Bride and groom with proud parents, Michael & April on the left, and Cy and Nancy on the right	The pre-school got a spiffy new paint job to begin the new school year.

Sra. Nelly Martinez, Director of Ovejitas de la Epifania Pre-school.

Michael was assigned a new course to teach, and began scurrying around to find resources. At the Church of the Epiphany we got the unexpected news that the new vicar wouldn’t be coming after all, and that Michael would continue indefinitely as associate interim vicar. Meanwhile the other clergy were taking the last of their summer vacations, and the secretary quit. For a while Michael was the only one in charge, and without any help in the office. Life hasn’t been slow, but it has been hot. This time of year we crank up the fans to their highest speed—April says it’s like sleeping under a helicopter—and take lots of cold showers.

Last year April did lot of work at the pre-school, but on an occasional basis, as one among several activities. This year she has come to see the pre-school as her main assignment. She works there from 7:30 AM until 1:00 PM four days a week. Enrollment has nearly doubled this year, from 12 to 23, and more care-givers are needed. The 1 ½ -2 year-olds and the 3-4 year-olds now form two groups, each with its own teacher, instructional activities and play area. Along with this growth comes a greater need for posters, work sheets, art projects, etc., and April has become the main resource person in this area. So in the mornings she holds crying 2 year-olds and changes diapers, and in the afternoons she sits at the dining table with scissors, markers, construction paper and poster board at hand.

April and Aarón	Alana	Michelle

Christian's 3rd birthday

New seminarians Ti'pierre Richard, Vanel Sainte Juste and 'Chiqui'	Michael with CET faculty and students 2008-2009 at opening retreat

CET has three new students this year, which brings the total enrollment to eight. The fall term began with a retreat, at which some of the faculty presented meditations on the spirituality of Christian ministry. Michael’s presentation emphasized attending to the physical dimension of the spiritual life, based on the theology of the resurrection, not knowing how this would come across in this cultural context—an over-privileged gringo hawking gym memberships? They were surprised, but not put off. The topic generated a good deal of conversation, including the observation that CET doesn’t have facilities conducive to good exercise.

Michael is teaching one course, Christian ethics, to the five senior students. Last semester he discovered that directed reading is a teaching technique that won’t work here. Students are more used to learning information presented in class by their instructors. This new course is designed to build on the competence that they already have, while also cultivating the skill of analytical reading. We work our way chapter by chapter through a basic textbook—written by Ismael García of Austin Presbyterian Seminary—and even work with snippets of original source like the Epistle to Diognetus and the Didache.

The seminary year also began with a graduation! One student, Adolfo Moronta, finished his course work last year and managed to complete his thesis over the summer. He had to defend the thesis—which is now required of all graduates—before a jury of three faculty members, as well as fellow students, church members and any other interested parties. After this ordeal, it would have been anti-climactic to wait until next June to get his diploma. So we went ahead with his commencement.

Adolfo defends his thesis	Michael and April with Adolfo at his graduation reception

Bp. Telésforo Isaac

The current ups and downs of the global economy are putting the squeeze on many Dominicans. There were a whole lot of people just getting by, who now find themselves hard-pressed to put food on the table. The retired diocesan, Bishop Telésforo Isaac, just wrote a disturbing piece called «Estamos en el umbral de la desesperación» (“We Are on the Threshold of Hopelessness”), which captures the encroaching mood.

This has directly affected our food distribution program at Epiphany. A few years ago parishioners began bringing food for the hungry as part of their Sunday offering. As we left to go the US in June, the number of people in need was beginning to outstrip the food brought by parishioners. After we returned here at the end of July, Michael began dipping into his discretionary fund to make up the difference. Now the need has also exceeded this resource. The congregation is challenged to decide whether we are going to extend or retreat from this particular ministry—perhaps a difficult choice, given that middle-class Dominicans are also feeling the pinch.

Nelly prays with Lazarus's Basket participants when they first arrive.	Lazarus's Basket participannts lining up for food distribution.

Lazarus´s Basket recipient Elena Evangelista.	Lazarus's Basket recipient Martina Gálvez Mercedes with grandson.	Lazarus´s Basket recipient Caonabo Cueto.

This situation also raises the question of CET’s leadership training. There is a very strong ethos of social service in the Diocese—hence the schools, clinics, and public health initiatives that go hand in hand with any evangelization. The church’s responsibility to be a prophetic voice is also affirmed in the Bishop’s addresses and the opinions expressed in the diocesan newspaper. However, the need for something more powerful is increasingly evident, and there are no models of how to be political but non-partisan. It looks like Bishop Isaac’s article is going to raise the question of how we train ordained ministers to do this.

Limpiabotas Jonathan, Deure and Edison enjoy a sandwich in our stairwell.

We have become “godparents” to three limpiabotas (shoeshine boys) who come to Epiphany every Sunday looking for work between services. Michael always gets his shoes shined, whether they need it or not. They also come during the week, looking for more shoes to shine or other odd jobs. We often don’t have anything for them to do, but give them a sandwich. Jonathan celebrated his 14th birthday on September 14, and Michael promised to help him buy some sneakers. Unfortunately he was dreaming of a fancy name-brand pair that cost well over $100. He was dumbfounded when told that we couldn’t afford that, and that we ourselves didn’t have any shoes that expensive. He had a rather exaggerated view of our wealth—so much greater than his as to seem limitless. He ended up taking the much smaller sum that we offered him and combining it with his earnings to buy a less expensive but still pretty fancy pair.

On a more personal front, we made three resolutions for the coming year. (1) Because last year we were involved at Epiphany nearly every Sunday, we never got to visit any other churches. This year we want to see a bit more of the Diocese. (2) We promised ourselves, for our own mental health, to get to the beach once a month. And (3) we vowed to take merengue lessons. Thus far, we’ve made some headway on the first two. Also, the two puppies we acquired last year have grown into quite a handful. José Abreu, the sexton of Epiphany, has joint custody and helps us keep them in line. The agenda for our second year is already full, and we anticipate its unfolding with excitement and hope. Peace to you all.

Otto and Milly on the patio of the vicarage.

April & Michael