Christmas Moments

Here are a few more moments from our Christmas season. These capture some of the fun moments, yet I wonder why I don't have any pictures of some of the more serious ones, like when we gave entire laundry baskets full of food to our employees. Wouldn't it have been wonderful for you to be able to 'witness' those moments? I wish you could see the huge smile on the face of the lobby guard from the apartment where we used to live when we took him a Christmas bonus in spite of the fact that we no longer live there. It made us want to take him another one! Well, in spite of all the photos you won't see, I hope you enjoy the ones you will. May the remainder of this year find you healthy, happy, and walking in the love of Jesus.

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Christmas 2008

Just a few photos of Christmas. They do say a picture is worth a thousand words. Anyone like to opine on what these pictures are saying?

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Redneck Christmas?

Some time back I received an e-mail entitled redneck Christmas tree. It was a quite innovative 'tree' made out of Mountain Dew cans. We all laughed and that was it. This weekend we went to minister in a church in an area where we don't frequently go and we saw something we have never seen before - outside of an e-mail, that is. The following photos are Christmas decorations made entirely of Brahma Beer cans!


Even more interesting, although I don't have a photo to show, is the fact that lights had been strung through all those cans, and when it got dark and the lights were turned on it looked very Christmasy indeed! Innovation at work. I have to wonder who had the job of emptying all those beer cans.

Banana Picking

When I first started making short-term mission trips here back in 1993 the desire grew in me to actually pick a fresh banana from a tree. It just seemed like such a 'tropical' thing to do! It never happened on any of those short term trips, but the house we moved into when we arrived in country had a banana tree. A dream was realized when eventually I was able to take bananas right off the tree. You cannot even imagine how flavorful a banana is that has not been picked green and shipped. A pastor friend of ours was telling the story of a boy who had grown up eating bananas straight from the tree, and after tasting a banana in the states said he didn't want any more fake bananas! This week friends from South Carolina were here preaching some crusades with Brother Robbie Strickland and took time out to visit us at our new home. Did I mention that we also have a banana tree in the backyard? It seems I'm not the only US girl who thought it would be cool to pick a banana from a tree. Donna Bowen of Set Free Chrisitan Fellowship was just about as excited as I was!

New Friends

It many not make for much of a blog story, but I love this photo and wanted to share it with you. Jesse is only four years old, but is not at all shy about making new friends. When he saw our builder, Alberto, walking up toward the gazebo where we were talking, he ran out to accompany him the rest of the way in. The smiles they are both wearing is what enthralls me about this photo. They are a picture of contrasts with the exception of those smiles. Tall, short; blonde, dark; black, white; old, young. You get the picture. I hope you like this shot as much as I am enjoying sharing it with you.

To Restoration Ranch

The Griffin family didn't have to wait too long to have their first family outing to Restoration Ranch to see where Shay would be working. They moved into their house on Monday, and since there wasn't any furniture to arrange or pictures to hang we took them to Restoration Ranch on Tuesday. No since wasting time.

It looked to me like the highlight for the kids was a toss up between a tired old tire swing and Bobo the black goat.

It's Just a Picnic

When you move into a new home and have no furniture you just plan a picnic! It's all about the attitude, and the Griffin family has a great one. Afterall, it's quite an adventure!

Getting Settled

It's always an interesting process to move your entire family to another home, but when that move becomes international it adds another dimension of adventure. The Griffin family moved out to their new rented home in Baní this week. All of their furniture and most of their belongings will be along later when the shipping container is released from the port. In the meantime, they arrived with somewhere around 20 suitcases full of stuff to keep them sane until the rest arrives.
It took more than one load to get it all to their new residence!

Here's Isaiah Burge helping pack up the second load of belongings.

We start them working young around here. Little Jesse is four.

Irrigation Canal

We think we discovered a part of the problem that helped create the floating septic tank you have read so much about. Near the construction site there has been a section of land that has remained muddy and mushy. It seems that the cement irrigation canal that surrounds most of the farm had cracked and begun to fall apart in that section. Our wonderful worker, Fran, and the equally wonderful builder went to work to get it repaired. (We 'wonderfully' bought yet more cement!)Mission accomplished.

Staff Addition

A little more than a year ago we met with Shay and Gwen Griffin and their pastor and began the process of accepting them as staff members here at Restoration Ranch. Their first job was to head off to Costa Rica to language school to get some spanish basic skills under their belt. Last August they sold everything and moved to Costa Rica. When they graduated from school this past fall they headed back to their home states to minister in some churches and get all their belongings ready to be shipped to the Dominican Republic. Their container should arrive next week - but they arrived on Thursday. We're glad to have them here and know they will be a great blessing.

The Tale of the Floating Septic Tank

Many of you remember the dilemma we faced after Tropical Storm Fay when we discovered our beautifully built septic tank floating in its hole.

What to do? What to do? We talked to various people and eventually came to a conclusion. After a lot of pumping water, buying and shoveling filler, some block adjustments, and the final touches we now have that septic tank ready to go. We don't think it will ever float again either!

More

We are excited about another family that is moving down here to work with us at Restoration Ranch. Shay and Gwen Griffin will be arriving tomorrow with their three children. We'll pick them up at the airport about 1:45 and we plan to give them the rest of the day off before we put them to work! Just kidding. Shay was raised on a poultry farm and knows a good deal about fixing just about anything. He's also a master barber. I think of all the work we have for him and realize we'll have to make sure he gets some time off every now and then! Gwen was exceptional in her work as a church secretary, and we are eager to get her started with some administrative and office work.

As you can see the ministry here is growing. It was just the two of us for so many years. Then we added a part time Dominican pastor to help with some of the work of the Ministry Training Center. A few years ago the Burge family arrived, and tomorrow the Griffin family. Please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to life in a developing nation and all the new responsibilities that await them.

Our Dominican Thanksgiving meal

While Thanksgiving is not a Dominican holiday, we do have a few Dominican friends who have adopted this wonderful holiday and its meaning. Each year we celebrate our second Thanksgiving meal of the day with the Cabral family. Our local pastor always explains the meaning of Thanksgiving for those who have been invited for the first time and to remind the rest of us as well. Then we eat - again. Here are a few pictures of our time there. You won't see me in any of them! That's one of the 'benefits' of the taking all the photos.

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