Dominican Republic

Location: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Travel Time: May 7-21, 2012

For our honeymoon, Terahl and I decided to take two weeks and visit the Dominican Republic. Neither of us had been so we were both very excited. We had some difficulty leaving Chicago’s O’hare International Airport due to some severe thunderstorms, so upon arriving in Puerto Plata we were both extremely tired. We checked into the Lifestyles Holiday Vacation Resorts (http://www.lhvcresorts.com/) where the staff was friendly and very attentive. They guided us to our room with all our luggage in tow. They notified us that the lunch buffet would only be open for another half hour, so Terahl and I decided to grab a quick bite before catching up on some much needed rest. As we both finished piling up a hefty amount of food on our plates, we both started searching for a table when we heard a voice say ‘excuse me, are you Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ Naturally, we both turned around saying ‘YES!’ only to realize the sister speaking was not talking to us. To our surprise, there was another couple who was vacationing at that same resort that had their Watchtower sitting on the table. We all exchanged greetings and introductions. It was then we found out that a group of witnesses were actually staying at the resort for the week to help with some seldom worked territory in the English congregation.

With some friends from the Boston area.

Due to the earthquake in 2010, many Haitian refugees had now come to the Domincan Republic side of the border and were left with little to nothing for housing. These areas for preaching proved fruitful; many of these people had lost everything, so some encouraging words from the Bible was exactly what they wanted to hear. After hearing this information, the brothers and sisters invited us to join them in the ministry. The brother said ‘we will have arrangements in the lobby at 9:30 and you both are more than welcome to join!’. Terahl and I ended up going back to the hotel room. On one hand we figured, its our honeymoon and we want to relax. But being the adventurous pioneers we both are, we knew this was an opportunity we could not pass up. So sure enough we went. That week we had a blast. We made some great friends, ate some great authentic Dominican food, and both started Bible studies. We even visited with the congregation.

Out in the field ministry in Puerto Plata.

TJ starting a Bible study with one of the Haitian refugees.

At the end of that week, one brother said ‘so, what are you two doing in Dominican anyways?’. When we told him it was our honeymoon, everyone was floored. They couldn’t believe we were out in service! It was such a great laugh. The friends who were there to preach only stayed for a week. So the second week, we definitely had more than enough time to relax. We took advantage of the private beaches on the resort and did some excursions with the resort. Some of my favorite moments were going to the animal park where Terahl and I swam with dolphins and stingrays. Terahl was brave enough to swim with the sharks, I had to sit out for that one. When we weren’t on an excursion, you could find us at one of the many restaurants on the resort. The food was incredible. We also frequented the ice cream parlor ‘Scoops’ where the ice cream was severed over a cold stone. Needless to say, we returned home a little heavier than we arrived. And darker for that matter.

On our way to Paradise Island.

It was a great experience. Enjoying the beauty that the Dominican Republic has to offer while also gaining experiences in the ministry we will never forget. We are both looking forward to visiting again.

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