We arrived back to the Dominican Republic 2 weeks ago today. In some ways nothing has changed and in others it feels like so much has changed. I came back with the expectation that things would be easy, because we’ve spent so much time here. Quite simply put it’s been a bigger challenge than I want to admit.

Our travel day went smoothly. We flew out of Indianapolis early on Tuesday, June 22nd. The kids traveled well and all of our bags arrived without a problem. The Hoovers had left a vehicle at the airport for us so we were able to head straight to San Juan upon arrival in Santo Domingo. Tyler greeted us with dinner at our place when we arrived.

We’ve continued renting our same apartment throughout the entire time we were gone. We had friends checking on it throughout the whole time. Jeff had made trips in March and May and was able to tidy things up a bit too. Unfortunately our building has had an absence of water for quite some time, but Jeff was able to bathe at the guesthouse during his trips. Fast forward to now….we’re still without consistent water. The city hasn’t received water for the last week. It’s kind of hard to explain, but we’ve been bringing buckets of water from the guesthouse to use for washing dishes and filling the toilets. We then bathe at the guesthouse. We have storage tanks on our roof, but with the cistern being dry we can’t run our pump because it just sucks air.

Another adjustment for me has been the absence of teams. As tiring as it is to host teams back to back for 5-7 weeks at a time. It’s been hard to just have time down, no school, and be still. I know we need it though. It just feels very lonely at times. I love being at the guesthouse with teams, being able to catch up.

The kids have been sleeping well. I think the heat and new schedule is wearing them out. Braegan has enjoyed playing with all of her toys that she forgot about during the last 15 months. Brantley has enjoyed exploring a new place and hearing all of the new sounds.

Last month I told you about the kids getting their “new” rooms when we returned back to San Juan. Braegan’s room isn’t completely finished, but I’ll share an updated picture with you. She had picked out her bedding in the states and picked some decorations and frames for her room. We are still waiting to paint her room. We also put some black out curtains for her room to eliminate some of the heat and direct sunlight. She also upgraded from a twin to a queen size bed. Her collection of sloths continues to grow too.

Believe it or not Jeff has connected with a group of guys in Santo Domingo near the Fiesta hotel to play pickleball. There is a school with a court on their property. He’s played twice since we arrived. It’s been encouraging for him to be able to be in contact with them.

Our prayer requests:

• water problems to be resolved
• the remaining teams on our 2021 schedule
• continued health and safety
• patience and grace with one another
• Braegan’s education for the fall

As I’ve been writing today, I’ve been listening to “Promises”. Take a listen and be encouraged!