We have been home in the States 3 Mondays and each Monday it has snowed. Today snow is falling and forecasters are saying we are to get six to twelve inches. The children are excited. Everyday Brandon asks if he can go sledriding. Most people would probably be complaining about the snow, but we are enjoying it's beauty as long as we can watch it from the inside.
Kim's aunt died Saturday evening. She was 83 years old. The Helfrick siblings (Kim's aunts and uncles) have dwindled down pretty rapidly in the last few years. Out of 13 siblings, 6 are currently living.
Life is so much easier in the States. We are enjoying getting things done in half the time it takes us to do them in the D.R.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 11, 2005
Back in the good ole' USA
After many hours of packing and getting ready, our feet have safely touched American turf again. We were concerned about a snowstorm that was threatening to hit New York City, where we were to land. Because of many prayers that were going up in our behalf, we got in with no problem and the storm apparently went further north than had been anticipated. When we landed, there was no precipitation falling. We only encountered a few light snow showers on the way home to Pennsylvania from JFK airport.
After enjoying a graciously offered meal from some missionary friends in New York City, we began the trip to Pennsylvania. We arrived in around 2:00 a.m. and Ryan was awake at 7:00. We are now trying to recover from jet lag and after a bit of rest, will attempt to unpack and get settled in.
We are already enjoying some luxuries such as hot showers, being out of the heat, not having to rush to get laundry and other jobs done before the electricity goes out, and the complete peace of the country setting. We are just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet and the scenery of beautiful mountains in our area! A nice change!!
The children were excellent travelers yesterday and Ryan is adjusting well to new faces and surroundings. Perhaps this place looks familiar to him. Brandon & Regina are enjoying Grandpa and Grandma and playing with different toys.
There is still another mountain left - moving in. But at least one mountain is down and that is the stress and strain of packing, getting here etc.
After enjoying a graciously offered meal from some missionary friends in New York City, we began the trip to Pennsylvania. We arrived in around 2:00 a.m. and Ryan was awake at 7:00. We are now trying to recover from jet lag and after a bit of rest, will attempt to unpack and get settled in.
We are already enjoying some luxuries such as hot showers, being out of the heat, not having to rush to get laundry and other jobs done before the electricity goes out, and the complete peace of the country setting. We are just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet and the scenery of beautiful mountains in our area! A nice change!!
The children were excellent travelers yesterday and Ryan is adjusting well to new faces and surroundings. Perhaps this place looks familiar to him. Brandon & Regina are enjoying Grandpa and Grandma and playing with different toys.
There is still another mountain left - moving in. But at least one mountain is down and that is the stress and strain of packing, getting here etc.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Update on Mom
Mom's heart catheterization went very well. They did not find any blockage or any problem with her heart. The symptoms she is having are caused thought to be caused by reflux or arthritis. What a relief! We are thankful that it is nothing major. We can now go about our packing with a little less stress.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Catchin' up
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to update this (in case you didn’t notice). After revival services and visitors, now it’s time to seriously start packing for the States. Suitcases have been pulled out and are being filled. We also try to visit as many of the church families as we can before we leave. It’s going to be a full 2 weeks.
We were happy to have Ralph & Ann Day visit us for 8 days. Bro. Day did many miscellaneous jobs such as finish a closet in Brandon’s bedroom, put a door handle on the truck, put a new door on a room, set up an alarm system for while we are gone etc. It was so nice to have him accomplish all of that for us.
Their grandaughter came along and helped with the children. They made a new friend and I think she took part of them home in her heart.
Doug’s mom is scheduled to have a heart catheterization on Monday at 9:30 a.m. We are hoping and praying that this goes well.
I guess we better gear up for COLD weather when we get to Pennsylvania. Our cold snap here in the Dominican of mid to high 60's early in the morning has seemingly diminished. It seems like the 2 months of cooler weather doesn’t last real long. We sure enjoyed it while it was here.
We were happy to have Ralph & Ann Day visit us for 8 days. Bro. Day did many miscellaneous jobs such as finish a closet in Brandon’s bedroom, put a door handle on the truck, put a new door on a room, set up an alarm system for while we are gone etc. It was so nice to have him accomplish all of that for us.
Their grandaughter came along and helped with the children. They made a new friend and I think she took part of them home in her heart.
Doug’s mom is scheduled to have a heart catheterization on Monday at 9:30 a.m. We are hoping and praying that this goes well.
I guess we better gear up for COLD weather when we get to Pennsylvania. Our cold snap here in the Dominican of mid to high 60's early in the morning has seemingly diminished. It seems like the 2 months of cooler weather doesn’t last real long. We sure enjoyed it while it was here.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Blessings among battles
With trials such as a fussy, teething baby and a power outage since last Thursday, life has been quite interesting recently. Each new day we wonder if this will really be the day they come to fix our electric line or if they just told us that to make us feel good. It is tempting to complain....until we think of those in Asia who have suffered loss of life and possesions. It sure makes our battles seem really small and helps us to focus on the blessings rather than the battles.
Algenis, a special young man for whom we are praying to get saved, had planned to list in the US Army through Puerto Rico this week. Plans have changed and he now will not be returning to Puerto Rico until February. God is working in this situation. We continue to trust and believe that God will work out His plan in Algenis’ life.
Algenis, a special young man for whom we are praying to get saved, had planned to list in the US Army through Puerto Rico this week. Plans have changed and he now will not be returning to Puerto Rico until February. God is working in this situation. We continue to trust and believe that God will work out His plan in Algenis’ life.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Buffalo
"Is that buffalo?" - Brandon in reference to the meatloaf that Mommy made today. We have no idea where he got that from.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Power outage
One month till we go to the States!
Life never seems to get dull around here. There’s always something to keep you on your toes. On Thursday night, an electric transformer blew leaving about 5 houses without power, of which we are one. After reporting it about 9 times, and a "fix" job that left the electricity at such a low wattage it still was not enough to give us power, it is out again. I wonder how long it will take for them to come out and fix it this time. It is getting a little (maybe a lot) frustrating.
Life never seems to get dull around here. There’s always something to keep you on your toes. On Thursday night, an electric transformer blew leaving about 5 houses without power, of which we are one. After reporting it about 9 times, and a "fix" job that left the electricity at such a low wattage it still was not enough to give us power, it is out again. I wonder how long it will take for them to come out and fix it this time. It is getting a little (maybe a lot) frustrating.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Mute duck
"Mom, when I talk to my duck, he doesn't talk back to me. He just listens." - Regina in reference to her favorite stuffed duck.
Monday, January 03, 2005
A day in the park
This afternoon we took the children to the park. Since we live in the city with a small yard, we enjoy going to the park where we can ride bikes and take walks. Brandon & Doug took a 2-mile bike ride. Brandon pedaled full speed the whole ride. We couldn’t believe he made it that far without getting tired.
Regina and Ryan enjoyed playing on the playground equipment and feeding the pigeons. It was so nice to get out into an open area and enjoy the trees and grass as well as escaping the dirty, noisy street that we live on.
It was a nice "breath of fresh air" (literally) before the hectic schedule that lies ahead of us.
Regina and Ryan enjoyed playing on the playground equipment and feeding the pigeons. It was so nice to get out into an open area and enjoy the trees and grass as well as escaping the dirty, noisy street that we live on.
It was a nice "breath of fresh air" (literally) before the hectic schedule that lies ahead of us.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
"Flying" into the New Year
One of the traditions in the winter season of Dominican Republic is kite-flying. There is a strong breeze that we enjoy from November to March. During this season, you will see 20 kites or so flying in the sky from mid-afternoon till early evening. The children make kites out of sticks and plastic bags. Euddy made one for Brandon and Doug helped the children get it into the air yesterday afternoon. Brandon was so excited. We all sat on the flat roof and watched with anticipation. Finally the kite rose into the diamond blue sky. Brandon enjoyed it so much he said, "I could just sit here and watch my new kite." Regina also tried her hand at flying the kite. It was a big event in the Hoffman household.
As for New Year’s day, today is just like a normal Saturday for us. The holidays are rather lonely and we commonly find ourselves drifting into our normal work routine for lack of anything else to do. Perhaps we would go visit a friend, but to avoid theft, we have a policy that we do not let the house alone. It doesn’t seem fair to ask anyone else to come and guard the place since it is a holiday. If we were in PA, we would probably get together with family or friends for some sort of meal or playing games. Instead we enjoyed the evening together with our own little family - flying kites again and making homemade pizza.
For the Dominicans, they have the custom of having a new outfit for New Year’s Day. Many people in the street today were dressed in their new outfit. Children were even in the streets begging earlier this week for money to buy a new outfit for New Year’s day.
We can now say we’re going to the States next month!
As for New Year’s day, today is just like a normal Saturday for us. The holidays are rather lonely and we commonly find ourselves drifting into our normal work routine for lack of anything else to do. Perhaps we would go visit a friend, but to avoid theft, we have a policy that we do not let the house alone. It doesn’t seem fair to ask anyone else to come and guard the place since it is a holiday. If we were in PA, we would probably get together with family or friends for some sort of meal or playing games. Instead we enjoyed the evening together with our own little family - flying kites again and making homemade pizza.
For the Dominicans, they have the custom of having a new outfit for New Year’s Day. Many people in the street today were dressed in their new outfit. Children were even in the streets begging earlier this week for money to buy a new outfit for New Year’s day.
We can now say we’re going to the States next month!
Thursday, December 30, 2004
A break after Christmas events
All of the Christmas festivities have come to a halt. Visitors, the wedding, Christmas presents and such have all turned into photos and memories. In one way we feel like a person who has just roller skated for hours. You take off your skates and still feel as if your feet are on wheels for the first several minutes. We have several weeks "break" until the hustle begins again. The next major event is the New Year’s Eve service scheduled for tomorrow evening. The church in years past has had an all night service lasting till 6:00 a.m. This year they decided to have a service from 10:00 p.m. till midnight.
Ryan is as busy as they come. Now almost 15 months old, he is practicing up for the two’s. Today he got another turn at playing in the potty, tasted laundry detergent, and nearly pulled a cup of water off the table. I caught it just in time. He enjoys crawling up on the back of the couch to look out the window - something Brandon delighted in around the same age as Ryan. Of course, who doesn’t enjoy looking at all of the sights of the street out front - the old clunker cars that look like they belong in a junkyard, the trotting of the horses as they pull wagons behind them, the loud boisterous motorcycles, the many people that stroll by, and the old scruffy dogs that pass by. There is never a dull moment on our street. One can usually enjoy about 30 seconds of complete silence a day. But you have to pay close attention, otherwise that break of silence will creep by without you even noticing.
Ryan is as busy as they come. Now almost 15 months old, he is practicing up for the two’s. Today he got another turn at playing in the potty, tasted laundry detergent, and nearly pulled a cup of water off the table. I caught it just in time. He enjoys crawling up on the back of the couch to look out the window - something Brandon delighted in around the same age as Ryan. Of course, who doesn’t enjoy looking at all of the sights of the street out front - the old clunker cars that look like they belong in a junkyard, the trotting of the horses as they pull wagons behind them, the loud boisterous motorcycles, the many people that stroll by, and the old scruffy dogs that pass by. There is never a dull moment on our street. One can usually enjoy about 30 seconds of complete silence a day. But you have to pay close attention, otherwise that break of silence will creep by without you even noticing.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Tropical Christmas season
Except for the Christmas decorations still up in the house, it is hard for a NorthAmerican to believe that Christmas was just a few days ago. It is just like a summer day in Pennsylvania. This afternoon reached a high of 92 degrees.
The neighboring barber shop was broken into last week and a neighbor lady has told us of several people who seem to be watching our place. Theft is high again as it is Christmas season. Doug spent the afternoon installing a dusk to dawn light at the back of our property as well as cutting out tall trees and brush that would be easy for someone to hide in.
Ryan received his second haircut today.
The neighboring barber shop was broken into last week and a neighbor lady has told us of several people who seem to be watching our place. Theft is high again as it is Christmas season. Doug spent the afternoon installing a dusk to dawn light at the back of our property as well as cutting out tall trees and brush that would be easy for someone to hide in.
Ryan received his second haircut today.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Euddy weds
Our Bible Institute student in pastoral training, Euddy Vargas, married Dionelly Ferreras on December 18th, 2004. It was a joy to see this young, pure, Christian couple marry. Euddy will be continuing his studies over the next year and then they expect to enter into fulltime ministry. A possibility is at one of our outstations - San Juan, a small city about 4 hrs. from the capital.
The only sad note to Euddy's wedding was that his brother, Blenski, could not attend due to being in military boot camp. He has been granted permission to leave on weekends now which started this past weekend - one week after Euddy's wedding. Everyone was sad that he missed this big event.
The only sad note to Euddy's wedding was that his brother, Blenski, could not attend due to being in military boot camp. He has been granted permission to leave on weekends now which started this past weekend - one week after Euddy's wedding. Everyone was sad that he missed this big event.
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