Wow, what a crazy 2 weeks. It started off with transfers on Monday. Monday? you ask why Monday? The Church has a no-fly period during the holidays. Missionaries are not allowed to travel because if something goes wrong it's too hard to find alternative flights. So the MTC here said our new missionaries have to be out on Monday so their new missionaries can come a day early. Transfers are usually a long few days but adding another day made for an extra long week. On top of that Madison and Weston, two of our children flew in to be with us for Christmas. But wait! that's not all! Hermana Borup and I got really sick starting about an hour after the kids got here. Here we are almost 2 weeks later and Hermana Borup is just starting to feel better. I've been feeling better for several days now. I've always been more healthy than her!
Besides spending a LOT of time in the Bano, we were able to get out and enjoy some of the Dominican Republic. The kids helped us with transfers. We were able to take them to La Caleta but there were not many people there because the weather was rainy. We received many pairs of swim goggles that were donated at SBR cycles but we decided that since there were only a few kids there that we would take them another time.
Last week, Christmas Eve, after church and fully medicated with anti-diarrhea medication, we left to take the kids to the Southern part of our mission. We drove to Barahona where we stayed in a nice room for only $30 dollars. The stay included a nice dinner. Hermana Borup's medication did not seem to allow her to have dinner in the restaurant. We left our mark on that room, to say the least. As a side note, we left some clothes there so on the way back 2 days later we stopped to pick them up. Weston and I ran in to get the clothes. We got the clothes but we also got a boche (we got chewed out). She was not really happy about the amount of use the bathroom got.
The coast South of Barahona reminds us of Hawaii or Samoa. Around every corner is another amazing view of the coastline. Before we left, however, we found a Farmacia that had anti-diarrhea medicine. We took our time and drove to Pedernales, which is a town on the border with Haiti. We got there just in time for Weston to Skype with his girlfriend who is serving her mission in France. It seemed ironic that we were here in a city that could not be more different than any city in all of France. We spent the afternoon on the beach in Pedernales. In the late afternoon, we drove to a Bay called Bahia de las Aguilas (the Bay of the Eagles). It is in a national park and is one of the most beautiful secluded beaches I have ever seen. To get there we needed to test the 4 wheel-drive capabilities of our truck. Most people get there by hiring a boat just outside the Park but that would be too easy for us. The drive was spectacular but the Beach exceeded that.
I mentioned our nice Hotel room in Barahona, well our 2 rooms in Pedernales came to the same price $30 for the night (yep $15/room) but not the same quality. We first discovered that we didn't have towels so we asked for them and they were delivered. We then discovered that the bed did not have sheets so we asked for them and one was delivered. We asked for another and the man had to go to another room and take one off that bed. It was a King fitted sheet for our Queen bed, but it seemed clean, mostly so we didn't complain. There were two men working there. We were the only people staying there so these types of adjustments can be made.
I could go on and on about our 3-day adventure but I will spare you the details. The sum of the week was that it was great to see a couple of our children and share with them the country and people that we love. Madison and Weston were both amazed at how friendly everyone here is. I don't think there is a more friendly place on Earth. I spoke to a man in the Historic district that was a committed Evangelical. We passionately talked about our views of Christ and His church but there was no anger or animosity. He simply loved talking to me about his view of the church of Christ and was very respectful of my views. In the end, we could embrace and go on our way.
Our time was too short with our kids. It was a reminder to us of those who are sacrificing for us to be able to serve here. It makes me want to do more to build the kingdom here to make the sacrifice more worth it.
Tonight we will go to bed and wake-up to a New Year. I hope it brings joy and peace to all. I know that however much joy and peace you have in your life now it will always be increased by drawing closer to Christ.
Happy New Year
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