After breakfast everyone walked down to the church and worship. The church slowly filled and like churches at home, it continued to do so even after the service had begun. It was a wonderful service. Both Fr. Tom and Melissa did a great job (Melissa led the congregation in the reading of the Psalm and helped translate Padre’s sermon for those of us who do not speak Spanish). Fr. Tom’s Spanish, while not perfect, wasn’t all that bad either and we think the people really appreciated his effort. Something unexpected happened during the service today, a lady who had recently had a baby brought the baby to church for a blessing and Padre offered not only a blessing for the baby but for the mother and grandmother too. After the service, Melissa helped Angela hand out some of the clothing and gifts some on our team brought the people of El Pedegral. The looks on the faces of those who receives something was priceless, and you could just see the joy in the eyes of the children who received backpacks for school. Special thanks to the team members who made this all possible.
With all the gifts given, it was time to walk around and look at the projects one last time and to get a few pictures. As we walked out of the church, we saw children already playing on the playset and it was a blessing to see the smiles on the children as they did. Our first stop was the house. Jacquelyn was there, as was Euclitis, and we got to tour the finished project. Plumbing and electricity would be run over the next week, but it really looked like a house and again, Jacquelyn was emotional as she explained where her various furnishing would soon be placed. We took a couple of pictures to remember the work and then we headed back to the school playground. A couple of more pictures around the finished playset and it was time to change out of our church clothes and journey back south to Santo Domingo.
As we drove out of the camp and the village there were many waves and shouts of good bye, and then it got quiet for a while; partly because we were sad to leave and not too much later because many were sound asleep. The week had taken its toll and the opportunity for a short siesta was not to be missed. All were awake by the time we reached the rest area where we enjoyed a treat from one of the local vendors, ice cream. It was cold and it was good and it reminded several on the team of the ice cream we shared at fiesta. As we got back in the van a renewed excitement overcame our team as they began to look forward to the tour they would take of the colonial part of town and their dinner with Bishop Holguin.
It didn't take us long to settle in at the hotel before we were up and out walking through the old colonial part of Santo Domingo. We started our tour by turning left out of our hotel and walking down the great pedestrian way to Colombo Park, or Cathedral Square, the center of colonial zone. In in the center of the square there is the Cristoforo Colombo statue, and behind it the Santa Maria La Menor cathedral, the first of the New World, which they began to build in 1521 and finished in 1585. It is one of Santo Domingo's symbol monuments. From there we walked down a street past the House of Francia, where Hernan Cortez once lived (the Messico conqueror) and the National Pantheon (1714-1748), where some of the most illustrious men of the latest 150 years are buried. From there we walked along the old wall and got a picture alongside an old canon and at the end of Las Damas street, next the gate of S. Diego, there is the impressive Spanish Square, with the Alcazar of Colombo (1509-1512). This was once the seat of the Spanish court beyond the sea from 1512 to 1524. Next we walked down Hostos street and Saint Francisco Monastery, the most ancient of the New World which we were told later became Saint Nicola of Bari Hospital, the first of the New World. We finished up our tour walking down the pedestrian way and doing a little gift shopping.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner with the bishop. The Bishop and his wife truly enjoyed hearing the stories of our trip and it was a real pleasure for all that he took time out of his busy schedule to be with us. Charlie was even able to join us and that was a real treat. As said before, he had become as much a part of our team as if he had flown from Nebraska with us. He will be missed, but only for a year as we hope to see him again should we be able to return next year. The food, the weather, the company, and the scenery were perfect from atop the restaurant we ate at overlooking the old Spanish Square. There could be no better way to end our experience than this. After a short walk back to the hotel, it was time for our final pack-up and a final night's rest in a country many on our team have grown to love.
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