El Templo

   The Santo Domingo Temple is beautiful at night.  We can actually see the spire and the Angel Moroni from our windows through some trees.  Just want to share this beauty.  We have been going each week and it actually is helping me to understand some Spanish words as I listen because I know what the instruction is in English.  It looks very white in the lights, but it is really a pinkish and sand color combination that seems right for a country with so much sand.                                                                                                                  

One Saturday the people of the branch came on a little bus to the temple.  The young people were doing baptisms and the adults were either helping them or going with  one of the sisters who was there for the first time.  Here is the branch president, left, with Elder Yturralde and Elder McIntyre and then one of the young women with Sister Yturralde and the Relief Society president, Josefa.  We were waiting outside for our time to go inside.  As usual, the flowers were beautiful!

La Casa de Diego Colon

    -After his father made the great discovery of this island, Diego Columbus was later sent here and was like a governor in Santo Domingo.  As you might imagine, there were problems with the indigenous people.  Some of the Spaniards treated them with respect.  Others wanted to make them slaves.  We went to the house where Diego, the Viceroy and his wife, the Vicerina, lived here.  Just wanted to include a few pictures we took that day.

                                                       

                Sorry about the glare, but this would have been like the kitchen except it would have been outside so as not to heat up the house.  Some big pots!

The bedrooms of the viceroy and the vicerina.  They explained that her bed was not very long because she slept with pillows propping her up.  The chest at the bottom of his narrow bed was made of elephant hide.

Before eating, you dipped your fingers into this bowl which held blessed water.  I supposed that provided protection against disease.  It is now on the wall in the dining area.

Here we have the music room with harp and please note the bench along the wall is for the choir!  There are only four seats, so maybe one for each part?  In the glass case is music of the time.

The governor and his lady invite you to come!  Well, if I had to wear all these clothes in this heat, I would be dead in short order  Can't believe they would have worn all of this, but it is quite elegant!

Baptism in Quisqueya

     Here we have another part of the "souls" part of the blog.....Last Saturday we had a baptism in Quisqueya and I have to say for me it was unique.  Evidently, it was not that unusual for other places than where I have lived.  I really wish I could have captured a picture of the chicken that peeked in the open door behind where the speakers stood or the dog who wandered in the front door and had to be invited to leave.  He did leave, but stuck around outside for the baptism part.  We started on Dominican time, which was quite a bit later than scheduled.  Most people were not dressed up.  Two young girls--sisters-- gave the talks and they were very good and from the heart.  (Of course, I don't know everything they said because it was all in Spanish.)  The missionary from Cusco, Peru, Elder Ccansaya, also spoke and Earl said it was an excellent message.  He talked about Christ.  We all went outside to the font on the side of the little chapel.  Pictures were snapped.   You can see the font behind Elder Fuertes and Robert.  The steps are on the side. I didn't like how big I looked in the picture, so Earl offered to trade my head to whichever person I chose.  Well, I chose Yaritza, the one on the far right, but we knew you wouldn't believe that, so we left it.  (The two girls in the bright blue pants were the speakers.)  We later learned that Arthur, our son-in-law, was baptized in a similar font when they lived in Colombia, but it was cold!  No problem about that here!  When we went back inside, we sang while we waited for the wet people to change.  Pitch isn't always accurate here, but I wish you could hear the enthusiasm!  We sang several hymns and then they came out.  Robert, the newly baptized, looked like quite a different person.  Instead of t-shirt and torn jeans, he looked as you see him in the picture with the white shirt and tie (given to him by our elder from Roy, Utah who will go home next month). Robert has quite a story, too long for here.  He has had many difficulties, including losing his parents when he was young, not being able to read and write,

being shot when eating sugar cane in a field he wasn't supposed to be in--he was hungry, coming to the church and finding caring people and truth.  The Gospel can change people.  So, that 's the story and we are sticking to it!

Dominican Flag

  The other night at our Family Home Evening with several other missionary couples, the hostess pointed out that the flag for the Republicana Dominicana has some unique features that we should appreciate.

The flag was designed by Juan Pablo Duarte who was the father of the national independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti.  The independence came February 27, 1844.  We frequently drive on the street, February 27th.  We like the colors--blue for liberty, red for the fire and blood (of the independence struggle) and white for salvation (Another interpretation says  it is for God has not forgotten His people.) However, very significant is the center symbol, which is enlarged above.  The words at the top honor God, Country (or Fatherland) and Liberty (or Freedom).  There is a Bible in the center, said to be opened to John 8:32, "Y la verdad nos hara' libre." ("And the truth shall make you free.")  I thought that was such a nice theme.

Another nice thing we have noticed is that in the outer office of where we work, the morning begins with a scripture reading.  We think they may have a prayer too.  Usually these happen before we arrive.  It is a government records office, but that does not seem to be a problem.

What if those of us who live in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" were to do that?  In the olden times it would have been expected.  In the most recent years, it would be criticized at least.

Still clicking pictures

    Earl, also known at the office as Raul since his name is hard for them to pronounce, is getting quite good with the filming.  He checks out the books from the birth records room, brings them to our little office, works on getting them just right for focus.  Caren fills out the form on the computer to designate which book it is.  The books may be from the late 1800s or from 1940s.  Either can be in pretty good condition or quite bad.  So, here is Earl at work--wearing the visor that helps with the bright lights.

Most of our pages look more like the one on the right, sometimes with holes in them.

This left one was particularly bad, so you had to be a puzzle worker to try to put it

together.  It isn't so much the age of the books, but the humidity and the ink and paper that were used.  Now I am understanding more about acid-free materials!

This week we captured over 4500 images--birth records--which will pretty soon be available onlne for viewing!  The records are sent to Santo Domingo from all over the country to be used by people for various purposes--identity cards, voting privileges, getting visas or passports, etc.

Sights on the way to La Isabela

   On the way to La Isabella, which was a fairly long drive, but decent road, we saw a few interesting sights we would like to share.

                                          Apparently, you can herd cattle on your moto.

You might notice that there is a skill of good posture and balance here!

You can click to see these larger.

Then we saw several houses of interest.  The first one is built with slats of coconut wood.  You can do all sorts of things with coconut trees.  Of course, then you want to paint it a pretty color.

As long as we are talking about color, I am still intrigued with the colors of houses here.