I lift up my eyes...

View from the camp

...to the HILLS! From where will my help come? Psalm 121: 1

Away we went to the mountains on Saturday. The Dominican Republic is mountainous and has several waterfalls. There is an ecotourism industry, especially around the town of Jarabacoa. So, to get to know the country a little better, we headed to the mountains and a waterfall.

Rosanna pitches during an impromptu baseball game

Tomasina! Eleven years later!

The bus had 30 seats and we added some folks from Cristo Salvador to the mission team for the ride. Padre Hipólito, his wife Dulcina, daughter Natty, 3 grandchildren and 4 of our teen friends came along. The first stop was the diocesan camp. Similar in use and feel to our Shrine Mont, it is located about 10 minutes drive from Jarabacoa. Memories flooded back for Jim and me as we saw the buildings we'd stayed in 11 years ago. The dining area has been screened in, there is a nice walkway between there and the dorm building. But the fence footings Jim placed with the help of kids now graduated from college are still there. Weekend visitors were moving into the rooms we had painted all those years ago. The mattress covers Kay and I sewed are long gone but, Tomasina, the kitchen manager, is still there! I walked over to the little house and asked the woman inside if she had a 10-year-old son. She said, "No, I have an 11-year-old son." I'm sure she was worried about why I was asking. "I was here the night he was born," I told her. With smiles and hugs we remembered details of that visit, so many years ago, my first mission trip to the DR.

Jack on the bridge to Jimenoa

After a tour of the school and church on the site, we got into the bus again and headed to Salto Jimenoa. Suspension bridges and rocky paths led to a spectacular waterfall. While we got wet in the spray, a rock climbing group let themselves over the edge. We waved and admired their adventurous spirits.

Back in Santiago, some of us got off the bus at the Monument, toured there and walked back to the hotel through the city. We could see the hills that Margel used as inspiration for the mural, there was a wedding at the cathedral, a quinceañera photo shoot at the park, some friendly folks on the street and one last trip to La Sirena.

At the waterfall

Saturday, a day to ponder the work done this week, pack the bags for our leave-taking of Santiago, start to dread the good-bye scene at the church, enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

As is our tradition, we met on the roof patio for our evening meeting. The full moon rose next to the monument as we shared impressions of the day. We're subdued. A job well done. Goodbyes to be said. Do you suppose the fireworks display launched as we finished was God's exclamation point to our mission here?

A "quince" photo shoot