Day 1- Cuesta Arena

I feel like our blogs this trip should be more about the food than anything else but I have not talked about anything else. Sairy asked us today if we wanted to eat Dominican or American….meaning big meal at 1pm or 7pm. I told her Dominican. We woke up this morning after staying at Sairy’s house to egg, delicious yogurt, and fresh fruit. We went by Kim and Damon’s apartment to pick up keys, then dropped Felix off to get a hair cut and headed to La Sierna (Walmart-ish store). We got back for lunch- salad and spaghetti (one of my favorites), took a siesta and headed out to Cuesta Arena. We went with Freddy and Estella to take food and medicine to Orliedy and have children’s church with the children and their moms. The church has decided to change the Sunday bus run for Cuesta Arena and they do childrens church on Saturday afternoon and then bus in the older teens and adults. I am guessing it got too crowded on the bus for everyone. It was a great trip and Kristyn’s first of many. She instantly fell in love, recognizing so many kids from the pictures.
Orliedy looked great, though frail. For those of you that do not know, she has sickle cell anemia and was hospitalized for 5 weeks and was in a coma for part of it. She is now home in Cuesta Arena but very week and still recovering. She walked out to the porch while we were there, hugged and smiled us, and sat on a chair while the rest of us played. It is so sad to see such a young child in that condition. Please continue to lift her and her family up in your prayers.
Tonight we had yuca and fried cheese for dinner. A Dominican classic. Now we are at Kim and Damons apartment, some Georgia missionaries living full time in Santiago. They have been so kind as to let us sleep here. Tomorrow is church and usually a calm relaxing day of rest in this country. We pray that Gods presence tomorrow is moving and renewing. I pray for my own frustrations of being in school full time and unable to commit as much time and energy to these projects to get them moving quicker. As Sairy always tells me….God has His own timing. Monday we will visit with the filtration system guy to get details and quotes to move forward on the reverse osmosis system.