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"!
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 ou
r 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!
r 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!
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
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