It is Wed. morning and I'm starting to fall back into our time zone and regular sleep patterns. Last night I had visions of children caring for children, a common scene in the villages (bateys) near Barahona. 
Here is an older sister with her two siblings.
It is a common sight to see 7-9year olds carrying their baby brothers and sisters (6 mos. old - 8 mos. old) around with them. A picture that is etched in my mind is that of an 8 or 9 year old boy bathing his naked little brother, dowsing him with water from a bucket, drenching him from head to toe. Mom was standing by just watching and giving her approval to the bathing efforts of her son. I also saw children bathing in an irrigation ditch that ran through their village. Needless to say, the ditch was far from sanitary; strewn with trash and whatever else dumped there.
The elementary age children and older have a responsibility to care for the infants and toddlers. Moms do the household chores, cooking, washing whatever clothes they have, getting water for the day, etc. Dads work in the sugar cane fields or harvest fruit; plantanes, bananas, mangos, pineapple, uka, or any other work they can find that day. Many don't have jobs.
In the midst of those pictures in my mind are smiles; people filled with joy, many with the joy of knowing Christ. Right now, the smiles are standing out and comforting my heart in this transition to life on San Juan Island and our western culture.
The smiles also reveal hearts of gratitude. Yet it is those of us who ventured out on this mission who are expriencing the joy of our Lord, passed on to us from a people from a faraway island in the Carribean. God is so good and gracious!
Vic for the team.
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