haiti #2

My work in Haiti has been great so far. I'm just finishing up my time in Cap-Hatien (see map below) and will be flying to Port au Prince tomorrow. Well, hopefully flying. There's a storm coming in that might ground our plane in which case we would have to drive. The roads here are nearly impassable, so hopefully we can catch the flight. Then I'll be in Port au Prince and Jacmel the rest of the time.

Northern Haiti is actually quite beautiful in places. Although we've been to some pretty impoverished areas, the hotel where I'm staying is quite nice. Here's a photo from the beach in front of my hotel:

haiti

I (Drew) will be in Haiti from May 23rd through May 31st! I'll tell you all about it and share some photos with you when I return. I will be taking photos for a development organization who has funded some projects there. The red circles on the map below represent the cities I'll be visiting...

mother's day

Mom and Mother's Day flowersWe had an exciting and meaningful Mother's Day this year because we got to spend it with one of our mothers! Wisconsin Mom and John came to Philly for the weekend and we had great times together. They flew in late Friday night and were able to stay until late morning on Monday. We had a wonderful relaxing weekend hanging out together.

Leah and Mom togetherLeah and Mom went to Khols and bought me some socks, which was nice, but we also ate at some great places (like McMenamin's Irish pub and, of course, the Trolley Car Diner). We took a lot of walks together and played a fun new game called "You've Been Sentenced." In the game, you're given a set of words from which you have to form a sentence. Some words are worth more points than others. It was really fun! I recommend the game...

Louisiana Mom!We missed seeing our Louisiana Mom, but we had a chance to talk with her and that was nice. We will be able to see her for a few days in June, so we're looking forward to that. Wherever you are, we hope you had a great Mother's Day too!

Mom and John in front of the trolley car

Opening the Mother's day gift at breakfast

In the guest room

simon's bite

Simon and his warm compress. Our dog, Simon, has never gotten along with Gracie -- another dog who lives in our apartment building. Gracie is a big dog. Simon is little. Gracie is the same size as a German Shepherd. Simon is the size of a dictionary. Gracie is built like a fighter. Simon is built like an academic. He has allergies and epilepsy and he loves cheese. Sometimes he trips when he's not paying attention.

Gracie is similar to this dog. So the other day when Gracie came outside, she approached Simon and it looked like she was just going to sniff him (dogs do that more than we do) but instead she chomped down on his neck and even picked him up a little before her owner pulled her off. Both Gracie and Simon were on leashes, but it all happened so quickly we almost couldn't have prevented it. They have sniffed each other before without violence.

Anyway, Simon was not bleeding and appeared to be fine until a few days later when his neck swelled up like he had swallowed a pool ball. I took him to the vet, got some meds, put a warm compress on him, and now he's doing much better. He didn't move for two days while he healed, but now he's back to normal.

Since this photo, the swelling is down, energy is up, and he's nearly back to his old self again.The people who own Gracie were very generous and concerned. They paid for Simon's vet visit and are coming over for dinner next week (without the dog).

dominican inspirations

Children at ICC's pre-school programOne of the coolest aspects of our trip to the DR was having the opportunity to see some great ministries at work. ICC, the church Leah attended when she lived there, is doing some amazing stuff in Santo Domingo. And it was fun to hang out with them and see what they're doing. We also got to spend the day with an organization called ASPIRE, who provides micro-credit and other services to help people start small businesses.

This is me looking in a mirrorICC is a welcoming, active, joyful, place that has made itself aware of the community's needs, and is powerfully working to address those needs: spiritual, physical, relational, economic, etc... In addition to the more traditional church activities (awesome music, youth programs, small groups) they run a community gym, pre-school, medical clinic, and also support people who want to start small businesses. Their worship services are powerful, celebratory, very relevant and VERY creative. Our closest friends in the DR are a part of this church and I wish we could go there every week.

A small business ownerASPIRE is an organization that offers micro-finance to people who want to start small businesses. They also offer health insurance, business training classes, life and money management skills training, and way more. As opposed to bank loans, which have high interest rates and no holistic support attached, ASPIRE offers extremely low rates for people without much collateral, but with all kinds of potential.

Some of the people who make ASPIRE workThis is community development at its best. And we got to walk around with some of the "counselors" who visit, on a daily basis, the small business owners. Many of the loans go to women and families, and it was an amazing gift to be able to meet them and see their businesses in action.

This guy started a business with his wife thanks to ASPIRELeah and I feel really passionate about these organizations and were very thankful that they let us hang out with them and see what they do. Hopefully we can go back again soon -- and for a longer stay.

santo domingo

The Dominican RepublicMostly old cars gushing choking smoking weaving honking not stopping screaming through lights and signs and crowds of cool people sauntering sipping smiling selling chilling crossing calling chatting laid out in the big tree shade or passing through sixteenth-century Caribbean-colored colonial concrete trembling in the bright blistering sun bathing this beautiful sociable tropical historical hospitable inviting capital city called Santo Domingo de Guzmán, República Dominicana – population 2.2 million.

Leah with Elizabeth and FlorAnd somewhere in the middle of all that is where Leah used to live.  And where she made some lifelong friends whom we love to visit when we can. In fact, the primary goal of our most recent trip (April 6^th through 15^th) was to spend a little time with friends.

Tom and Dee and the family and a treeThe Dominican evenings are stellar – balmy and breezy and cool. Perfect for a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace with Tom and Dee, whom we stayed with in Santo Domingo. But along with Tom and Dee, we got to hang out with their awesome family: Aisha (who cross-stitched a really great gift for us), Alina (who let us use her room and showed us the most incredible hospitality), Alize (who made us laugh and gave us some acting lessons), and Aaron (who melted something in us the way only babies can).

Easter eggs & everyoneFrom there we visited many other great friends and great places. Dominican food is a unique blend of African, Spanish and indigenous flavors. It's not too spicy, but very fresh and balanced. My favorite meal there was chicken and rice with plantains.

Leah and LidissetEveryone I met in the Dominican Republic was so easy to talk to – despite the fact that I didn't talk to most of them. Leah translated a lot since I can't speak Spanish yet (yet!). But everyone was really patient with me and went out of their way to include me in conversations. Now I’m registering for a Spanish class so I can learn to talk with my friends (who speak more English than I do Spanish).

Our next entry will be about the Dominican ministries and organizations we encountered. I’ve got a busy week, so give me a few days to get the next entry together.

A small-business owner selling plantainsBut don’t forget to check back soon to read about the loving, thoughtful, powerful, genuine, humble, life-changing, earth-shaking work people are doing in and through and for Christ.

before and after

Our next 3 entries (at least) will be about our trip to the Dominican Republic. There was too much greatness to fit everything in one entry. But while we process our photos and experiences, here's a little glimpse at our before yesterday and after yesterday...

Before April 15th

Sunset in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

After April 15th

Sunrise in Philly

dominican republic

For those of you who don't know, Leah and I will be in the Dominican Republic from April 6th through April 15th! That's where we got engaged two years ago. Click here if you'd like to reminisce with some photos from our first trip. And stay tuned for a full report from this excursion...

Map of where we'll be (mostly)

t-rex

the devouring thing and his cameraThere’s a movie where a group of people are hiding in a dark car. Of course, they are on a tropical island trying to avoid the rampaging dinosaurs that a silly old billionaire created from DNA found in the bellies of prehistoric mosquitoes that were perfectly preserved in amber. The rest of their posse has kept the movie going by being eaten in various and creative (not to mention bloody awesome) ways by killer dinosaurs. And now a T-Rex is onto them.

our lamp and its shadowKnowing that the beast sees only movement, they do their best to remain perfectly still. They wait wide-eyed and jumpy in jungle darkness, determined to survive. But as luck would have it, someone accidentally turns on a flashlight (it happens to the best of us). Just then, an eye the size of…well, an eye precisely the size of a car window appears in the window of their car. With a flair of dramatic realism, the pupil shrinks in the light. They are seen!

I don’t remember what happens next, but I think the dinosaur cracks the car open like an egg and makes an omelet out of them.

light and plant and sill and shadowI often think of that scene when I photograph something; my own predatory eye lowering close to the window, trying to crack a thing open – to take its life and light into me, to take its body and shape and movement, to take its time – to take its picture. Sometimes I even whisper a little monster roar before I take a picture; mocking that hungry craving thing that compels me to photograph.

these are a few of our favorite things

Rock and grass springing up outside our apartmentWalking. We love to take walks in our neighborhood. Many of the homes were built in the late 1800’s and are made of stone from the area. There’s also a lot of trees, parks, and woods in our neighborhood. Now that the air is warmer and little signs of life are pushing through the snow, it’s even more energizing. Plus it’s great exercise for us and for Simon!

Baking bread. We’ve stopped buying bread at the grocery store, and now Leah just pours some ingredients into an old hand-me-down bread maker a friend gave us. It fills the apartment with that great homemade bread scent, it’s less expensive, and there are no preservatives and crazy ingredients in there. Plus she makes awesome banana bread, pumpkin spice bread, and more! Wonderful and fun.

A twig curling through the melting snowGoing to church. We found this really awesome church  and we love it. We have several friends there and a whole bunch of warm, loving, happy, joyful, active role models. This church sits on the border of several different populations (rich/poor, black/white, young/old) and has stabilized as a community for all of us. This is not a church in transition from white to black or young to old, it is a mixed church that is working and alive and so very loving.

Simon the dog in his winter coat.They have somehow found a way to harvest the most valuable aspects of tradition, while remaining open to change and actively serving the real (not perceived) needs of the community. Leah and I love the liturgy and find the message of this church to be powerful and relevant.

This is us spending time together. Spending Time Together. We love spending time with each other and finding new and cool things to do together. Friday nights are date nights, and although budget constraints prohibit lavish and romantic evenings out, we always do something fun, creative and memorable.

A twig slowly cutting through the snow. Philadelphia has a great art museum, beautiful parks and rivers, an interesting downtown, and in the summer there's "Opera In The Park." Last weekend we had breakfast with friends, then photographed a wedding together. Anyway, we're doing great, and we hope you are too! Drop us a line when you have time.

Simon has long legs for his body size.                    
A branch buried in snow, but glowing with the warmth of the sun.