This morning I was off on Errands that took me down the road known as the “Malecon”. It’s the coast highway the runs just a few yards away from the cliffs that where Santo Domingo meets the Caribbean Sea. Sometimes when the surf is just right and so is the tide, the surf and the “Blow Holes” are spectacular. I couldn’t resist, I had to stop and take some pictures. I think they are awesome.
Back at the office it was back work on documents and pictures to finish up the paper work for yesterday’s “Translados.” And since my job includes editing and manipulating pictures, I really enjoy it.
One of the documents I got to create was for an Elder that has been assigned to “Elias Piña” a town near the border with Haiti. And because it is so close to the boarder and the Dominican Republic works tirelessly to keep illegal refugees from sneaking across the border. There are military check points every few miles on the highways around all of the border towns. Everyone is required to carry on their person legal ID like a “Sedula” (Dominican Social Security Card) or a Passport to prove they are in the country legally.
Well, the Elder in question is a Haitian national. A few years ago he came to the DR illegally, attended the University, was converted to the gospel and is now on a mission. But he has no passport, no “Sedula”, nothing. When he came into the mission President Almonte had a document drawn up by the church’s lawyers that said the Elder was a full time missionary for the church, that he was under the care and protection of President Almonte and that he was completely supported financially by the church. (In the US we say “he is being sponsored”) This document is sufficient to keep the Elder from being deported for the length of his mission. The problem was; it had no photo proving who the Elder was. That’s where I come in. I got to create an “official looking” document similar to a driver’s license, with name, address, picture, etc. Now when he is stopped by the border patrol he can prove who he is, on the spot, instead of being taken down to the police station. I had a good time making it. I get all of the fun jobs!
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