A little about Dominican Republic History...
Haiti first won independence from France in 1804 and then through a turn of events conquered the Spanish side of the island in 1822. For the next 22 years, the island was "unified" under Haitian control. Dominicans call this period the "Haitian Occupation." The Spanish ruling class resented the occupation and in the 1830's an underground resistance group "La Trinitaria" was organized under the leadership of Juan Pablo Duarte. After many attacks on the Haitian army, the Haitians eventually retreated. Independence on the eastern two-thirds of the island was officially declared on February 27, 1944 and the name República Dominicana (Dominican Republic) was adopted.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Dominican Independence Day 2012
Enjoy a short video of Elena and some school friends modeling a traditional Dominican dance!
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Sojourner's Women's Retreat
Each year, on the last weekend of January, hords of women, mostly foreign, pour into a Catholic retreat center just outside of Jarabacoa. This is wonderful time of worship, personal time with God, and hanging out with women, new friends and old. And it all happens with no kids, no men and in English!
I have been able to attend all but one year in our time in Jarabacoa. It is circled on my calendar months ahead so nothing gets booked on that weekend! The bed isn't that great (though my roomate always is!) and this year I had a surprise--a hot shower and hot water in the sink. The food is delicious and this year the weather was great. January can be rainy and that makes for a cold retreat.
This year the theme was "Trust, Truth and Grace." I spent a lot of time taking to God about the truth of my poor health. I have rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes it is a shadow in my life and sometimes a monster. I have little control over it, though I take medication and have a good rheumatologist here. God really met me this past weekend and the burden feels lighter.
We are placed in small groups for discussions after a large group teaching and personal devotional time. This year my group was a lot of laughs and tears. I horrified to realize I was the oldest in my group, in fact 20 years older than the youngest women. Good grief! I can't share details of our discussion of personal issues, but I can say that God touched and healed us in unique ways.
I have been able to attend all but one year in our time in Jarabacoa. It is circled on my calendar months ahead so nothing gets booked on that weekend! The bed isn't that great (though my roomate always is!) and this year I had a surprise--a hot shower and hot water in the sink. The food is delicious and this year the weather was great. January can be rainy and that makes for a cold retreat.
This year the theme was "Trust, Truth and Grace." I spent a lot of time taking to God about the truth of my poor health. I have rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes it is a shadow in my life and sometimes a monster. I have little control over it, though I take medication and have a good rheumatologist here. God really met me this past weekend and the burden feels lighter.
We are placed in small groups for discussions after a large group teaching and personal devotional time. This year my group was a lot of laughs and tears. I horrified to realize I was the oldest in my group, in fact 20 years older than the youngest women. Good grief! I can't share details of our discussion of personal issues, but I can say that God touched and healed us in unique ways.
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