After the storm

We didn't personally have trouble with Tropical Storm Isaac but there was flooding around the DR on Saturday, the rain was much heavier after the body of the storm passed.  River flooding in the western DR and Haiti has taken a toll on shack and tent communities. Some bridges washed out too.  We are blessed to be in a secure building. I hope it doesn't wash out all the Republicans in Tampa this week.

We watched the taped broadcast on Pres. Monson's 85th birthday celebration.  Always inspiring to see someone who listens when the Spirit prompts. I need to keep my arms and ears open, we can help around the Temple housing when people arrive who don't know their way around.

The diesel truck arrived to fill the generator tank on Saturday.
Better the day after the storm then never.

Ward Arthur Horne lounging safely at home.
2 weeks old.

Tender Mercies and joy of Service

About four weeks ago our internet wifi became even more unreliable. I am on the computer off and on all day looking up Elders, making notes on contacts, reviewing mission applications, reading nurses' emails, looking up disease or medication information, etc.  That is besides keeping up with my family and MG world.  So it drives me crazy to be down and off line.  One day I went to complain in the area office,  while I was there the IT honcho walked in, he was here from Puerto Rico on business. I latched onto him and brought him upstairs to my office, he confirmed the  wifi was the problem and also saw that I had a DSL box. I told him that the Doctor before me was told that the line wasn't connected, I had tried it and it didn't work.  When he looked into it the phone was paid every month, year after year, but the Doctors all thought it was not connected.  The box was bad, replaced and I have been in businss ever since.  The wifi has been down most of the time since then.  I would have been crazy by now, I think God sent the IT guy to save me from a dire end.

On the joy of service side, this week there were some English speaking Islanders here, I was talking with two couples as we walked to the Temple on Tuesday.  One was from Trinidad, here to be sealed.  I had a great visit with them and then was able to help them in the Temple and witness their sealing.  The other couple, from Guyana, was also here to be sealed. When I told him my son-in-law had served in Guyana he remembered Elder Sookhoo well, and was excited to have some pictures sent to him to show his mother, that Steve had turned out so unexpectedly well.




Bro Leonard and Sr. Minina Byng,
 from Trinidad




Tracey and Orin Moses, Guyana

























Today, because of the tropical storm Isaac, the airport was closed and Pres. and Sr. Moses could not fly back to Guyana.  We spent last night talking with them as they tried to work out some new flights home. Today they were able to re-schedule and we had lunch and a short drive to see the waves in the ocean. The police shooed us away, the seas were high but the storm really wasn't too bad here.



In our apartment, Pres. Moses was on the phone and
computer trying to arrange a flight home.  At first,
the Airline said first available was Sept 4.




Squina hamburger restaurant.




Active waves were fun to watch hit the lava see wall. Not
much wind or rain here, hope Haiti is as lucky.



On the Home Front

The Shaver girls have been busy too.  Cindy and Meg visited Delaware and the Sookhoos, then drove across country to see Anna's new daughter Jacgueline Iva Catmull, born 28 July in Idaho Falls. Liz and her kids joined them there for a few days too.  Finally, Cindy visited Laura, gave her some final advice and then flew back to the DR.  Luara had Ward Arthur Horne on Aug 14 in Provo, he needed a few days in the hospital but seems to be fine now.  A mission has been a great blessing in many, many ways.


Iva at two weeks. The Spirit burns already in her bosom.



Busy in many ways, continued.



Elder Davis is nearly recovered from Dengue, the Sisters
stopped by to visit. This is a small clinic that has a 24-hr
nurse that can do IV and vitals.  The Hogar Luby




Sr Sweeny and Elder Carlson, he is just sick, no Dengue.























This Saturday we took a scenic drive into the mountains to a fertile valley, known for raising vegetables and strwberries.  We ate at a nice restaurant high over the valley.




Workers do most things by hand.




Valley fields and greenhouses. Small aeroporte in center.




This picture captures some of the Domincan lifestyle, I'll try and avoid judgemental phrases. The land is bountiful with good fruits. The people love music and dance. They are careless with garbage and
would let watermelon drip all over. They love dominoes, and generally idling away time. They need a good lantern because the electricity is off every day for 6-8 hours of more.



Carry on

We have been busy in many ways: the Elders around the Caribbean are having some health problems, Dengue Fever has been common in Puerto Rico and in the Republica Dominicana.  The CCM is full to overflowing, so many colds and minot aches...so far. We did have one Elder step  in a hole and scrape his shin badly, bad ceelulitis and off he went to the good old USA, recovering nicely there.

I'll put up another Temple picture and answer a question from the comment section. We work in the Temple two shifts a week, an island in the storm some weeks.  We are becoming proficient at the Spanish and I am doing some French.  The Elders that come to the CCM (MTC) go on Thursday morning every week, so we are with them for one of our shifts. Some Elders haven't been before so that makes it even more exciting for them to come, and to be able to help them.  A shot or two in the arm one day and a boost up the ladder the next. 


The Temple looking north.




The Casa Huespedes, in the Temple grounds, is for
 Temple patrons,Temple Missionaries, the CCM,
the Area Presidency office, and us. My Office is
the window on the third floor with white paper
covering the inside. I put x rays up on it for
 good back-lighting. Our apartment is the two window to the
right of the office.

We have mission office visits from time to time, these pictures are from a East Mission barbeque.

P day get together for three zones.



Elder Eickbush serves up the good hambugers and hotdogs.



Mission Life goes on

My companion has abandoned the field but I am here holding my fingers in the dike, missionary health is dribbling out all around me.  The McDermids, the Area mental health advisers,  have flown home as well, honorably released after doing a great work for the missionaries in the Caribbean.  We have had a group of North Americans and two Islanders in the CCM. This week the two islanders leave for the West Indies and Jamaica and on Thursday a new batch of 28 Latinos blows in. 

The medical excitement is Dengue in the Puerto Rico mission, including one with hemorrhagic Dengue. Thankfully the platelet level is rising and we had no major bleeding complication.  I am seeing the usual mix here, with colds, toenails, injured joints and belly aches all mixed together. 

The Temple re-opened on Tuesday.  I had missed working there, it is a great thing to enjoy.  Some of the missionaries attend for the first time so it is great to help them in the Clinic and also in the Temple.

We are studying Spanish still, I  have made some progress in comprehension but still don't speak very well.  I think of what to say after the time has passed to say it.

Elder McDermid, Sr. Button, Sr. McDermid and
Pres. Glazier as the McDermids were loading
to head off into the sunset.



Elder Hall, from Guyana and learning Spanish to serve in
 the Santo Domingo East Mission. Elder Ambrose from Trinidad
who will serve in Jamaica and Elder St. Rose from Tortola in the
British Virgin Islands who will serve in the West Indies.




My new camera testing the night settings on the Santo Domingo Temple. I'll miss walking by the
Temple everyday. 



Temple Closed

The Temple is closed for two weeks for its semi-annual cleaning, the lawn is also being scalped and thinned out.  The Temple missionaries are doing day trips, they don't usually go anywhere on Mondays but are taking advantage of this break.

There is an apartment building slowly rising across the street from the Temple, it will be very tall, 21 stories I think.  It will also block some of our view to the Caribbean Sea.  Progress.

We have been having very frequent disruptions of our internet. I rely on it very much for my work, receiving Emails from the islands, looking up medical histories, and looking up information on line. Just another joy of life in a generally inefficient country.  I am undeniably biased toward a capitalist, democratic form of government where the people can vote the bums out if they don't perform. I don't think Americans from the US would stand for contaminated water, electricity for 8-10 hours a day, etc.  I also acknowledge that we have our faults, sometimes I wonder if we, as a whole, can be trusted to live under a Constitution that gives us so many rights.  Many don't seem to be up to the associated responsibilities.

Baby Iva and other changes

I've noticed my typing skills deteriorating, spelling in English is hard, compared to Spanish. Pretty much in Spanish if you can pronounce it correctly you can spell it.  So the few words I know in Spanish I can spell.  Mas o menos.

I have some re tread pictures from the Internet of Iva, her hair is the biggest hit so far, not at all like any other of our babies, even Leah and Drew started with less hair.




Anna at home, trying not to laugh out loud.



The long flight and drive to Idaho, $2000,
holding Iva, priceless.

The I'm and Aunt rant.

Bachelor pad

Cindy went to help Meg drive across country and to see Anna's new daughter in Edaho Falls, she will be gone two weeks.  So far I am eating leftovers and various snacks.  Next week I may have to cook something new.  I eat while I watch the news or Oympics, so I converted the table to a work bench.  The empty box is from my new camera which arrived, haven't figured out too many buttons or setting yet. We'll see how that goes.

The Elders have had a few illnesses and even an exotic disease or two, though that case is actually a senior Sr in Puerto Rico.  They also have had Dengue there for the last few weeks, they hadn't had any since I got here.  In the Temple we had a Russian speaking couple come to be sealed yesterday, no one here speaks Russian.  Hopefully they will be able to go somewhere else soon.



Stove Top Stuffing is from the McDermids, they are cleaning up their apartment,
heading home to Fernie, BC on Friday.




The man-cave couch, ready for TV and salsa.