So, some of you may be wondering what we've been up to, aside from getting stuck in violent mobs. And if you're not wondering, that's okay too, but I'll tell you anyway. :)
-Basically this semester has been filled with us being ill on and off. It's ranged from fevers, to stomach issues, to a very nasty cold we all just recently fought. Currently we are all healthy, and Timmy's 2 1/2 month nasty cough has finally gone away. But, if you haven't noticed, I haven't had the energy to blog much in the past month.
-Our exciting news is our upcoming trip to the States! We leave on Saturday and will spend three weeks in Wheaton (though one weekend of that time will be in Upland, IN at a Gerig Hall Reunion). We look forward to spending time with family and friends.
-A few weeks after we return from the States, we plan to join the boy's trip to Pico Duarte. We're intend to take the boys with us. Because the group will be renting mules to carry the gear, we will be able to hike with the boys on our backs. It should be interesting (and hopefully fun)!
-Tina is growing and growing! Though she's only about 2 1/2 months old, she's already half the size of Chiste. She likes to chew on everything. And anytime Chiste growls or nips at her she make a big deal out of it and cries loudly (like a typical younger sibling).
-And now for random pictures from the past month:
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Scariest trip to town yet
Some of you may remember the last time my trip to pick up the kids went off-course. Well, this was even scarier (though less costly to our car):
Little did I know this morning when I left to pick up the kids from school that I would find myself in the middle of a lynch mob. I’ll tell the story from my perspective first, then fill in with the details I head about later. After picking up the kids, my car was full with Jer, Timmy, and two other E.C. staff preschoolers. After turning onto the main road that leads to campus, I noticed traffic was even worse than usual. I though this was strange, with elections being over. Suddenly we came upon a mob forming. The car in front of me could go no further, due to people swarming the road. I noticed a red car up to my left. It looked to me like there were men fighting. Then I saw a few police and figured they must be impounding the red car, as a man standing nearby was very angry. However, I soon realized the men around the car were trying to get into the car. And the police were trying to drive the car away, but could not move. The men standing near the car started attacking the car, beating in the windows, etc. While this took place, a few guys that decided to start videotaping the incident with whatever they had on hand. I sat there, transfixed, unable to go anywhere, when a familiar head popped up by my window and asked me if I was okay. I was relieved to see another staff member, and my mind started working again. The red car began to move, and I heard Tommy, the other staff, say something about someone having a gun. There were people all around our car, telling me to get the kids down. I was worried about them, and we still could not drive away. My next thought was to try to get the kids out of the car and away from the mob. At this point the red car had moved slightly and was beside the back of our car, so I turned the car back on, and Tommy tried to help me get around the craziness to get out. But a taxi (to the right of me) decided he should get out first, and wouldn’t let me go. At some point I felt a slight bump, and I guessed we had scrapped each other. At another point during all of this I also felt a bump from behind. Eventually, the taxi went ahead of me, and after some confusion (some random person was trying to direct me over to the right, behind parked cars), I was able to get by and on open road again. All I could think about was getting back to campus.
Little did I know this morning when I left to pick up the kids from school that I would find myself in the middle of a lynch mob. I’ll tell the story from my perspective first, then fill in with the details I head about later. After picking up the kids, my car was full with Jer, Timmy, and two other E.C. staff preschoolers. After turning onto the main road that leads to campus, I noticed traffic was even worse than usual. I though this was strange, with elections being over. Suddenly we came upon a mob forming. The car in front of me could go no further, due to people swarming the road. I noticed a red car up to my left. It looked to me like there were men fighting. Then I saw a few police and figured they must be impounding the red car, as a man standing nearby was very angry. However, I soon realized the men around the car were trying to get into the car. And the police were trying to drive the car away, but could not move. The men standing near the car started attacking the car, beating in the windows, etc. While this took place, a few guys that decided to start videotaping the incident with whatever they had on hand. I sat there, transfixed, unable to go anywhere, when a familiar head popped up by my window and asked me if I was okay. I was relieved to see another staff member, and my mind started working again. The red car began to move, and I heard Tommy, the other staff, say something about someone having a gun. There were people all around our car, telling me to get the kids down. I was worried about them, and we still could not drive away. My next thought was to try to get the kids out of the car and away from the mob. At this point the red car had moved slightly and was beside the back of our car, so I turned the car back on, and Tommy tried to help me get around the craziness to get out. But a taxi (to the right of me) decided he should get out first, and wouldn’t let me go. At some point I felt a slight bump, and I guessed we had scrapped each other. At another point during all of this I also felt a bump from behind. Eventually, the taxi went ahead of me, and after some confusion (some random person was trying to direct me over to the right, behind parked cars), I was able to get by and on open road again. All I could think about was getting back to campus.
On the way home, I talked to the kids about how God protected us. The little girl I drive (4 years old), proceeded to tell us how God says we shouldn’t kick people’s windows- especially when they belong to someone else. She also said that her teacher says that God died for us for three days and rose again. “God is alive,” she told us solemnly. This bought a big smile to my face! Out of the mouths of babes! I thanked the Lord again for keeping us safe, though I was still a little anxious for Tommy and any students that were with him.
After the truck of students and staff arrived safely back, Tommy informed me of the details of the incident. Apparently a man had robbed a store, had been caught and beaten, and was put in the police car (the red car). However, the mob (armed with machetes and whatever else) wanted to take things into their own hands and tried to get to the thief, not allowing the police to drive away, attacking the vehicle. When the vehicle was near us, the police man was waving around his gun, near us and in Tommy’s face. After I left people continued to try to run the car down to get to the thief. Apparently the police had little to no control over the situation. Praise the Lord we are all safe! And the guaguita (our car) only suffered some minor scratches (a miracle in my mind, considering the mob of people, motorcycles, and other cars!). It saddens me the way people try to take justice into their own hands, creating an even more dangerous situation than before (and even endangering little children)! But God is in control, and He continues to remind me of this.
Oh how I love the days when my trips into town are uneventful!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Family Photos
Last week a photographer (director's niece, Sarah Barlow) came down to the D.R. to do photo shoots for the seniors. She also gave up some of her time to do family photo shoots at a discounted price. What a blessing and amazing opportunity for us to have family photos taken in a beautiful location!
The boys did well- Jeremiah started getting squirmy at times, but was easily distracted. Timmy was content throughout the whole process. Sarah did so well with the boys, getting them to smile, or look at the camera (and Annie helped out with a giant Curious George). Here are some (okay, a bunch) of our favorites (see the slide-show below), and a few posted here to convince you to check out the slide-show. :)
The boys did well- Jeremiah started getting squirmy at times, but was easily distracted. Timmy was content throughout the whole process. Sarah did so well with the boys, getting them to smile, or look at the camera (and Annie helped out with a giant Curious George). Here are some (okay, a bunch) of our favorites (see the slide-show below), and a few posted here to convince you to check out the slide-show. :)
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