Dear Family & Friends,
Today Jim went with Berthony and Julio first to the church to pick up another driver and car. He was to follow them to the border so that Julio could eventually drive that car back to his home in the Dominican Republic
As they drove they contacted the people that owned the property where we wanted to drill a borehole for the upcoming youth conference. The people would not let them come, saying that the director wasn’t there. Julio still tried to just let them come and look at the site but they wouldn’t let them! This whole trip is getting to be ridiculous. We spent a lot of money to get nothing done while here.
They continued to drive to the border since Julio was going to drive home from there and so he got in the other car and the other driver went back with Jim and Berthony. The traffic was so bad that many times they stopped completely. They were gone from 8:30 AM till 6 PM . It was a long and boring trip, and they were all frustrated.
Julio and Jim in front of a huge salt water lake (Lac Azuei).
This lake rises each year and in fact you can see houses sticking up out of the water.
They keep pushing earth to hedge it up, but it just keeps rising. It is near the border of the DR.
In the meantime I had a pleasant day, using the workout room and the pool, watching TV, working on the computer and on my Spanish.
Julio told Jim that since everything is standing still, we won’t turn this country over to the other couple till a project is on its way.
Berthony and wife Ramon after dinner with them at the hotel. We asked them how they met (at a church activity before his mission). The most interesting thing was that he had a dream before he became acquainted with her, that this was the girl he was to marry. He asked again after his mission, and he was given the same inspiration. This doesn’t happen often, so it must have been important. He is really a fine and faithful man, and she is lovely. She does not speak any English, so she must have been bored, but we tried to include her in some translated conversation.
Tomorrow will be another relaxing day with nothing to do but enjoy the hotel, except Jim will be able to do it with me. Today had been set aside to write and sign contracts that can’t be accomplished now. We head for the airport Sunday morning. We feel like we have been wasting money while here, getting hardly anything accomplished. It had been frustrating finding a project in the first place, and now we will have to tussle with the government and have a bit of a standoff. We will get it done our way or not at all.
I’m over my jetlag now—time to get it back again. Berthony insists on taking us to the airport even though the hotel has its own shuttle service. I believe it is because he feels responsible for any visitors and he wants to make sure that they get out of the country safely. So, we go home, and then we wait and see.
Love,
Mom & Dad, Jim & Karen, E/S Greding
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