Roosters are crowing, and morning light makes the corn and banana plants glow a warm green. It's beautiful here.
We arrived yesterday in the middle of the afternoon after a flight delay (unrelated to Tropical Storm Emily). I intentionally didn't bring anything for the plane (no headphones, no book) so I could "be there" with the team — only to get put between two (pleasant but quiet) non-team Dominicans. God's working on my attitude. This trip is not about me.
We sped through customs without a hitch. Apparently, airport officials know G.O. Ministries and what they do (and we wore t-shirts identifying us as a G.O. team), so none of our bags were randomly selected for screening.
Driving through Santiago reminded me so much of the Philippines. The colors, the signs, the style — just a little less congested/dense. And Hato del Yaque is a bit like Meycauayan. Winding streets, dogs wandering around, lots of motorcycles.
The houses are one room, maybe divided by blankets. Small. Simple. Concrete blocks or mismatched collections of wood boards (which actually looks shabby chic). I'm reminded how cushy we have it at home. It makes me want to get rid of more stuff.
Last night we took a walk around the neighborhood: a parade of Americanos. The kids following us, who increased in number the farther we walked, loved Izzy's Instax camera. After an introduction, Rosa linked arms with me and we walked and talked a little (limited by my Spanish). She has 4 hermanas (or she's 1 of 4), is 12, and a student. I told her I work as an "assistante en la oficina" and Ian is my "esposa." Oops. Next time, he'll get the masculine ending and be my husband, not my wife.
When we got back to the church, Ian and I talked sports with Isaiah (from [REUNION] and currently on a 3-month internship with G.O.), and when the electricity went out we looked at the constellations.
A quick shower later and I was in bed. This morning, I realized how easy it is to get ready when you don't care what you look like. After throwing on some work clothes, I came outside for devotions and journaling before breakfast. I love this pace of life.