Making It Personal: Thursday

Thursday, February 12

This morning we started our day at Palo Blanco where we held 3 more Valentine parties. The weather was overcast and dreary but the smiles and laughter of all the kiddos were a welcome substitute for the sun which did not shine today. We were happy to see Luz (an employee at Palo Blanco) return to school today as she had been transported to the local hospital on Wednesday. We ask for continued prayers for her and her doctors as they continue to run tests to determine what is causing the issues she has been having recently.

Chris B. and Jason continued their work on the new guard shack which was built this week at Palo Blanco. Once they are finished, this will be an amazing little “casa” for Ramon who watches the gates outside Palo. He serves a very important role as he keeps the children safe by only opening the gates for parents, staff and authorized visitors. Because of the location of Palo Blanco, it is critical to keep the school and the children out of harm’s way.

Chris W. and Rachel were able to pass out the gifts from the CCW sponsors this afternoon. It was heart-warming to see the curious eyes of many little children peeking around the doorway to see who was getting a gift and to inquire “is it my turn yet?” It was so rewarding to see the huge smiles on the little faces of the kiddos who received gifts. It is amazing to see how the simplest gifts can mean so much to these children who have very little otherwise. We heard many thank-you’s from children to their madrinos/padrinos (sponsors).

Several of our team members were able to join Katie Allen on home visits where we got an inside look at a Dominican home and the living conditions that most of our sponsored kiddos call “home”. Several team members were able to see a Dominican washer which consists of filling one side with water from a hose or bucket, washing and spinning. Then you remove the clothes to the other side, empty the water, fill it back up for rinsing, add your clothes to the clean water, rinse and spin. Imagine how long it would take to do laundry if we had to go through these steps with every load! Not only is it heart-breaking to see, it has been a real reality-check for us and serves as a reminder of how very blessed we are.

Tonight we had dinner at the VanDermolen’s with our sponsored kiddos from the Ark. We enjoyed playing volleyball, jumping on the trampoline and playing foos-ball. Afterwards, we ate pizza and handed out gifts to the kiddos. Karen Green was able to join us and it was great to be able to spend some time with her and to hear more about her life while serving in the D.R.

This morning we woke up bright and early so that we can get to Palo Blanco early to share in devotions with the staff. We were surprised to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Jason had gotten up earlier than the rest of us, set a nice table, and was taking personalized orders for breakfast including toast, eggs, ham, fruit and coffee. What a gentleman! Darla, when Jason gets home don’t let him fool you…..he can cook and provide great service! (Maybe his motivation was the big tip jar on the counter. J Actually, the tip jar is for donations the team is collecting as a donation for Ramon, the Palo Blanco guard, whose family recently experienced the death of their matriarch.)