Easter afternoon we were able to visit Meme's house for a late afternoon dinner and time with Popsie, my sister and her husband, and the cousins. Thanks Mom for making all the delicious food and special bunny cake! Bay, Addie, and Asher loved hanging out with Tyler and Eli, and daddy enjoyed watching the Master's with Justin and Popsie. These are my favorite pics from the afternoon.......
Today was a gorgeous day to celebrate the Risen Savior...Our Risen Savior! We hope you and your family were able to worship with joy today!! A few pictures from after church and my annual picture fest. The kids, of course, love having their pictures made like this. So, I do it every year. Ha!!! Hope you enjoy :)
Downtown Santo Domingo. The back of one of our shirts from the trip. The mission house and bus. The three of us in our bunk room. View from a ridge on way to the mission house. I'm still trying to wrap my thoughts around the whole thing. I'm sure I'll post again about the trip. I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the pics and hearing about our days!! We are so very thankful for having had the opportunity to go and we are grateful for those who took care of things back home (so that we could go) and those who prayed for us. As you always here, everyone should go on a mission trip........I never really felt called to do this, but I wouldn't trade this experience for the world! God taught me so much through the people and circumstances there. It was an amazing time for us!!!
A few more pics from Day 5. These first three pictures tell a precious story. Before our trip, my dad (Papaw) bought Bay a glove to take with him. It was for him to use in the baseball clinic, etc. and dad told him that he could give it away to one special child before coming home. On day 4, I asked Bay if he wanted to go ahead and pick a child to give it to. He said no. He wanted to hang onto it one more day. So day 5 (as hot and tiring as it was) is over and we are packing the truck and loading everything up. Bay passes by me and says "I need my glove. I know who I want to give it too." Me being the mom that I am, I just wanted to see who he chose, to make sure he made a good choice, and also to make sure that he was giving it away appropriately (the kids there don't have much. anytime we gave things away, it almost became a mob....they would swarm you and beg for more). So anyway, I go outside and an older kid who was also with us on the trip points to a group of 3 boys and says "he's over there." I look and ask if it's the one who's closest to us and he says no....the one in the middle. At that moment, this little boy in the middle steps out from behind the other and the teenager with us says "he's cripple." I'm crying even as I write this. I cried then. For like 30 minutes after. I could not stop crying. To say that Bay made a good choice is putting it lightly. I don't think I've ever been more proud of Bay and I don't know that he could ever do more. This kid he chose is 11 years old. He was probably about the size of Asher. His little legs turned inward making it hard for him to walk and it looked like he hung out with two other boys who probably helped to look after him. He never smiled. Even when Bay handed him the glove. But he never put it down either. He let the other boys look at it. But he held that glove close to his chest and just clung to it. Tears! Tears! Tears!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a precious moment. I made sure to get someone who spoke Spanish to tell the other boys that it was his glove, not to take it! I don't know if this child had a glove, but he had a ball. I don't know that anyone had ever given him a glove because of his disability. Obviously he will never play major league ball. I don't know that the culture there would include him in games or play. Oh, but he has a glove now. He can walk around in the street, or behind the houses and pretend that he is the greatest MLB player ever. Bay made the best choice! I am so proud! And I know his Papaw is proud too!!
Our last day of mission work happened in a town called Boca de Nigua. Remember in a previous post where I mentioned having no expectations? Well, this is not the place where we were scheduled to go. As we were on our way, Gary (the missionary) called someone in the city where we were to be and they had forgotten that this was the day we would be there! It happens! Instead, Gary took us to this little place where we set up clinic in a church that was above the local surgeon's office. They were not expecting us, but word on the street traveled fast, and we had just as many children and patients as we had in the other cities. I guess God saw that we needed to be there instead! This was the hottest day of all and there was more sweat and hard work than any other day I think. The children here were so sweet. Not as outgoing as the first day, but very excited that we were there. 
Day 4 we were in a city called Guayabal. I don't know why, but I felt like it was definitely the least progressive of the cities we visited....very small, and the facilities were super simple (think outhouse on the side of a cliff). Also, this is the place where the missionary actually had to send some teenage boys away because they wouldn't leave anybody alone...just being punks. He was livid about this since we were there providing a service that was so needed......needless to say, we got out of there quick when our day was done and even drove the 2 1/2 hours back to the mission house before we had dinner that night. It was nice to be back at the mission house though after two nights in the hotel. The men and children all jumped in the creek to bathe and the women prayed for warm water. Anyway, there are several pictures from this day. It was hot and our spot for VBS was so tiny without much shade. This was a day where we really started to feel how tired we were! 
So, I barely have any pictures from VBS and I don't have any pictures of the dental clinic this day. Olivia (the little girl in green bottom left of first pic) got sick this day and had to be put on an IV for fluids. Chera-lyn was inside with her, and I, well, I was crazy busy playing with the kids. This is all I have!
Bay and Friend at camp.....the boys always made the peace sign for pictures! 
Day 2 and 3 we stayed in the city of Ocoa at a local hotel. The hotel was nice (considering) and had air conditioning. We could not drink the water or brush our teeth with it, but we could bathe in it! I think our group rented out most of the rooms. Jody, Bay, and I had our own room with two beds and a tv. We were so exhausted, I don't think any of us even watched it- plus, it was all in Spanish (Ha!). Anyway, Day 3 we woke up and 1/2 the team (including me and Bay) got dropped back off at the ball field for another baseball clinic and the other 1/2 (which included Jody) headed on into town to set up for the dental clinic that day. It was a beautiful day for baseball.....a slight breeze and clear blue sky. I'm not kidding when I say that the field sat in a gorgeous setting. I've never loved baseball more! I could spend every day of the rest of my life at that field if I had everyone I loved with me :). Just beautiful. And I really took it in when in between pictures. Do you know that while we were there, a single dove just casually flew above the field and off into the mountains? My friend Chera-lyn and I both thought it priceless.....God's little "hello" and a sort-of nod of the head for our efforts there. Bay participated with the boys in the camp this day and I took pictures and wore a glove in the outfield (I am not joking) to catch fly balls. No! Of course I didn't end up having to catch any and good thing with that camera across my body! Two ladies from the community snuck in on us and got right out in that outfield to catch them. I loved it! I'm sure the women never get to play ball there. These ladies were all over it and caught every last one of them. It was awesome. 
