Elections

The streets have been pretty crazy the last few days here. All the public schools are closed and there are random parades that block the streets and intersections with people, cars, and motorcylcles waving flags for their favorite candidate. It is not like in the states at all. Elections I believe are on Sunday but apparently the stores will be closed from tomorrow morning until Monday afternoon possibly Tuesday. Even Sundays church service is cancelled. We've been told to not walk anywhere around town on Saturday or Sunday, but to stay on the school grounds. If this makes you worried don't be we're perfectly safe.
Our time here has been going so well. We had a lovely trip to the waterfall on a beautiful day and got to have some fun swimming and relaxing. We also baked chocolate chip cookies with the orphanage kids yesterday which we're gone pretty much as soon as they were cool enough to be eaten. The kids really love the baking activities and the girls are loving playing with the kids and talking with them.
We also get to be at school while the kids are at school so we've been able to play with the kids at recess and they love to play with our hair or play duck duck goose or take pictures. We were talking about the differences today between this school and the schools in the states, which resulted from the gym teacher/recess watcher pulling out these massive gloves made from foam and tape which were supposed to be some form of boxing gloves. The kids loved standing up on a bench and seeing who could push the other off as they boxed all while being carefully supervised of course. The kids from kindergarten up to eighth grade we're participating in this. I think the purpose of it was to prevent other fights from breaking out since had already been two fights that day that I had seen. What made this scene even better was that after the younger ones' recess was over and the older kids came out the eighth grade teacher and one of the girls that helps in the kitchen had a little boxing match which thecteacher lost. Even Faith was able to participate (she lost). We tried to imagine if something like that were to ever happen in the states.
After our fun morning of boxing matches we went to the orphanage to have an ice cream party with the kids. Every kid had ice cream and was finished with seconds in a half hour. I asked Dominga (one of the house moms) to share her testimony with the girls. She has such an amazing testimony of God's patience with her when she turned her back on God and how he wauted until she returned to Him and God's provision for her and her family when she was a single mom and God's leading her to come to Casa Monte Plata, the orphanage. I'm hoping the girls will get to hear more testimonies from the housemoms who are amazing women of God and huge blessings.
Tomorrow we'll be going out to camp with the kids from the orphanage to play some sports and maybe do some swimming in the river. Things are starting to get pretty loud here and fireworks that sound like canons are going off. I need to go get ready for Friday night church now.