Week 7 in the D.R,

Week 7 in the D.R.

April 22, Monday.

               At the office today, I was given the responsibility to update the Caribbean area emergency plan. I checked to see what the prior plan looked like and I found that Elder Hammon had started to update the plan. I mainly had to update the list of contacts, and add some additional information. I appreciated the work Elder and Sister Hammon had done. I also tested two more satellite telephones. In the evening, we attended Spanish class. Elder Rees was late so I taught the first 10 minutes. We then helped Sisters Erickson and Hansen with their missionary lessons. We finished the night attending family home evening where I helped Sister Hyde present her slide presentation on her experience in Africa.

Jim and Joy talking on satellite phone

 

April 23, Tuesday

               There was a major riot at the University today that closed the University for three days. A military officer was killed with a high powered rife, and several people we seriously injured. The riot was in front of the LDS Institute and the facility was closed for two days.  After work we went shopping at the La Sirena store in the old colonial part of town. We purchased towels, toothpaste, and soap to finish packing 100 hygiene kits. We took the items home and two of the volunteers from the Bishop’s Storehouse helped us pack the kits. We returned to our apartment and Skyped the Murdock’s in  Jamaica to become better acquainted with them. 

April 24, Wednesday

               We worked on the area emergency plan and then returned home early to buy a few additional towels and other items for the hygiene kits. We packed the last of the items. In the evening, we Skyped the Cook’s. They live in Suriname but were visiting a small island. We had a good conversion with them.

April 25, Thursday

               After work we went shopping at another La Sirena store to purchase additional toothbrushes and towels. We also purchased the items needed for one kitchen kit.  We returned home and the Haws and we packaged 95 hygiene kits for a group of poor Haitians that work in the cane fields. They are paid $2.00 per day for their work. We will deliver them on Monday.

April 26, Friday

               We went to work at the usual time and at 11 am we attended the Perpetual Education-Employment Center meeting with our bosses at the Institute building. President Cornish of the Area Presidency conducted the meeting and they asked that we take minutes of the meeting. We returned to the office and ate lunch. We left early to go to the temple. Joy worked in the laundry doing some mending and I was assigned to do initiatories. I had never done them so I observed a couple of times and then it was my turn to do it in Spanish. I did a few and then it was time to change duties. I went to the veil and observed. Next week they will want me to do the veil. It will be interesting. We returned home exhausted.

April 27, Saturday

               We walked to the Book Fair that was held in a large park about one and one half miles from our apartment. We met the Wegeners and then we walked around the park and toured several of the exhibits. The Church had an exhibit on the family. China, Ecuador, Korea, and the USA had exhibits. Joy had her picture taken with a cut out of President Obama. We then passed by a group of singers and sister Wegener asked them to sing GUANTANAMERA, a Julio Iglesias song. They escorted Joy and Lisa to the stage and had them a sing with them. It was fun watching them sing.   We had lunch at Wendy’s and then walked home. We picked up the Johnsons and went shopping at Price Smart. We returned home exhausted and had a quiet night at home.

Jim and Joy at Book Fair

 

 

Joy in front of Church Exhibit

 

April 28, Sunday

               We attended church at the Gascue Ward in the morning. We had lunch with the Haws and then Marlin Walker a member of the church who works for the U.S. Embassy asked Elder Haws and me to come to his apartment and give him a blessing. He had been sick and was flying to Miami on Wednesday to go to the doctor. Late afternoon we took a walk along the ocean. In the evenings there is always a refreshing breeze off the ocean. We walked past the park where many families were enjoying the ocean breeze and then we returned home for the evening.

Families enjoying a Sunday afternoon on the beach