Dominican republic, Pan American Lectureships

We began this morning at breakfast and then continued with the meetings.

Today, we had another birthday to celebrate.  Dan's birthday is today and he shared his cake with us. At one time, Dan was a missionary in Guatemala. 

This is Linda and Calvin.  They have visited and spoke many times in Guatemala.  It was good to see them again. Calvin was the president for Baxter Institute, before Dr. Norton.

After the morning session, we had an opportunity to do tour of Santo Domingo.  We began the tour at the house of Christopher Columbus.  It was interesting.  This is a portrait of Christopher Columbus in the house.

This is one of the bedrooms.

The tour was very interesting.....but none of the furniture belonged to him, he never lived in the house, nor did he ever spend a night here........yet, they claim it was his house.

This is Steve and Dianna.  Steve will be the next president for the Baxter Institute and they are from Henderson, NC.  I enjoyed meeting them.

We visited the Panteon National Chandelier of Eternal Flame.  It is a cemetery of national hereos.  The chandelier hanging above the guard is made of total bronze and was a gift from General Francisco Franco to the Dominican Republic. The guard stands in position 24 hours a day.

This is the eternal flame.

This is a mural of the ascension to heaven on the ceiling.

This is the other side of the mural, the final judgement.

We then visited a large Catholic Church.  Our guide tried to teach us the name, but it was so long, he finally gave up on us :)They allowed us to sing Amazing Grace inside.  The acoustics were very nice.

They told us that it is common for the ladies to touch this cross as they kneel for three minutes.  In doing this, they are hoping that their husbands will remain faithful.  Dianna put it to the test...........she was only joking.

Mikal and Linda.  They are good friends and were in Guatemala in January of 2010.  They did a really nice class entitled, Healing of the Heart, which we really enjoyed.

I also met another couple from the College Church of Christ, Bob and Joyce.  I enjoyed meeting them as well.

I feel very bad that I did not get a photo of Ann and Bruce.  They are also from The College Church of Christ in Searcy and it was just announced that Bruce will be the new president for Harding University.  I am excited for the new opportunities and adventures that lie ahead for Baxter and also Harding.

Tomorrow morning, I will leave the hotel at 0430 to return to Guatemala.  We have a group of about 25-30 arriving and they will work with us for three days.

I appreciate so much the opportunity to attend the Pan American Lectureships.  I pray that everyone continues to enjoy their time here and when it is time to return to the states, everyone has safe travels.