First Day in the DR
09.10.2009
Hola!!
Its great to be back in the DR. Our trip down was relatively uneventful -- only one flight cancellation -- getting us into the DR a few hours late. It could have been much worse.
No sooner do we step down off the plane then we are hit with the hot, humid climate of the DR. And the rain. It pours with streets ending up half submerged and the folks on scooters or walking completely drenched.
(And as I write this blog entry, the power has just gone out -- a regular occurrence in the DR.)
Adele and Doug and Jan and I enjoyed reconnecting with Alfredo the logistics coordinator of Endeavor and our trip. He is a wonderful human being with a real heart for God and soon-to-be-married!!!. We peppered him with questions about his finance, who is moving down to the DR as part of the big move.
We had a wonderful evening at our hotel - Hotel Europa -- a simple, clean hotel with a wonderful terrace where we gather for meals. Prior to dinner, Adele and Doug led us in a set of questions about this trip -- (1) What do you hope to experience while you are here, and (2) what do you fear on this trip.
As always, their leadership allowed us to speak freely and candidly. We all pointed to variations on a common theme -- we all want to experience the touch of God and His purpose in our lives. And with respect to fear, I shared a concern that this trip would have a lasting impact. I have been part of way too many HR profile tests (Meyers Briggs, Whole Brain…) where the learnings were forgotten with a month of the program.
This morning Adele engaged us in a reflection/lexio of the story of Bartemeus, the blind beggar. I was struck by how, once again, Jesus asks Bartemeus an open-ended question. He does not say, “Do you want to be healed?”, which could be answered with a simple yes or no, but rather “What do you want me to do for your?” A challenging question!!
We are now at ICC, having toured the church and grounds and amazed at the plans for a new building for their current Montessori school. It will be magnificent and serve a huge need in their neighborhood, well beyond their current school. It is wonderful to hear their stories about the current impact the school has had and its future impact.
A great first day.
Posted by divingrev 09:53 Archived in Dominican Republic
