Week 8 in the D.R.
April 29, Monday
Today is
Labor Day in the Dominican Republic. The Wegeners, Tom Bourke, Joy and I drove
out to a Haitian Batey or village. We had 94 hygiene kits to deliver to the
village. We took them out and gave them to the local teacher to distribute to
the villagers. The workers in the village make about $2.00 per day working in
the sugar cane fields. They are very poor and very needy. When the villagers
received the hygiene kits you would have thought it was Christmas. After the
kits were distributed, a man came to the village selling ice cream cones. Elder
Wegener and I bought ice cream cones for the villagers. We left the village and
drove to Palanque to the beach. We stopped at a hotel owned by an 80 year old
man from Switzerland. His wife is a doctor at the hospital and she was our
waitress in the restaurant. While we were eating, the governor of the province
and his family were eating at the restaurant and he allowed Joy to take his
picture. After lunch we walked around the beach and then returned to the hotel
and swam in the pool. We returned home by back roads. We were lost most of the
time but we had a great time laughing on the way home. In the evening we had
our last session with Sisters Erickson and Hansen. They will be going to their
mission next Monday. 
Haitian Village
School
Joy and Sisters
Hansen and Erickson
May 2, Thursday
The
Haws, Tom, Joy and I drove over to the office and loaded 11 bundles of clothing
into the Haw’s truck. We took the clothing back to the Bishop’s Storehouse to
see how we could distribute the clothing to those that need it. There were 33
bundles of clothing at the Area Office. The clothing was left over after the
Haitian earthquake. We had lunch with the Ruckers and in the evening we opened
two bundles of clothing and washed several of the items. The volunteers at the
Bishop’s Storehouse helped us sort the clothing. There must be 250 to 300
pieces of clothing in each bundle. We are planning on taking two bundles to the
Haitian Batey.
Loading clothing for distribution
May 3, Friday
Went in
to the office in the morning and left early to come home and sort and wash more
clothing. We met a young man, David at 3 pm and he took us to the music
conservatory to meet the director of the facility. The center had 600 students
and was in need of some major repairs. He wanted to show us the facility to see
if the church could help with the repairs. We toured the facility and then
walked across the street to the temple to attend to our duties at the temple.
We were asked to participate in sealings. A couple from Guyana, the McKeenses
had come to the temple for their own sealing and also had brought the names of
their grandparents and great-grandparents. I was the proxy for the sealing of a
son to his parents. There was a wonderful spirit in the room and the couple was
thankful for the temple and the sealing ordinances.
May 4, Saturday
Joy and
I decided to be adventurous and drive out to the northern part of the city to
see where the metro ended. We then met the Wegeners at the Blue Mall and had
lunch at the food court. We walked across the street and went shopping at the
La Sirena store. I bought a shirt for 95 pesos and a tie for 95 pesos. For $5.00,
I got the two items. After shopping we returned home and had a quiet evening at
home.
May 5, Sunday, Happy “Cinco de Mayo”
Joy and
I met the Haws and we walked about one mile to the metro station where we met the
Wegeners. We took the metro out to the Vista Bella Ward. We arrived early and
while we were waiting for the meeting to start, Elder Hugo Martinez, Area
Authority Seventy came, along with a member of the Stake Presidency and Pres.
and Sister Bair, the temple president. We all attended the block meetings and
then road the metro back to the station nearest our house and then we walked
about a mile home. We spent the rest of the day at our apartment. 
Sister Wegner, Haws,
and Crismons at Vista Bella Ward
