7/15/2013

You know when I said we had seen everything on the back of a moto - well this was a first.  A toilet!
We have been off line for a week or so with no internet because our computer died and when we realized it would take months to get it serviced (assuming that it could be) we decided to just get a new one.  They are cheaper in the States but I have so many things I need to get done before we leave on the computer.  And to think I would have to go six weeks without talking to the kids was the last straw.. Our phone calls are made through gmail.  So after a frustrating week of looking for a computer and getting the information off our old computer we are finally back in business.  Sister Johnson from Park City was kind enough to see if she could get our old one working, then got all of the information she could from it before programing our new computer.  What a woman.  We are in debt to her forever!  It took many days of her time to do that for us.
All I can remember about last week is fretting about how I was going to do the area history report with no information from my computer - and no computer.  On Friday night we did go out with the Merinos to a fun little Chinese place:

  She is really a beautiful woman - auburn hair and bright blue eyes.  The two of them are so much fun to be around.  They served three years in Hondorus as mission president and wife and say the Dominican is crime free in comparison.  Would hate to be there!
  The president here has decided to use the military police to help with the crime.  Well it kind of backfired as the criminals went after the heads of the police and the president's daughter's body guard.  They killed three or four. Now we see this:

We followed one on the way to Oriental lessons.  Scott kept telling me to take a picture and we were much closer than that first picture looks.  The men setting in the back of the truck had on masks and were pretty formidable looking.  I was afraid they would shoot us!  But they finally turned their heads so I took a quick shot.  We decided they were wearing masks so no one would recognize them and try to hunt them down.
On the way home we were stopped by backed up traffic where no less than ten of these military police had a car stopped and surrounded at rifle point.  It was scary!  They are all over on the streets wearing their bullet proof vests and carrying their rifles. Until then I hadn't seen as many as as there were in the beginning.
If we are supposed to feel safer, I don't think it is working!
   We picked up the kids for church - only to find two new ones also.  These were two little girls, five and four.  They were all dressed up for church and climbed in the back seat with the others so we took them and no one came looking for them so I guess it was okay.. Hope they come again so I can take a picture because they were such cute kids.  We walked in the church as the primary president was coming out.  She just looked at all of the kids and started laughing.  We probably bring half of the primary each week.  How we love them!
   MONDAY
We first of all called to have them reset our password so we could hook up to the internet and now we are in business!!  Then we picked up Sister Dunford to go to San Cristobal to the doll factory.  I wanted to look at their little nativity scenes which are so unique to this area.  It was fascinating to see their little "factory" at work.  Each worker was putting on hair, a shirt, a head, flowers, etc.  The shop was about the size of a small bedroom.  Then we went to her little store which was about the size of a big bathroom and just crammed with things that she and her husband had manufactured.  Sister Dunford and I are standing in front of the store - which looks much bigger than it is inside!