25 December 2013

We had the great privilege of being the agents for The Partridge Family Christmas Project this year.  Rather than give gifts to each other, our children sent money to the DR for Christmas.  We gave them a list of ideas and they decided which ones they wanted to help with.  Thanks to Missy for spearheading it all and being in charge of the donations.  Here’s how their generous offerings blessed the lives of some wonderful people in the Dominican Republic this year.

This is Carolina and Omar.  Several months ago, they’re 3 children ages 5, 4 and 18 months were tragically burned to death in a fire in their apartment.  They had left the children alone and locked into their apartment.  It was heart-wrenching.  Since this terrible tragedy, Omar and Carolina were married and Carolina got baptized.  They are anxiously awaiting the time when they can go to the Temple and be sealed to their children.  That's a picture of our family they are holding. 

Omar has some wood-working skills and he has been visiting the Self-Reliance Center here in our building.  He has the dream of starting his own business.  The Wegeners (the PEF missionary couple serving here) have been encouraging him and making a business plan.  Here are some samples of his work.    

With some start-up capital from our family and others, he can now buy sheets of mahogany and other needed supplies.  He has access to some tools.  He's getting orders already and now he has to be taught how to keep intact the start-up fund for repairing or replacing tools and buying supplies.  It's a challenging concept for him but it's the only way he'll be successful in the long-run.  We’re very hopeful that he can with time have a little business that will provide for him and his wife and future children.    

There is no Bishop’s Storehouse in Santiago.   With so many people out of work, there is a great need for a storehouse.  Fast offering funds are limited and the charge to minister to the needs of so many in need is daunting to these very young and new-in-the-church ward and stake leaders.  One Bishop stated his own little storehouse in his ward with donations from members and others.  We shopped for rice, beans, pasta, fish, milk, flour, sugar, oatmeal, etc. and took this to the Bishop.   He was so pleased!  His Relief Society President distributed it immediately to the needy members of their ward.  One day they will figure out how this program really works!

This is 3-year-old Daniro.  He is one of 75 children of 40 families who live in a work camp for sugar cane harvesting.  In the Domincan Republic there are privately owned sugar cane plantations where Haitian workers live and work long hours and they have next to nothing.  We drove to one of these “bateys” (bahtay) this past week.  We  purchased some little toys to give to the children for Christmas.




  






Several other senior couples from Santo Domingo participated along with the Wegener’s daughters who were visiting for Christmas.  They brought with them hygiene kits, newborn kits and school kits as well.  These pictures tell this story better than anything. 

Here the children are lined up to receive their gift packages.  The school teacher (she comes every day from a nearby town and volunteers to teach) organized them by ages.  They sang us a song and we sang Silent Night to them.

Here's there little school.  3 tiny rooms.  They just got a black board this year.

Sweet little ones.  They were so happy to get something for themselves!




 










I fell in love with little Daniro, above.  It took me a long time to get him to smile but it finally happened.  Videos to prove it!  (They'll be available in DropBox soon)

This one had no trouble smiling.  She loved her bear!

The new mom's got newborn kits for their babies.

Elder Partridge won this one's heart.












They live in the most humble circumstances.  There little casas have little or no furniture.

It's not unusual to see women sweeping their dirt floors and porches.





Elder Partridge and Elder Leavitt got to know this 64-year-old man, Mateo.  He has been working in this batey for 10 years.  He's been in the bateys for 32 years.  He works 10 hours a day during the cutting season and earns 25 cents a day.

He washes his clothes in this little stream where the children bathe and also drink this water.  Thankfully they recently built several outhouses for them but until a year ago, they had no place to "go" but in these bushes.

This is sugar cane.  Next time you enjoy the taste of sugar, maybe say a prayer of gratitude that you can buy it so easily.  During the off-season, the mothers here have to decide between clean water and food for their children. The  missionary couples from Santo Domingo were able to put together boxes of rice and beans and oil for each family.  

This was a Christmas long-to-be-remembered.  It has made us pause and think of our abundance and be grateful for so many blessings.  Heavenly Father loves these Haitian people and they are doing their best to make a life here under very difficult circumstances.  We were grateful to be able to offer a little relief for a time....

We were able to be used as His hands because of our wonderful children, their sacrifice, and this wonderful Christmas Season.  THANKS.