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| Constanza |
Tuesday, January 3, 2012--Constanza
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| Constanza |
We had an incredible day today. We went to Contanza, a community northwest of Santo Domingo, to deliver 18 boxes of warm clothing and blankets to the people who live in Constanza. Members and youth in Puerto Rico made the blankets. Sister Martinez, the wife of Elder Martinez, Area Authority Seventy in Puerto Rico, coordinated everything for us. She sent the boxes via boat, and Benjamin from the office picked them up on Friday from the Aduana. I then scheduled the time with Elder Domíngues, the Area Authority Seventy, who lives in Santiago.
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| The Delivery |
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| Snows, Hammons, Elder Domingues, Presidente Garcias, Benjamin Lopez, y Elder Atkinson |
The ride there was beautiful. Once we left the freeway, we began to instantaneously climb and climb and climb. We marveled at the change of vegetation and scenery along the extremely windy road. We stopped at the top to capture a better look at the valley where we had come from. Incredible! We stayed for a bit and then climbed back in our vehicles and continued our trip to Constanza.
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| Constanza fields |
Just before we started our descent into the city, we stopped and scanned the vast valley below—truly the Dominican Garden of Eden. It was picturesque with the many fields of vegetables growing along the valley floor, with some of the fields of various vegetables climbing up the sides of the hills, between stands of varying shades of green foliage. I took a few pictures, but the pictures just don’t do the valley justice.
The ride into the city was amazing. We had heard a lot about Constanza and its ability to grow things. When we were at the bodega and asked people where the potatoes came from or where the carrots came from or where most any of the vegetables came from, the answer was all the same: Constanza. There were fields after fields after fields of all kinds of vegetables at different levels of growing. Next to a field full of people picking potatoes was a field of potatoes being grown. That was the way it was with several crops.
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| Elder Dominguez |
Coming from a potato state—Idaho—I was curious to see what kind of mechanization was being used in the potato harvest. Workers like little ants hunched over and were picking potatoes. Watching the workers pick potatoes reminded me of my own potato picking days several years ago. The rows were still being dug by a two-row digger, and the men in the fields were picking them by hand, except they didn’t have the pink rubberized buckets. Rather, they had sacks in which they placed the potatoes.
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| Hermanas from the Constanza Branch |
The rest of the fields were clean, the rows straight, and some irrigation equipment lying in the fields. It was absolutely pristine with the rolling hills and mountains in the background. Field workers, Haitians and Dominicans, were everywhere, working the land by hand, harvesting this and that. I just reflected how hard of work this was and has been for years.
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| The blankets |
When we entered the city, we called Presidente García, the Branch President, who directed
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| Presidente y Hermana Garcia |
us to the capilla. We turned left at the light and drove a few blocks down the street, and there was the capilla, or rented house, for the Constanza Branch. Presidente García and Elder Domínguez were there to greet us along with several members of the Branch. It was exciting meeting the Branch President and finally meeting Elder Domínguez. We unloaded all of the boxes and placed them in one of the rooms in the capilla.
Once we were done, we chatted with members in the Branch who had put together a little luncheon for us—salad with tomatoes, Dominican-style chicken, two different kinds of rice, fruit, and juice. It was delicious. We had a wonderful conversation. One of the members was a doctor; so, Elder Atkinson began visiting with her about a potential humanitarian project in her hospital. Elder Atkinson promised them the questionnaire, and they promised to fill it out and send it back.
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| Members of the Constanza Branch |
We had such a great time, visiting with the members, the young men and women, and the primary-age children and getting to know the great saints who live in Constanza. They are like everyone here: They are hungry for friendly conversation and companionship with senior missionaries. They were saddened that we had to leave so soon after we had arrived. They extended many invitations to return to the Constanza Branch to participate with them.
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| Hermana Hammon, Elder Domingues, Elder Hammon |
The Rappleyes took Elder Domínguez back to Santiago. He had come in public transportation as his car had broken down. He is such a wonderful man. I look forward to meet
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| Elder Hammon and a very shy little girl. |
ing his family.
