I am thankful for...

Thanksgiving, Banica-style. ...people. I am thankful that no matter how far away from home people might be, or if you are in a new place, you can still share in common humanity and love with others. We were blessed in that we were able to host some visitors yesterday, Father Mike and Cal from Elias Piña, and Emily, Fidel and Brian from Thomassique, Haiti. We were also fortunate to be able to have an "Americanized" meal, lots of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potato casserole, and tator tots. For desserts, made-from-scratch apple pie, chocolate cake and cheesecake. Being here in Bánica has really shown me that too many people in this world go hungry, and while it is not wrong to have a feast, especially as a reflection of the heavenly feast everyone will be able to share one day, we, especially need to keep in mind where we are. I am grateful that we were able to partake in this feast, and I pray that it will nourish us and give us the strength we need to continue serving this beautiful community of people. Saint Nicholas, pray for us!

Me alegre mucho

It means "I'm really happy." After having been gone in the capital for 2 weeks, I come back, and my fourth graders know the "Our Father" prayer, in English, by heart. I wanted to share with you all that this prayer is not easy to say in English, and kids 9 and 10 years old were able to recite the whole thing. Wow. Our Father Who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done On Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil. Amen.

A whirlwind tour of the capital

I am sitting here on a chilly Monday morning with Lupo (one of the rectory cats) who is keeping my lap warm. I am watching normal busy parish life happen. Today is laundry day, Oscar and Onardo are moving furniture, lunch is getting cooked, and of course, Lupo, Squeaky and Cyxto are snoozing in the sun. I have returned from Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic (Sarah and I got back on Saturday evening) from a 2-week stint taking an intensive spanish course. So of course I have been dreaming of the plu-perfect subjuntive and imperative commands (don't forget the conditional) because that's essentially all I've been thinking about while I was there. I think I have learned a thing or two, so now our goal is to put into practice what we've learned in our time there. We also got a chance to meet some cool people, Svetlana, from Russia, Mary, from Delaware, Hans from Norway, Julissa, from the good ole' DR, and of course the wonderful Doñas (Ilina and Gertrudys) who hosted us during our time there. After two weeks of visiting museums, class everyday, going to the beach, experiencing the city on foot (and especially zona colonial, the oldest part of the city), church-hunting (we never did find a Mass in the AM, except for Sunday) and lots of frozen yogurt, we were ready again for the simplicity and love of Banica. Here are some pictures that hopefully capture some of our experience in the capital. Here is a picture of the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Built in the early 1500s, it is still used today...and has the best Catholic libreria (bookstore) behind it. This is a picture of one street, Av. Duarte, in the Colonial Zone. We walked this a lot to get to the bus station to take us to Juan Dolio, the beach we visited a few times while we were in the city. This is the Caribbean Sea. A la playa Juan Dolio. Soooooo beautiful. Sarah and I in La Fortreza de Ozama. The oldest fortress that Columbus used when he settled here. This is a picture of La Doña, Gertrudys, and me. She is the wondeful lady I stayed with during my time in Santo Domingo.