It Might Be a Dog!

 Hola to family and friends . . .

We are at the audit deadline and are just about to get them all in - 409 units throughout our area.  This happens every six months and this is our second one to get through.  Chuck answers a lot of questions and makes calls to "get them in" and sometimes has to do some "signing off" for complicated situations but it is good to have that done again.  We also continue to work on "fraudulent situations" and trying to discover what is happening with funds in a few units.

It was fun to have the World Baseball Classic going on and the final being played between Puerto Rico and the DR.  Many in the office were up late watching the games and so excited when the DR won!  It was a resounding victory for the Caribbean either way.  We get a paper from a cute gal on the way to the office every morning and I had given the sports section to a guy here that taped the winning pictures to his door.  I wish I had a picture of them gathered around celebrating the championship!

The senior couples are having an Easter Dinner Sunday.  I have been in charge of having people sign up for food assignments and will do simple table decorating.  There will be about 60 of us - it is always fun to get together. 

Tip of the week - don't buy a cooked/roasted goat for Easter without the head - it might be a dog. Also, check if there is stitching around the neck - sometimes they sew a head on.  Good to know!!

For Easter there is a traditional drink or maybe it is a kind of soup as we ate it in a bowl with a spoon but others we have seen drink it.  It is cooked pinto beans run through a blender and then chocolate, milk, and sugar to make a thin creamy mixture with diced potatoes and raisins.  It was served with small little shortbread cookies floating on the top - ahh, very different.  There have been many parades this month - usually on Friday afternoon/evening with Carnival - not sure the association all of this has with Easter but they are colorful, sometimes scary costumes and huge crowds that we try to steer away from! 

 

Carnival character at my car window!

The two lane - one way road in the front of the office is torn up because they are laying a new water line.  It is a mess - the first time we left the parking lot we drove on the sidewalk.  Now they have dirt somewhat packed down but I still think we may high center and get stuck before it is all over - if the 2 foot wide/5 foot deep trench doesn't get us first!

Driving on the sidewalk away from the office - you can see the soft dirt to drive on and the trench is far left. 

Aydy is a secretary across the "aisle/hall" from our little cubical.  She speaks perfect English, is expecting her second child and is a fun new friend.   She has a lovely singing voice and her husband performs in the acapellamen's group we saw at Christmas.  She isn't due for another month but her doctor put her on rest and so she left last Friday and won't be back until August.  She is tiny and looked huge/uncomfortable carrying her baby.  The picture doesn't look near as big as she really is. 

 

Aydy and Vickie

We have been asked to let missionaries at the MTC practice teach us on Mondays before family home evening.  We will be in the computer lab.  They  needed more "investigators" since there are more missionaries coming all the time.  It will be fun and we will try to not give them too hard of a time.  The humanitarian service couple gave us a presentation at FHE Monday of their work and projects they are doing here in the DR - what we did in Argentina.  Yep, we were jealous . . . such great work!  They showed us a little video of a man with only one leg and arm dancing - he had turned down a wheelchair saying he didn't need it - would only make him dependent on the chair and he was doing fine w/out it!  That is what the work is about - to help be more self reliant.

New letter address -  (packages are another address and I don't know how to prepay delivery - so no pkgs. please)

Dominican Republic Pouch    

Elder and Sister Charles Rucker

Office of the Caribbean Area Presidency

50 East North Temple 3WW

Salt Lake City, Utah 84184

Have a wonderful Easter all of you - we love you gazillions and beyond!  Thank you for the blessing you are to our life.  Keep in touch xoxoxoxoxo Mom and Dad, Chuck and Vickie, Grandma and Grandpa 

Fruitstands are so pretty - mangos are in season but not the huge ones yet.