Our second week in the Dominican Republic came with many changes. The Jones left Thursday night. We moved to the new Area Presidency Offices and Ed began to feel better. The Area Presidency and their wives took the Joneses and us to dinner at a nice restaurant in honor of the completion of the Jones' time here and our welcome. The restaurant was El Meson de la Cava. When you enter, there is a spiral staircase going down, opening into a beautiful room which happens to be in a cavern...very interesting, very good food, and most of all very good company. Wednesday was our last trip to the area office to work. Even though the traffic is crazy, I will miss seeing the street vendors, the city streets with the various open-air shops, half-built balconies, and horse-drawn fruit carts and even the potholes and uncovered manholes in the street. It is all so much a part of the culture. Most of all I will miss the people that work at the area office. They are some of the finest people on earth. Without exception, they are kind, helpful and happy.

I am not sure I mentiond that Ed had a bad cold the first week and was just getting over it when he had back spasms that laid him low for a couple of days, luckily it was Saturday and Sunday. He had a blessing and was able to return to work on Monday and has progressively gotten better.However, last Sunday I decided to drive to the church myself. Understanding it was Sunday morning with less traffic. I took the route that everyone had said but no one gave me the last turn so I wandered the streets within 100 feet of it and never did find the church so I came home sad but proud I had the courage to try the driving thing in the DR.

Tonight we had a men's choir (10 men) give the Casa a Christmas Program. Not sure I have ever heard anything so simple and beautiful. Alexis, the assistant in our office was a part of the group. It was acapella. It is still hard to get a grasp that it is Christmas time when there is no snow and family. Not to mention 80 degrees, palm trees, and flowers everywhere.

The Joneses had a motto, "Work hard, play harder." I am not sure we are quite that much on the play side but our weekends do seem to fill up. We actually walked to a very good pizza place on Friday night called Pizzarelli. It was an adventure. I am not sure which is more dangerous, the traffic or the hanging utility wires.

Saturday morning, we went to the temple It is a beautiful temple, large, beautiful grounds, and rivals the beauty of any around the world. Saturday night we did go to a food court for dinner and then to the latest Narnia movie with 5 other missionary couples. Okay so this mission is not like Ed's first one. The movie is considered a Spanish lesson with the captions in the show. Right!!?

Church today was nice. Again such nice people and I was more outgoing than the last week. I have figured that you can say with a smile, "Bien" or "Muy bien" most of the time and you are appropriate. (I know I am simplifying things, but everyone is so nice they help you with the rest if you just try a little.)