Dominica.... I Forget What Day it Is....

Yes, I've forgotten what day # this is of our trip to Dominica. I know it's Friday, July 2nd, so I guess this would be day 8. Oy, I"m tired!

Okay, today we women finished painting Pastor Ray's house. It is so beautiful. The sides are yellow, trim is white and the front door is a dark green. Beautiful. He's so happy to have a new house. He spent the day clearing off the land around the house, so he can prepare it to plant flowers. Beautiful...

We spent alot of time visiting with Pam, the woman who lives across the street. She brought several things for us to sample. Cocotea was a drink she brought over. It's made out of a nut, that is roasted and it pops open, sorta like popcorn, and then it's ground up with a mortar & pestle. Then the product is put in a pot, covered with water and boiled. It's then strained, and poured into a cup and hot milk is added. It doesn't have caffeine. But it tasted yummy, much like chai tea. We all sampled it. Then she brought over fresh pineapple out of her garden. Later we sampled breadfruit & smoked herring. She also brought us a drink that was sorta like a fruit smoothie, only the fruit was something different from any fruit I've ever tasted. I'll try to upload some pics here soon...

Also, Pam came over bearing gifts. She gave all of us women a maracca and she gave me a special bread basket she wove. These are so special to me. We have exchanged addresses, and I feel fortunate to have made a new friend, a new sister in Christ here on Dominica.

I came to this island with the idea of ministering to the locals, and instead, I've been ministered to. I came to bless, and I've been blessed a hundred fold. Thanks be to God.

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The men finished the roof and pretty much finished the deck on the snack shack. They also hoisted the frame for the swing set, and planted it in about 200 lbs of concrete. Mercy.... hard work.

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Tonight, we had chicken & dumplings for dinner, and had a pretty relaxing evening, full of chatting, and solidifying friendships.

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Tomorrow, the plan is for us to have a "fun" day. We will be driving to the emerald pool, to Trafalgar Falls, lots of swimming and playing in the water. We will also be doing some shopping. I'm hoping to find something cute for my precious grandbabies. We are also climbing a 4000 ft mountain and hiking around a lake, and experiencing the coolness on the island. Should be a fun-filled, picture takin' day.

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And that's my life so far...