Thursday, February 26th, 2015

Most of  the team went to paint at Sosua Abejo, where we attended church on Sunday.  Half the team was assigned to the school and half to Pastor Olmedo's house.  A few men continued working on the shelving project.

The Pastor’s House 

The Sosua Abejo School

The team had finished up all the paint by lunchtime.  Following their box lunches they boarded the bus for a quick tour of the Brugal Rum Factory where Phil Williams apparently amused them with his own humerous commentary along the way.  The bus then took them to Agua Negra (or now called Nuevo Renacimiento) to visit the area where WestJet teams have been working over the last few years building houses and a playground.  Check the 2014 Blog more information on this.  They got to see part of the rest of the town as well as the garbage dump on the beach, which the Municipality was supposed to start cleaning up.  We were told this in 2007 when I took my first Journey to the DR.  The slow drive home in rush hour caused some nauseous moments for a few but they survived and appreciated the resort all the more. 

In the evening we held a surprise 60th Wedding Anniversary Party for the Hope's,  Bea started to plan this several months ago and was able find a willing co-conspirator, their daughter Cathy, who provided her with information and a collection of digitized pictures from their wedding and subsequent family life.  Bea bought paper wedding bells, cake decorations, ribbon, balloons, napkins and so forth.  We got in touch with the chef at the resort, through Rebecca Harnum and agreed to make a wedding cake for free.  We gave him a can of maple syrup and a jar of peanut butter which he gratefully accepted.  Harry and Helen were truly stunned when they entered the dining deck to find the whole team already seated, singing "Happy Anniversary to You".  Pastor Jim opened the celebrations with a blessing.  Following the meal, the Harry and Helen were shocked again when the 2-tiered wedding cake was paraded out by the head chef and the pastry chef.  The cake was ceremoniously cut and distributed to everyone in the dining area who wanted a piece.  Several of the other guests, who seemed to enjoying our party, came over to wish Harry and Helen congratulations.  PJ then performed a ceremony of reaffirming the wedding vows and Bea read 2 'telegrams', one from the minister of the Hope's church in Georgetown on behalf of the congregation, and the second from their daughter Cathy.  The evening ended with a slide show I put together called 'Helen and Harry a 60 Year Journey',  from the pictures Bea received from Cathy plus a collection of pictures covering several of their DR trips plus a trip to Africa.  The 'theatre' was set up on the patio overlooking the ocean using a PC, projector and portable screen.  By the time the evening was over more than a few tears had been shed and a sense of joy filled the air.  Following the slide show Harry and Helen went for more cake!

The Anniversary Cake

The Venue

Pastor Jim Renews the Vows

The Theatre