel like I LIVE here and not just WORK. I love the friends I have made so far in the town. Most of them are the Dominicans that are related to Luz, the lady I live with. They are cool guys and I get to practice Spanish with them on a daily basis. I have also befriended the a few other missionaries that live in Montellano. The only other full time guy missionary, Layne, has quickly become a close friend. We have spent a few nights talking just about music, theology, and life in the DR. God has truly blessed me with this guy's friendship. I need the encouragement greatly.

Please pray for me for the following things:
energy for the school day (the sun drains me)
proficiency in Spanish
that the kids will obey me more....ha
unity with the Makarios girls


Much love

Reppin my Block

Yes!!! The Shingles has subsided and I am not in excruciating pain anymore. A part of me is glad I went through that pain.......but I dont like that part. Ha. Life is amazing in the DR. I moved in with the Dona Luz and the random sons, nephews, cousins that frequent her home. I love love love it. I have never spoken so much Spanish in my entire life. So, the Dona is completely in love with God and worshiping him. My first day there, Wednesday, I came in during a Bible study she was leading with a couple of people. As soon as I sat down, she wanted me to pray....I resisted the pleads to pray in Spanish...but read some Romans 1 in Espanol. Great cultural experience.

Pray:

adjusting to the culture and a new home
my spanish to come easier and easier
meet more guys my age
my safety (witnessed a moped with a family on it get hit by a car....dont know if they all survived)
that God will continue to mature me.
He will begin to reveal to me whats next for me after this year

My Name is Weston Woodward and I have Shingles

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit from Ms. Roux. She gave me both wise and encouraging words. I felt rejuvenated. She rocks. Besides the words, Becca brought me a sweet 175 gram Frisbee and earbud headphones….what a friend. On Friday, we took a trip to the beach to relax and chat. Ever since October rolled in, the weather here can be characterized by daily showers and overcast skies. However, this did not prohibit us to rent a 100 CC moped and drive it back to Puerto Plata….fun. That eve Ms. Roux coached me in the ways of moto driving. This, of course, was not difficult (mostly because it was an automatic..ha).

Saturday, I boded my dear expatriate farewell. She left me with a single mission: return the moto by 4pm in Cabarete. Remember, I am a novice. I hopped onto my motorized death scooter for the 40 minute cruise to the beach. Not surprisingly, rain accompanied my journey the entire way. I felt like I was Che Guevara. When I arrived in the touristy village, I was not dry…no not at all. Mr. Rodriguez, the rent-a-moto owner, met me out front to check the condition of his bike. He was very friendly and I tried my best Spanish in communicating with him. After he returned my drivers license, he told me he would discount my next rental…..Texas Charm. Only two doors down from the rental shop, a few young people my age called me to join them. They gave me some Mamajuana (NOT MARIJUANA) to drink to warm up from the rain. The alcohol consisted of Rum soaked in an herb called Mamajuana. I did not refuse their kindness and sat down to chat with them. I am sure I will run into those guys again(one was a really cute girl….but I think she had a daughter…but then again I could still fulfill Sandy Plesha’s prediction that I am going to marry a Latin woman…ha). After a little while I left to find Ben who was meeting up with me. Ben and I had a great afternoon relaxing and meeting up with a couple other missionaries from the Montellano area. All in all, the day was successful: I did not die driving a moto in the rain.

I woke up on the Lord’s Day a little worried. For the last few days I have had soreness and what looked like poison ivy on the back of my head and one side of my neck. I thought it might have been my body reacting to a spider bite. To be safe, I decided that I would show Luz at church and maybe seek medical attention. The service began with singing of hymns and prayer…loved singing…loved it….some of the songs were really difficult because of the Spanish word usage…moving on. When the pastor began preaching on the vine and branches, my body began to tell my brain to shut down. I resisted about four times to passing out until I finally leaned over to Robin telling her I was going to go get fresh air. Outside, I felt a little better and decided to acquire Luis’ Juice from his shop stand. Let me tell you….it worked. By the time church was let out, I felt better. I spotted Miguel and Jenny, the missionary couple with Makarios, and told Jenny about my neck. Miguel said it was a reaction to a plant, but Luz soon approached with her abounding medicinal wisdom and said it was something else. To make sure, Jenny and Miguel took me to a little ghetto free clinic where the Doctor immediately gave me his diagnosis: Viral Herpes. What?!?!?!? Well, I think it is Shingels, a grownup and more potent version of Chicken Pox (not itchy but very painful). Somehow I received this gift on the back of my head and it then spread though my nerves down to my right clavicle. Treatment: Vitamin B shot, pills, and ointment. After I dropped forty bucks or so, I returned back to the Doc for my first shot. A nurse led me into a room. I walked over to a counter, dropped my pants (the shot was destined for my Gluteus Medius) and kind of leaned over with my arms. But, the nurse told me to move to another spot of the room where I again leaned over. That was not enough……because then she told me to lay down on a hospital bed type contraption. This bed was not made for my tall frame and I laid face down, butt up awkwardly since my body did not all fit on it. Finally, I felt the smooth thick needle penetrate my skin and release its thick liquid into my buttocks. When it was all over, I began to rebutton my pants but was interrupted by an older lady who came prancing in. She looked over at me and exclaimed “Dios Mio” and apologized for barging in. Ha. All my equipment was concealed so no problems were had. I came out of that clinic more Texan…..with an added swagger in my step due to my sore left glute. Pray that I heal fast. I have a couple more shots lined up this week to quicken my recovery. Herpes is not cool. Oh yeah so Sunday night…aka Last night…I did not sleep at all….the Shingles kept me awake. I love it. I debated taking the day off….but I thought “I’m supposed to be from Texas”….therefore, I Cowboyed Up and rocked out all day at school. Please make the pain go away. I need some hydrocodeine or something.

Week 3, Day 3, Amigo 3?

Life is grand. The Becca Roux is here. I love this girl to death. For two years we were on the same YL team in Austin. She has been such an encouragement to me since she has been here. I love having a friend here....gives me extra energy.

Today was a day like any other. I sweated a bucketful and ran around crazy with the kiddos. My duckface girl, Gherlin, hugged on me a ton. Amazing. It is hard to explain everything that goes on in the day. I wish everyone one of yall could experience it. Falling in love with these children is inevitable.

Quote of the day: Te Feo (a few girls in the afternoon class told me this referring to me wearing my glasses)......made me cry...haha

6 weeks already

Howdy!!!!

Pues, pues, pues. Monday was just an ordinary day of class, 5 hour power outage, and sweating. ha. We had a good amount of rain all afternoon and no electricity till late eve.

Today.....classes were cut short. Strike day. All public transportation workers were on strike. So, after morning classes, school was closed. Now, I get to lesson plan and welcome my dear friend, Becca Roux, at the airport. I am so stoked to have a friend come visit me. Love yall.

who said four to a DIRTBIKE is dangerouS?

What does Weston do during the weekends? Well, I could stay all couped up in our mission house or I could partake in the beach. I prefer the latter....very much so. Little over 2 bucks pays for my roundtrip public Gua-Gua ride to Cabarete Beach. However, yesterday brought a very unique situation: Ben brought his dirtbike. Our plan was for us two guys to take it up to the beach in order to stay after sunset while the girls took public......BUT we got Dominican. See, the Dominicans love to be efficient with their motos....so much so that whole families will ride on one moped. Well, we had a dirtbike...much bigger than a moped. Ding Ding. We decided to embrace our newfound culture and ride four on the bike. The two girls are about half my height so we put them in between Ben and me. I embraced both the girls while I sat on the tail of our transport device.

The trip was SPLENDID...and I did not fall off.

We spent all day on the beach and ate at this restaurant located right on the water. A few other missionaries showed up that work near our village. Along with the three girls, two Haitian babies and one 10 yr. old Haitian girl tagged along. Both the babies are being nursed back to health by two of the girls. The young girl lives with Rachel because she has not other place to live. You can imagine that a group of 7 whites with three Haitian children could make some heads turn. In addition to multiple onlookers, we were warmly welcomed by the staff at LAX...(they are use to our weekly visits)...and they love the kids. I cannot wait until I meet more young adults in Cabarete so that I can have a ministry there as well. Pray for that.

I love yall and miss yall so very much

Who wants to fight?

Can there be more fighting in one day? No. A multitude of kids thought it was a great day to fight. I thought it was a good day to hangout. I was vetoed. Besides the kicking, slapping, and punching I enjoyed the day.

I took the advice of Miguel and laid down the law with the children before PE began. I got real serious and talked real sternly. Totally unlike my usual demeanor...ha. It worked though. The kids listened and no one disobeyed me really besides a few annoying girls.

Weston out.

Tired..

Hola friends. Soo tired today. I stayed up late talking to dear friends on Skype (if you want to hear my voice....tell me. I love sharing about my experiences via voice). Then...I ran around in the hot Caribbean sun playing soccer with the kiddos. Drained. During our breaks, I passed out in a chair. Children, teachers, and random locals tried to mess with me, but I slept through their childish ploys.

Why dont kids take me serious? I know I am the funny guys, but seriously. I need God to give me the words to say in Spanish and Creole to speak some sense and obedience into these little ones. Pray for that. However, not all is lost. My favorite, Daribelto, eats up every word I say and understands every game we play....I love him. On top of my boy, Gherlin, cute little big lipped Dominican, wanted me to hold her....I died. God truly blesses me in those moment.

All in all, today was a success with soccer. At one point playing with the older Haitians, I did not understand one word of their Creole. Ridiculous.

After school, we had surprise guests to visit us, three other female missionaries. Of course, they are girls....I dont think guy missionaries exist on the North Coast. We took them on our trip with the Pancho Mateo kids to their village. Truly an adventure.

When we got back to our homestead, being the Makarios Man, I was in charge of carrying in the huge filled propane tank. I attempted to wrap my arms around the massive tank and inch it over, but I am not that strong. Instead, out of nowhere, a random Dominican man came to my rescue. Where he came from, I do not know. Angel? Most likely. Watch the video on Facebook to see me in action and my guardian celestial being aiding me.

I am to the point where I am set on moving to Montellano to live with Dona Luz. I want to be surrounded by the people I minister do. Pray for that also.

Week two in the MiX

After a longggg weekend thanks to Dominican holiday yesterday, week two of school commenced. What sports did I teach the kids today? Great question. Well, since I have preschool to 13 year olds throughout the day....I decided to do two different games: Hot Potato and Dodgeball. Take a guess which one I taught to the 3-5 year olds. I never thought Dodgeball could be that fun....I released a good deal of stress on the kids...JK. But seriously......funtimes were had. During one game of Dodgeball, I joined up with the weaker side (I am very compassionate). On the other team, William (13 year old Haitian) dominated his team. Soo...to be fair...I picked on him. I launched....launched the soft soccer ball right at the unsuspecting Haitian. However, William's cat-like reflexes kicked in and he successfully dodged the ball. However, his Spidey-sense did not lock onto the Banana tree to the right of him. Yes...thats right....William ran straight into the unsuspecting Banana tree......and then bounced off of it. It was a sight to see....i could not stop laughing. Dont worry....William was not the only kid I picked on. I was sure to spread my wailing on other chicos too. It rocked.

How did Hot Potato go? Some of the little boogers...esp. the Haitians, struggled with the concept of passing the ball. I enjoyed watching them repeat the song...Hot Potato, Hot Potato, Hot Potato, Hot. Hot Potato, Hot Potato, Hot Potato, Stop! Splendid.

Today was very hard though. Kids decided not to obey me. Not happy. For some reason they have this idea that I am the "Fun Guy" and they dont need to listen to me. Wrong! I had to restrain one child, Liso, in time out. He turned a deaf ear to me. In timeout, he thought it would be awesome to scream and cry at the top of his lungs.....I sent him inside and he finally calmed down. I bet God blesses me with an ill-behaving kid. He has a sense of humor.

Feel free to send me ideas for games for Preschoolers....I would love them.

First week of school is over

So....week one of Colegio Makarios is over. Wow. It is crazy to think that I am a PE teacher. Whats crazier is that I teach it in English to kids that only know Spanish and Creole.



I love it here. This is the toughest thing I have ever done before. I dont have my friends, family, or Texas food here. Amidst all the chaos, God is restoring my soul (Psalm 23). I have placed the Lord as the Shepherd of my life. He takes me to green pastures and tranquil waters. Here, in the Dominican Republic, I am becoming more at peace. Amazing.

For those that are not on facebook.....Please check out my pics on the link below:

http://utexas.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2329630&l=4bfeb&id=7919645

Continue to pray for me that I can develop more relationships in the community so that I can share Christ's love. Along with this also pray that my spanish will improve. Finally, pray that my continued financial support will come in...so far i have half of the 12 thousand raised.

Keep checking for updates...love yall

Day Two what it dO

Day 2.

The island is still in motion. Dominican Drop still has its grasp on me some. I will survive.

Highlights of my day included

-Three of my faves: Dabyburto, Ivi, and Vlady all behaved perfectly (usually they are terrors)
-None of the kids listened to me when they discovered the Cherry tree.
-My boy Moises, a big 11 year old, helped me with a game of freeze tag.
-P.S. How do you describe "Freeze Tag" when you dont know either of those words in Spanish?....but it was amazing.
-Witnessing a man bathing in the river when we took kids back to Pancho Mateo.

Today was good. Tomorrow will be interesting because I am really going to try to use only English for the Preschool kids. We shall see.

The First Day of SKool

Pues, Pues, Pues. I spent my first day off right: spent some quality time with the Throne. Today marked my one month anniversary of being here in the DR soooo....the island gave me a present aka Montezuma's Revenge, Delhi Belly, or as I call it The Dominican Drop. What a great gift right? If I lived in the States, I would stay at home all day near my Bano. However, I am a missionary teacher and we do not have substitute teachers in place yet. Therefore, I prayed to God for mercy on my soul and took off with the other staff to where the school is located, Montellano. Now, our vehicle, The Gua-Gua, sits about 11 comfortably....so it also doubles as a school bus. This entailed our fearless commander, Sharla, to drop us off on the side of the road near one of the villages, Chichigua, where we pick kids up. Thats right. The teachers got three Motos (rundown mopeds) to take us to Pancho Mateo, another village next to Montellano. Are you still with me? hah. The motos were friendly but still charged us 50 pesos a piece (little over a dollar). When we arrived at Pancho we encountered some kids eager to learn. Here comes the tricky part: take 30 something kids across a river while they are wearing nice clothes and shoes. My official job title is P.E. Teacher....BUT my unofficial titles consists of:

House Dad (the only guy besides Los Tweems)
Heavy lifter dude
Caballito (thats what the kids call me...it means horse...cuz they ride on my back)
River Guide

The last name came into play today. In which, I along with the other staff present, got in the middle of the not clean river water and carried kids to safe dry ground.

This event was repeated 6 times during the course of the day.

Here was the rest of my schedule for the day:

830-10Am: attempted to learn kids names and drew many pictures on the ground with chalk

10-1030Am: took Pancho kids back across river, successfully pegged the smallest girl with my flip flop straight in the face, and picked up the Preschool kids

1030-130Pm: told kids to be quiet, come back, go. Also, hugged crying kids, watched a kid pee literally all over the bathroom walls, sink, floor, himself, and almost me BUT never actually in the toilet, showed kids how to kick a ball (they already knew how...duh they are Dominican)

130-2Pm: Crossed the river...yadada

2-330Pm: Managed to make it through the day...laughed a ton at kids doing ridiculous stuff

All in all...the day was tiring but awesome...oh yeah...and The Dominican Drop did not own me at all during the school day...I win for now.

Day one over....day two.....I dont have a clue what I am gonna do.....BUT stay alive.

School starts tomorrow.....

Work, work, work. The school is almost done and classes begin tomorrow! Today was a great day. We moved all the school supplies including construction paper, notebooks, posters, underwear, socks, shoes, scissors......you know all those things that make school, school. Entertainment was provided by the local boys in underwear running around in the rain, namely Diori, an 8 year old Dominican who has a lazy eye. Culture was bestowed upon me by one of the workers, Juan, a 38 year old. He showed up a little drunk (really drunk) and had a heart to heart with Elizabeth and I. This was followed by Juan taking me to his home. This is what I found at Juan's house:

His mom (clothed in a towel)
His grandma
His daughter
His wife? (Dominicans have multiple ladies running around)
6 or 7 local kids....probably his relatives
a dog
One bucket with a huge turtle
One bucket with live crabs
One bucket with pigs feet....which Juan told me were really delicious

All in all, I learned more about my dear friend and this incredible culture. Everyone is up in each other's business...no need for email, texts, or facebook. I love it though. I have really been thinking about moving to Montellano, where Juan lives and the schools location. Our maid, Luz, lives there and has an extra bedroom. Talk about culture overload. However, I did not come here for a cushy fluffy comfortable vacation. I came here to become Dominican...I want to be Dominican....I will be Dominican.

For those of yall that have been wondering. As of now, I have fallen in love maybe 50 times with Dominican women. Right now my crush is on Ivi, a four year old girl that is too cute. She loves to punch and kick me....we are meant to be. It might just have to be a long long long engagement.

I love and miss yall very very very much, but God is rockin me down here....and I am diggin it. Start teaching PE tomorrow...so pray, pray, pray.

Its a Tuesday..

Hola Friends and Family....even though I send out a monthly e-mail, I decided to keep yall informed on a weekly basis.

Today began like any other day...well actually not. Yesterday I decided to travel with one of the interns, Phillip Orchard, to Santiago. Phil had to catch his return flight to the states in the morn and I was up for some man time. If you didnt already know, I am outnumbered in the Makarios by females. Some guys would love the extra estrogen...however, I needed a break from it ....ha. I was quite surprised about our form of transportation there: an air conditioned clean bus. The hour long trip provided me a few moments of sleep before the long night. When we arrived at the bus station in Santiago, Ben showed up on his dirt bike. Phillip grabbed a taxi and I hopped behind Ben and we took off for his house. Ben, an American, lived the majority of his life as a missionary kid in Haiti, but now lives and works alongside his parents in Santiago. Over the past three weeks, Ben and I have gotten close and I can say he is my "buddy"...ha. Anyways, the evening was spent relaxing on the porch looking up at the stars and rocking out to some music.

At 6AM the next morning, my annoying alarm clock woke me up....the sun was just cracking and the roosters were crowing. Although I hated to get up, I did so I could see Phillip off. Ben made me some delicious omelette's which gave me the necessary protein to begin my day. Around 8AM, we jumped back on the dirt bike...this time I donned a glorious helmet along with my stuffed backpack. Looking at us from a distance, one could easily picture Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. The trip through the mountain road was glorious....I loved the scenery and little villages we passed by...truly breathtaking. About an hour later, I hobbled off the bike feeling as if I had just ridden a horse. My fingers were kinda numb from my kung fu like grip while I rode....and ready to get my paint on....which I did all morning.

The DR is my home for the year....this is a crazy realization which I still come to terms with on a daily basis. I miss my family and friends the most...I also miss my dog and TexMex and McCallum Young Life!!!

Keep on praying
Weston