Fiesta with the Girls

On Thursday night we had a farewell fiesta with the girls we spend time with each Thursday night. We ate pizza and then made homemade ice cream in a bag. You put milk, vanilla and a little sugar into a ziplock baggie. Then you put that into a larger bag that is filled with ice and salt. After about ten minutes of squeezing and kneading, you end up with ice cream. It was a lot of fun!

Amy is helping one of the girls get the plastic bags sealed correctly.

Wow! It worked!

Time to eat!

At the end of the evening the girls gave us a book of photos and handwritten cards to thank us for all the time we spent with them. The book is filled with sweet memories. We will miss them very much.

The Path of Chocolate

We went to a cacao farm today. We even got to plant cacao trees.

These seedlings will start to produce pods in about a year and a half.

This scarecrow helps to keep the birds away from the cacao pods.

The cacao seeds are found inside these pods.

The inside of the pod doesn't look too appealing, but these seeds produce amazing chocolate.

The seeds ferment for about five days.

Then they get spread out to dry. Every two hours they need to be raked.

We pounded some dry cacao seeds and added sugar to make some chocolate the old-fashioned way. It tasted great!

Then we headed inside to see the process done with modern machinery.

We all got to taste it. It was absolutely delicious. Chocolate is absolutely amazing.

Where do we live??

Our street finally got a street sign! We live on Calle 9 but we've never had any street signs in our neighborhood. We were certainly confused when we saw the sign they put up on the corner. Did someone make a mistake? Or did they change the name of our street? We have no idea but we think we'll still be able to find our way home.

Created for Community

During the last weekend in January, Amy headed up into the mountains outside of Santiago to attend a women's retreat. It was a great weekend filled with fellowship, prayer, singing, times of quiet reflection, and views of the beautiful mountains of the Dominican Republic.

The theme of the retreat was "Created for Community." Amy was able to be a small group leader. After times of quiet reflection and Bible readings, the group would meet to discuss, share and pray. It was a special blessing to be able to serve by leading this wonderful group of women.

Helping Hands for Haiti

On Saturday, January 30 Brian was able to go to the airport in Santiago with a few people from our school and a local church. They sorted donated food and supplies in a small warehouse in the cargo area at the airport. Throughout the day loads of the items were prepared to ship to Haiti. The volunteers loaded seven tons of supplies onto airplanes. A few of the planes made two trips that day. The group also loaded another three to four tons on carts that would be ready to take out to planes the following day. A mission organization with ties to the United States coordinated the incoming donations, preparations of shipments, and the destination points in Haiti

Private corportations donated the use of their planes and pilots to make these relief efforts possible. Some of the pilots were from Boston, Atlanta, Vancouver, and California. Many Dominican companies donated various supplies that were sent out that day. Some of the items had also been sent from different churches and organizations in the United States. It was incredible to think about all the efforts and generous donations it took to provide this much-needed aid. While just a small part of the overall relief efforts, it was a rewarding experience knowing that we were able to help bring some hope to desperate hurting people.

Brian and Marie Elva, the French teacher at Santiago Christian School. She, being Haitian, was particularly eager to volunteer. Sadly, two of Marie Elva's cousins died as a result of the earthquake. Several days after the quake Marie Elva traveled to Haiti, bringing some food and supplies to her family whose homes were destroyed like countless others.

This enormous cargo plane arrived with UN containers and modular portable offices that were quickly loaded on flatbed trucks bound for Haiti.

Our Experience with the Earthquake

We recently experienced the earthquake that caused so much destruction in Haiti. We had walked to the grocery store to pick up a few things after school. As we were walking home, the ground began to pitch and roll. Brian grabbed for a nearby metal gate. We didn't realize it was an earthquake at first. Brian mentioned that he felt dizzy. We stood there for a minute before we realized that it was an earthquake. We held on to the gate and watched the water in the puddles slosh back and forth. Above our heads, the electricity wires were swaying as if blown by a violent wind. However, the air was still during these eerie moments. Once the shaking subsided we walked the last block to our apartment building. Many of our neighbors were standing outside talking about what had happened. The math teacher from our school lives just three buildings down from us. He and his wife walked over, and we talked about whether or not it was safe to go back inside. During this time we were feeling some slight aftershocks. Eventually everyone started to go back inside, and we followed.

Nothing in our apartment was out of place or damaged. We later heard that the earthquake was about a 5.7 or a 5.9 here.

We haven't felt any more aftershocks, and there wasn't any damage in our city. We had school the next day and life settled back into its usual routine for us.

Dengue Fever

Near the end of October I (Amy) went to the school nurse one morning because I felt feverish. My temperature was 102 degrees. I felt achy and figured it was just some type of flu bug. Before I left the nurse's office she asked if I had a headache. I didn't have one but she mentioned that those symptoms could mean dengue fever. The only way to get dengue fever is to get bitten by an infected mosquito. As the days progressed, it became clearer that I probably had dengue. I guess I came in contact with a really nasty mosquito. The symptoms of dengue fever are miserable: fever, bad headache, nausea, dropping platelets and extreme tiredness. These symptoms go on for a week or longer.

A few days later Brian got a fever and a headache. He also must have bitten by a dengue mosquito. Our days passed slowly. We took turns heading from the bedroom, to the couch, to the bathroom. For many days we ate only crackers and tried to drink a lot of fluids. Doctor visits and blood work added to our dismal week.

We're so grateful that we didn't get the more serious kind of dengue. In some cases, the platelets drop so low that people need to be put in intensive care for dangerous bleeding issues or require blood transfusions. However, we're still much more cautious about wearing mosquito repellent. We certainly don't want a repeat of those miserable weeks.

Bright spots during our sickness:

*e-mails from friends, family and supporters

*fun cards from the students at school

*food deliveries by teachers who care about us

*help from the school nurse

A few weeks after our recovery, we saw this sign on the back of an exterminator's truck. Maybe we should keep these phone numbers handy!

Our Morning Walk on Christmas Eve Day

We went for a walk yesterday morning, and we thought we'd share the sights with you. Take a peek at what we see on this December morning.

The people who live in this house raise roosters for cock fighting. We are very glad we don't live next door to all this early morning crowing!

This man goes up and down many different streets looking in and by the trash barrels to try to find plastic jugs to recycle for money. This is probably how he earns his living.

This is a roasted pig on a pole. They're selling this pork along the side of the street. Roast pork is one of the traditional foods for the midnight Christmas Eve dinner. This roast pork is called puerco asado.

The head is actually sold too because people like to eat the snout and the ears.

This is another roast pig. If you look just behind the table to the left you can see the scale where the salesman could weigh out the amount of pork that you want.

Public cars called conchos run routes through the city of Santiago. You can get on and off at any point along the route. These cars are usually rather rickety, and they often cram seven to eight passengers in the car. It costs about 15 pesos per person for a ride. That's about 50 cents.

This man is selling avocados to people who are driving down a main road near our house. When the cars stop for the red light, he goes from car to car trying to make a sale. The woman trailing behind him is selling phone cards to add minutes to cell phones. The name of this cell phone company is Orange.

Christmas with las niñas de Dios

We had a special Christmas celebration with the girls at the local orphanage that we visit each Thursday night. Usually we go there to teach an English lesson, but on this night we were there to celebrate Navidad with them. Their joy was contagious. It was so much fun to see their excitement.

There are four of us from Santiago Christian School that go to this orphange each week. This past Thursday night we arrived with cookies to decorate, Christmas music in Spanish, a craft, and gifts. Among the gifts we gave them were towels embroidered with each of their names. We also placed a personalized note in every gift box that included the words of Isaiah 43:1. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

It is our prayer that each of these girls will embrace the love of God. Likewise, it is our hope that our interactions with students at Santiago Christian School will cause them to understand God's great love for mankind in sending the Christ-child, Immanuel, to earth. We are grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to share the gift of his son with others.

Click on the triangle to see the video of all their excitement.

Breakfast Time

Every morning we eat breakfast out on our little balcony. It takes several trips to get everything out there but it's worth it. There are window boxes on the ledge filled with beautiful flowers. A potted tree stands in the corner. We eat our yogurt and drink some juice and then a big glass of water while we listen to the quiet sounds of the morning. We watch our neighbor's dog in their yard. We see a few kids picked up in a van to head to school. A few ladies walk by on their way to work. It's a peaceful way to begin our day.

Will the Real Mrs. Hackert Please Stand Up?

Last week Brian was subbing for the art teacher while she was in the states for a funeral. Later that day a very excited class arrived in the library. One of the students ran up to me to tell me, "There's a boy who's a Mrs. Hackert, and he taught us art today." It made me smile.

The First Noel

A few weeks ago we went to the store and noticed that the Christmas decorations were already for sale. We weren't quite in the mood for Christmas purchasing on September 23.

Church in English

Tonight we went to an English church service. On the second Sunday of each month we'll be able to attend this service. It was a great time of fellowship, singing and praising God all in English. I can hardly wait until next month!

Our Farm

On our little balcony we have a beautiful potted tree.

This week we also added some pretty flowers in a windowbox. We enjoy our plants each morning as we eat our breakfast on the balcony.

Granola, Bugs and Mold

Today I began to make some homemade granola. The oatmeal comes in 4 cup bags which is just perfect for my recipe. I cut open the corner of the bag and poured the oats into the bowl as I was reading the recipe for the next ingredient. I took out the brown sugar and was beginning to measure it as Brian came into the room. He looked down into the bowl and said, "You have bugs in there." Sure enough, the whole bowl was swarming with busy little black bugs. They must have been living in the bag of oatmeal. After dumping out that oatmeal and getting out a new bowl, I opened another bag of oatmeal. The oats were greenish black and covered with mold. I was finally able to make some delicious granola with my third bag of oats. Some things are just more complicated here.

Shopping is Not Always Fun

Step #1: Walk to the grocery store with the hot sun beating down on you.
Step #2: Stop at the cash machine outside the store only to find out it isn't working.
Step #3: Go into the store and fill your cart with groceries while crossing all the items off the grocery list.
Step #4: Enter the last aisle of the store as the power flicks off.
Step #5: Get in line for the nearest cashier just as the cash registers are rebooting after the power outage.
Step #6: Watch the power flick off again.
Step #7: Wait for the cash registers to reboot again.
Step #8: Watch the power flick off again.
Step #9: Talk about leaving the store.
Step #10: Wait for the cash registers to reboot again.
Step #11: Watch the power flick off again.
Step #12: Wait for the cash registers to reboot again.
Step #13: Talk about leaving the store.
Step #14: Watch the power flick off again.
Step #15: Wait for the cash registers to reboot again.
Step #16: Watch the power flick off again.
Step #17: Realize we've stood in line for 30 minutes and not one single person has checked out.
Step #18: Leave the store and catch a cab to another grocery store.
Step #19: Decide we're too hungry to shop. Tell the taxi driver to take us to Burger King.
Step #20: Eat hamburgers while listening to the blaring music from a birthday party in the restaurant.
Step #21: Walk to the grocery store down the street.
Step #22: Try to decifer the grocery list with all the items that were crossed off earlier tonight.
Step #23: Stand in line and pay for the groceries.
Step #24: Take a taxi home.
Step #25: Haul all the groceries upstairs and put them away. Deep sigh.


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Our Apartment Building

Our apartment complex is getting a facelift. Each of the four buildings is being painted on the outside. They're even painting the awnings. Today our apartment building hallway was painted too. Everything looks bright and clean.

Look Where You're Walking

The other day we went for a walk in our neighborhood. I was busy talking to Brian when I saw a flurry of movement on the ground. A rat ran across the road about a foot in front of me. I nearly jumped in Brian's arms.

Wednesday Night Walk

Last night we went for a walk so we thought we'd tell you about a few of the things that we saw along the way. About a block from our apartment we saw a man wearing exactly the same t-shirt as Brian: a t-shirt from the men's retreat he went to a few months ago. As we walked along they talked a bit about the retreat before we parted ways. As we passed a trash can near a big field, we saw four rats run out. We often see one or two. Four was a record. Later we heard some accordian music coming from a big house. There was an advertisement for an accordian player on the side of a truck along the street, and the accordian player was sitting in the living room playing a song. We saw a pizza stand along the side of the road. We saw beautiful tropical flowers and lots of palm trees. It was a good walk.

The Votes Have Been Counted

We recently had a special staff banquet for everyone who works at Santiago Christian School. Near the close of every school year the staff members vote for their colleagues who they feel have exhibited outstanding dedication and service to the students and school community throughout the school year. A wide number of awards are given to a variety of people: grounds crew members, cafeteria workers, office staff, and teachers. It was hard to vote for these awards because many people are so dedicated to the school and deserving of recognition.

Amy was honored to receive the Teacher of the Year Award for specials (art, music, PE, computer, and library) this year. The plaque reads: "In special recognition for: Outstanding service to students, dedication and love for the SCS community and for being a Christian example to all of us." Amy is grateful that God has given her the opportunity to serve the staff and students at Santiago Christian School.