September Letter Home

My dear friends and family,

Finally! I have been in Santiago, Dominican Republic, for a week now. I give thanks to God for my safe travels and the kind people who have received me.

The location is wonderful: vast mountains in the distance and a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, power is commodity here, and it goes out for hours on end every two or three days. The complex is in a middle class neighborhood, equivalent in amenities to a US lower middle class neighborhood (save the power outages), although with all of the barbed wire, watch dogs, and deadbolt locks, this is surprising.

The school’s principal, Olga, has been extremely receptive and helpful in bringing me to speed on the teaching customs here. My first classes were today: sixth and eighth grade English. We’re learning vocabulary relating to food: my specialty! Olga’s husband, the priest of the adjacent church, has also been extremely receptive, and we have talked extensively about the ministries we will begin in the neighborhood. We plan, for example, to bake cookies with the children of the church and distribute them while introducing ourselves around the neighborhood for several weeks. At the moment, the church is struggling financially and in terms of numbers, so support to the nearby low-income neighborhood is minimal for right now.

I shall keep this brief, as I know schedules are busy. I would like to share one particular change that has already occurred in me. Praying in Spanish was extremely difficult when I was in Texas: I became so lost in translating that I could not focus on the prayer. I was shocked to discover by day 3 here that I was more comfortable praying in Spanish, and I now usually do so even praying silently by myself (albeit with a few English words when I am stumped!). It is without a doubt a gracious gift, and I am very grateful.

I will be sure to keep you regularly updated. I am working on a place to post pictures and comments. I have, though, attached two photos with this e-mail. One is of (right to left) Fr. Salvadore Almonte (the parish priest), Olga (the principal), and me. The other is of the regular morning assembly we have. The picture cuts out the other half of the kids. We have over 300 students in the building on any given morning, ranging from 2-14 years old.

Thank you very much for your support in making this trip possible, whether it was financially, prayerfully, or as a mentor who has helped guide me to this point. By all means, if you have prayer requests, please let me know so I may include you in my prayers as well.

In His service,

Andrew

PS I forgot to mention one terrible disappointment: I have yet to see a single kid here playing baseball! What a tease to have so many Dominican players in the MLB and no children playing ball. Maybe when the weather cools they will disperse. I’ll be ready!