Another weekend has come and gone! It is unbelievable how quickly the days pass. Yesterday we prepared for a music lesson in Hainamosa Our upstairs neighbor from Nepal met Scott at the elevator and asked if we would go to dinner with them. We don't get home from our lesson until 8:00 pm but he said that would be ok. It had rained in Hainamosa and the people are generally at home trying to clean up what the rain has washed away at their houses so we were expecting to have very few there.Class begins at 5:00 but no one was there until 5:15 and then only a few. We started anyway and by the middle of class ten more came. I am convinced no one here ever has stomach ulcers from worrying! We were in a hurry to get back for our dinner appointment so we packed up and got out to the car just as the high councilor from their stake who is always there for lessons asked if we could give him a ride to town. The hour back was interesting as he repeatedly asked "Please be patient with my people". He claims there are few accidents here even though the driving is atrocious because these people are patient with each other. I think it is more like a game of "let's see how close we can come to running into another car without actually doing it"! And the manholes in the streets without covers are always a hazard! We finally got to where Brother Risco wanted to be dropped off and got back home.
The Shresthas ,Timila and Ramesh, were waiting when we got back so we walked across the street to Costilla Adan. Last time we were there I had a summer salad that was delicious so I recommended it to Timila. Problem was it was a completely different salad this time - and not good at all. Even the chicken roll we have had many times was different - but actually better! It was fun to get to know the Shresthas a little. They have traveled alot with the United Nations and have actually lived apart for long periods of time (years). He had been in Haiti working before he came here. She couldn't live with him there so they decided to apply to come to the DR where they could be together. Neither of them speak Spanish. They don't have a car. They have no friends here and never go out - how sad would that be. (the friends, not the going out). They are Hindus and explained about their religion to us and asked about ours so it was fun to compare the two religions. There were many similar things but they do believe that there is an afterlife in which you can come back in any form - animal, etc.
Scott explained to them that we believe we get to be ourselves in the next life. They worship cows so they never eat beef. On special holidays they are allowed to eat and drink things they cannot have the rest of the time. They are alcohol, fried eggs, fried pork and chicken, fried garlic, fried onions and some other spice. We walked back to the apartment and they asked if we would go out with them on Monday night since many of our other nights are busy doing lessons. Obviously they are desperate for friends if they want to spend more time with us! Will have to get a picture of them.
Wilton and William were up here during the day planning with Scott how to get their families to church on Sunday. William works but Oglivia wanted to go and take the kids and Wilton's significant other wanted to go, or Wilton wanted her to go I'm not sure which. Then Wilton's uncle got sick and he had to spend today taking care of him but still wanted Scott to pick up Josie and take her with Oglivia to church.
We got up early so I could finish by primary lesson and Scott could get ready and leave to meet the missionaries and pick up the women and children for church. I went with the Lees to our ward. I worried about Scott driving out where these people live but feel protected as we work. When Scott got to where he was supposed to meet the missionaries and Wilton the missionaries were late so that threw off their plans a bit. They got to Wilton's to pick up Josie but she had just gotten out of bed and had no intention of going to church. They went back and picked up Olivia and her three kids and went to church. There is such goodness in this family of Williams. I wish their lives were easier but perhaps they are the way they are because they don't have much of anything.
Primary today was an adventure.. The American kids were all back from their vacations to Utah so I had three more in my class. One of the boys could have taught the lesson himself he was so fluent in the scriptures. These are 8-12 year olds so I was really impressed! One of the new girls more than made up for how good he was as she couldn't set still or be quite for a minute. What a relief it was when she left to go to the restroom, which is right across the hall, and didn't come back for ten minutes. That is an awful thing to say, isn't it?! I am grateful for the teachers that put up with my kids!
As I was riding home with the Lee's, Brother Lee asked about the music program. He said his wife has been trying to learn how to play the piano for the past three years while they were serving in Santiago as mission president y esposa. He wants me to teach her to play. That is desperation!!
She understands some English but does not speak it.
Scott drove up just as we were getting home. We have a good Sunday nap schedule if we are prepared for our Sunday lesson! We had a couple of hours before we had to leave for the Oriental Stake for lessons. Here we take ten tecladas, a table, numerous kinds of music books - we need a moving van just to go teach lessons to twenty people. I'll bet no one else drives around with ten keyboards in their trunk! Scott learned to play by recognizing the notes according to where they are on the scale - not the names of the notes - so he assumed these kids could pick that up in a hurry Wrong again! We will try the names of the notes next week.
It is actually fairly cool here tonight but very muggy!
The Shresthas ,Timila and Ramesh, were waiting when we got back so we walked across the street to Costilla Adan. Last time we were there I had a summer salad that was delicious so I recommended it to Timila. Problem was it was a completely different salad this time - and not good at all. Even the chicken roll we have had many times was different - but actually better! It was fun to get to know the Shresthas a little. They have traveled alot with the United Nations and have actually lived apart for long periods of time (years). He had been in Haiti working before he came here. She couldn't live with him there so they decided to apply to come to the DR where they could be together. Neither of them speak Spanish. They don't have a car. They have no friends here and never go out - how sad would that be. (the friends, not the going out). They are Hindus and explained about their religion to us and asked about ours so it was fun to compare the two religions. There were many similar things but they do believe that there is an afterlife in which you can come back in any form - animal, etc.
Scott explained to them that we believe we get to be ourselves in the next life. They worship cows so they never eat beef. On special holidays they are allowed to eat and drink things they cannot have the rest of the time. They are alcohol, fried eggs, fried pork and chicken, fried garlic, fried onions and some other spice. We walked back to the apartment and they asked if we would go out with them on Monday night since many of our other nights are busy doing lessons. Obviously they are desperate for friends if they want to spend more time with us! Will have to get a picture of them.
Wilton and William were up here during the day planning with Scott how to get their families to church on Sunday. William works but Oglivia wanted to go and take the kids and Wilton's significant other wanted to go, or Wilton wanted her to go I'm not sure which. Then Wilton's uncle got sick and he had to spend today taking care of him but still wanted Scott to pick up Josie and take her with Oglivia to church.
We got up early so I could finish by primary lesson and Scott could get ready and leave to meet the missionaries and pick up the women and children for church. I went with the Lees to our ward. I worried about Scott driving out where these people live but feel protected as we work. When Scott got to where he was supposed to meet the missionaries and Wilton the missionaries were late so that threw off their plans a bit. They got to Wilton's to pick up Josie but she had just gotten out of bed and had no intention of going to church. They went back and picked up Olivia and her three kids and went to church. There is such goodness in this family of Williams. I wish their lives were easier but perhaps they are the way they are because they don't have much of anything.
Primary today was an adventure.. The American kids were all back from their vacations to Utah so I had three more in my class. One of the boys could have taught the lesson himself he was so fluent in the scriptures. These are 8-12 year olds so I was really impressed! One of the new girls more than made up for how good he was as she couldn't set still or be quite for a minute. What a relief it was when she left to go to the restroom, which is right across the hall, and didn't come back for ten minutes. That is an awful thing to say, isn't it?! I am grateful for the teachers that put up with my kids!
As I was riding home with the Lee's, Brother Lee asked about the music program. He said his wife has been trying to learn how to play the piano for the past three years while they were serving in Santiago as mission president y esposa. He wants me to teach her to play. That is desperation!!
She understands some English but does not speak it.
Scott drove up just as we were getting home. We have a good Sunday nap schedule if we are prepared for our Sunday lesson! We had a couple of hours before we had to leave for the Oriental Stake for lessons. Here we take ten tecladas, a table, numerous kinds of music books - we need a moving van just to go teach lessons to twenty people. I'll bet no one else drives around with ten keyboards in their trunk! Scott learned to play by recognizing the notes according to where they are on the scale - not the names of the notes - so he assumed these kids could pick that up in a hurry Wrong again! We will try the names of the notes next week.
It is actually fairly cool here tonight but very muggy!
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