Back in the DR

Posted by Brian

Well beth and i are back in the Dominican. After an extended absence we were finally able to return. Everything went well in the states this summer. Bethany was able to have some surgery there which was a enormous relief to us and our families. A hospital that has a missions department was able to accomidate her. She had her tonsils out and another minor corrective surgery to here sinuses. It was truly a blessing to have the surgery in the states since our insurance only covers emergencies out of the Dominican Republic. God really provided in everyway.
We are so excited to be back. Yesterday we went and saw Pancho Mateo. We missed the Children so much. It was great to see them. We have some great plans for them this year. Our work will start this week with registering the children for our activities. This is more difficult than it sounds because many of the parents don't have the information we need like birthdate and full name. Keep in mind many of these children have no birth certificate.
The villages we work in look much different than when we left because the sugar cane cutting season has started. Many of the villages are surrounded by sugar cane that is 7 or 8 feet tall and slowly it is all coming down. This is a big job and it is done completely with machetes. There are many new faces in the area as migrant workers have come to help with the harvest. Some of these men have come from Haiti and others are from other parts of the Dominican, but they are still of haitian descent. This is a labor intensive job that pays little, less than 3 dollars a day in some instances, so it is left to Haitians to do.
Please pray for our health and for the children. also pray for the island because it is hurricane season and a hit from a hurricane can cause massive destruction and loss of life.