I love lists

So I have a few things to discuss, they are as follows:
Food/Cooking
Games
Sleep-over
And probably more that I will remember later

First off, cooking has been fun, but crazy. Apparently potatoes are incredibly cheap here, but the culture is to eat tons of rice. I made french fries, and my dominican family here LOVED them. It´s very easy, so the next day, Eunice made them again. I also made hamburgers with the fries, and they were incredulous that the beef was so good (I used ground beef, not premade nastiness), and they didn´t know you could cook beef without water or oil or butter. They were impressed, I felt cool. Also, I made mashed potatoes, and they loved those too. Which is good, cause man I love mashed potatoes. One thing here is that if something comes from the ground (i.e. carrot, beet, potato, yuca, etc.) they ALWAYS peel it, and of course, I made the potatoes without peeling them because peeling is a waste of time IMO, but Eunice kind of had a little panic attack when I was making mashed potatoes and they were boiling with the peel on. She was not going to eat them like that, so I took some out and took off the peel (´cause it is easier that way) and then mashed them like that. She seemed to be greatful, which is good, but it was like, a big deal! Everyone was kind of like ...the American LEFT THE PEEL ON!!! and that was kind of funny to me.
Also, I have been trying to make a birthday cake for my friend Eliza (who I told you about a million times), and it has been a struggle because everytime I think I have the right ingredients, I realize that something is wrong. I am going to try to get over to the supermarket and get something else, but it´s crazy. For real...also, when I made cookies, the dough was SO gooey. Usually you can mold them into balls (ginger snaps), and like, everytime we dropped on in the sugar it looked like an alien from a will smith movie...scary. (btw I thought of you all on the 4th of July, speaking of Independence day). I think it was because it was pretty hot, and room temp. here is the temp. outside, so it was hard to make the cookies. And at first, i just kept adding flour, but then it got to the point where I just didn´t know what to do, so we just did it that way, and yeah, the first batch was like ginger bread, then I didn´t leave them in as long and they were great. So yeah, crazy climate!

I brought Spanish scrabble with me. Which has been AWESOME, but I am missing X, which is very sad. because maybe, I would have won a couple times if I had had it...haha, jk. But for real, it´s definitely a hit. They love it. I am going to try to get Pat to bring down another copy or two, because they really like it. Dominoes is really popular to play, and there are a few card games, but it seems like board games are few and far between...especially ones where you have to think. But man sometimes they are kicking my butt, and sometimes I am doing great, it´s really tough, because I know the game, and they know the language. haha. But yeah, it´s really fun, so we´ve been playing a lot. Oh, and they watch me shuffle cards like I am an alien. It´s very silly. I love it.

Yeah, so last night, OH RIGHT, before that. So on Wednesday when we normally have the like youth group thing, that my friend Hanoy runs, instead of doing like a little meeting, we decided we would walk up to the "casita blanca" which was a house of a former president, and when he died he left it to the government, which now uses it for a place for addicts. They have a couple different workshops and a bakery where the men work outside in the back and then they sleep in the house. So the only thing was, I didn´t quite realize that what separated me from the casita was approx. 2.5 mountains, which we climbed for an hour there and a little less back. It was nuts. I am not kidding. And you probably know that I am not the athletic type, so I was kind of like...uhhhh....*huff huff puff puff* *gasp*...you get the idea. But we got there and I was proud of us. Of course we had four boys about 12 yrs old and they LOVED it, so that makes me happy.


Okay, so then the next day, I made ginger snaps, and then that night we had a sleepover with all the teenage girls (except Hanoy, sadface, and I don´t really know why she didn´t come), and it was a blast. We did a bible study of James and talked about it, and then talked about this vision this lady had, and what we thought, and then they asked me about my walk with God and my testimony, and I got to share with them a little bit about myself, and I got to know them better too. Which was awesome. I loved it. We all slept on the floor, even though my bed was right there...but then at 5am there was a cockroach (cucaracha) and I shot up and ran to my bed and slept for another like 5 hours. it was scary.
Then I called my mom and we talked for a little bit.
Then I came here to write to you all.

I will try the supermarket soon for the ingredients to make a bizcocho (birthday cake) for Eunice, Eunice, and Eliza (yes two Eunices, I know!)

Anyway, I am having an awesome time and have some plans to continue my ministry here with Wilman´s church. I would like to try and form a partnership with a church from the states and the church here and I have a fundraising goal that´s totally nuts but would accomplish CRAZY amounts of awesome things down here. We will see where it all goes, but I would love to see this church continue to grow, because there´s only so much that the government down here can do, and it uses all the money it can to help but that never can feed enough people. You know?
Hopefully this all makes sense. In anycase, If you happen to know of Pastors who I can be in touch with about getting some money down here to help this church out, give them my contact info, and i will be in touch.

Thanks again, as always for your prayers and support.
I love you all. Dios les bendiga muchísimo!

Nora (roll that r ;)

More great cultural notes from Nora =)

Hey All!
I am having a good time. I purposely fasted for the first time in my life (from food that is) - the verb is ayunar for all you who care :), I started on Thursday and today is my last day. It´s nice, but I think I would have preferred a little bit more privacy...except there is no privacy here, so it´s okay...haha. Eunice started writing on a page that I had crossed out the writing in my prayer journal, literally no one else ever has touched it except me, and she didn´t ask or anything, and she didn´t tear it out right away either...not going to lie I was upset. But here we have an example of the culture, there is a complete lack of privacy, and no need to ask if you can touch something that belongs to someone else.

Another cultural note, the ¨Catholicism¨here is a worship of saints and that´s it. To the Christians it is idolatry. Which is crazy, to me, since my whole Barth clan is catholic and I know they worship Jesus. So yeah, it´s kind of nuts. But I am seeing where they are coming from in what they say, because the catholics here DONT pray to God, at all, only to saints, and this is misguided. But now you know, this is very different.

Also, please be praying for the community down here, apparently brujeria (witchcraft) is common in this area, although I have only encountered on demon possessed person (Glory to God). Please be praying for this. The further in the campos (rural area) you get, the worse this sort of thing is. Please pray for protection and knowledge of the power that the Christians have in Christ.

Thank you so much for your support in everything.
Wilman was working with a group of Americans (I think I told you this) and he got back from this escapade yesterday and was telling me all about the crazy problems they had.
He said there is no handbook for american culture for people working with americans through food for the hungry, and he said we need a book. At this I took the opportunity to explain that we did have a book, and that this group apparently neglected to read it, because as he had told me, they neglected to have any meetings before coming. It was nuts. Plus it was mostly teenagers on the trip and they were not prepared at all to enter into another culture. Especially one which they knew nothing about. SO, yesterday I wrote an essay in Spanish about American and U.S. culture and how they are. If you would like to read it, well, just send me an email, but it´s in Spanish. In anycase, I will send that to Fior (a big boss in FH) so that she can look over it, and if need be, send it out to her employees.
I felt like being american was useful for once, so that´s good :)
Anyway I should get going cause i always take like a whole hour and I wanted to put up some photos or something.
Thanks again for everything guys. Love you and God Bless,
Nora

In Pedro Santana

Hey Everyone!Today I am in Pedro Santana, which is in the West of the country, and still the south. I am here because we wanted to come visit and Wilman was asked to interpret again for Food for the Hungry again, in Elìas Piña. So, that is where he is right now. I am with Eunice and my dear friend Eliza(beth). She is a wonderful girl, who wants to live in the states, I might have already mentioned her. She is also culturally pressured right now to have a boyfriend so if any of you single Christian guy friends of mine are interested, llamame. haha.
I rode in a Toyota Camry today (probably about a `95) and I am not kidding there were 7 people in it. It was nuts. Then I rode in the back of a truck for awhile and yeah, basically you hitchike here. It was alright though. All safe. I met a group of Americans that Wilman was helping and they were from San Antonion Tx, seriously I meet more diverse Americans in another country than my own. Point is, I´m safe, having fun and I have a surprise!!
I GET TO SEE MY SPONSOR CHILD TOMORROW!I AM SO EXCITED!
This is awesome, and I can´t even express. I saw Mario and Raul today, which was in itself so awesome (AND FIOR). And I can`t wait to see my little girl! I am just so thrilled, seriously. We will see what happens, but I am so excited.
Praise God, everything has been getting better and better with my cold, it seems that I will just continue to get better. I am having fun but I am a little distressed because the laptop that I brought down for Wilman broke. I think he broke it somehow and isn´t telling me or maybe it just died, but it doesn´t make any sense and it can´t start the OS. I want to try and press the restart button but I don´t want to do it without making sure what exactly it will do, and I don´t have the CDs here with me, which means I might have to wait until Pat comes down and have him bring a lot of stuff.
Oh well.Also, there are a few cultural differences I wanted to highlight.
1. Eunice was seemingly upset with me because I said I didn´t bring any nice clothes with me. I tried to explain that it was because I didn´t want to lose them in my suitcases if my suitcases were lost by the airline (because that just happened to all of us in Europe), but it went too fast for me to give my actual reason (because when someone is yelling at you in another language it is a bit intimidating you know? you have to buy yourself time to think), which was that as a missionary, I don´t want to look like I am waving money in people´s faces. you know? But here that is actually the perception of missionaries. They live in $300,000 houses with nice clothes and a nice car and go to the nice big and rich people churches. This was depressing to me, and I wish I could have explained myself better.
2. Wilman talks about how I should watch what I eat because if I don´t I will get fat. Honestly I am losing a lot of weight here, because I am not eating all the time, and so it is absolutely ridiculous. He also said, "well, men care here if their women get fat, and they say something about it." This was sort of revolting to me, but maybe that is more how it should be, I don´t know. All I know is that Pat has told me over and over again that it is ridiculous that I worry about it, and I felt VERY angry with Wilman that he felt like he could talk about it with me. This is an example of cultural misunderstanding - apparently. And there are tons of these.
3. Also, Wilman kept bugging me about preparing for my wedding, and I finally kind of yelled at him and said "Look it will be at the very least in two years I cannot go read a whole ton of marriage books right now when I should be spending my last year AT LEAST seeking God solo ya know?" It took him a really long time to understand what I was trying to say, and he did not realize that it was actually him bringing it up, but it was just ridiculous because it was in two languages and you know, that is hard.
I very much apologize for all this poor english (if there is any or a lot, I am sorry), I am so not used to English anymore and I forget words ALL the time.
Anyway, I love guys thank you so much, may God Bless you tons,Please pray for my sponsor child,
Love,Nora

¡More than a week already!

Can you believe it? I can´t it´s crazy. I have already been here a week. I am making progress with my speaking. In fact, I had a long, and understood, conversation with a girl a little older than me here. She is wonderful but her life is really hard. The fathers in the D.R. can be real jerks, and I have been praying for her, if you would too, I would appreciate it. Her name is Eliza. She is a beautiful girl, and has been very much wanting to come to the states. Please pray for her in this, for her direction in life. She is a lover of God, and has a lot going for her, but it is a hard life here.
Also, please be pryaing for me. I have a bit of a cold. We think it is because a lot of times there is a sudden change in temperature from 80-100 to 60-70 in the night, so this is something you can pray for, that whatever sickness I might encounter, the Lord would fight off for me.

Pray also that I can meet up with some of the people that I met last time. I will probably get to see Mario, Raul and maybe Martirez and Fior. Please be praying for me in this.
Also, I wanted to share with you all a bit of the culture.

Cultural Note:
You do not need a ring to be engaged here. In fact that hardly ever is the case.

Also! This is interesting. Men and Women/boys and girls, are hardly ever good friends. In fact, never. They might be okay friends, but there is no such thing as a boy girl friendship except in Marriage. Maybe between brothers and sisters. But it really doesn´t exist. I said something to Eunice (the pastora) about Hunter, a very good friend of mine, and about how he is my brother, and she told me that I cannot have these types of friends once I get married!! Because here, this never happens. The only reason to spend time with men (as women) is to allow them to hit on you or something like that. There are no platonic relationships between men and women here. This was so interesting to me. This coming from a Pastor! I was so surprised. I suppose it is just our culture that we can have friends as brothers and sisters, and not see them as love interests. Craziness, is it not?

Anyway, please also be praying for Eunice and Wilman, as they would like to have a baby in the next year. This is important, please be praying!

On another note, we will be venturing to Elias Piña, where Sabana Cruz is (although we will not go to Sabana Cruz I do not think), and be spending some time in Bánica, and Pedro Santana. I will also be going to Las Matas de Farfan, to see Mario and Raul. All of this will happen in the next week or so, so please be praying for me, lots of traveling.

Love you all and thank you so much for your support, thoughts, and prayers,

God Bless you!

Nora

Day 4 now!

Hey all,
I am having a wonderful time here in the D.R. I love it. I have made many friends, pretty much all girls, and they are so sweet. I am in love with this culture and language and i cant even describe how awesome it is to worship the same God as all these wonderful people here. (please forgive my poor grammatical structure right now I am not used to this keyboard (in a different language) and it is hard to do right especially since I am thinking in a different language too sometimes).
Today is the beginning of our VBS (ebdv = escuela biblica de verano), but I will not get there until after I have finished with writing to all of you. I need to go quickly though because it costs money to use the internet. (though not a lot at all)
In any case, my schedule looks like I will having meetings with the teens and youth pretty much 4 times a week, and probably church meetings with other people in between. I am so excited. Also, two more gringas came last night, from plan international (or something like that) and they are also Christian, so that is very exciting. More gringas. Also, there is a gringa here (btw gringa means white girl) who is from the peace corps (i think) and I met her, she is not a Christian, but she is here for two years to live in the community. The community I am in is called Juan de Herrera, it is a little west of San Juan de la Maguana - google earth it and tell me if you can see anything. Well I need to get going. I love you so much everyone. Thank you for your love, prayers, thoughts and support.
Dios les bendiga mucho, y mas,
Nora

I AM HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ¡ESTOY AQUÍ!

I am here! Wilman and Eunice's house is beautiful and comfortable. There was a little party for me when I got here, but we didn't get in until very late, so we showered and then went to sleep, very good. It is wonderful to be here, but my Spanish is rusty. I am picking up words again though, so that is good. I love you all and thanks for your prayers.
Nora

9 days left

Well, There are only 9 days until I leave for the D.R.
I bought some things that I needed to go yesterday with a friend who I hadn't seen in awhile. I'm slowly seeing all my friends before I go, so that I won't realize that I haven't seen so-and-so in a year and it will be another year 'til I see him again.
I am creating a facebook group that will let me get in touch with everyone and send updates all at once, and I will also be using this blog to keep in touch while I'm there.

Hopefully everyone will be good about reading the updates, and I will be good about providing them, I hope I will be able to use the internet at least once a week. We will see if that's so.

In any case, I should get going because I have to work out, pack, and finish creating this group.

With love, God Bless,
Nora