Monday update from Gabe!

 You know those days when you sit around and do nothing all day? That was not today. We got up normal time, ate breakfast and shot out ready for an eventful day. First things first- the market. I personally, along with most of the other females at least, had a long list of people to shop for, and we were not going to waste our time. The hardest part about buying things there was the fact that if you don't bargain, you get ripped off. They purposely make their prices extremely high so that "stupid americanos" might give them some extra cash in their pockets. For me, it is not easy to turn someone down, to say no gracias and walk away, or to bargain until i get to the price that is acceptable to me. That is not the case for Gretchen. After ten seconds of helping me bargain for my brother's painting, she brought the cost down over 2000 pesos! Pretty cool. Even with the language barrier and the shyness, we had a very successful morning walking away with our hands full. After the market, we headed out to the beach for the afternoon. Describing how wonderful the water was would be impossible. We were greeted by many smiles, stares and Dominicans trying out their English. Carley, Emma, Jenny, Emily and I plus some of the adults got our hair braided, and even Alice got a five dollar pedicure. It was incredible. The water was incredible, the people incredible. Our group had a wonderful time bounding when we went out the an island pretty far away. Charlie even caught a miniature jellyfish in his hand! Besides for all the sunburns we got, the trip to the beach was fancastico. I honestly think the best part of our day though came next when we ventured to Mario's house. They treated us with pizza and coke, and we got to hear the story of Gretchen and mark which brought our group even closer together. We got our God glimpse though, and our glimpse of poverty when Mario told us about his childhood and how he got to where he is today. His story is inspiring. He grew up with nothing, literally, but because of his determination and the Lord, he is now helping people to live with hope. Today was so breathtaking... Which has also made us so tired, but in a good day. I think we are all excited for tomorrow where we get to really start serving the lord and the community. Please continue to pray for us in the days to come.

Hitting the hay-
Gabe Feddema