Ok, sorry for the long period of time between blogs. I have tried several different times to post, but with the internet and lights coming and going I am always losing the post before I get a chance to finish it. I will divide it up so it doesn't seem as long.

Arrival
I arrived in the DR with the usual landing applause by the Dominicans and walked through the plane door. As the humidity hit my body, the sight of green everywhere, and the smell of chicken cooking, I felt relieved to finally be home. I spent four days in Jarabacoa and then my mom came to visit.

Mom's Visit
My mom arrived after (what I know to be normal) much chaos and left the airport a little flustered. We rented a car and drove to the beach. It was great. I went snorkeling for the first time in my life and was amazed by God's creation! My mom made it all the way to the top of 27 Waterfalls, though the pics are really bad because I forgot to teach the guide how to zoom on the camera. We spent two days in Jarabacoa where my mom got to get a small bite of my life here.
My mom left and I left on an experiential staff excursion.

Excursion
The teaching staff left to hike up a mountain and then camp overnight. As we were huffing it up a giant, jungle covered mountain, it began to pour. I was overcome with the sensation of swimming while out of water. There wasn't a single part of me that was not wet. We finally made it after much encouragement. As we reached the top a lightening bolt hit the ridge about 1000 feet from us, so we ran down the path (wrong one) as fast as we could. We were about half way down the other side of the mountain when we realized we were still very far from Chad & Krista's coffee farm. We arrived and decided to sleep in the buildings where they process the coffee. I never knew the blessing of dry clothes. We had a great rest of the trip. We bonded as we shared life stories and cooked some interesting food together. We returned home to a new appreciation for mattresses and dry clothes and with a deep passion for what God will do this year.