Can I take a shower at your house?

I wish I were showering instead of blogging right now, but alas, that seems to be a bit much to ask these days. The pump war in my temporary apartment (72 more days) continues, although in all honesty, it's probably me that's changed, not the situation: I'm beyond over how water or the lack thereof governs my day-to-day existence. 

My favorite part of being anywhere else is unlimited, on-demand, hot, pressurized showers. That includes the Krey family beach house on the north coast, where I was invited to spend the early part of Holy Week. I went up for two lovely nights, joining Ted, Becca, and their five kids for pool time, an afternoon at the nearby public beach, morning and evening devotions, card and board games, and even homework help. 

This is undeniably my favorite spot, although as stated above, the shower was a close second.

It was rainier than I might have liked, but that meant a rainbow one morning. I'm convinced the DR has more than anywhere else I've traveled or lived!

The water situation didn't improve as the week progressed into the most somber days of the Church year. Good Friday might have been the only day since moving here that I didn't get to shower AT ALL. Saturday's new low was returning a pie plate to a fellow missionary AND grabbing a shower at her house. I bit my tongue Sunday as I doused myself in deodorant and body spray after a morning run and walked by my neighbors WASHING THEIR CAR on my way to church. I had already messaged Becca to ask if I could shower there that afternoon when the water finally came on. 

So yeah, the week stands out as particularly rough on my sanity and emotions, but it was also marked by beautiful moments in God's house commemorating the final moments of our Lord's earthly life, the torturous punishment He suffered in our place, and finally, His triumph over the tomb:

The pastors absolved every worshipper individually at my church's Maundy Thursday service. 

Pueblo Nuevo's Good Friday Tenebrae service culminated in a haunting rendition of ¿Viste tú? (Were You There) by missionary & seminary kids.  

And it was a packed house back at my church on Easter morning as we were joined by a slew of neighborhood kids with disabilities and their families for worship & lunch. The group is so large, in fact, that you can't even see one of my favorite Easter traditions - mismatched altar flowers brought by each member family that somehow look fabulous together. 

The Krey family graciously invited me over for a BBQ later that afternoon so I didn't have to spend the holiday alone. I brought lambs! No, I'm not that creative, but Pinterest is. I was afraid it might turn into a Nailed It! situation - aka epic fail - but they looked exactly like the picture. 

They're cheese (& ham) balls with black olive legs and faces!

Bets on if there's water now? Tomorrow I'm taking some visiting missionaries to the garden with me in the morning; they offered that I could shower at their Airbnb when I drop them off, and I'm already looking forward to it!

Until next time, blessings in Christ!