A “Foto” Says A Thousand Words

Yep…it’s about time for another pictoral blog

Sooooo much to show you.  Enjoy!

Let’s start off with a personal favourite…MOTO’s of the DR.

Saw this little beauty on the way home from school one afternoon.  The gentlemen even slowed down so I could get a better pic.  Notice the wonderfully woven thatched roof, smashing colour scheme, and profile tires. And, don’t forget the recently filled propane tank in the front seat!

“Listening” in church has taken on a whole new meaning for our clan.  We’re loving the musical worship.  Take your favourite current worship song, translate it into Spanish, then had a Latin flare in the music.  Soooo very cool!  The sermons are wonderful…I think  Learning the lingo has lead us to really focus in and ask the Lord to help us pick up as much as possible.  Our church has a little bit of tech to it which it a big benefit.  Check out Drew listening to our Pastor’s message being translated into english over a transmitter

February brought about our first time experiencing Dominican Independence Celebrations.  While life is challenging for many here, when it comes time to celebrate, nothing holds a candle to this land.   “Carnival” runs every Sunday at the Monument (about 5 kms from our place) in February.  It’s everything you can imagine it might be.  The trouble is, as gringo, it’s simply not safe for us to be there.

Our school though, put on an incredible display of local Dominican art, culture and history in an evening celebration for families and friends.  Even our two oldest Dominican “wanna-be’s” took part!

Amber as a Dominican Construction Worker – her class did a play celebrating ‘Life In The City”.  It’s too bad she’s still so shy

Carter, (otherwise known as “EL TORO”) took part with his class in a flag dance.  He was dressed as the white stripe of the Dominican flag.  The only challenge of the night was keeping the girls away…young and old

The Sr. Class at Santiago Christian School took being thankful to new heights by inviting the entire 500+ student body to write what they were thankful for and post it!  It was a sight to see.  Hundreds of coloured sticky notes covered the wall and set the stage for great discussions.

*Some of the adventurous young hearts & minds in Tracey’s 3rd Grade Class!  Given Tracey is both an in-class and PE teacher, she’s mastering the art of “Interactive Learning”. Here you can see her students learning what it meant to walk in the wilderness of the Old Testament mixed with calculating the longitude and latitude of their current geographical location (ah…actually…this is really recess but the first statement sounded more impressive).

*One of the godliest men I’ve met here in the DR, Amuary Gracesqui…born and raised here in Santiago, shares what God is doing in the local prison he leads Bible Studies in with my (Tim’s) 9th rade Bible Class.

*In Prison with Amuary after the terrifying-turned-awesome opportunity to share a devotional with 30+ ‘men behind bars’ at their Bible Study Graduation.  I’m the very pale (for more reasons than one) guy in the back on the right.

*Following the Bible Study Graduation, my heart was humbled to the point of standing speechless while God used Amuary to “Bautista” (Baptize) two inmates who have seen their lives begin to turn around as they give their hearts, minds & wills over to Christ.

The picture above is taken in the prison courtyard.  What you can see is the men in a “Tinaco”, which is typically used as a water holding tank on the roof of a house to heat water with Solar Power.  This day, it was our make-shift baptismal tank.  The water came right from the garden hose.  What you can’t see in this picture are the dozens of men (off to the right) in the outdoor auto mechanics shop checking out all this “Jesus” stuff going on.

* We pause this pictoral blog for the following POLITICAL PARADE

…It really doesn’t matter where you go or when, with a National Election 2 months away, travellers are subject to random, and passionate political rallies.  So far we’ve encountered them in the city, on country roads, in the morning outside our church doors, and at night whooping it up and a dance hall on the main street.  This little shin-dig was on the main road in a small mountain town.

*Not to be outdone, the main competitor in this election thought…”Why just stand on the side of the road and party it up?  Why not TAKE OVER the highway?!!!”

*CUTE baby picture!!!  (Our youth pastor’s little baby girl)

*And finally,  the Houck crew chillin with “YVNO” on a Saturday afternoon.  Yvno, and his parents (Yves & Naomi Tallyrand) have become special friends.  Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, they’ve immigrated to Santiago to get more biblical education & certification with the intention of returning to their homeland to share Christ.

Please pray for them.  It is no easy road for a Haitian family in the Dominican.  Financial and racial barriers litter the pathway.  Yves has started a Bible Study with families on Friday nights in a “Compo” area (poorest of the poor) in Santiago.  God is leading many to Him….to the point actually where they are needing to take their outdoor meeting (under a tree) to the inside to avoid rain.  Their faithfulness in the midst of challenge and hardship is so deep, and so genuine.  They are truly God’s servants in a ‘dry and weary land.’

There is a quick snapshot of life in the Houck Family Adventure.  A more detailed blog is coming soon.  God’s blessings on you and yours!

Tim…for the crew.

Velocidad

So here is your Spanish vocabulary question of the month.  Ready?

VELOCIDAD = ______________

If you put “Ventriloquist”, I’m sorry but that would be incorrect.  Maybe “Veloca Raptor” – nope, that would be a dinosaur.  Give up?  The meaning is simply, “Velocity”.

Velocity is a good word to describe the sense of pace and life we find ourselves living here in Santiago.  The definition of ‘velocity’ is similar to, but actually different from ‘speed’ (who knew!).  “Speed” is how fast an object is moving whereas “Velocity” refers to the rate at which an object changes position.  In real people terms?  ”Velocity” is aware of direction.  You build up motion as you move in a direction.  ”Speed” does not keep track of direction, it just wants to go!

The Christmas break was much-needed.  Prior to arriving in the DR we were strongly encouraged to keep an eye on our mental, emotional, and spiritual gas tanks.  We thought we had been doing pretty well.  Once the break began, wow, did we realize how exhausted we really were.  “Speed” is a great word to describe our lifestyle to this point.  Transitioning as a family into a new culture, trying to learn enough basic Spanish to function at a gas station or buying food, re-learning how to manage day-to-day necessities like laundry without a dryer on rainy days, cooking most food from scratch (which Tracey loves to do), and moving back into a cash primarily mindset (theft and fraud are prevalent with credit cards) is fascinating.

A surprise visit from Grandpa & Grandma Erickson for what looked like an uneventful holiday away from family turned it into a utopian time for the family.  Carter, Amber & Drew soaked up every ounce of time they could get with the grandparents and it was so fun to have them experience life and ministry here with us.  Thanx Grandpa & Grandma for making such determined effort to bless our family.  We love you both.

The hope & prayer of our family in the new year is to approach our lives and faith with a focus on “Velocity”.  Similar to the differences between speed and velocity, we want to move forward and with some speed but we want to make sure we’re aware of the direction we’re heading.

It reminds my of the story I heard (probably not true but it sounds really cool .  A fellow wanted to break the land speed record and set himself up in a southwest American desert with a jet propulsion engine attached to his car.  He got speed alright!  So much so that his car lifted off the ground like a 747 and blew away the land speed record.  Bad news was, he was directionally challenged.  He and his car bolted right into the side of a mountain and that was the end of his journey.  Definitely not something we want for our lives

And now, another episode of “Things That Make You Go, HUH?”:  Around New Years we woke up and enjoyed a quiet morning with family and updating ourselves with friends via Facebook.  What we discovered were well wishers from different areas of the U.S. and Canada sending their prayers and care in the wake of the 5.3 earthquake that happened in the Dominican the night before.  Um….well…we…uh…actually didn’t even realize that an earthquake had happened.  Oops.  We’ll do better next time, I promise

 

Motos of the DR:  This little buggy was somewhere along the north coast.  A 3 wheel wonder.  Can’t say the driver was too impressed with our photo journalism though.

 

 

 

Alrighty, back to the update.  Along with matching our lifestyle, the term “VELOCIDAD” is also the name of a ministry venture we’re creating in Santiago.  One of the most glaring needs we have seen outside of the poverty and human trafficking here, is for youth worker training within the church.

While traveling across Canada and into the United States the past three years it was evident that the availability of resources was plentiful.  It was a matter of directing people to them.  Here in the DR, they are starving for even a sliver of what their North American counterparts have at their fingertips.  Prohibiting factors like language (most materials are English only), availability (online resources aren’t so accessible when you have to decide between food/clothing or a MacBook), and cost are challenge to say the least.

We’ve been super blessed by the support of our local church.  Pastor John & Kelly Webb at Vida Nueva Iglesia (Church), along with Youth Pastor Edwin (sorry…I have no idea how to spell his last name), are running with this and plan to host our first event Saturday, February 18th at Vida Nueva.  The focus is to give youth workers here, of which 95%+ are unpaid and have no budgets, the best biblical and practical resources possible as they serve the kingdom of God in their local context.

I am stoked to have the opportunity to do this.  The event is “Totalmente Gratis” (Totally Free).  Any expenses are out-of-pocket.  It simply makes sense and needs to be that way.  Tracey and Kelly are hopefully preparing some snacks.  A local college age student prepared posters, video, power point slides (see sample below).  Two high school students have volunteered to run any sound and take pictures.  We have an amazing, free theology resource (in Spanish).  Literally a couple of hours after praying for bibles to giveaway, Pastor John received a call from a gentlemen who said he had 2 cases of Spanish bibles and wondered if we could use them?  Sweet!!!!  Hey, we even have a local fellow who owns the only Sub Shop in the city ready to provide a free meal as a door prize.

Please, please pray for this event to be absolutely impactful.  I genuinely could care less if anyone remembers who lead the event.  I am passionate about enabling my peers here in the DR to be used by God in every way to reach a generation now and those to come.  I cannot wait to see what happens.

**Notice the wonderful uranium like glow emanating from my head?  It’s somewhat of a natural style of picture for posters here in the DR.  Hope I don’t get stopped at Immigration next time I come home.  Could be embarrassing**

Lo Siento  (I’m Sorry):  I promised you a video for this blog and quite honestly didn’t get to it.  I will try at some point soon to make that happen.

Coming Soon:  As a time and money saver, we are moving into an apartment this week from our rental house.  We’re all pretty pumped about it.  It’s in a quiet neighbourhood and walking distance from basic necessities.

Missions Team:  We’re very excited to be hosting Grace Baptist Church Youth Mission Team from Grand Forks, North Dakota this coming June 2012.  Plans are in the early stages and the Lord is already bringing so much together.  Please pray for Matthew Morken (youth pastor) and the crew as they pray, raise funds, and get ready to dive in.

Random:   The BON Ice Cream guy arrives at 11:30am sharp every Sunday morning when church gets out.  Now that is a shrewd business mind.  Time to get him into church ahead of time

Lord willing as you read this you are doing very well!  Please feel free to connect with us here.  Our lives are as erratic as the internet reception so please be patient with us when trying.  Love you all & God Bless.

Tim for the crew.

Tis the Season to…figure out Christmas in the DR

So, we’re here in the Dominican and plan to be over the Christmas holidays.  The challenge, we’re discovering, is to figure out what Christmas looks like without snow.  Strange as it sounds, it is a real mind-bender getting into the Christmas spirit, preparing to celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and sing songs like “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”  The last thing we need in our house is something to make it warmer.

Now, before you go hatin’ on me for struggling with palm trees and fresh picked fruit in December, please believe me when I say, we’re all a little homesick this year.  We are so thankful for our families, their love and support in this venture which makes us want to be with them even more.

So…what does a person do for Christmas in the Dominican?  Apparently, much of the same as in Canada or the United States.  People are busy making homemade decorations.  Those who can afford it, buy lights and put them up.  Our kids noticed that outdoor decorations are less but indoor decorations are more common.  Stores have been into Christmas since the beginning of October.  It gets me excited to see what foods show up.

Speaking of food…pork, not turkey is the big delicacy for the holidays.  From all accounts, the seasoning used here mixed with how they roast it makes your mouth water simply from the anticipation of sinking your teeth into it.  We’ve also been told the Dominican Hot Cocoa is second to none.  After I got over the shock of having such a hot drink in a hot climate, I’ve been told once I taste it, I’ll never go back.  Some of the teachers even put on a ‘Christmas Cookie Exchange’ last night at their apartment.  Sooooooooo good.  Sugar rush last night meets the lack of energy downer today

Here are some picks of our very modest, first Christmas in the DR.

Feliz Navidad Stockings

Homemade Paper Chains &     Christmas Lights

Homemade Paper Snowflakes by Amber and Carter & a SnowDrew

Our Christmas Tree (...thanx Grandma Erickson)

Mom (Tracey) went to Canada/U.S. to visit her sister Tana, and also met up with great friends and extended family late November.  After a big scare, we’re very thankful Tana is recovering well from a stroke.  Chatted with her husband Marv and it sounds like she is a feisty as ever.  Oh man…Marv, was that public information?  We were humbled by a special gift (i.e. plane ticket) from special friends to make this possible.  Thank you so much.   As an added bonus, we arrived in Puerta Plata a few hours before Tracey’s flight and had some fun as a family crashing the waves and catching some rays before saying good-bye.

Sosua Beach (10 minutes from Puerta Plata Airport)

From the kids point of view, being with dad & his cooking brought dread, stress, and the potential need for counseling.  It did, however, lead to the discovery of our new friday night tradition, “Capricho’s”.  Simply, picture a ball of fresh cheese wrapped in a mixture of garlic mashed potatoe and deep fried.  It’s about the size of a small softball and lands in your stomach with the same punch.  Every calorie is worth it!  We also tackled roadside hot dogs with teacher friend Mr. Drew, and Empanada’s with another teacher friend Ms. Branch.  God has truly provided us with great friends to hang out and minister with.

Empanada's with Ms. Branch

Mom’s absence also brought an unsettled feeling across the Dominican.  Actually, a wrecked road, broken promises and the need to get something done brought our local community unsettledness.  While we were in no danger whatsoever, the local barrio around the school we teach at saw the need to take road repair matters into their own hands.  The result was 2 extra days off school, a trench dug across the only road into the school, angry protesters, a couple burning tires, and let’s not forget, fully armed military police to keep things under control (see pictures below).  Officially, this was a strike or “HUELGA”.

It was another example for us of how human need and emotion can bubble up into frustration when political promises (i.e. to pave a 15 km key stretch of road) goes undone.  A large part of my heart sympathizes for these neighbours who have little and receive little respect.  Many staff at the school have begun to talk and pray more about how to build solid relationships with the community and be the light of Christ to their families.  For my little part, walking down to the ‘Colmado’ and picking up a Gatorade once in a while has produced some funny conversations, not to mention alot of stares.  I can only imagine what people are thinking/saying…”Is he lost?”, “Wow, is he pale”, and “What is that glare coming off the top of his head?….Oh, he’s going bald”.

*All pictures taken by other school staff and myself.

Huelga #1 - Military Police

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huelga #2 - Protesters

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huelga #3 - Keeping the Calm

As for the month that was, it rushed by and December is doing the same.  Looking forward, three sets of plans are in motion for some very fun ministry.

City Wide Youth Leader Training (January or February 2012) - In conjunction with Pastors John and Edwin and Vida Nueva Church here in Santiago, we are into the detail stages of providing a multi-church youthworker training night with all the bells and whistles they deserve.  Thanx to Pastor Tom Castor of Grant Memorial Church in Winnipeg, Canada for gifting us with a Spanish copy of “Simple Truths for the New Believer” to pass out to every worker that attends.  For Vida Nueva Church in Santiago for offering their facilities for the event.  For Truth Matters Ministries Canada allowing us to use professionally created graphics to promote the event.  Did I mention, all of these have been given ‘GRATIS’ or FREE?  Thank you so much.

I cannot wait to update you with pictures from what the Lord pulls off!  Please pray for youthworkers to come, my preparations and direction to biblically solid and culturally relevant content, and God to lead in the hearts, minds and motivations.

Speaking Tour (February 2012)   First full week of February I will be traveling to Southern Manitoba, Canada to speak at various venues as well as Grand Forks, North Dakota to challenge a few hundred students at “The Foundry” city-wide gathering.  I’m pumped…and already shaking from the cold  I would love your prayers for the details to come together and funds to cover the costs.  I’m going on faith and we’ll see what God provides.

Love Month (February 2012)     For chapels and mentor groups throughout the month of February, a couple of teachers and myself will be putting together an emphasis on the true love of Christ and Relationships.  I will be speaking at some chapels and our hope is to prepare a biblically accurate, very real and down to earth discussion where the teenagers of the school can understand Godly love, ask questions, and establish their romantic lives in a holy and pure love.

Look for a little Christmas Video coming at Christmas from our family to yours.  You never know what our goofy clan will put together to make your festive holidays even brighter.

Please continues to pray for our health (colds, etc. have been coming on more and more), safety as we drive (been hit twice already …no injuries – thank you Lord), and our mission.

Finally…a couple more pictures for your entertainment pleasure.  Love you all.

Dios La Bendiga!!!

Moto’s of the DR:    Fruit…good – Truck…not so much

Not-So-Mobile Fresh Fruit Stand

Things That Make You Go, “HUH?”  makes a return this month.  While driving home from church we passed this little beauty coming up out a manhole.  Yep…it’s a tree!

"Urban Manhole Tree"

 

Dashboard Diary

Hola Amigo’s and Amiga’s!

It’s been a while so let’s get right into the latest happenings.  Once again each day has brought with it new experiences, sights and even smells.  Here’s a list of some of the best ‘new’ experiences this past month:

* Driving for the first time in the DR     Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo absolutely cool!  At first glance it looks like a mixture between NASCAR meets Speedy Gonzales meets AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!  In reality, it’s a constant flow that actually works.  Red lights? Optional.  Right of way?  Also optional.  New brake pads and a working horn?  Necissito!  As nervous as I was at first, I am psyched to get behind the wheel each day.  Very fun.

Our new wheels (and our new garbage can on top)

* Maneuvering in a Santiago traffic!   All I can say is ‘Woooooooow!!!’.  Imagine yourself on a two (and a bit) lane highway traveling in a busy traffic jam when you come upon one stalled vehicle and then 200 metres later, another stalled car.  Generally speaking, put your blinker on and get yourself into the appropriate lane.  In Santiago, that is also true…in a big, big way  This past Friday we saw what I’ve only imagined through movies thus far.  Our two (and a bit) lanes turned into 7 lanes with motorcycle taxi’s (moto’s) weaving their way in and through the cars as their fares held on tight.  Horns were a going, hands were a wavin, and drivers were a nudgin’ their way through.

For us it was both stressful and hilarious.  My fingerprints are permanently embedded in the steering wheel.  For the kids, they have dreams of grandeur hoping, and praying for another opportunity to experience the joy and bliss of this circus like moment in time again. From the back seats you could hear them saying, ‘look out dad, here comes a moto!’, ‘GO NOW dad…you can make it!’, and ‘this is awesome!!!!’.  Personally, all I could recall being heard were my own thoughts repeating over and over again….”Jesus, take me now!”

* Getting integrated into a church          When we arrived a we wondered how long it would take to slide into a church family where we not only fit, but where we could find the building  Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva (Church Baptist Life New…or New Life Baptist Church)  has been a fabulous place for our family to jump into.  Services are obviously in Spanish but they have ear phones you can wear that tap into an FM frequency where an english translator is sitting in the next room communicating everything in english.   We are at the point now where though we don’t necessarily wear the headphones (nor do we necessarily know the language either).  The people are wonderful, pastor  John and his wife Kelly (missionaries from the U.S. who have been here over 10 years), are beautiful people.  The greatest thing about Vida Nueva is how many community people have come to know Jesus through the ministry.  Simply a God thing.

* Diving into biblical truth with teenagers          Teaching 9th Grade Bible 1/4 time in a new culture has been challenging.  What has worked very well though is ‘team’ based learning.  The students are very community oriented and have a great time interacting.  Below are two pictures of some activities we did in Bible Class – #1 Abraham’s Altar for Isaac     #2 Old Testament Concho’s (i.e. taxi’s)     #3 Visiting the Children’s Hospital

* Living it up at our first Dominican birthday parties.          Carter and Amber have both now been to Bday parties for some new friends.  Key words you need to know are ‘pool party’, ‘DJ’ and ‘End? It ends whenever’.  This may not always be the case but we had this Blinding Flash of the Obvious when each party revolved around swimming.  Of course it would!  October 28th?  No problem!! It’s still 30 degrees.  Have at it kids!

* Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving…without Turkey          Had fun gathering together with the only other Canadian family at the school for mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and ‘chicken’?  Yep, turkey comes out around American Thanksgiving here and WOW, is it pricey.  Chicken can be found around every corner (literally).  So, why not!

* Ocean swimming in Puerta Plata          When we heard that good friends, the Vliek’s, were coming to Puerta Plata in October, it was a no brainer that we’d find a way to visit.  Believe it or not, this was our first family trip to the beach since we moved here in July.  Somethings just haven’t been a priority  Thank you so much June & Fred (and the rest of the crew) for a great day and blessing us huge with lunch!!  It was such a treat in so many ways.  Check out this picture of incredibly attractive people…oh..sorry…it’s just us.

* Old Fashioned Cattle Drive          The picture says it all.  Waited as we left school today as a local farmer brought his cows from one pasture to another.  Ironically both pastures border the school property.   Mooooooooooove over Houck’s, we’re comin thru!

 

*Harvest Time          Having an Avocado tree beside your house makes one the envy of others.  Not having a taste for Avocado and giving them to neighbours, teachers, and friends makes one popular.  Mathematically speaking it’s a win-win situation.  Count to date is over 50 Avocado’s + 30 new friends

* Merry Christmas          Thanksgiving? Nope…not here.  Harvest happens year-round.  Hallowwhat?  Nope.  We don’t need a tacky holiday for an excuse to dress up and have a party.  We have great parties all the time (please refer above).  Christmas?  Ya Sure You Betchya.  Christmas decor was in full swing throughout stores and Christmas lights were turned on very early in October.  We’re a little slow – no jokes please.  Just getting into the spirit now.

* Colmado Life          While 7-11 and Mac’s stores may dominate the landscape in North America, personally I’m liking “colmado’s”.  These little corner stores are everywhere and anywhere.  They carry the basic essentials and some even have home cooked empanada’s (fried pastries – yummmmmmy).  Water out of the tap is not drinkable so these little stores are indispensable for large, water cooler sized water jugs.  And go figure…they deliver!

* Creative Ingenuity          When in a situation that demands creative thinking, one must obey.  Pick and Avocado with one end and saw off branches with the other.  I’m not as you think I dumb I am!

* Basketball          Carter is flying high after being the only 6th grader to make the Junior Varsity team.  He’s competing against 7th, 8th & 9th graders.  Our tall kid looks small amongst the trees.  His first game?  Two rebounds and one blocked shot on a 6 footer.  That a boy!

Over and over again we are seeing God show up and challenge us in new ways.  Learning how to communicate in a new language is enjoyable.  It also opens up opportunity after opportunity to explain who we are and why we are here.  We’ve never had so many opportunities to share about our faith in Christ in such simple, and unthreatening ways.

November is going to open our eyes even more.  We plan on visiting a new girls school a 1/2 hour outside of Santiago where young ladies are being given chance for a new life and escape the potential of working the sex trade or being snared into human trafficking.  I (Tim) am meeting with two local pastors to talk about offering youthworker training events (at no cost) for the volunteers here in Santiago and communities outside the city.

Tracey is heading to Manitoba around the American Thanksgiving holiday to visit her older sister Tana.  Please pray for Tana, Marv and their family.  Tana suffered a stroke mid-October and is recovering well.  It was a total shocker to hear that someone that young would experience something so challenging.  A very special THANK YOU to friends who offered to and purchased a round-trip plane ticket for Tracey to get this chance to see Tana. You are absolutely amazing people who continue to give and give some more in different ways.  We are humbled by your gift.

Well, until next month I pray the Lord watches over ya’ll and that you will see God as He shows up in different ways in your life.  Please continue to pray for the Houck crew.  As ministry deepens in Tracey’s 3rd grade class and my 9th grade class, we are also wanting to move deeper into the life of our new city and see just how much our Lord will do.

Dios la Bendiga (God Bless You)

Tim…for the crew

Ground Hog Day

Buenas Dias/Tardis/Nochas  (Good morning/afternoon/evening)…depending on when you have the chance to read this.

September is wrapping up and I have to tell you, the only change that help identify a change of seasons here in the Dominican is that Mango Juice is a little harder to find.  I had to laugh when connecting with a friend in Canada about the beautiful changes in the leaves, cooling temperatures and brilliant colours like burnt orange, fire engine red, and banana yellow.  That type of visual change simply doesn’t exist here.

We are entering our 8th week of the school year.  And we are one week away from owning a vehicle.  What a utopian moment that will be.  Drew and I have been finding creative ways to hail a taxi.  Thankfully our Espanol (Spanish) is getting better and we can communicate the basics.  Having our own wheels will be amazing!

For a little shift in updating, the rest of this blog will show you some of the sights we’ve become accustomed to and have enjoyed.  We hope you enjoy it as well.  But first…

Essential Items:   Umbrellas & plastic shopping bags – yep, it can rain at a moments notice.  People carry umbrella’s with them everywhere.  And, if an umbrella seems cumbersome, why not use a local ‘trick of the trade’ and simply wrap a plastic grocery bag around your head (minus your face).  First time I saw this I thought I was seeing things. However, walking home in the rain from the grocery store yesterday…well…I felt a little left out when I passed 3 different ladies wearing heels, blouses, and bright yellow plastic grocery bags on their heads.  I really need to adapt better.

Things that make you go, huh?     Moto Concho livestock hauling.  A moto concho is simply a motorcycle taxi.  And they carry everything from people, to boxes, to propane tanks, to animals.  Tracey and Carter thought they hit the Colonel Sanders gold-mine the other day while traveling home from school this past week.  As they looked out their bus window what did their little eyes behold but a moto concho with one driver and somewhere between 10-15 dead chickens hanging off the sides, flapping in the breeze.  As the feathers flew by, Carter looked at his mother and exclaimed…man, I’m hungry (Note:  the last sentence may be a fabrication

We miss ya’ll!  Dios la Bendiga.

 

 

*Our home in Santiago, Dominican Republic

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Skyping friends back in Canada

 

 

 

 

*A Moto Concho

 

 

 

 

*Tim speaking at the Santiago Christian School High School retreat (September)

 

 

 

*Alternative Modes of Transportation #1

– bed of a pick up

 

 

 

 

 

*Alternative Modes of Transportation #2 – Riding horseback (this gentleman was actually stopped at a red light

 

 

 

 

*Banana & Plantane trucks

 

 

 

 

 

*Pick an animal…any animal!  (Roadside version of PetLand)

 

 

 

 

 

*Amber & Drew with their friend Debra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Carter with buddies at school

 

 

 

 

 

*Beautiful artwork we picked up from a local painter

Batten Down the Hatches!

Okay…so we have a first.  At least for us.  Tracey was prepping for classes in the morning when we got the call.  ”Just wanted to let you know there is no school tomorrow.  The government has issued mandatory school closures for the country.  It’s a Hurricane Day!”   Once the surprise and nervousness wore off, the novelty kicked in.  Seriously…a Hurricane day?  What do we need to do to prep?  Hope we have enough water and candles.  Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we could sit on the roof and watch the whole thing happen?  Just about woke the kids up to get their opinion.

Hurricane Irene is making it’s way up from Puerto Rico and should be around/over/on top of us somewhere by noon on Monday, August 22nd.  Chatted with a friend who has lived here for years and they said load up on necessities in the morning, but no need to stress. Probability for us in Santiago it means alot of wind, a good hard rain, and maybe 20 inches of the wet stuff.  What makes it funny is houses here don’t generally have glass on the windows.  We have screens, shutters, and even bars, but not glass.  We’ll have to let you know what all happens.

On the other side of things, Tracey and the kids kicked in to school this week.  5:30 am alarm for the teacher, and the rest of us follow at 6:am.  And here I thought 6 o’clock only came once a day…in the evening.  Below are some pics.

Santiago Christian School Campus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Houck crew on their first day of classes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracey teaching Amber’s 2nd Grade PE class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the ministry front for myself (Tim), we continue to pray for some specific answers.  I’ve been interviewing with YoungLife as well as connecting with the local Area Director and we are yet to make a decision.  I’m passionate about student ministry, and the opportunities here are so plentiful, I find it hard to describe them well.  As an example,  Santiago Christian School (SCS), has an enrollment of over 500 students Pre-K through Grade 12.  And although it is an openly Christian institution, a large portion of the student body do not come from a Christian home.  Families from all socio and economic ranges send their kids to SCS knowing the school is rated Number #1 or #2 in the country (depending on who you talk to).

It’s a re-learning of sorts.  Some families are connected all the way to the President of the country, while others are scraping by just to be there.  The Dominican is predominantly Catholic (the official religion of the state), but evangelicals are the minority.  I say ‘evangelical’ simply because the mormons, jehovah witnesses and others use the label ‘Christian’ and are accepted by society here as such.  To be in a Christian school setting with total freedom to share the truth of Jesus with the students is such a priviledge.

That is why my heart is already attaching to the teenagers at SCS.  Late fall I will begin coaching Varsity Boys Basketball, and I’ve already spoken at the middle school & high school chapels.  September 8-9 I will be speaking with over 100 high school students at a 2 day spiritual retreat in the mountains.  The doors are already opening to pour into the lives of these amazing teenagers.

Please fire up a prayer not only that the country fares well during our little Hurricane, but also that the hearts, minds and wills of the students are soft to the truth of Jesus Christ.

Essential Items Update:  Long matches….everything related to cooking is propane.

Things that make you go, huh?:  Our kids were playing with a couple of caterpillars on the sidewalk before school and our neighbour happened by.  The kids said ‘hola’ and showed him their furry little friends….to which he pulled out his machette, bent over, and chopped them in half!  He smiled warmly, returned his knife to its sheath, and headed home.  Apparently the little critters had infested a tree in his yard and he wanted to protect us from the same fate.  Now that’s a caring neighbourhood

Blessings

Tim

 

Drinking from the Firehouse

At first glance I’m thinking you were expecting a pic of one of our kids drinking from a local firehose.  And while that is distinctly possible (maybe even probable), I’m sorry to disappoint   There are, however, equally strange, odd, and new stories to share with you though that have the feeling of drinking from a firehose.

I’ll start with our trip from Toronto to the DR.  We left our hotel in the city of T.O….where a punk rock festival had just wrapped up the day before, and much of the neighbourhood was celebrating Uraguay’s soccer victory in the America’s Cup….at the precious time of 3am.  Kids were awake and excited…until we arrived in Miami, Florida.   Our flight came in late so we grabbed deli sandwiches and hopped on our connecting flight to Santiago, Dominican Republic.  The kids snoozed & Tracey and I could sense the excitment/apprehension/lunch welling up inside.

Santiago airport is small & beautiful.  After collecting out bags we discovered Drew’s car seat was still somewhere in Miami and coming on the next flight.  That didn’t matter though.  The Dominican has no rules on car seats.  In fact the DR also has no speed limits, no maximum # of people in a vehicle (I’ve counted 9 in a 2-door), lanes are optional to use as are stop signs, traffic lights and turn signals (the latter helps me feel like I’m still in Winnipeg).  After a week here though, it all feels normal. 

Speaking of normal.  Our home is a huge blessing.  Most of the staff live in apartments but because we have a larger family we are renting a house…for the same price.  It’s spacious and even has a balcony upstairs big enough to hang laundry & rip-sticking (i.e. like skate-boarding but much less adult friendly).  We also have a washing machine (no dryers here), a propane kitchen stove, microwave & fridge/freezer.  Lighting our stove is a hoot…Tracey is a little less psyched than I am on that one.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be one of the newer immigrant families who moves into the neighbourhood and doesn’t speak the language, aren’t familiar with the local customs, and fumble their way through asking for the simple items when shopping?  Well, guess no more!!!!  That is us…mucho bigtime.  We stick out like the inner filling of an oreo cookie.  The only gringo’s on the street, everyone knows who we are and we have no clue who they are yet.  We’ve met some who have been very gracious.  I tried out my sketchy spanish on one neighbour only to discover I thought I told here I was going shopping at the ‘Colmado’ (conerstore)…but really told her I was going shopping in ‘Columbia’.  Probably explains her perplexed expression.

The adjusting is going so well, we’re surprised and thanking the Lord for it.  No TV means alot family time which we cherish.  We are all learning Spanish, preparing meals, doing chores, and shopping as a group.

Now for stories.  I’ll summarize for the sake of size. 

Drew – falling headfirst onto the concrete floor (everything is concrete – no carpets) out of bed late at night makes quite a loud ‘thud’.  He’s okay

Common animals running around:  gecko’s, chickens, cockroaches, stray dogs, humming birds…all in our little yard.

Trees in our yard:  Avocado, Naranja (orange) & beautiful flowers

How you cut your lawn:  On your knees with hand clippers.  (Sounds like fun…for the kids)

When driving, assume everybody & anybody with do everything and anything at all times

Horns – honking your horn is just letting others know your there

Crossing the street:  There are two kinds of pedestrians in the DR.  The quick & the dead.  So far we’re pretty quick and getting faster each day.

Roosters:  Start doing their thing at 5:30am daily….did I mention we’re having chicken for supper?

Bathroom:  Doesn’t matter how fancy the place, you can’t flush the paper (YUK!!)

ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR THE DR:  Covered garbage cans for the bathroom, 30 pesos (90 cents) for a water cooler jug of fresh water, strong fly swatters for cockroaches, moths & children when necessary.

I hope you’re enjoying the updates.  Now that online accesibility is more frequent I’m hoping to catch up more regular.  We love and miss you all.

Dios La Bendiga

Tim