The best is yet to come

We're on our fourth work day here and I can't believe how much we are getting done. A big round of applause to all of my supporters. Without you this would not be possible. I've been in the process of creating a paper reservation system for the Casa so they can better serve and manage our guests. We serve a variety of guests; from teams coming to care for our children in the villages to locals having weddings and birthday parties. We hope that once everyone is familiar with this system we can transition on to an electronic one. This week I was able to introduce everyone to our brand new reservation system, and they loved it. We also came up with new and fun ideas for our little gift shop, and more improvements we want to make to this great hospitality house.

The most exciting thing of all- As of now we are set to start our first tourism class for some teens in our villages this April! COTN partners with an institution called Infotep. Infotep works with different NGOs to promote education. They run courses, provide teachers and give materials to our students. We have just added tourism and hospitality to the list of courses provided. Once the students complete their class, we will offer them an internship at Casa Bethesda where they can get on the job training. Praise God! How amazing.

I'm so excited to come back in July and see our progress!

All the hard work for good cause

If you remember, we recently sent a shipping container to the D.R. with medical supplies and Hospitality supplies. Guadalupe has done wonders with the place. Here are some pictures of the Casa with our new toys. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint, new tables, lamps, pictures and bedspreads can do. You'll also see how our new shelves are quickly being put to use by the team here. We are here with a college ministry from UPC in Washington State.

Ven conmigo a La Republica Dominicana

For our non Spanish speaking friends, that means "Come with me to the Dominican Republic" Or at least I think. That's right. I'm in the D.R. this week, and what a great week it has been. I traveled down with Jody Stephenson, COTN's Venture Director. We had a rocky start - if you were wondering do NOT take Doxycycline on an empty stomach. Long story short the doxy and my body did not agree and I had to run to the bathroom in the airport cause I couldn't keep it down. I'm sure you all wanted to hear that. (Full version available upon request). Rest assured though, once it was out I was fine and we made it safe and sound to the D.R. I am here to work with Guadalupe (pictured above on the right with Iris, one of our famous cooks). She has recently accepted the position to run Casa Bethesda and be the Hospitality Coordinator here. I have tried to keep in mind the cultural differences between Dominicans and Americans. They are significantly more relational and not as task oriented. Which I like. However I was not sure how much we would actually get done off our list. Amazingly enough God has graciously provided us with time for everything. Picture it: You wake up in the morning to breakfast hot and ready (prepared by some of the best cooks on the globe). We eat our breakfast in the warm sunshine under the palm trees - pool side. And this, my friends, is our "office" for the week. The staff is here is wonderful. So fun, so caring. If I don't come back, you'll understand why. So, please join me in my up and coming posts to hear about the great work being accomplished here!