Odds n Ends

Once again today I am here in the office, icing my knee, and working on what? The Web Page! It is currently up to 75 pages. I never could have imagined that this would be the job I would spend most of my time doing. I see so much potential for this web page and am determined to see it through and make it successful. But, the reality is all Glory and Honor belong to God. I have prayed sooooooo much for wisdom in this work and God has been faithful. Also, my buddy Scott has been such a resource for me. He uses this software and designs some amazing sites. I'm not a designer, but he sure is gifted by the True designer, God Himself.
So here are some odds n ends pictures since I don't have any fresh ones at the moment. Hope you enjoy them :)

I saw these two guys posturing to each other displaying dominance. I shot this quickly on the fly and my setting was way to bright. So I just tricked out the picture which brought out some cool looking patterns that are naturally in the skin. Just not a natural intensity. As I walked away they locked jaws. I already had to go catch up with the group a block ahead of me or I would have loved to take more shots of these two.
This ladies and gentleman is Lucy! She lives in Visalia, California, but I met her here in the DR. I don't know that I have ever met such a genuinely joyful person. She was soooooooo much fun to be around. Here we are riding in the back of Blue Thunder on our way to some waterfalls. Of course, this was a few weeks before my knee injury. I know that if she were here right now, injury or not, she would inspire me to get out if this office and onto a trail going somewhere fun and exciting! Her husband would agree with all this. He told me of some adventures he never would have taken without her inspiration.
Click on this picture to make it full size. You can then see me at the top left where I'm peering over the edge taking a picture. My friend Richard took this of me. This is above the "lower falls". Pretty Cool Huh!?
This is a cane toad that Laurel, an intern, found and knew I would love to see it. So see it I did! It was the first one I've ever really seen or held. I think we have the same smile!
This little dog looked so cute curled up sleeping. In the Dominican Republic there is a work day siesta taken noon until 2pm. Most all business stops for a nap just like this little dog.
I caught a shot of this guy with my big lens one afternoon here at the base. He moved ever so slowly one step at a time. I moved closer and he suddenly shot across the ledge in a fast green blur and just like that was gone!

Preschool Flag Raising

Every morning at the preschool in Mata Gorda they sing the national anthem while raising the flag. It is really cute to see the children stand in a line and sing their hearts out. Some loud, some quiet, and some not quite. Here is a video of one of the SI teachers leading them.

Bull

I had an interesting morning. First of all I drove for the first time since injuring my knee. It hurt to get into the truck, but once in I could drive fine. I was coming back from getting video footage out at Mata Gorda for a Micro Finance video I'm working on. While driving I suddenly came upon...well...I'll let the video tell the rest. Although it is a little pixelated, I would recommend watching it in full screen mode.

Web Page Images

Since I am waiting for the swelling and tenderness to subside from tearing the MCL on my knee, I don't get out much to collect new media for the web site or to show you all out there in blog land. So I got to thinking what I can put up today. Although the web page is not officially live yet, I do have some images I can share with you. These are some screen shots of the top of the page. Each menu button at the top has a different banner that represents the pull down items for that area. But the Home page has an opening image of Jarabacoa and then all the other banners cycle through in a slide show. I hope this gives you a little idea of what I am doing on days when I don't have a particular picture to post showing what I did. Just click on them to view them larger.
This is the opening Home page banner. I took this picture from a vista point from across the Jarabacoa valley.
This was taken sometime this last spring. Not all staff are in it but it represents the Staff page banner.
This banner is on the Ministry Sites page. I took all my pictures and found some way to represent all the ministry sites on this banner. Sometimes I look at and think it is too cluttered and not clean looking. But it will do for now.
This is the Outreaches page banner. This button has all the information about the various outreaches people can get involved with SI in the DR. I took this photo of some team members and children at the Education Mata Gorda Ministry Site.
This banner represents the Projects button items. I am currently working on these pages. I am trying to figure out the semantics of how the pages will be laid out and how information should be disseminated to visitors.
This is the Banner for the Sponsor A Child items. This is an area where I could use some prayer. There are many big things to consider here. First and foremost is the security of how much information do we put on the web identifying children. Also, how do we facilitate the sponsorship through the web page. We need it to be user friendly, secure, and practical. This area will not be decided or given a green light until after I return and have further input and discussion from directors from SI's office in Visalia. You can pray for this area and God's leading for how He wants to use this web site in the ministry.
This is the banner for the Donations area. Most of this will be the How To. Different ways to donate to SI DR, ministry sites, support a missionary, sponsor a child or a special project. These instructions will be contingent on decisions made later for how to receive finances through the web page.
Now that I look at it, this is a long post! Sorry, I prefer to keep them shorter. However, now you have a better idea of a big part of what I've been working here for SI in the DR :)

Buc Buc aftermath

This Post Is A Continuation Of The Previous One.
I'm sitting on my bed after all the drama has subsided and Lowell and Dave have just about tucked me into bed with an ice pack tied around my knee. Sitting up in bed I called some loved ones to inform them of what happened. After sitting there for a while it dawns on me. God can heal my knee. God can heal my knee! "God, you can heal my knee!" I begin praying about this for a while and slowly I am ramping up the praying as I go. "God, you could heal this knee right now. As I lay my hands on this knee I am asking you in your name to heal this knee!" This goes on for a while and then I bust out with..."God, you command dead things and they listen...rocks, sticks, people respond to your command! My knee is not even dead and you can heal my knee. So why wouldn't you?" Some time went by in this prayer and suddenly I had a thought creep up in the back of my mind. I thought, "I don't even have faith and trust God to raise my support for full time ministry and now I am believing and expecting God to heal my knee!!?" This shot right to my heart like an arrow and my demeanor changed, changed! "Oh God! Who do I think I am? I'm coming before you as if I have the faith to ask you to heal my knee because You can command dead things!? And I don't even have faith in You to provide support for full time ministry!? Oh God forgive me, I repent of this sin of disbelief!" After much weeping I told God not to worry about my knee because I understand it is a healing process and it will take it's course. With a new perspective I fell asleep not waking up until 7:30am. This morning my knee felt very sore but quite a bit better. I didn't even feel a need to walk with the crutches. Besides they would not be safe going down a gravel hill to breakfast. Fast forward to Dan's ministry site at the physical therapy office. He smiles because he knows he has a great teaching opportunity in me to show the aspiring young therapists on team here from the states. I'll shorten the rest of the story.
He shows them my good leg MCL and how it responds pulling back in. He shows them my bad leg MCL and they get sour faces as they see it over bend as my knee buckles inward. Then he shows them my good leg ACL and how it "pops" back when pulled out. Then he says, "Now look at how this one...pop...pop...hmmm...interesting...pop...pop. You know...pop...pop...it actually seems fine." I let out a "WHOOOOOO Thank you JESUS! Halellujia!"
Here is the significance. Unless you are a many million dollar pro athlete NO ONE gets an MCL tear fixed. You live with it. You learn to compensate for the lack of inner knee support and have it the rest of your life. An ACL tear must be fixed and is only done through surgery. I Don't Have To Have Surgery!!! I believed (and it may have been) that my ACL was torn. I repented of my sin of disbelief. Did God use this to show me an area I needed to see? Yes! Did God orchestrate this for my lesson? Jacob wrestled with an angel in the old testament and lived with his hip as a reminder. I will always have this MCL tear to remind me of how I need to trust God. I will leave you to your own thoughts on this. I know mine, and thank God for healing an area of my heart that did not trust Him. Accept it for what you see OR explain it away in logic. Either way, God is on His throne. And, He's on it a little more in my life :)

What a Night!!!

Okay, I need to apologize ahead of time for all the words to read without pictures of it. So it goes. Last night I went out to a friends house with all the interns to see one of them off for the last night before she goes state side. Meanwhile there is also a group of Dominican friends hanging out there as well. This is the setting.
Someone decides we should play a game of Buc Buc Dominicans vs. Americans. At first I just want to video this game with my point and shoot camera. I am intrigued because I have only heard of this game in the folklore comedy routine of Bill Cosby. I give in and decide to play. Here is how you play.
1. two teams of 5
2. one team starts by the first person holding something form while bent over at the waist and all the others link waists with their arms while bent over. This forms a line of backs relatively level.
3. the opponent yells "Bub Buc #1 and he runs and jumps on the row of backs like a cowboy mounting a horse by jumping on from behind. This continues until the team on the bottom can't hold and fall or they hold and then get a turn to run and Buc Buc jump on the other team.
So I am #3 in the middle of the team being Buc Buc jumped. We did not know but they Buc Buc jumped EIGHT guys on us five! So at this point I'm thinking we have to get these guys off so we can have a turn. I start belly rolling side to side while they hold on with their legs to not fall. With eight guys they eventually all topple over to my right.
Now this is where things go wrong. As if the whole set up hasn't already foreshadowed the ending. When this tower of people all fall to my right. Because of my firm stance and weight on top, I wall down but...my right foot stays put upright. Can you picture it? Yup...I see it happening in slow motion. My knee bending, bending, bending and POP! Instant pain...my knee contorted...and then finally straightening out :O !!!
Skipping a bit of drama now....I went to see SI's physical therapist Dan Speciale for an initial diagnosis. He said the next day will provide more confirmation, but that the abnormal bending of my inner knee said my MCL was torn. Also, how far out he could pull my lower leg from my upper leg (my summary) it seems I have torn my ACL. He said we'll ice it tonight and check again the next day.
See the next post for the remaining story line : )

More Los Higos Pics

Today I spent most of my time on more researching online sponsorship payment methods for the web site I'm building for the SI DR site. I may have found an answer today. I am praying for God's direction and wisdom in this area. So far so good!
I did have to go to Los Higos today to help Arlene get ready for the next ministry team which just arrived today. I replaced a couple parts and made adjustments on a sewing machine at that site. It was nice to go help also because I could take my camera and spend some photography time as well. So for your viewing pleasure here are some images from today.
These are kids I have played with before in Los Higos so when they saw me coming with my camera they jumped up in this tree shouting Photo! Photo! Photo!
I posted and earlier shot of this upside down boy while he posed in a window at the social work site here in Los Higos. He sure loves clowning around! What fun!
This girl wanted to climb higher but the bigger kids got their first. She has a beautiful smile!
So I have tried to get a good hen shot before but this time I had my big lens and got it from a distance. Only, her face is not exactly in focus. Just behind it is. I'm sharing this one anyway : )
This rooster has such beautiful coloring and they are such a part of the community I have to include at least one of these cocky fellows!
As I drove up the road leaving Los Higos I looked back down at it from the road and saw these 3 children standing looking in my direction. They didn't budge even when I pointed my 600mm lens at them while sitting on top of the truck Blue Thunder. Although there are nicer homes, this one is fairly typical of the area. There are also ones much less put together than this one.
Motorcycles are everywhere! Individuals, two people, three people, four, and sometimes more if there are s few kids! It is absolute insanity how many they cram onto one motorcycle. Many of them are more like mopeds or old trail 90's. I saw this one coming from way behind me so I stopped and took their picture from far off.
I took this picture last Friday night. Just as we pulled up to dinner for the teams banquet night we saw this rainbow. I only had my little point and shoot camera but I ran to get a shot of it anyway. I'm glad I did because I love the landscape under it. I had to shoot it through a chain link fence and a bush, so I did a little cropping to get rid of some rough edges. There is even a faint second one trying to form right and above this one. Look hard and you might see a color blur there. I also looked hard but didn't see any gold. But I did something more valuable. God's promise was written in the sky!

Just a few pics

Today again I spent the whole day (I really have'nt ended it yet) at the computer working on the web page. I solve one issue and another pops up to slow things down. I have an e-mail in to one of the pros. It will all work out though in the end.
These are just some pictures I took a while back and liked them so I thought I'd put them up for y'all.
This is Andrea. She is a daughter of SI full time staff Nate and Maggie Slabach. She is here for the summer putting together videos for each of the teams. She will be going back to college after the summer season is over. I was at the women's sports ministry site at the same time and looked over and saw the picture. Here it is.
These girls were so much fun to watch as they scurried up and down the slide on some play equipment at the preschool in Mata Gorda. I was lucky to move fast enough to get at least one shot with both of their faces.
This is one of the two girls from the picture above. By the looks of her, pig tails must be a lot of fun!
This boy was playing in a sand box. I wasn't sure if the boy was bruised or dirty. The staff said knowing him it is probably a bruise. If it is, I would guess that the smile on his face says he has moved on.

Wednesday 7-7-10

I've spent a lot of time lately working on the DR web page. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I have never built a real web site before. That is the truth. About two weeks before coming here my buddy Scott talked me into buying software and all these plugins for building web pages. The next day I thought why in the world did I buy all that stuff for a site I don't even know if I will build. You know, procrastination. Besides I was getting ready to leave for the DR and I knew I wouldn't do it before then so what a wast of money for now. The director of SI DR picked me up from the airport at about 11:15 pm. Maybe one mile down the road he starts to tell me about some things he's thought about for me to become involved in. He says, "Can you build me a web page? I'd really like a web page. We could really use one". My mind raced back to my thoughts about a waste of money to buy all that software. I said, "Well, I do happen to have all the software for building web pages on my computer. But, I don't know how to use it. I suppose...I could...learn." So I officially became the one most knowledgable on the base about building web pages. So I have been on a big learning curve for this project. My friend Scott has gotten me through all the big issues. Like, everything is a big issue! So yesterday was a staff meeting and I actually had a page mock up loaded on the internet to show everyone live! Hallelujah it worked! Granted it isn't at the moment but that can be remedied with another night up till midnight or so.

This afternoon I went out to Mata Gorda to video an interest meeting for women in the community who may want to join a new Micro Finance band being formed. Monday we walked around with fliers and invited all the women we could find. A good group showed up and were really enthusiastic about working with SI to start or enhance a small business. Right before the 20 min. drive out there a Huge storm moved in and dumped loads of tropical stormage. Creeks were running down roads and some trees were blown over. Where I was there was a monstrous ominous cloud that actually had a center section slowly rotating. There were rumors and reports of tornadoes in the area. The meeting went on without incident and I took some pictures of kids just getting out of preschool. I could shoot photos of these big brown eyed smiling bundles every day! So here are a few pictures. Sorry for all the reading if you hung in there for all this. I'll try to post more pictures and video next time : )
Here is the ominous looking cloud I talked about. The bottom has a doughnut shape and it was slowly turning in a circle. Over time I watched it form and turn more. It started pouring rain so I ran back to the school for cover and then the meeting started so I don't know what became of it.
This little boy was waiting to be picked up after school when it was pouring down rain.

This cute little girl was hanging out waiting for her older sister to get out of school. Don't you just want to pinch her cheeks!
This is the same little girl but being held by Katie, an SI staff teacher at this site.
This is Alberto. He also is a full time SI staff at this ministry site. This is also why some call me Poperatzee (in espanol). Because you never know when I might be shooting you : P

Another Dinner In The Community

I went to dinner in the community tonight in Los Higos again. But this time it was to a different families home. The people here are so open to this program with us to have 8 foreigners come into their home for dinner. They don't have much but they offer what they have. They don't eat with us because culturally they allow the guests to eat first and they will eat later. Tonight we had a great meal of rice and beans with chicken. I learned that it is an honor to get the chickens feet. So when a foot was given to me I graciously ate it. Not the meatiest of chicken parts I've ever eaten. Kinda boney and fatty. Once you eat the skin there isn't much left but little chicken finger bones. Check out the 3 videos below to get a better idea of the surroundings and the community. The little shacks behind the houses are kitchens. The many plants around houses many times are random gardening.
This is a panning video of the home we ate at.
This is the partaking of the chicken foot. Mmmmmmmm
This is video of walking from the home to where we ate dinner over to the lady's home who served it to us. Sorry I was shaky with the camera. The ground is uneven and I was using a little point and shoot.
This is an example of simplicity. This lady hosted the meal at another home because hers was small. But notice how she takes care of it and is proud to show her nice clean home to us. She is holding her son who has some of the fattest squishy cheeks I have ever seen :)
This is the same little boy from the video above but with his abuela or grandmother. They both look so beautiful to me!