Easter on the Island…Cristo es resucitado (Christ is risen!)

April was a bless-ed month for several reasons, not only with the celebration of our risen Savior, but getting to see one of my children from home as we welcomed Skylar the week of Easter. We did all the regular things: beach, shopping, and more beach. She is always so sweet to come with few expectations other than, in her own words, wanting “to just be with you guys”.  She would come across the ocean if only for Nanny’s rice and gravy…throw in the chocolate pie and she’s set!  What’s better is she gets Nanny and mom’s cooking all in the same visit, and that on top of the tropical island! Skylar is nearing the end of her major at Sam Houston State. When she’s not in school, she’s working, and when not working, she’s in school; add driving the back and forth from College Station to Huntsville and you have one tired young lady that I am so proud of. I just wish I could ease her load. And so I tried, for only a few days…This goodbye was hard, they all are, but not near what the others were, since we knew it would be a much shorter time between our next reunion.

Picking up sister at the airport!

 Me and my girls!

Easter Sunday Family Photo (missing 2 of my men!)

 ~While speaking of the Easter season, I wanted to mention one particular evening Naomi and I walked down to the park on the beach to discuss a paper she was writing for one of her classes. The park is a lively place in the evenings with parents just in from work taking their little ones to the playground (being a high-rise area, recreation space is limited, except that of the beach of course), teens and young adults on skateboards and bikes, joggers cooling down from their run on the street taking a glimpse of the ocean, and people coming to and from the beach. There is always a breeze, and people-watching is at its peak. We watched as a group of locals gathered in a large circle and began to pray. Then they moved over to the sand on the beach, it was now dark with park lights giving way, and they made another large circle where they started to sing. I asked a local sitting next to me and Naomi what they were specifically praying/singing about and was told, “For the island…for young people on the island”. Their singing was to a bongo drum only and was the coolest island praise music ever. Naomi and I moved closer and clapped along with them. It was an amazing show, and sharing, of Christ’s spirit in our little part of the world---Puerto Rican style! After the singing they broke up in groups and approached random people in the park, including us, to ask if there were prayer needs. They prayed for us in broken English and Puerto Rican Spanish. Proof that our Lord is Alive and Everywhere! His remnant remains and is ever faithful from sea to shining sea!

Locals Praying in the Park

 Holding up placards while they sing...Jesus Saves and Jesus Loves You

...And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."  Revelation 5:9

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I'm sharing other random photos from my cameral roll.......just too many to include them all in my blog posts, but here are some good ones...

Mom and Wyatt at local market



Hunter's birthday breakfast....Krispy Kreme! mmmmm.......



Love this photo! Nomi and vintage bug on cobblestone streets of Old San Juan

Painted by the Lord of the Universe!



Just after sunrise....the camera caught what my eye could not see; a pretty awesome shot!





This little guy was literally taking a parking place at the local mall! Just an everyday iguana sighting.  The locals call them "pests". We still think it's crazy!



Always a treat and a must have every time Dad comes in; mallorca sweet bread, tarts, chocolate custard pie, and cafe leche........Kasalta!



Just in from snorkeling....If I remember correctly, this was taken right after Hunter was face to face with a stingray and said he was ready to leave:)



On the steps of La Fortaleeza, the governors mansion in Old San Juan. We were on a tour.

Naomi with the "Conn" family that she babysat quite often. She loves those kids!

This is how they haul horses! No kidding. Not many horse trailers to be seen. Crazy!!!



This is just cool! Down to the surfboard and vintage coca-cola cooler on top.



Look real close......this is one of the tree coconut climbers that climb the palms on the beach. It's a real science. He puts on a type of workboot and leg braces, and up he goes. Plop, plop, plop fall the coconuts. Then he's off in his cart to the next tree.

The local dog walker. I think I counted 14 on this particular day.

A Mountain View To Die For!

Where do I begin filling you in on the last 4-6 weeks? It’s been a whirlwind of fun and adventure as we have just finished welcoming our last round of family visitors before we are headed back home, as well as the sad good-byes that come with those dreaded airport departures.

~Before I post on our time with family, I must tell you about our trip to the mountains that began the month of April for us. Yes, I drive into the mountains on a weekly basis to get Hunter from the Academy, but never have I/we been to the TOP of one! As I’ve reported before, we have been so blessed with safety, great experiences, and circumstances that can only be explained by our God who has gone ahead of us every step of this journey, and that includes the wonderful people with which we have come in contact that are just as much a part of our story as anything else. One of those people is John Lombardo, the owner of the beachfront apartment we rented on our initial visit to PR last summer. Having several rentals, John welcomes visitors to the island on a monthly basis; however, he has been so nice to extend an extra show of support toward me, my mother, and the kids since we set ourselves up here in August. He had invited us to his mountain home early in our stay, but it was not until Spring Break that it fit in to everyone’s schedule. I have marked this as one of MY favorite adventures of our time on the island. Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is that my old van made it! We followed John, his son, and mother-in-law some 3,000 feet above sea level to a destination point that took our breath away! As we exited the main highway, it took us another 45 minutes to an hour on the winding roads to the top of the mountain. To get the feel of it, I must explain that we were in the heart of pure, Latin/Caribbean culture. No new architecture, but what would be considered poor housing by most standards, in all colors of concrete, porches and balconies with hanging clothes, and dilapidated cars along the side or front yards, but most always a friendly face when you see one. There’s the occasional panderia (bakery) that may look old and run down, but serves up the best pastries, fresh bread, and coffee you’ve ever tasted.  All this, with the backdrop of lush, tropical greenery, and your only thought is, “what a cultural experience”!  We were entering the islands coffee region and drove past hillsides of coffee growers, as well as orange and grapefruit trees; we even came across a free-roaming peacock to add to the beauty and wonder of it all. As we finally reached Johns little mountain home, I was convinced we weren’t in PR anymore, but somewhere in the Alps! Not just the heights we had reached, but the charm of the little Swiss style chalet that awaited our afternoon visit. It was splendid!! The views were AMAZING!!! Lunch was all fresh meats in the outdoor brick oven, fresh bread from the panderia, and fresh salad greens with walnut oil and vinegar dressing. Hunter and Wyatt took off immediately with John’s son Angelo exploring this mountain vista we had all to ourselves, or so it seemed. Mom and I were in awe not only at the views but with the grounds and what he grew: coffee, wild raspberries, blackberries, grapes, passion fruit called “parcha”, mulberries, lemons, guava, plantains, bananas, and spices of all kind. Within an hour, and thankfully after taking all the pics we wanted, we were literally in the clouds, as the white air came wafting through the door and windows and we could literally see only in front us of. It was awesome!  

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is his for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.   ~Psalm 95

A stop at the panderia for fresh pastries before heading uphill! This is mom and our host for the day, John. Look, mom's already taking a bite. It's that good:)

The beautiful peacock we spotted along the road. It jumped on the gaurdrail as we took the pic.

The wonderful little "chalet" we finally reached! Not all houses in the mountains of PR look as charming.



Hunter walking among the coffee rows --- it had already been harvested for the season

   




Wyatt look on lunch in the brick oven!



Mom shows off the spoils of wild fruit the boys brought back! (holding wild raspberries)



Bye for now........j.

CHECK BACK EVERY FEW DAYS FOR BLOG INSTALLMENTS AS I TRY TO CATCH UP FROM THE PAST MONTH OR SO. I DON’T WANT TO “BLOG YOU DOWN” IN ONE POST!

Spring Break in PR...

~ I must admit, it feels a little like Spring Break here just about every other day, and I was reminded again how fortunate we are to be enjoying the sand and the sea, and living the life of a tourist, when my dear friend Misty flew in to spend her break with us in PR.  Misty and I taught together at AOA where she still teaches second grade; our kids are the same age and went to school together. What a pleasure it was for the both of us to enjoy some “girl time” together and renew our friendship. It’s not that often that two wives and mothers are lying on the beach together on a tropical island, having nice dinners, walking the streets of an historic Spanish city, and snorkeling in the Caribbean. Yes, we did all that and a little more with only a short rest back at the apartment to refuel for the next outing.  We took nothing for granted, often thinking amongst ourselves, “two small-town girls from Shiro and Huntsville…only a great and mighty God can make this happen!”  It was a much anticipated time for us all as we welcomed someone from home, a place we are all longing for at this point in our venture. Mom cooked a few small meals for us and one really good chocolate pie. Naomi and Wyatt enjoyed the fun with “Mrs. Lampson” as well. We even took Mrs. Lampson with us to a performance by the Harvard Glee Club at the Conservatory de Musica de Puerto Rico (Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico). Naomi had to report on a classical concert in an elective class she is taking online.

~While we were having fun in San Juan, Hunter was off with his baseball team on an excursion that most men and boys can only dream about. They spent the week in and around Orlando where they visited different MLB Spring Training practices and took in a couple of games between the teams --- Cardinals, Tigers, Mets, and his infamous Yankees.  They did play two games themselves while in Florida, but did not come out victorious. The only concession was that they played against a college team and stayed within 4 runs. Still, Coach Rivera does not take a loss lightly as all eyes are usually on the boys from PR to make a showing of some kind! They played on the Miami Marlins minor league field; what a  treat that was, but then again every game he plays, even here in PR, is played on what would be a college field to us back home. Baseball in Latin America is a big deal and by the time they reach high school they are playing in stadiums around the island.  It certainly was a trip of a lifetime for Hunter. He didn’t want to come “home” to PR, imagine that. When asked if he was ready for college ball after 4 straight days of watching MLB practice and play up close and personal he said, “Are you kidding mom? I’m ready for the majors!” I guess that’s the attitude, but he agreed he must pay his dues.

~I know for many back home the countdown to summer has officially begun now that Spring Break has come and gone. Well, Spring Break has not officially come and gone here in PR. For the kids in PR it’s the week before Easter. That’s when Hunter will be out of school and he’ll enjoy an easier week here at the apartment and on the beach with us. Nevertheless, we too have begun counting down  for when we return HOME! Ah, that word HOME sounds so nice even in spite of the fact that my dear friend and neighbor back in Shiro likes to send reminders of the dusty roads I will return to and the Gulf Coast that is a far cry to what I walk down the sidewalk and see right now when I gaze out at the turquoise ocean. My response to Ann Marie is this: What did Dorothy say? “There’s no place like home!”  Notice, I added the explanation pointJ.  So, for Naomi and my mother, the return date is set for April 20^th. Naomi is returning sooner to take standardized testing for her online schooling and is looking forward to staying with big sister in College Station who will get her back and forth to her testing. This will leave me, Wyatt, and Hunter behind for a few more weeks in PR until Hunt finishes at the Academy in mid-May.  We have not nailed down our plans for returning next year, although Hunter will return for sure to finish out his senior year of training and for opportunities of being scouted for college ball. He is very close to being finished with his academic studies and has taken both the ACT and SAT while here in PR. We ask that you pray for our decision and plans for next year.

Enjoy the pics because we enjoyed taking them! What a great time we’ve had the past few weeks!!
 

Old San Juan....the beauty and historic charm never get old!

Just too good of a photo-op to pass up...Naomi with the Harvard Glee Club! They were on a special Spring Break tour and were quit a treat singing both classical and modern peices, mostly acapella.

Let the snorkeling begin!



Does it get any better??? On a catamaran in the Caribbean getting served fresh fruit from those cute little Puerto Rican boys...I had to keep my eye on Naomi for sure! There were about 35 people on board which made for a lot of fun!

 



 The boys and I toured the MS Bounty, the actual ship made for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty starrting Marlon Brando. It was also in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies as well as the Sponge Bob movie. It is on a sailing tour around the world and currently docked in Old San Juan.



There's my pirates on board the Bounty...but they're good pirates!!!!



Picnic at the beach...mother, daughter, and granddaughter



El bautismo en el Caribe...Baptism in the Caribbean

 Jesús está vivo en Puerto Rico! Jesus is alive in Puerto Rico! Today was a wonderful Lord's day as we celebrated the baptism of 5 people along the northern coast of Puerto Rico at Dorado Beach. The church we attend is a mixture of both Americans and Puerto Ricans; however, the majority are from the states as it caters to those who are living here temporarily on business, with the military, and the occasional family from small town Texas whose son came to play baseball:)  For the baptismal celebration we traveled caravan style after the morning service to a beautiful private beach community where we gathered down at the water for the most wonderful believers experience, participant and observer alike.  Baptism, although not a necessity to salvation, is indeed a testimony to others of our new life in Christ as we follow the example that was set by our Savior.

The pastor briefs everyone on what is going to take place before we "gather at the river" as the old hymn says

What a moment for a mother (or the father whose standing by)! Participating with your child in the most important decision of his life has to be the experience of a lifetime! These are our dear friends, the Conn's, who Naomi stays with once a week to help with home schooling, Amy and her son Jacob.

The kids run to play in the water! Wyatt and his friends

Sweet little onlookers.......




My mother enjoying the view

It was a really fun day for all of us. Below is our friend Abner. I say "our friend" because we all enjoy Abner's company. He has the best personality and is teaching us so much about the Puerto Rican culture, but for some reason he seems to like Naomi much more than he does us:/






“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”  Luke 3:21, 22



Beisbol!

Note: if you are receiving this by email notification, you must go directly to the website http://www.harshfamily.blogspot.com/ to view the videos.
    
 ~Oh yeh, we came to this island to play baseball didn’t we? True, this was the means for which our journey was begun, but in the bigger scheme of things life has a way of using circumstance and situations as a catalyst for something greater. At least this is the code I’ve adopted. I like to call it the “Providential Code” whereby God orders and directs our path according to what He sees that will benefit Him and His greater purpose in our lives, and in the lives of our children as well. What we are experiencing here in PR is much bigger than Hunter and a baseball opportunity or training. It includes every one of us on this journey; the pages of each of our lives are still being written, and the plot and purpose are still to be discovered.

      Nevertheless, this post is about baseball! But not just an update on Hunter’s training, rather some fun information on Wyatt and his becoming a little leaguer in Puerto Rico. Again, we stand in awe of how all is orchestrated on our behalf, and how we just “happened” to be indirectly directed to the best little league organization on the island. I was reluctant to take part in what might be a foreign language fiasco and perhaps have me traveling in high crime areas to attend practice and games. After several phone calls from connection Hunter’s coach had, we met with one Piry Vega (pronounced “Petey”) who came to meet us at the corner McDonalds so we could follow him to the practice field after our getting lost.  Piry has been running Roosevelt Little League for 50 years and only speaks a little English, but enough to give me the names of about 7 or 8 major league players who got their start on Roosevelt fields. It was a delight to watch as this kind, older gentleman welcome Wyatt to his league and insist, with a big smile, that Wyatt at least try some Spanish. He assured Wyatt that the boys on the team he would be placed all speak English. Wyatt’s biggest fear was that he would not be able to communicate with anyone and had him going to bed in a fit of anxiety the night before the first practice. The photos will tell how it all played out, which couldn’t have been better.  It was the red-headed, fair-freckled Puerto Rican boy named Andréas that said, “Hey Wyatt, come one!” and took him under his wing right away.(red-headed Puerto Rican, no kidding! That's what is so great and interesting about PR, the diversity of its people.) What I most want to report on is the opening ceremonies of Wyatt's little league. We were told we didn’t want to miss it because, as with everything else, Puerto Rican’s know how to have fun and celebrate any and all occasions. The opening of the little league season is no different. It was held on the fairest of nights with a cool breeze and a nice manicured field which was all lit up with white folding chairs lined in the infield to take in the teams and players that would stroll into the ball park after completing their march along the parade route. That’s right, a parade complete with school band and a girls twirling team. Each of the little league teams walking along the neighborhood streets around the field in their very cool unofficial major league uniforms (the best looking uniforms our boys have ever worn), from the youngest team to the oldest boys followed by a small band of local men and dads playing their drums and horns. There amidst it all was this little blue-eyed blonde boy hailing from somewhere between College Station and Huntsville in a land far, far away…that little town of Shiro, Texas! It was Wyatt Harsh, or as his new baseball buddies say, “wY-At”.  The parents that I am surrounded with at practice and games couldn’t be a better group of people. All are so warm and inviting, wanting to make sure we are not the least bit held back by anything. I just wish David were a part of all this with me as we are use to being back at home. To make up for it, I text and send photos from my phone from the practices as well as the games. Sometimes Wyatt calls dad on the way back to our apartment to give a report.  He is arriving for a visit next week to see it all. He can’t wait, and neither can we!  

     ~Hunter continues to play and train. However, we still have only seen one game of his which was during the holidays. They do not follow a regular schedule of games but pick them up as the week goes along and coach makes plan to play in this town or that. All of them seem to be on the opposite end of the island and too far for us to drive. Gas prices have gone up here just as we have heard they have back home. With the cost of living in PR, I have to be very conservative with gas in order to get Hunter back and forth to the academy and to get Wyatt to his practice and games. The senior boys on Hunter’s team are being scouted and given scholarships to attend colleges in the states. Penn State was recently scouting the team and approached Hunter. Intrigued by his being the only “gringo” on the team they wanted to know his story and what brought him to PR. They asked how long he will be here, so maybe they will put a mark by his name and come back next year when he is an eligible senior. That is our hope although he is making his list of potential colleges in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. He can’t go too far from home; mom and dad want to watch some college ball! The team is getting ready to attend some of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training camps in Florida both for observation and a chance to meet with the clubs top coaches. They will be playing in a tournament while there. 

     The weather is unusually cool and rainy for this time of year in San Juan, or so the locals tell us. We are enjoying it though! Sure makes for nice afternoons with the doors and windows open. It’s been so windy and cool at the beach that we’ve had to leave early. Don’t you hate when that happens??? But then again, there’s always tomorrow. Every day is just as beautiful as the day before!

I've also included some other random photo's of all that is unique and/or beautiful around the island.

I guess it's just another day at the ballpark in Puerto Rico when a former Major League Coach comes out the ballpark and gives batting and fielding instruction. That's what happened last week at practice. I walked up to the fence to ask one of the dads who "that man" was conducting Wyatt's practice. It was Edwin Rodriguez, coach of the Florida Marlins in the 2010/11 season.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

I've mentioned before thatI go out to the baseball academy Hunter attends and give an English lesson to the boys. They are enrolled in online schooling, so the Coach was thrilled when I offered to give them a "real" classroom experience once a week. I'm setting the bar high for these aspiring ballplayers from PR! Our copies of Homer's Iliad just arrived and we have begun reading... Improving their English while reading the classics; a rewarding experience for me every week.

                                                                                                          

This is my drive to the baseball academy...into the beautiful mountains of central Puerto Rico. The photo doesn't compare to what it looks like to the naked eye; a sight that I never tire of seeing week after week.

The photos below are not postcards, but he beautiful beach area of Ocean Park and Condado where we live!

Beach Patrol

Our apartment is a couple of blocks just behind the condo's in the photo below.

Condado Lagoon where we like to paddle board

James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."