Sunday May 20th the federal elections cumulated with a great voter turnout… a whopping 69 percent of the eligible voters cast their ballots to re-elect the ruling PLD party by a slim margin of 51.24 percent. The socialist opposition party (PRD) received 46.93 percent in a very close race and it went right down to the wire to declare a winner. We encountered such passion & patriotism that was demonstrated in their rallies as we have not seen in Canada for many years.
It troubles me to read that in the tourist district of Las Terrenes, a small community on the extreme northeast portion of the island a fire destroyed 16 businesses 2 weeks ago, putting 250 people out of work. The cause for the great loss was due to the fact they did not even have a fire truck in their district. The mayor and 27 local firemen have been campaigning for 7 years to receive a one and have used strictly their own resources to do their job.
When I hear that $1.6 million has been spent by the incumbent party on their election campaign but there were no funds available to give this community a fire truck this gives cause for great concern. We ask that the Lord will bless this government and pray that they will do their utmost to help their fellow countrymen as they rule for the next 4 years without the corruption so evident in the past. The statement heard many times over was that “they could not eat cement….the people need social programs to assist their fellow countrymen, not fancy buildings & cathedrals”.
Infotep…a local vocational teaching school provided professional teachers to instruct the students in a variety of courses which teach many life changing skills. The students pay a nominal registration fee, but are required to commit to attending class each day of the course. While a grade 6 education is necessary for most courses and after discovering that many people lacked even this level of education….a literacy course has also been started.
From pot holders, oven mitts and tea sets….to curtains and complete bedding sets….the women have made incredible progress considering that they didn’t even know how to operate a sewing machine prior to taking the course. 
Petra chooses thread for a project 
Teacher Ana helps a student with her inquiry
After 4 months of cool, refreshing temperatures (26 daytime and 20 nighttime) ....we could feel the the change in the air....the air was so thick and heavy it felt like you could cut it with a knife....yes.....the humidity has returned. Yikes. 
For the past 12 years they have brought many teams to develop and construct an orphanage in Puerto Plata with the assistance of local Pastor Joel but have recently felt God’s calling to longer term missions in helping the poor.
Their first job entailed repairing the fences to keep out the cows that had been happily munching on the foliage and fertilizing the garden area. 
Afterwards they marked out the initial 10 garden plots of 200 square meters each which is large enough to feed a family of 4 throughout the year using staggered planting times and crop rotation.
A meeting was held to explain the garden contracts and the first plots were distributed to individual families. It will be interesting to see which edible plants will be grown on the individual plots. 
In the meantime, a test garden plot has been planted in Esperanza by the IN agricultural team and Ed and Sylvia which is overseen by 8 older men in the village. They used a layered planting strategy in which 3 different heights of plants can grow in the same spot ... tall corn, medium height bean plants, and low lying root vegetables. 
With this program of crop placement and rotation, we know everyone will be blessed. One of life’s biggest challenges for most the parents is ensuring their families have enough to eat and are healthy.
They were all eager to get dirty and started mixing the cement with their shovels…while the local labourers watched in amusement. 
But as we all know…teamwork is the best course of action. They made good progress on the 2 homes they sponsored but what can 9 men and 1 woman do in 2 days of construction? 
Their main focus of ministry kept them very busy…they attended local church services in the evening, visiting the sick in the hospital, fed every family in the village of Nazareth, and ministered to the poor in so many more ways. The team visited the locations where the two families currently live who were grateful recipients of their new homes at the end of the week.
Even though we don’t speak Italian….God provided a way each day for us to speak together. At the end of the week a traditional pizza party was held at the famous “Bologna” Italian pizzeria in Sosua attended by not only the team members but also the entire Italian neighbourhood in which we live. It was sad to say goodbye or “Ciao” for another whole year, but the Lord willing, they hope to return again next year.
