Computer cords and gaining weight

Sabado 21 de Junio (the day after we last wrote): Rana and I decided that we wanted to go check on Rutch again because if we just pop in every couple days maybe Mika, their mom, would be more inclined to take care of the kids... We decided this time to bring some 'gaining weight baby formula' suggested to us by people "in the know" and we picked up some buns and peanut butter for the older kids and parents. When we first arrived the neighbours seemed to be looking out for Mika's family but I walked to the infamous tree infront of their house and found one of the boys sitting in his own poop, which somehow noone had noticed or cared to remove him from. After a short time their mom showed up and we gave her the food trying to convince her that if she or the other kids had Rutch's milk it would be unhealthy... I am really trying to step out in faith with this because there are few people confident in the mother's abilities to care for her children anymore; I pray this time will be different. Something we also find hard is that there are millions of families that need and deserve help but because this mom is being care-less, she is noticed and recieves the help. As Josh says "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Domingo 22 de Junio: After church the three of us went to Momma D's (Phil and Donna's house) because it was their housekeeper/friend's daughter's 7th birthday and she was coming over for a pool party! Few of the kids that showed up could actually swim, well actually I think only the ones that could reach the bottom would go past the steps, but we took them on little rides around the pool and had an awesome time playing with them and pretending to understand all the things they were saying.

When Josh got home though, there was a huge rainstorm on his parade. He discovered that someone broke into our apartamento and stole his MacBookPro. When we got there we all searched making sure it wasn't just hidden but not only did they take the laptop, we couldn't figure out how they got in. Nothing was broken, the locks weren't picked, but we then came to the conclusion that 'our little friend' had a key because there are a couple different ways to lock the door and it wasn't the same as when we left. But for some comedic relief listen to this: Rana's laptop, which I am typing on now, was sitting right beside Josh's; they were practically touching. Josh and Rana both had an assortment of camera's, iPOD's and wallets sitting on the shelf nearby, our TV was sitting behind the laptop, but maybe it was too small for their liking, AND they left the Power Cord!!! Josh is thinking of just hanging the cord out on the gate saying "I think you forgot this you idiot." Anyways, don't be too scared, we got a new security system on top of the three gates that are supposed to be protecting us ...

And a little update, Josh has had a heck of time these past couple days trying to get a police report but finally after hours of waiting and small Dominican fee he got the papers to show his insurance company.

Lunes 23 de Junio: Rana, 'JimmyJames' (Phil and Donna's son) and I checked on Rutch again and this time I got Mika to make her bottle while I was there so I could feed it to her. The kids seemed to be doing really well today and when I was in their house I noticed some rice sitting in the corner, which is a good sign. We stayed for quite awhile and I just held the kids and talked to their mom because I am trying hard to not judge her but to love her even in this terrible circumstance. She is only 24 with 4 kids and the father doesn't have steady work so I can't even pretend to understand what life is like for them. I hope we can just show them that we care and God will provide.

Martes 24 de Junio: Our friend Cristina brought her 5 year old son over for the day and while she taught Rana to make amazing Dominincan dishes, Josh and I coloured, played soccer and swam with Oscarlin. I love the relationships we are able to persue more this year than before. Being on our own schedule is a struggle sometimes because we aren't always sure where to go or what to do but on days like this I definitely appreciate that we could take the time to bless and be blessed by such an amazing family.

Thank you all for your prayers and supports. We can really see God working a lot around us and in us while we are here. We can also definitely tell that he has his angels looking out for us. If one of us were at the apartment when the 'boogyman' broke in things could have been really bad. Please continue to pray that we will learn and understand more about the things we are witnessing and won't be quick to judge because we can't truly know what life is like for these people.

PBandJ meets RiceandBeans

Like Rana said, sorry that we took so long to give an update, but after these two blogs you will probably need a little break again. We have been going like crazy lately and with the brief and unexpected loss of our internet corner we kind of used that as an excuse. But here are some of the main events…
Last Friday mi amiga Elise came down for a visit to figure out why I love the Dominican so much! We took her around to a lot of different villages and worksites, introduced her to our friends and Dominican familia and pretty much packed everyday full of adventures, “just because we can” and because “we can sleep in Canada”… One of her first days here, we walked around a village asking the kids questions, like Rana said, to send to their sponsors. I always love doing that because you get to see so many different people and lifestyles coming together in one very small community. Everybody knows everyone else’s business and by just seeing a picture can take you through the back alleys and fields to their house. Some of our questions were “what is your favourite colour?”, “what is your favourite food?”, “how many animals do you have?”… (this one always made me laugh because they would count all the baby chickens and anything else that wandered around). The next day we went and finished up the sponsorship forms for Nazaret and checked on Rutch’s family. Sadly we found the four kids sitting under a tree across from the house, mother-less for most of the day, according to neighbours. The oldest son is 4 years old and I suppose he was left in charge, but he also dominated the little amount of rice and beans set out for the kids.
It is so sad because there are so many stories like this one and these kids are right in front of me and I just don’t know how to help. I also took Elise out to Arroro Seco, one of Hero Holiday’s school building projects we’ve worked at for three years, to introduce her to all my friends and show her that we really do work down here! Sadly school was out the day before so not as many people were around and we couldn’t make it inside but we snuck upstairs anyways (don’t tell Pastor Garcia).
Yesterday we were definitely on the go more than before. First we started out in Nazaret to see the kids and check on the clinic, then we went and checked on Rutch’s familia and her mom was there this time. She told me that 8 month old Rutch hadn’t had milk or anything in 2 weeks and that the rest of her family didn’t have food either. It is so difficult to know what to do though, because from what we have known, the mom would normally take the milk or food given to her kids for herself. Please pray that I will know what to do because I really want to do something to help the family out but I don’t want her to neglect the kids and take advantage of me. Around supper time we went to Mustard Seed, an orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children, and helped feed them and stayed for a little while after to play with them. When I looked around the room it broke my heart to think of how many different parents had decided to give up their children. Some of these kids might have been healthier with the proper care and the right opportunities but they seem pretty lucky to be living there. After around an hour I was tired from being jumped on and dragged back and forth but the women feeding and caring for these kids were so joyful and caring. The kids called them “Momma ______” and lit up when one of them came into the room! I really admire them for taking care of so many kids with special needs 24/7. I am not sure I would have it in me as much as I wish I would.

At one point in the week we also took Elise to "snotball's" village but were again translator-less so this week we will be going back to find out details. It was nice for her to meet Carlos y Rosalind, Josh and Rana's friends though!
So today was sad as we dropped Elise off at the airport, but I think we had a pretty successful week and she definitely went home understanding my need to be here as much as possible.
Please continue to pray for our health and safety and ability to learn Spanish, as well as the people we are meeting and projects we are getting involved with. We really need God’s guidance with who to help and where to serve.
P.S we like comments to know what you guys are thinking of our projects.

love always,
kike

Me tinks we're on Dominican Time

Time sure flies when you’re having fun! A lot of things have happened since the last time we wrote! We’ve had a lot of memorable and exciting moments as well as some sad ones. Since we wrote last we’ve made a lot of new friends with different young people from the church that we attend here. Some are missionary kids; some are here on internships while others are Dominican. The times we’ve spent working together and playing together at the beach will always be favourite memories, that’s for sure! One of our friends from the hotel we stayed at the past couple of years had us over for a real Dominican meal! Her house was really cute and the food tasted amazing! It was nice to just sit and chat, her with her little English and us with our little Spanish. It was like hanging out with one of our friends from home! Dominican’s hospitality amazes me more and more everyday… I think Newfoundlanders have some competition! lol
We spent a lot of our time working at the clinic getting things ready for the opening. When the day finally came for the dedication and opening you could sense the excitement not only from the missionaries but also from the people there at the village. This clinic will change the future of this village. There will no longer be stories of little Danica’s ( http://heroholiday.absolute.org/2007/08/02/danica-how-we-all-fell-in-love/#more-148) from the village of Nazaret and surrounding area.
The day after the clinic opened a medical team from the US arrived. We all traveled around the country to pick them up at different airports and then spent the week leading them around to different villages. The teams focus was mainly clinics but we also did pre-natal checks, house visits and school health sessions. The week was full of amazing experiences. On one of the first days we traveled with them to a village where some set up a clinic and others went to the school. After doing a tooth-brush demonstration and skit the team began to pray for a little boy that has been in a wheelchair for years. He was in an accident when he was younger and hasn’t walked since. As we prayed over him we could feel God’s presence. God was definitely doing work. We then began to pray for his mother who has back pains most likely caused by lifting and taking care of her son. After we had prayed with her she began to jump and bend, things that she could not earlier do! God had healed her back pain. Our thoughts are still with the little boy as we continue to pray for him. We all believe that one day God will send him the miracle of walking or perhaps a blessing of a different form; no matter what it will be incredible... While the team was here, each clinic ran very smoothly and we were able to see hundreds of people. It was great to be part of something so needed by the people here in the DR… During the clinics that week we also met a little girl that was very malnourished, from the village jus below Nazaret. As we talked to a missionary that works in the area and the team assessed the little girl it came to our attention that the mother was very nourished along with her other kids. From past experiences with the mother we were told that she was neglecting the younger children because they are not her current husband’s children. This little girl was not receiving any milk and as a result she was very fragile and lethargic. We gave her some milk and we have been going back to the village every couple days to check on her family and to make sure they are being fed and taking care of. Please begin to pray for this little girl named ‘Rutch’ and her brothers. (I think its Ruth with a Creole accent)
During the week of the team Josh celebrated his 23rd birthday!! We had supper on the beach and then camped out on the beach with some missionary friends. It was definitely an awesome way to spend your birthday with the waves crashing, lightning in the distance, the Milky Way over head and a bonfire burning nearby! (P.S Kikĕ had her first banana boat and loved every minute of it)
On the teams last day we were invited to go to the kindergarten graduation of the school in Nazaret. It was so cute seeing them in their little cap and gown! We all enjoyed being part of the schools first ever graduation. As you looked around at the parents and missionaries that run the school you could see the pride glowing on their faces.
Now that the clinic is opened and running and school is closed for summer all our time was put into finishing up the child sponsorship. We go from house to house visiting the children asking them different questions that will be sent to a sponsor once the child is sponsored for school (see http://www.dominicanadvance.org/home.htm if you are interested. If you have any thoughts or questions, email one of us!)
Another exciting thing that has happened over these past couple weeks is that I was able to share some of my “newfieness” with my roommates and some of the missionaries we work with (Williams’ and Pensinger’s). Krissie’s friend Elise came down and has been visiting with us for the past week and she was able to bring down some Newfoundland berries and other things for me. I was able to make a Newfoundland scoff for them all complete with cook dinner and cheesecake! I would have to say it was my first time ever eating bread pudding and peas pudding while looking at palm trees!
As we sit and talk about these past couple weeks we are amazed of how much has taken place! They have held some of our favourite memories thus far on our trip!
God is amazing! He sends us friendships, allows us to experience new beginnings with the school and clinic, helps us give medical treatments to various ‘forgotten’ villages and helps give children the opportunity to be sponsored.

Saunders Out!

No Pennies for My Thoughts

Hola amigos y amigas en Canada.

Hoy es jueves 5 de junio

So before I get started I just wanted to warn you all that this is kind of a random blog but I woke up this morning thinking I should share it with you; p.s its krissie/kike!

Well first of all I want to thank everyone who has supported the three of us in coming down, whether with money or prayers you have all been a huge blessing. This is definitely a dream come true and we are so thankful to know and have you all behind us.

So here goes my ramble... I have just been thinking a lot lately (yes I do use my brain even when I'm not in school) about all the things we are doing down here, and sometimes I find myself comparing this trip to Hero Holiday (which is all I have known in the Dominican before this). In Hero Holiday each day is planned out and packed with activities whether it's working at the schools, at a travel medical clinic, feeding people in the dump, playing with the kids of workers from the dump, visiting an orphanage for mentally and physically handicap children etc etc; and even at night they have something for us... This past month has had a lot of similarities, with the kind of work we are doing and will be doing more of, but at the same time it is really opening my eyes to what a 'long-term missionaries life' might be like. We have for the most part been 'shadowing' Donna and Phil down here and they have taught us a lot about the planning and politics that hide behind working here. Basically the most important thing I have been learning is that real life isn't always full of big events every single day. We are getting more into the culture now and building better relationships with the people but this year we are learning to appreciat down time a little bit more (for those of you who know me that is way out of character). As Rana says, "we are putting a story to the faces" and although at times it may appear less eventful (especially on the blog), I hope that none of you are regretting the support you have offered us.

So again we are So Thanful for all of you and definitely wouldn't be having our live's changed in this amazing way if it weren't for you. We love you all and appreciate prayers, so please continue to pray that we will know what God's plans are for us, that spanish will become easier and easier, and also the clinic in Nazaret is planning to officially open this Monday but we are having an Open House tomorrow so please pray that today we will get all the finishing touches...finished!

Love always, krissie

Dream Giver

Hey Rana here!!

We've had a pretty busy week with the opening of the clinic getting closer and closer!! For me this week has flown by! Thursday we headed to Puerto Plata for my first time ever! We had to go pick up supplies for the doctors office and the pharmacy. We left early in the morning but by the time we picked up all the supplies and ordered a seal/stamp for the clinic it was lunch time. Josie (another missionary here in the DR that we've become really close to; she is the director of the school in Nazaret) brought us to one of her favorite lunch places in Puerto Plata. It was real Dominican food! We were given a big bowl of rice, two pieces of chicken, a bowl of beans and a bowl of macaroni salad and free bottled water... ALL for 70 pesos (aka $2)!!!!! Not bad eh? She then brought us to her favorite ice-cream place! MMmmmMM coconut ice-cream! Puerto Plata was completly different from what we are used to! It was defently a "city"!

Friday we began to move all the donated supplies into the clinic. Donna and Krissie had to go to Cabarete to meet a team that wanted to sponsor some of the kids in Nazaret and Josh went with Phil to get more supplies. Therefore, I was left at the clinic to unpack all the bags. I swear I've never seen so many gauzes in my life! When Krissie and Donna came back we quickly unpacked all the bags with help from our little friends from the village. As the kids were helping us unpack the bags I began to think about these kids' futures. Every child has a moment in their life that somehow shapes what they "want to be when they grow up". For me it was going to sea world. For years I wanted to be a marine biologist so I could swim with the dolphins. And as the kids held up different medical supplies and they asked where to put it in their new clinic I wondered if this was their moment. The moment where they decide that when they grow up they want to be a nurse, doctor or pharmacist. Not only will this clinic change the health of those that live in the village now, but it will change the futures of the children there, opening their eyes to new dreams!

Saturday we had plans to head out with a friend to try surfing again. We were told that morning waves are the best and we were offered a deal on rentals. However we woke up to rain so we closed all the windows and went back to sleep. Little did we know the rain was only going to last for about ten minutes! So instead Donna came and picked us up and we went to photocopy pages for the sponsorship program and then headed up to Nazaret. As we were waiting for the pages to be photocopied I looked out the door where a small playground was. There I saw a little boy maybe eight years old sitting down on his little box that held tools he uses to shoe shine. And as he opened the lid and took out a piece of fruit the reality and ironicness of his life hit me. Here he was, so little, in a place where children are suppose to be playing and having fun; and instead he was taking a break from his "workday" to have his "lunch". The innocence of his childhood is lost in the reality of having to work in order to survive. Once the pages were photocopied we headed to Nazaret in order to continue organizing the donated items as well as to obtain information on children that are awaiting sponsorship. We went and visited the homes of the children and with our broken spanish and help from other children we asked them their favorite color, food, activity and school subject. It was cute to find out that some of their favorite foods included the normal favorite "cake" but also "mangos" and "salami" were mentioned! In the evening we attended a dinner party for Josie's husband, Kim, who just obtained his Doctorate degree. It was nice to sit, eat and chat with other missionaries in the area. The food was good and the place was pretty nice as we only saw one rat in the ceiling!

This morning we went to the english church in a nearby town that is done by Dominicans and then after lunch we hungout with a couple of college students from the U.S. that are working with prostitutes in the area. It was nice to hear about their project and organization. It is an organization that usually works with micro-loaning but has now branched out into helping women that have found themselmes stuck in the cycle of prostitution. Then this evening Krissie and I attended a spanish service and the same church we attend the english service. Boy do they put our english services to shame! They sure have energy and praise and worship with every bit that they have!

It feels like my time here is already flying by but with each day I find a new reason to love the Dominican more and more! This is truely an amazing place with even more amazing people. I'm doing more than just living a dream down here that's for sure!

Please continue to pray for us and that God will protect us, give us guidance and wisdom. Please remember to pray for Krissie's back and alsothat we will continue to learn more and more spanish!

Take care, love and miss you all!

Rana