So Saturday morning came... and we were ready to go out in service.
The group is much earlier than it is here where we live (Nashville). The group meets at 8:50am. They usually are out in service until 11 or 11:30am. The sun gets way too hot to stay out any more then that. So they take their lunch break from that time until about 3pm. Then at 3pm, some of the friends (especially during the week) will go back out in service until about 6 or 7pm... and sometimes later.
Made our way to the Kingdom Hall... Enjoyed the group with the CO and enjoyed service with the friends. The territory we were at was close by, so we walked out the hall, and started working. Below you'll find some pictures (and I hope to get some videos uploaded) of the territory we were at. We had a really great morning. The people are friendly and most of them are eager to speak with you about the Bible.
Around 11:15 we made our way back to the Garrett's house for some cool air and lunch. Their daughter, Lala, made us some very delicious mangu. This is a typical dish of the Dominican Republic made of smashed, cooked green plantains, butter, garlic... and is usually eaten with fried salami, "pollo Colorado" (red chicken) and onion. Yup.... So GOOD!!!
The Samana Congregation has their Public Talk & Watchtower study on Saturday evening. So after lunch we made our way back to our apartment to rest and get ready for the meeting. Posted below is a short video of the ride in the 'moto-concho' back to our apartment. (FYI: Want info about our meetings? Check THIS out!!)
We met so many friends at the Hall. They were all so friendly. The congregation is very loving! We can't wait to get back to the friends we made there.
After the meeting, a small group of the friends went to the Malecon to get some pizza. It was nice to be able to have this time with them.
Day 4...
On Sunday morning, we were thinking of checking out one of the beaches, but decided to stay in town and keep searching for apartments and just getting as much info as we can. Even though I was itching for the beach so bad... I'm glad we stayed in town. We were able to speak with some of our neighbors, some other friends and we got in touch with someone who owns another apartment; which happens to be a brother as well. I feel like we got a lot done that day. Lots of good things came out of that busy morning :)
Then in the evening, we were invited to a 'pasa rato' with the congregation (a gathering). Jay Anderson and his wife, Deb (mentioned before) were moving to another congregation.. and the friends in Samana threw them a 'Good-bye Party'. Dominoes, food, a slide show, friends and some Sophia & Caleb videos... What more could you want?
Here's a funny story about our experience during the gathering... Not many people own cars in Samana. Usually a motorcycle/dirt bike or something similar. So, how do you get a congregation to the party? You rent an open air bus and get everyone on!! It was so much fun!!! I wish I had taken more pictures of the ride. It was great! The 'scary' part was coming back home... at 11 o'clock at night... with no street lights.... down a bunch of hills!! But it was exciting and fun, nonetheless.
We had a wonderful evening. We hope all the best for Jay & Deb in their new assignment!!
Enjoy the pictures of days 3 and 4....