So let me start with a little back tracking from my last post about our time in the midwest. From Indiana we flew to San Diego, CA. We had a wonderful time and the weather was beautiful. We stayed with some friends of friends in Bonita, CA, about 10 minutes from the Mexican border. This was the part of our trip we knew the least about. We were staying with people we had never met and borrowing a car from a friend we had met from a trip to the DR. Everything worked out so smoothly! Jeff turned 29 while we were there, and he enjoyed a day of spearfishing. Even though they didn’t get any fish, it was a very memorable experience. The Pacific is just a bit cooler than the Caribbean so he had to dress accordingly. One of our main reasons for going to San Diego was to visit with some friends from college that had planted a church there 2 years ago. It was neat to hear about their ministry and see the community they are working in. We spent one evening walking around the Gaslamp District, downtown San Diego. We ate at a great restaurant called The Garage and enjoyed people watching. We spent a day at the San Diego Zoo. Braegan enjoyed every second of it, so much to see!!!
From California we flew over to Atlanta, Georgia to visit our friends in Canton, Georgia. This is the same place we concluded our state trip last year. This was a very restful time for us. Our friends have 4 kids and Braegan loved playing dress up and running around with them. In the evenings, once all the kids were down it was nice to have adult time playing games, watching Jimmy Fallon and just chatting. On Labor Day we went on a hike on the Amicalola River Trail.
We’ve been back in the DR for just over a week now since our time in the states. We were back in San Juan for a few days before heading north to Samana. Us, along with the other SRI American staff had a retreat at a house in Las Galeras. The house was at the end of the road, right up on the beach. It was serene. There was also no internet. Having no internet is becoming a blessing in disguise. It is hard to be out of touch with the world; however, once I accepted the fact that we were going to be out of touch for 4 days, I was able to engage more with those around me. I was able to truly enjoy the environment we were in. Brad Burkholder joined us from Hesston, KS to lead us in daily devotions through 1 Kings 17-19. I feel it was a refreshing time, so often we try to fit our group spiritual time in during a weekly group, and there are so many distractions.
As I write this, Braegan is in her classroom at Lucille Rupp. It definitely feels strange to be at home without her around, but this is our new normal. We had taken her last Tuesday to meet her classmates. She cried a bit at the beginning, but she quickly started playing with the other kids. The administrators were texting me pictures throughout the morning. We then took her took get sized at the market for her school uniform. Herman did a great job, and Braegan asks to wear her dress every day. Her uniform consists of a white polo shirt, her dress, tall white sock, and pair of black dress shoes. As I got her ready this morning, she kept reminding me that I would be picking her up at school, and I reassured her I would. I try to imagine what it’s like to be her…2.5 years old, white skinned, english speaking, but her heart is Dominican, and this makes my heart happy. She is kind, compassionate and OH SO SOCIAL.
Jeff is back to work with the groups at the land. They are continuing to work on the wall. The construction group sizes are a bit small during the fall, but they will pick up.
It’s hard to believe we are at the beginning of year 3. We have started submitting documents to our lawyer to renew our residency. The goal is to have everything submitted to Immigration by October 20, so that there is a month for everything to be processed before our expiration date. You can be in prayer as our documents are reviewed. Thanks so much for your prayers during our time in the states, we stayed healthy and safe!