Davila/Hosier Family Blog - Dominican Republic Here We Come!!: Spending the day at the Missionary Home in Santiago, DR

Today our family had the priviledge of spending the day at the Santiago Missionary Home located above the Villa Olga Kingdom Hall. I had been introduced to one of the missionary sister's, Teresa Smith, a few months ago when I first began planning this trip. She has been helpful in my planning every step of the way. She graduated from Gilead School in 1982 and was assigned to the Dominican Republic. She has now been in this country for almost 30 years, and has lived in several locations in the country durnig that time. She was assigned to the Moca Sign Language congregation about 4 years ago and moved here to Santiago to the ASL about 2 years ago.

Here at this missionary home there is Teresa, another sister (whom we didn't get to meet) and one missionary couple serving in the Creole Congregation. They share a common living room and kitchen area and each have their own bedroom (which is pretty large). There is also an apartment attached that is used by the Spanish CO for that area. There are three Missionary Homes here in the DR.

Today Teresa had invited us to lunch, and she, along with a few other sisters, provided us with a delicious Dominican style lunch. Here in the DR lunch is the main meal for the day. We were served chicken, white rice, pigeon peas (I need to get the correct Spanish name for this dish) with fresh grated coconut, plantains maduros (which are the sweet ones with cinnamon, sugar and cloves) and fresh veggies. Teresa also served a bread (Also need to get the name) that is made from yucca and she served it with a wonderful dip.

After lunch we assisted Teresa in finishing a concept for those that are blind and deaf. She has taken the new "Listen to God" brochure and created a page with foam cut outs for each page in the brochure. She has a study, named, Clara, that has been blind and deaf since birth. If any of you have seen the movie "The Miracle Worker" or you have heard the story of Helen Keller, this is so like that story. Here in the DR the deaf are treated lower than dirt. There are ones that have been chained up in the house, because the family thinks of them as the "crazy ones". There are households that have deaf in the family, which no one knows about, because they keep them locked up in rooms. It is very sad to see how the deaf, and worse for the deaf/blind, are treated. A sister, Giselle, from the local ASL congregation was telling us about a brother at the Kingdom Hall that used to be chained up and treated as a slave at his home until the special pioneer brother found him, taught him sign language and the truth. Now he is a brother. Can you imagine??!! The concept book we were working on is for Teresa to use when teaching Clara signs and the Bible at the same time. I was able to go on Clara's study last week and was able to see the book in action. Teresa has been working with her since January and she is starting to connect things in her head now. She understands that the book on the page is the Bible and she is able to sign her name. Before Teresa started to work with her she and her family knew no sign language. The CO loved Teresa's book so much that he asked her to make a duplicate that he can use to show throughout the country as an example of what others can use. The duplicate book is mainly what we worked on today. Here are some pictures of the book we were working on today:

We used foam sheets to cut out figures to put on the page that she can feel and begin to recognize - this page has already been done, we just copied it - this page represents creation - Jehovah creating the birds of the heaven, fish of the sea and every living creature roaming about

This page shows Jehovah blessing (the rays coming down) the arrangement of marriage with Adam (A) and Eve (E)

This is mom using the original book on the right and duplicating it on the left

Rebecca worked on a new page for both books - this page dealt with Adam and Eve sinning and the yellow boxes are their coffins (one for Adam and one for Eve) (There are two since there are two books)

This is a new page we did for both books - This page shows Adam and Eve with the fruit in the middle - the rings on the top right are a common sign in ASL meaning a relationship or a connection - one of the rings is not a complete circle representing the relationship being broken with Jehovah

This is the page Teresa used when we were on the study - The concept is Jehovah blessed man to write the Bible -

This is the continuation page of the one that is two above - it continues the concept of Adam and Eve growing old and then a coffin for each one - If you life the coffin lid we placed a man in one and a woman in the other