A couple of notes:
The Dominican Republic (DR) is on Atlantic Time, but does not observe daylight savings time, so in the summer the time is the same as East Coast Time.
Jarabacoa: A city of about 50,000 people with many surrounding villages. It is in the Central Mountains (Cordillera Central) at about 1800 feet about sea level. Two rivers converge in the Valley of Jarabacoa: The Yaque del Norte and the Jimenoa. Because it is cooler than lower elevations, it is a much beloved retreat area for Dominicans. It is the center of business, trade, education and medical facilities for the surrounding mountain villages.
La Salle: the catholic retreat center in Jarabacoa where the team stays. It is clean, quiet, secure and provides the meals unless the team makes other plans.
Los Calabazos: A small community (less than 100) off the Manabao-Jarabacoa road. It is about 200 steps down off the road along a river. There is a small church there lead by Julito.
Buenos Aires/Piedra Blanca: A community about 5 miles outside of Jarabacoa. This area also has a group of Haitians who have settled on the edge of town. The Haitians use the church on Sunday morning, while the Dominicans worship in the evening (different culture, different languages in case you are wondering why they don't unite :)) Alex Balbuena is the pastor. Carol, his wife, runs a children's program during the school year for the neediest kids in the area. They receive Bible teaching, homework help, a nutritious snack and game time. The parents attend a parenting class twice a month.
Boma: A community of about 30 homes along the Yaque River. It is a village that is difficult to get to without four-wheel drive. During rainy periods, the road is impassible.
THE DAILY RUN DOWN
Day One, Thursday, June 30: Team leaves predawn to board the plane in Minneapolis and are scheduled to arrive at 1:30pm in Santiago, DR. The drive from the airport to camp will take about an hour. The team will get a chance to see Jarabacoa a bit, eat their first meal at camp and sack out early!
Day Two, Friday, July 1: In the morning Rick and Becky will lead group orientation. After lunch at camp, the group will head to Los Calabazos to meet the community and develop relationships. They will swim in the river and play games with the youth. Supper back at camp and Team Time in the evening.
Day Three, Saturday, July 2: The team will go back to Los Calabazos for the morning to teach English. Lunch is back at camp with some time for cultural education. At 3:00 pm the team will meet Alex, pastor of the Buenos Aires church, and his family. At 4, they will participate in a kids club Carol leads for community kids. After dinner at camp, the team will return for the church's youth group in the evening. The team share testimonies and begin to develop relationships with the youth there in Buenos Aires.
Day Four, Sunday, July 3: The team will attend the worship service in Los Calabazos, lunch at La Salle and have some down time in the afternoon. Then they will participate in the worship service at Buenos Aires from about 5pm to 7pm. After returning to camp, they will have Team Time.
Day Five, Monday, July 4: Happy Independence Day! The team will experience have a national holiday in someone else's country.... In the morning (9-11) they will participate in the children's program at Buenos Aires. (See notes above for a description.) After lunch at the camp the team gets to experience one of the natural joys of this area: a gorgeous waterfall! They will spend some time in personal meditation, listening to God.
Day Six, Tuesday, July 5: The team will get to experience one of the great physical challenges of the area. They will climb "Mogote," a prominent, steep mountain that Rick has climbed several times and each time promises himself never to do again! The translators and youth from the churches are invited to climb as well. Up on the mountain, the team will have lunch, worship God and pray over the city of Jarabacoa. I have a feeling they will all go to bed early tonight!
Day Seven, Wednesday, July 6: The team will be back in Buenos Aires for the morning to help with the children's program. After lunch they will branch out in Jarabacoa for a people watching exercise to learn about life and culture in the DR. In the evening, they will visit homes in Sabaneta, a village near Buenos Aires. They will be accompanied by church members and translators. In groups of 4-5, they will sit on front porches and share Christ. They will return to camp for Team Time.
Day Eight, Thursday, July 7: Rise and shine! The team leaves for Sosua Beach at 6:30am. Pray for fun, safety on the mountain roads, and no sunburns! Supper will be Pizza Hut in Santiago on the way home. I think everyone will hit the sack as soon as they return to camp. Ben Mackey, 12, leaves for the U.S. for three weeks today. Pray for safe travel and that Mom, Dad, and Elena who will miss him a lot. Ben will go to camp for two weeks with his cousins and visit Nana and PopPop before coming home.
Day Nine, Friday, July 8: The team will work in the children's program at Buenos Aires in the morning. After lunch, the team will work side by side with residents of Los Calabazos in their daily work and then have a traditional Dominican dinner before returning to camp.
Day Ten, Saturday, July 9: The team will spend the day in Boma. Half the group will work with the children and half with the teenagers. The day will end with some students sharing testimonies followed by a short challenge.
Day Eleven, Sunday, July 10: The team will worship at Nueva Vida church in Jarabacoa. After lunch they will pack up for the trip home and pick up last minute souvenirs. By 4pm they will be in Buenos Aires to participate in an evangelistic service. In the evening, Dominicans who have worked with the team are invited to a celebration and farewell at La Salle camp.
Day Twelve, Monday, July 11: By late morning the team will leave for the airport. Pray for safety and ease of passing through the Miami airport. The team will not get home to Rochester until very late at night.
