I am back in the DR.
Stacy and I had a wonderful time with our kids, Amy's friend Ronnie and my parents up in Northeast area of the country over the Holidays. We rented a fantastic house at a very affordable rate and had fun exploring and experiencing a new place together.
It was rather odd dropping off everyone at different times, at different airports and finally ending up 5 hours from San Juan de La Maguana - alone. Not how a holiday to another country typically ends, but here I am, back in my rented home and deep into construction issues.
We still have a final contract to work out between the DR version of Solid Rock and our Contractor/Engineer. This is an interesting process folding two cultures into each other in a legal document. Here it is a very simple agreement, in the US it is very complex and detailed agreement. I hope we meet somewhere in between at a point that satisfies everyone involved, or at least everyone is equally unhappy.
Today was very busy meeting with Dominican construction-related people in the area to further clarify the best way for things to happen with this project. Frank (my Dominican friend and our financial project manager) has terrific ties to the different trades here in San Juan and with him now being back in the country, it is fun to see his many excited friends and acquaintances from years ago see him back in the city. These people have been very helpful in clarifying our focus on the details of this project.
We (my parents, Amy and Ronnie) arrived here Saturday after dropping Stacy at the airport. Showing them around the area, meeting Dan, Kari and some of the SRI staff, attending church and seeing a glimpse of a team staying at the Guest House was fun and I think meaningful to my parents especially (Amy is has been here twice and was excited to show Ronnie what this is all about). We then ran back to Santo Domingo and the airports (Santo Domingo and Punta Cana) with everyone leaving Tuesday.
So I am settling in for real, knowing that this is truly the beginning of a long commitment here. I do feel like I am having a positive influence on where this project and its related work are headed, and that means a great deal to me that I am not just here to be here, but helping this be the most efficient project we can make it.
It is going to be quite an experience full of good times, some challenging times and gaining a lot of neat friends who are from a different culture and/or are very spiritually full - a great/positive type of person to be around! I look forward to becoming a positive part of the Body of Christ, interacting with others, trying to assume very little about them, growing in faith, and serving one another.
Thanks for keeping me and everyone here in your thoughts and prayers.
(Ha - I will post some pictures, but the internet is not real fast right now!!)
Thanks again. Manana.
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