So I'm trying to figure out when I wrote last. On Friday we had the Yturraldes down to play Crown with us. Elder Yturralde is finally feeling a bit better and since he has been house bound all week we thought he might enjoy getting out. He still looks peaked and drawn but says he is feeling better.
They are great friends. I hope we get to see them sometime after we leave here. They leave in September and go back to California but are planning on coming to Utah to conference.
Saturday was our usual drive from one end of the city to the other doing lessons. What a privilege it has been to get to know so many people here that we get to continue seeing each week. The boxes we carry the keyboards in are getting worn and tattered from such frequent use. They are in a bag but the boxes keep them much safer with all of the traveling and hauling in and out of buildings twelve times a week. The kids are a bit rough on them. We have approximately 17 weeks left so hopefully they will hold up. The sad thing is Pres. Anderson doesn't think he can convince them to let him have another couple to teach music. Do you know of anyone who would like to come to the Dominican Republic and teach basic music?? Tell Eric and Nancy Wilde that would be a good mission for them. Pres. Anderson said you would be surprised at how many times references are used in a mission.
Every week in La Caleta they move this huge platform thing down off the stand to use for the students to set on do they are at a better level with the keyboards on the tables. It is a monster!
I actually got to baby sit for an hour!! This is the mom and grandmother who were both busy with the lesson. This way I could walk around and help where needed and still hold the baby!!!
Scott almost killed us on the way to Hainamosa - he's becoming a worse driver than the Dominicans. Sometimes so reckless I just know we are going to be killed! But if we die here at least it will be while we were serving the Lord.
As we were seting up a man walked in and shook our hands and asked how we were doing. He introduced himself as Elder Martinez, one of the area seventies here. He wanted to know if he could help us in any way and it just so happened that we needed many tore tables to set up the twenty keyboards. "I can help with that - you'll have them soon." He was such a nice man. He said he remembered us from early in our mission where we presented the area plan that Pres. Anderson had asked us to come up with and present to the seventies and mission presidents at a big meeting. He liked the plan - thank heavens!
Some of our graduated students agreed to come back and help us with this new class because it is so big. They seem to be there every Sunday doing something- we just have no idea what. Scott asked the four girls who are always sitting on a small couch in the foyer if they lived there because they are there when we arrive and there when we leave and that is generally two hours.
The Hainamosa lessons went well but Scott was trying to teach a little (not young) handicapped physically but also ADHD. I could hear him getting louder and louder as he tried to get this kid to focus - I thought it was funny but when we left Scott was so discouraged. He always has to work with the ones who need the most help because he can communicate much better than me. Pretty nice for me huh.. There are a very few good things about not speaking fluently, that is one!
On Sunday we got to take the kids to church. There were only four of them. William's three and the 5year old boy. Just love those kids. We haven't taken them for two or three weeks because they were out of town and we had other things going on and they were so excited to see us. About as happy as we were to see them! Eliana wanted us to teach her how to play so I told her we would be leaving in four months and didn't have the time plus she wouldn't have access to a keyboard to practice. She was appalled that we were leaving and asked when we would be back. Scott found his niche in Sunday School with two crying babies:
First this little one was crying and had been for some time. So he walked up and put out his arms and the mother a bit hesitantly gave him the baby. Within a few minutes he had quit crying and actually went to sleep. Then another little boy started to fuss and Scott took him from his mother and settled him down and within minutes he was also asleep. Because these women really don't know us I wondered if they would be offended but they were quite amazed. He told them he had lots of practice at home!
As we traveled to San Cristobal we say a man with his little boy, horse and wagon picking up garbage looking for anything that could be sold or used:
It is just amazing to see how some of these people make a living. How they survive is a question we constantly ask ourselves.
The class has about 10 students now and they are all at different levels of ability - which makes it tricky to help all of them. Then there is Lucianni who has so much ability and just refuses to focus and work on the music. Some day she will probably be mad at herself but she is a young teenager and it just isn't that important.
Today has been Labor Day here so of course they are celebrating and the schools, etc are closed. These kids are out of school more than they are in and when they are in they only go for half a day.
The cross the street tienda (little store) was open and people were celebrating all day. Playing dominoes and drinking and singing!
We had a morning meeting with the Choir Committee then Spanish lessons. I just have not had the time I used to have to study so this night is going to be study night!
They are great friends. I hope we get to see them sometime after we leave here. They leave in September and go back to California but are planning on coming to Utah to conference.
Saturday was our usual drive from one end of the city to the other doing lessons. What a privilege it has been to get to know so many people here that we get to continue seeing each week. The boxes we carry the keyboards in are getting worn and tattered from such frequent use. They are in a bag but the boxes keep them much safer with all of the traveling and hauling in and out of buildings twelve times a week. The kids are a bit rough on them. We have approximately 17 weeks left so hopefully they will hold up. The sad thing is Pres. Anderson doesn't think he can convince them to let him have another couple to teach music. Do you know of anyone who would like to come to the Dominican Republic and teach basic music?? Tell Eric and Nancy Wilde that would be a good mission for them. Pres. Anderson said you would be surprised at how many times references are used in a mission.
Every week in La Caleta they move this huge platform thing down off the stand to use for the students to set on do they are at a better level with the keyboards on the tables. It is a monster!
The best part of the day for me was at Las Melinos. Here is why:
Scott almost killed us on the way to Hainamosa - he's becoming a worse driver than the Dominicans. Sometimes so reckless I just know we are going to be killed! But if we die here at least it will be while we were serving the Lord.
As we were seting up a man walked in and shook our hands and asked how we were doing. He introduced himself as Elder Martinez, one of the area seventies here. He wanted to know if he could help us in any way and it just so happened that we needed many tore tables to set up the twenty keyboards. "I can help with that - you'll have them soon." He was such a nice man. He said he remembered us from early in our mission where we presented the area plan that Pres. Anderson had asked us to come up with and present to the seventies and mission presidents at a big meeting. He liked the plan - thank heavens!
Some of our graduated students agreed to come back and help us with this new class because it is so big. They seem to be there every Sunday doing something- we just have no idea what. Scott asked the four girls who are always sitting on a small couch in the foyer if they lived there because they are there when we arrive and there when we leave and that is generally two hours.
The Hainamosa lessons went well but Scott was trying to teach a little (not young) handicapped physically but also ADHD. I could hear him getting louder and louder as he tried to get this kid to focus - I thought it was funny but when we left Scott was so discouraged. He always has to work with the ones who need the most help because he can communicate much better than me. Pretty nice for me huh.. There are a very few good things about not speaking fluently, that is one!
On Sunday we got to take the kids to church. There were only four of them. William's three and the 5year old boy. Just love those kids. We haven't taken them for two or three weeks because they were out of town and we had other things going on and they were so excited to see us. About as happy as we were to see them! Eliana wanted us to teach her how to play so I told her we would be leaving in four months and didn't have the time plus she wouldn't have access to a keyboard to practice. She was appalled that we were leaving and asked when we would be back. Scott found his niche in Sunday School with two crying babies:
As we traveled to San Cristobal we say a man with his little boy, horse and wagon picking up garbage looking for anything that could be sold or used:
The class has about 10 students now and they are all at different levels of ability - which makes it tricky to help all of them. Then there is Lucianni who has so much ability and just refuses to focus and work on the music. Some day she will probably be mad at herself but she is a young teenager and it just isn't that important.
Today has been Labor Day here so of course they are celebrating and the schools, etc are closed. These kids are out of school more than they are in and when they are in they only go for half a day.
The cross the street tienda (little store) was open and people were celebrating all day. Playing dominoes and drinking and singing!
We had a morning meeting with the Choir Committee then Spanish lessons. I just have not had the time I used to have to study so this night is going to be study night!
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