Thursday, January 19

This morning Linda and I set out on a journey to visit the emerging CGGC mission in the Dominican Republic. We drove to Philadelphia to catch a three-hour flight to Miami. There we met Pastor Travis Bodden and Ryan Wiseley from the New Beginnings Church (Decatur, IL), who traveled with us to the D.R. The route from Miami took us eastward over the Bahamas and across the Turks and Caicos Islands to Providenciales and southward from there to the island of Hispaniola which is divided between Haiti on the west and the D.R. on the east. The capital city of Santo Domingo is located on the south coast and served as the first seat of government in Spanish colonial America prior to Mexico City. Bartolommeo Columbus, brother to Christopher, laid out the original settlement in 1497.

We arrived in the D.R. at 8:45 p.m. Atlantic local time (7:45 Eastern). We disembarked and made it through customs, exiting the airport in less than an hour. Caleb Acosta along with Pastor Fremio Jimenez met us and transported us across the city to the home of Dona Aida Adalgisa Aria which will serve as our base while we’re in the country. Sister Dona once ran a Dominican restaurant in New York City and so she prepared a Caribbean meal to welcome us.

Ryan Wiseley, Travis Bodden, and Linda Rosenberry enjoy a Dominican Welcome Dinner

The dinner consisted of white rice and beans, fried bananas, a bacalao fish entre accented with potato, green pepper, onion, and tomato paste, along with a salad of lettuce, avocado and tomato. After the meal we sat at the table and talked a while before going to bed. Besides Dona served Dominican coffee which comes with a jolt of caffeine.

Friday, January 20

The morning dawned quite pleasant at 70 degrees Fahrenheit with bright sun and a nice breeze. We arose and freshened up (cold water only), dressing for the day. Dona prepared coffee for us to begin the morning which I normally do not drink, but with two spoons of cane sugar it suited me. It seems in the D.R. they like it strong, but very sweet. Next came a full breakfast of fried eggs and salami slices, plantains, and avocado; ah yes, and more coffee. After eating we walked a couple blocks to the church building where we’ll hold our training sessions today. The church began in Sister Dona’s house, but when it outgrew that space they needed another place to meet. The current location provides a worship area on the first floor and living quarters for the pastor and his family upstairs. Pastor Fremio introduced us to his wife, Evelyn, and their two daughters. She then gave us a tour of their home before the people arrived. It’s very modest.

Pastor Fremio and his wife, Evelyn

At 10:30 a.m. Pastor Fremio opened the morning session. A goodly number from the church came, but many had Friday work commitments. I began with a conversation on the subjects of the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and feet washing. Linda followed with a presentation on the role of women in the church as seen in the New Testament and encouraged the men and women alike to use their particular gifts and calling as the Lord blesses. Pastor Travis then talked about the need for a larger vision beyond the current facility and church ministries. After him, Ryan shared about service behind the scenes and especially in a supporting role to the pastor and those who labor “up front.” He emphasized that the goal as Christians is to serve the Lord by serving others. We all joined in a time of praise singing before the last session when I focused on the essence of Christian leadership. We finished about 1 p.m.

Caleb Acosta on guitar

After the meeting we walked back to Dona’s house for a late lunch. She cooked a guinea hen stew and served it with white rice, lentil sauce, fried bananas, avocado slices and the usual lettuce and sliced tomato salad. For dessert she served us fresh pineapple slices, yummy! Coffee time completed the meal, but then came a surprise taste treat, zapote.

Zapote Fruit

It’s a fruit with reddish colored flesh that tastes like a cross between avocado and yam or sweet potato. Christina said it’s particularly delicious when concocted into a chilled milkshake-ike drink. When we expressed interest in trying it sometime, Dona promptly made us each a glassful by mixing chopped ice, sugar, and cream with the fruit in her blender. She proved Christina right. I loved it! We talked a while and enjoyed siesta before doing some tourist stuff.

Zapote Drink

We went to see the Christopher Columbus memorial located on high ground overlooking the bay. The D.R. erected the monument in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of his landfall in America. That year, Pope John Paul II came as did many other dignitaries to celebrate the anniversary. The structure is a massive concrete museum built in cruciform to honor Columbus and the countries and cultures impacted by his coming. The government also moved the white marble and bronze memorial from the 400th anniversary celebration to the site and built the new structure around it. The 1892 monument includes a bronze casket with remains of the great explorer that, according to the guide, is opened every October 12th. We paid 100 pesos ($2.60 each) for the tour which included a mix of history, legend, and misinformation. A lot of the exhibits, though interesting, had little or nothing to do with Columbus.

The 1992 Christopher Columbus Memorial

The tour took about an hour after which we returned to Dona’s house through the 5 o’clock rush hour traffic. Now, there’s an experience! The horn is the best driving aid, along with an occasional hand gesticulation. Few traffic signals exist, so movement is determined by the rule of possession. Take control of the space in front of you, or be squeezed out and wait forever. Drivers from the cross streets simply pull into the driving lane and force oncoming cars to stop. It might be helpful to drive a beat up vehicle or something huge since collisions become inevitable. Thankfully we arrived at the house without incident.

Friday night we went to see the old colonial city, or at least part of it. Caleb drove and Pastor Fremio served as our guide since he knows the streets of the city. Our destination was the cathedral of Santo Domingo, first built in the early 1500s but expanded in subsequent centuries.

Christina Acosta at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo

The central façade featured statues of the four evangelists on either side of the large arched double doors. The tympanums over the two doorways featured stained glass rather than the usual carvings. Above the first level to either side stood statues of the apostles Peter (on left) and Paul (on right) with windows and a central crest featuring a double-headed eagle as the standard bearer. Above this is a bas-relief mannerist frieze featuring scrolling vegetation intertwined with cherubs and animal images and a central medallion. The triangular pediment at top is unadorned except for a molded and sculpted cornice. Words fail to describe the elegance of this impressive Palladian masterpiece.

The Cathedral

We walked around the building which is quite large considering its age and location in the Americas. In the back we found an unexpected architectural treat, gargoyles! They had been removed from the roofline at some point (No doubt because they became hazardous) and lined up along the back walk like so many howling dogs. They were sculpted in a primitive style, not at all in keeping with the classical skill evident on the front façade.

The Gargoyles

On the way out of the colonial city we drove by the presidential palace and stopped at the main gate for a few pictures and to talk with the guards on duty. It was built during the time of the dictator Turjillo who ruthlessly ruled the country from 1930 until 1961 when he was assassinated.

The Presidential Palace

We returned to the house about 10 p.m. and Dona again prepared a sumptuous meal for us consisting of chicken, grilled eggplant, boiled green bananas, yucca with onion, a cold potato and carrot salad and of course white rice, avocado, and lettuce-tomato salad. There is no doubt that all of us will gain weight on this trip.

Tomorrow we expect to participate in a baptismal service with the Santo Domingo Church at a local nature preserve and in the coming days to travel to other areas where ministry is beginning or where there is potential for new work. Everybody was so tired that we only talked a short while about the upcoming plans before turning in for the night. Today was an excellent beginning to our visit.

Pastor Ed

(continued next week)