Small Businesses and a Fortunate Rescue

I missed my opportunity to get a photo of my favorite small business. It was located on this corner very near our apartment. Right here in the dirt, on a wobbly table, was a print shop.

A man would bring two car batteries, lots of paper and a little printer. He usually had several customers waiting for his service. There are many college students who attend a technical school just another block down the street. They bring their homework on a memory stick and he prints out their papers. I haven't seen him for awhile. Life is challenging for small business people. I hope it is just that lately we haven't been by during his business hours.

There are many many street vendors all throughout the Dominican Republic but most are more traditional, like this lady in the bright pink shirt (you can barely see her), selling drinks from an insulated pitcher and gum and candy. Her wares are displayed on a baby stroller. In this country, I have seen lots more strollers used as portable stores than as transportation for small children.

I had to go back and take a photo of this trap below. It at least 6 inches deep. It may look innocent but we got stuck and couldn't drive back out. It is in the parking lot next to the park

where we walk in the mornings. A couple of months ago, when it was pitch dark at 6:00 AM, we pulled too far forward and fell in. The car would not move. We decided to go walking and figure out what to do afterward when it was light. Fortunately, we came upon our Area President, President Johnson and one of the Seventies who lives in Puerto Rico, Elder Alvarado out jogging together. They offered to help. With me in the driver's seat, and three men lifting, the car could back up. We were very happy to have our problem solved and the priesthood leaders not only got their cardio taken care of but some serious strength training as well. We were grateful.

I will end with some pretty photos I took in this park. We moan and complain about our morning walks but we do enjoy getting out and seeing our beautiful world. The first photo is of a painting on the side of the building that serves as the office of the environment police.



Hibiscus grow in California but not in Idaho or Utah. And none of those places have the humidity necessary to grow lovely green moss on pavement. I will have to go back to buying lotion but I do look forward to less humidity.


We love you and miss you but enjoy our opportunities to serve here. Start your lists of things we can do to serve you when we return. Make it a long list so we can pick and choose. We may pick and choose to do the things that we prefer to do.
Lots of love, Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill

May in the Dominican Republic

We are feeling the pressure of limited time because of the many things we would like to do before we leave for home. We have firesides scheduled for every Sunday and a couple on Saturdays. We visited Higuey and Hainamosa at the end of April. Higuey is a long ways east and then north. It is the closest chapel to the big tourist towns on the east coast of the island. It was on a Saturday and we left early in order to stop in Bayahibe and Dominicus again. We had lunch at the restaurant we enjoyed with Beverly and Jessica and Daniel. I was able to take more photos because it was daylight. A very beautiful part of the island! We went out to dinner with the Bishop and his wife in Higuey after the fireside. It was fun to talk with them. He is learning English to advance in his job at a hotel and she is proud of her husband’s responsibilities and eager to support him. Higuey is in the La Romana Stake but so far away that they needed their own fireside. The next day we went to Hainamosa which is in the east part of Santo Domingo to hold another fireside.

Dan and Beverly and Jessica, do you recognize the table at the right above? This is the daylight view. The little yellow boat was just to the right and the 3 crabs (Can you find all three?) were just beyond the little sea wall.

The next weekend we went to Las Americas which is also in the eastern part of Santo Domingo to train a stake specialist to call all of the Perpetual Education Fund participants in her stake every month and record her contacts in the PEF computer system. Ester works for one of the major banks and is comfortable with computers so she understood how to do the work and we have high hopes that she will follow through. Church callings require a lot of time and devotion. In order to answer questions and find solutions to problems, sometimes a lot of effort is required. We are grateful that so many are willing to take responsibility and serve their fellow members.

On Sunday, May 3rd we started attending the Gonzalo Branch to support and strengthen this remote unit of the church. We had asked our Mission President months before if he needed us to attend a branch but he never made an assignment. I was enjoying being a relaxed spectator on Sundays (I only substituted in the nursery now and again and spoke once in Sacrament Meeting) and loved our English language Sunday School class. But the other Santo Domingo mission got permission to call us to assist one of their branches. Gonzalo is about 2/3 of the way up to Samana Peninsula on the toll road Susan and Randy will remember. It takes us an hour and 15 minutes to drive there. It is further than Monte Plata where Emily and Edgar went with us to a fireside on their visit. There is not much in the way of employment in the town. There are houses, a police station, a city hall (which is even a bit bigger than Melba’s) and a school for both elementary and secondary levels. The branch has been in existence for about a year. The branch president is in his 70’s and is the only Melchizedek priesthood holder. Actually the records show him as an Aaronic priesthood holder. We need to get that fixed. The Primary president is 16 years old and had been told that it was just fine to let the kids run around outside. I am now the Primary helper and we have kept the kids inside, sitting in chairs and fairly orderly and involved for the last two weeks. The young president is amazingly good at teaching and loving the children. I’m doing sharing time and thinking up quiet activities. The building we meet in is one big room with curtains to divide the room into three sections. Lewis was called to be his first counselor last week and the district suggested we cut back to two hours on the “basic” plan. We will have all of the adults and youth meet together and the Primary President and I will continue with the children for only one hour. The second hour we will have Sacrament Meeting. When there are more priesthood holders they can begin to divide things up more and add the third hour back in. Surprisingly there are more men than women on the branch list. We had to get the data from the Area Office. The branch president didn’t even have a list of his members. There are missionaries assigned to the branch. With their help, we can verify the accuracy of our list and begin to know who are members and who are in the various age groups. There have been 30-50 people coming every Sunday but many were curious children without parents. Hopefully we can retain their interest and teach them what the church is about. The church has a very fun homemade steeple and is situated at the top of a hill. If I sit in the back I can see out the side door during Sacrament Meeting. It is the very best view I have ever enjoyed in church. I have been impressed with the reverence of the people during Sacrament Meeting and talks by several youth have been excellent.

Gonzalo chapel on the hill

Grandpa is First Counselor to President Rodriguez

Erica is one of the Primary children. Yes, she does have attitude.

I can see this view out the side door of the building during Sacrament Meeting

We went back to Azua to train Flor as a new stake specialist and held a fireside in San Pedro.

On the 13^th Grandpa and I had a ½ hour appointment with the Area Presidency to report on our stewardship. Brother Aybar and Brother Lilly, our bosses were there also. We went over the things we have done, the problems we see and had a couple of recommendations. President Johnson was impressed with how many stake specialists we have trained and the amount of contacts they are providing. We are not doing so well with our Service Center volunteers but overall progress is being made. They kept us for more than an hour so I guess we had good enough answers for their questions.

Last Saturday we enjoyed a very fun day. I had wanted to go to Altos de Chavon but the entrance fee is $20.00 in US dollars for each person. I didn’t want to go that badly. One of the Senior couples had called and asked if a group of us could go for a lower price because we are not tourists but living here in the country. The person on the phone gave instructions about which gate to enter and gave the price as $5.00 per person. So 5 couples went in two cars. Fortunately, the bold couples were in the front car. We just followed. It took a very, very long time and we passed through four guarded gates but we got in after a lot of talking and for no money?! The Altos of Chavon has a beautiful golf course set on a high bluff overlooking a river and the centerpiece is a reproduction of a 17^th century Italian village that has been turned into a wedding chapel and various shops and restaurants. It is beautiful! I read that it was built many years ago by a very wealthy father for his daughter who wanted to travel to Italy to learn to paint. He wanted to persuade her to stay at home and learn to paint. There is a museum and several art schools located here now. They even had couples in period costume and some dancers and musicians along the cobbled street. The prices were outrageous and the hamburger Lewis ordered was inedible but we had a lovely time. There was a man with a donkey and a singing group that sang “Celito Lindo”, a Mexican folksong, to these former Mexican missionaries. There is also a beautiful outdoor theater built of stone that is used for international level performances. This is a very lovely place for those who can pay for the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. But it did seem like they needed a lot more tourists to support the restaurants and purchase the wares in the shops. I’m glad we were able to go and enjoy this beautiful setting. I certainly have not seen architecture like this in the United States.

This is the reproduction chapel

People in period costume stroll by. The dancers and musicians are further ahead.

How about that cool "river" in the darker stones at the top of the building?

This is the view down to the river.

I like the dragons on this building

The Fraziers were brave enough to each take a ride on this cute donkey.

This is a closeup of the stage of the outdoor theater

This is the seating in the theater as seen from the stage. Grandpa is the tiny person on the left.

On Sunday we went to Gonzalo and then drove a very long ways to Azua in the western part of the country to hold a fireside. We were surprised at the attendance. This is only a district but the attendance was more than 75 people! Good job, Azua. Our reservation at the Hotel San Ramon got lost somehow. Not hard to imagine. We were worried. It was a long ways home over unsafe roads in the dark and we were very tired because we had been up since 5:00AM. Fortunately we did find a room at the Don Juan Hotel. Go ahead and snicker. There was no running water but the bed was clean (I think), the air conditioning almost worked and we did sleep and left first thing in the morning.

Last night was our last Family Home Evening at the Johnson home. President and Sister Johnson will be moving to Mexico (where he grew up in the Colonies) to serve as the Area President in Mexico City. President Viñas will become the Area President here. It is always a treat to get together with the Senior couples and extra nice to have a dinner and a lesson by a general authority. He asked each couple to write a description of the atonement suitable for a young child using no more than six sentences. That was a good exercise. After reviewing a number of scriptures he asked several individuals to bear a testimony of the atonement suitable for an audience of small children. He made the point (and we could see for ourselves) that no matter how well we describe the doctrine we need to bear testimony to allow the Holy Ghost to add his witness to the truthfulness of what we say. That is a very important principle for parents and teachers to remember.

Please also remember that we love you and are so pleased with all that you are doing and becoming.

Love, Grandma and Grandpa P.

April Activities

This is a photo of Presidente Brito. He is the district president in Azua. There are six branches in his district and only the city of Azua itself is big enough to have business concerns that need employees. His members are economically challenged beyond anything our family has experienced. He is young with a tremendous amount of responsibility and he is humble and obedient enough to be concerned about the Perpetual Education Fund as well as all of the other things he must do. Making the best use of the PEF program will make a big difference in his district but only in the future. He (like the rest of us) must balance the many urgent and important tasks he should accomplish with his available time and resources. He is also going to school, has a family and I'm sure has a "to do list" that stretches to infinity. Good thing he has faith that a loving Heavenly Father will provide him with the ability to do what he is asked to do. Above, he and his branch presidents are listening intently to Grandpa teach them about the Perpetual Education Fund.

This is the local car wash. We came down that road behind the cars to see the beach. The road passes over the cement that this stream also passes over to run into the ocean. The beach is about a block behind this point.

This is a view of the beach in Azua. It is called Playa Monte Rio or Mountain River Beach. The river runs into the area at the right on the far side. No tourists come here but some local people were enjoying the beach this Saturday morning.

Here is a typical style older home in the town:

This pink house is more typical than you might think. They do creative things with cement and cement blocks here. What would your neighbors think if you built a house like this one?


We also had the chance to speak to these fine missionaries who were finishing their missions and going home. This is Lissette from the Employment Office giving them an overview of the Career Workshop. When she finished we taught them about the PEF and how to get involved when they got home. The elders from the United States can't participate but we encouraged them get educated and find good jobs in order to donate so that their fellow missionaries in third world countries could get a good education also.

During the last two weeks of April the USS Comfort is here in Santo Domingo. The previous stop was Haiti and from here it will go to Antigua, and a couple of countries in Central America. It is staffed with military doctors and nurses and medical technicians from all of the branches of service as well as public health and several other organizations. They are taking four months to bring medical services to people who couldn't get it otherwise. We spent two days last week and will spend four days this week translating. There are three locations where they are screening patients who need surgery and treating patients who need an amazing variety of help. The first day I helped where they were taking vital signs: blood pressure, temperature, etc. The next time I was with the lab table where they drew blood and did simple tests to provide the doctors with information they needed as they talked with patients. Those who need surgery will be taken by helicopter to the ship where they will receive the surgery and the follow up care that they need through the end of the month. One companion can accompany each patient on the ship.


This is a tiny part of the crowd that waited to be seen inside. Lots of vendors came too, selling fruit and ice cream and drinks and whatever. We heard that about 3,000 people were seen the first week. The pavilion is for hand ball. It had nets like soccer but the balls are not the same and I saw them moving the ball with their hands. This group was doing drills and I didn't get to watch long enough to understand how the game is played.

This mom with her five kids had waited a long time but the son in the orange shirt was a great example of the perfect patient. He watched his blood draw without a flinch and never moved a muscle. His sisters, on the other hand, never stood still.

The nurse below wanted her picture taken with the children and the "Happy Tooth" who was dancing around and entertaining the kids. I heard it was an attorney who was wearing the costume. She deserves credit because it was very hot even without a costume.

This nurse told me that she was shaken by how bad things were in Haiti. There were tickets given to the department of health but instead of giving the tickets to the needy, they were sold and then sold again and again. She said she will never again take her living conditions at home for granted. She said she has a totally new appreciation for a tooth brush, shampoo and running water every day.

The USS Comfort is providing wonderful service to needy people. Grandpa told me he was helping them give out prescription medicine worth a lot of money to people who needed it. I had never heard of this ship before. Apparently it has been making trips like this every other year for many years. Many lives will be saved and even more will be improved by their care. There are so many ways to make life better for others. What are you contributing? Remember you can improve the "comfort" in your own home by being helpful and wearing a smile.

We love you,
Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill

Today is Easter

Easter is a special day. We enjoyed a wonderful Easter because of the Tenisingh family. We picked up our new friends and took them to church with us. The dad is the Branch President in Rosignol, Guyana, the Mom is called Silvie and the daughter is Rachel. The daughter is 14, "almost 15", she says. Our friends, the Bullocks, who are serving in Guyana had told us that this family was coming and we should try to find them. We were very fortunate that last Thursday it was a holiday here for Easter and our office was closed. We went to the temple that morning and ended up in the session in which Brother and Sister Tenisingh were receiving their own endowments. We figured it out by the end of the session and introduced ourselves in the Celestial Room. English speakers are few and far between. We asked if we could attend their sealing session and they were happy to invite us. I was privileged to act as proxy for their first daughter who had died at age four. The temple president, President Harris talked with them in his kind and loving way and explained the sealing ceremony and its significance. He showed them the opposing mirrors and talked about the effect of this ceremony of their lives for all of eternity if they keep their covenants. Rachel came in after the parents were sealed to each other and she and I (as a stand in for their other daughter) placed our hands on the hands of her parents and were sealed to them forever. It was a very special experience. It was a blessing for us to have been able to participate. The parents have been in the temple all day Friday and Saturday. Rachel was able to do baptisms for the dead on each of those days as well. They brought family names and have been able to do proxy work for some of their parents and grandparents.
Our Sacrament Meeting is in Spanish of course. The Tenisingh family recognized many of the temple workers they have gotten to know over the last few days and there were also people from Guadalupe and Martinique they had met as well. Rachel went to the stand to bear her testimony. Her father followed her. I was amazed at how clearly Rachel expressed herself in front of the congregation. She said that she did not speak Spanish and had no choice but to bear her testimony in English which was the only language she knew. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity for their family to come here and receive the blessings of the temple. She bore her testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the restoration of the gospel. Her father followed her. He is more difficult to understand but he told of what he knew to be true and explained how he knew it. He described reading the scriptures and praying about them and told of several principles that were most important to him. These are people who have very, very little of what the world values but they are comfortable and confident of what they know is important. The mom and I were a long way from the aisle but she asked me to go up with her so she could bear her testimony. We had to wait a few minutes because the floodgates were opened for those who wanted to bear their testimonies but couldn't do so in Spanish. Several decided to go ahead and speak in English too. During a small pause we climbed over everyone and went up. I bore my testimony and Sister Tenisingh did so also. She spoke very clearly at the microphone. When she speaks with her husband I have a harder time understanding her but she communicated her faith and testimony very clearly to us American speakers during testimony meeting. Rachel is always easy to understand but the parents use some vocabulary that is completely new to us and their pronunciation is unique to Guyana and influenced by the British. They are sweet, kind people who spend an amazing amount of time and effort to support and help the Saints in their branch in Guyana.
They came home with us for dinner. I'm not sure what I was thinking, we had fajitas and rice and pineapple with brownies for dessert. Not traditional American Easter fare but it worked with what we had and could put together. We had arranged for them to meet with the family history people at 4:00 to learn more information about Family Search to share in Guyana. But until then we drove around the Colonial area of Santo Domingo and got as close to the ocean as the rocky cliffs would let us here in Santo Domingo. Rachel loved the ocean and was happy to have the spray blow on her as she took photos of the water. There were more waves than usual and they splashed up the blow holes and made an impressive showing for us. They were amazed as how blue the water is. As we certainly noticed, the rivers and the oceans are brown with mud in Guyana. They also have a special treat this evening. President Johnson of the Area will hold a fireside for the people here attending the temple at 8:00 PM.
Unfortunately we have commitments tomorrow but we will hope to meet with them again on Tuesday before they return home on Wednesday. It is unlikely that they will ever be able to afford another family trip to the temple but their covenants and memories will be an important part of their lives forever. Someday Rachel plans to return to be sealed to her future husband in the temple. Or perhaps by then there will be a temple closer to their own country.
Dad was on the program to give the closing prayer in Sacrament Meeting so he didn't bear his testimony in church today but wanted to write to each of you today:

Dear Children,

On this Easter day, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would like you all to know that I know that Jesus Christ was in fact resurrected. He lives. We also will be resurrected after we die. Our lives are meant to be a stepping stone into eternity. If we choose the right and follow the Savior’s example we will be able to live with Him. If we don’t follow the Savior we will still be resurrected but to a glory less than what we are capable of. We are children of Our Father in Heaven. We have the potential to become like him but only by obedience to His laws and ordinances. May each of you strive to choose the right and follow the Savior. Love one another, do good to those in need, forgive each other and judge not that we be not judged. I love each of you. (see also Moses 6:53-62)

Love

Dad P.

We love each of you and are so grateful to be family! Hope you enjoyed a wonderful Easter Day as well.

Love, Mom/Jeri/Grandma

Photos and Stories

I sent Aunt Joyce (Lewis’ sister) the photos I have taken of some of you wearing Great Grandma Pettingill’s jewelry. You can see the photos on www.pettingillpages.shutterfly.com. I do not have photos of all of you children. If you wish to take a photo of yourselves and/or your children with some jewelry I would love to add it to this “collection”. They do not have to be stuffy photos. One of my favorites is of Adam clipping earrings high up on his ears.

Also, I do want to continue sending photos for birthdays but I do not have current photos. Please send me cute photos of everyone who will have a birthday! I would like the entire file (not reduced in size as for the web) so it will print well. Thank you.

It was a “performance” FHE this week. I read “The Embarrassing Tale of Little Miss Muffet” and Dad read two funny poems about marriage. One was several stanzas with variations of “I will always freely admit that I am right and she is wrong” or “she is free to believe anything that I believe”. The men all clapped. The other was from Ogden Nash and ended with…”When she is right, admit it. If you are right, “hush” up.” The brothers didn’t clap but the sisters smiled at that one. We also enjoyed singing, more poems, a skit and some impressive magic tricks. We had fun, hope you did too at your Family Home Evening.

Brother Call told a story from his mission. He is our oldest missionary; he was the youngest child born in a polygamous marriage in Mexico, was a Mexican citizen and called to serve his first mission in Mexico. He said that his life was threatened several times on his mission and told us about the scariest of those times. He and a new companion (of one week!) were on a bus traveling from one town to another. There was a town in between that did not care for the Mormon missionaries in a serious way. The bus was to have taken them to the far town but all of the rest of the passengers got off in the middle town and the bus driver refused to take only two the additional eight miles. So the missionaries got off and started to walk. When they were a little ways out of town a dozen men started following them. After a while they circled them and began hitting them with the flat sides of their machetes. Then a very drunk man in a black hat joined them with a pistol and started waving it around with the trigger cocked. He sent one of the men back to town to get two ropes and talked about hanging them from a very large tree at the side of the road. The guy with the gun was waving it in front of Elder Call’s face and saying very unkind things. He hit Elder Call in the head with the pistol hard enough to knock him out for a short time. They took all of their stuff and spilled it on the ground. The scriptures and branch records were scattered. All in all, it took a couple of hours of very real danger before they were able to get away and cross over the boundary of that town and into the next where the men were afraid to follow them. They found out later that the man in the black hat had previously killed three men. Yikes! I am grateful that we have not experienced any terror or real threats. And I trust it will stay that way. This happened probably 60 years ago.

We had a funny email exchange with one of our new bosses Brother Bennie Lilly:

Grandpa was talking about a monthly letter we receive from Salt Lake. This month we received it in English but the Spanish version was not our letter but the one directed to Central America.

• Bennie Lilly wrote back: Should we request the letter for the Caribbean in Spanish? I would be happy to do so for you, if you have not already done so.
• Grandpa replied: I think it would be good to have it in spanish. I think I have asked for it before but it only gets done on an "as asked" basis.
• I read that exchange in our emails and complained that Grandpa didn’t answer his question.
• So Grandpa sent this message: My wife let me know that I didnt answer your question. The answer is yes. It would be nice to have the letter in spanish. I guess I need to be more clear in my communications. thanks,
• Brother Lilly shot this back: Maybe it’s a man to man thing which your wife will never understand, but I understood you perfectly. You see, I have already requested a copy of the correct letter in Spanish! Occasionally it is great to get something over on the sisters (especially because it is so rare!). Talk to you soon.

Looks like our new boss is a master at interpersonal relations—he allows everyone to win.

Back when we were talking about how to hear the Holy Ghost in Sunday School, I took some notes that I think are helpful. President Packer said, “This burning in the bosom is not purely a physical sensation. It is more like a warm light shining within your being.” I think that is helpful because the phrase “burning in the bosom” is not the same for everyone. I like the phrase “feeling of comfort and serenity” because that is the most I get. I would like something much more dramatic so I don’t feel like I need to question my feelings…but it is sufficient. Usually the Lord gives us answers a piece at a time without the end in sight. That is hard for a person like me who is afraid to make the wrong decision but we get what we need even when we don’t get all that we want.

I also noticed something in D&C 130:19 that never stood out to me before. “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” We need diligence and obedience in order to increase our knowledge and intelligence. Sometimes we think we need to break free and do our own thing to increase knowledge and intelligence but No, we always need more diligence and obedience…not to keep us down but to allow us to increase our knowledge and intelligence so we can continue to progress. Obedience brings us more freedom, not less.

One more thought, Domingo told us a story I liked. He said that he was visiting in Santiago where he served his mission and ended up talking with a young woman who, it turns out, was an infant when Domingo taught and converted her family to the Gospel. He asked about all of the family members and had a pleasant conversation. At the end she told him, “I am so happy to meet you, your name has always been spoken of reverently in our home.” All of you future missionaries, what a special honor it will be help a family come to Jesus Christ and be lovingly remembered for the gift of the Gospel you brought to them.


We love you all, Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill