Almacén del Obispo (a.k.a. "The Bishops' Storehouse)

Almacén del Obispo “The Bishops’ Storehouse”

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

For those of us who grew up in Idaho, Utah, and other parts of the U.S. where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is prevalent, you have probably spent some time in the Bishops’ Storehouse, probably providing some type of service. I was always amazed at the number of products, both canned and fresh, that were available to those who were in need. At Christmas time, our two daughters also spent some time in the Bishops’ Storehouse in Linden, Utah. They commented how they were impressed with the number and quality of food stuffs available.

Almacén del Obispo

We also have a Bishops’ Storehouse or Almacén del Obispo here in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is housed in the old Santo Domingo East Mission home, located in Gascue on a short street named Casamira de Moya #5. It has a beautiful front gate that can only be opened by an automatic door opener. Then, there is the gate that has a padlock to just get to the Almacén del Obispo. Once you arrive at the front door, there is another lock on the door. But then you enter a home that has several rooms dedicated to Almacén del Obispo, including a large storage room where the bulk of the 13 items are stored.

Yes, the Santo Domingo Almacén del Obispo has just 13 items:

13 Items

Leche de Polvo         Powered milk

Aceite                        Oil

Arroz                         Rice

Habichuelas               Beans

Harina                        White flour

Avena                         Oatmeal

Harina de Maiz           Corn flour

Jabón                           Soap

Spaghetti                     Spaghetti

Sardines                       Sardines

Chocolate                     Chocolate

Azucar                          Sugar                                                          

Sal                                 Salt

This list of 13 items may seem small compared to what many of you have seen in the Almacén del Obispo in the more heavily populated areas where there are lots of members of the Church. Interestingly, though, these 13 items are the staples in the lives of the Dominicans. As you can imagine, the rice and beans are probably the most important items on this list.

The beans and white flour come in 100-pound bags and are re-packaged into smaller three-, five-, and ten-pound plastic bags. Volunteers come each Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and then on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and help those who need help, re-package the beans and flour and sometimes the rice, stock shelves, and do general cleaning inside and outside the Almacén del Obispo.

the sealers and volunteers

The Almacén

We have four package sealers at the Santo Domingo Almacén del Obispo. They have developed cardboard models for each of the sizes of bags. They then have a huge roll of plastic. They place the model on the plastic and then cut the right size. After cutting the right size, they seal one end, fill the bags and weigh them on the scales. Once appropriately weighed, one of the volunteers uses the sealer to seal shut the plastic bag. Then, another volunteer writes the weight on the bag. The permanent marker barely has time to dry before it is whisked off to the actual Almacén where it is placed on the shelf.

Volunteers at the Bishops' Storehouse in the kitchen

Since our apartment is above the Almacén del Obispo, we often arrive home when the members are here serving. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is for Sister Hammon and me to greet and visit with the members who come, whether they are volunteers or members who have come to obtain a few of the food stuffs to take home. They are a wonderfully happy people, eager to serve and be a part of the Bishops’ Storehouse in this part of Zion, the Dominican Republic.

We marvel how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides for the poor and the needy through Bishops’ Storehouses. We testify of the importance of these Bishops’ Storehouses and how they help people in their time of need as they become more self-sufficient. This is the Lord’s Way, and we are humbled to be a part of it.

Gracias a todos que prestan servicio en el Almacén del Obispo en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana. Serán bendecidos por su servicio.  

Two sister volunteers

Other volunteers

Another view

The Johnsons come to visit

"The Johnsons Come to Visit" 

By Elder Darrel L. Hammon

One of the great things about being senior missionaries is that your children can come visit and you can go to the beach with them. And that's exactly what we did when Anna Rose, Christiaan, and Emiline came to visit in January. We had a great time and visited a few spots along the way. 

Dedication Site--Elder Ballard in 1978

Elder Ballard's Dedication Memorial--In 1978, Elder M. Russell Ballard came to the Dominican Republic and dedicated it for the preaching of the gospel. Since then, many Dominicans have joined the church. Currently, there are 18 stakes, several districts and a beautiful temple in the Dominican Republic. The dedication site is in a park along the street called Mirador, a beautiful place that overlooks Santo Domingo.

Emline by a really old cannon

El Conde--El Conde is in the Colonial Zone, a very historic site. It is where Santo Domingo originated in the early 1500s. Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas. The Colonial Zone is an incredible array of historic buildings, including a home built for Diego Colon. Because we happened to go on a day classified as a holiday, many of the shops were closed; so, the Johnsons didn’t experience “El Conde” in all of its majesty. Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t as bad that day.

 

Tres Ojos--Tres Ojos is an underground series of little lakes that the Taino Indians, natives to the DR, participated in religious ceremonies. It is just beautiful inside with lots of rocks, hanging vines, and little lakes, which are also called cenotes. Tres Ojos is also famous because some parts of the Tarzan movies were filmed here.

Emiline at the beach in Juan Dolio

 Juan Dolio Beach--We spend two nights and three days at the Barceló, which is a wonderful hotel in Juan Dolio along one of the beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic. We ate lots of good food, played on the beach, went snorkeling, swam in the pool, and just relaxed with our family. We ate mostly in the buffet restaurant, but we did eat in one of the restaurants onsite. Christiaan ordered fish and received quite a surprise.

 The Santo Domingo Temple--Anna Rose and Christiaan along with Hermana Hammon were able to attend a session. Ironically, they and two other couples were English-speakers so the session was done in English. But they had a wonderful experience in one of the more beautiful temples in the world. Elder Hammon (a.k.a. "Papa Hammon") stayed and played with Emiline, truly a enjoyable task.

Consuelo Branch

 

Consuelo Branch—Anna Rose’s favorite place we went while they were here was the Consuelo Branch, a little branch that we sometimes attend. Anna Rose played the piano/keyboard during Sacrament meeting. The children were fascinated with her playing. During Sunday School and Primary, all of the children were gathered around her while she taught them some of the rudiments of playing. Presidente Montero, the Branch President, thanked her then and later thanked us profusely for Anna Rose and her talent. They all wanted her to come back and be a part of the Branch. The sisters in Relief Society were fascinated with Emiline’s blonde hair. One of the sisters just stroked it the entire time during Relief Society. Her blonde, wispy hair is such a contrast to the thick, wiry black hair of most of the people here.

Emiline and her new friend at the Almacen

Bishops' Storehouse--Because we lived above the Bishops' Storehouse (a.k.a. "Almacén"), they were able to take a tour of the Almacén. While Anna Rose, Christiaan, and Hermana Hammon were in the temple, Elder Hammon and Emiline visited the Almacén where Emiline made a new little friend. Unfortunately, we had to leave, and the little girl began to cry. When Emiline and I were driving back to the temple, Emiline said, "Papa, we have to go find her." I tried to tell her I didn't know where she was, but Emiline wanted to go find this little girl. I wish we could have.

Overall, we had a wonderful time with them. It was so good to see them. It was especially fun to see Emiline and note how grown up she is becoming. We were amazed how huge her vocabulary and her speaking ability have become. We see and talk to her each week via Skype, but it is still amazing to have the “live Emiline” in front of us. We shared lots of hugs and kisses. She is definitely the sweetest.

Back to the Colonial Zone

Back to the Colonial Zone

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

Today, Joanne and I decided to rise early and go back to la Zona Colonial. The Colonial Zone is so intriguing because it contains so much history. We will go back again and again until we have seen all of it. Going for a couple of hours early in the morning is a good thing because it is so hot and humid outside. That's about all we can do. 

We had blueberry pancakes to fortify us and off we went. This time we parked on Calle de las Damas, one of the famous streets in the Zona. We parked and walked a little ways until we entered El Museo Fortaleza de Santo Domingo also conocido como La Fortaleza Ozama. We walked around on the inside and took lots of pictures. It had a cannon pad where several old cannons had been placed. Also, it had windy stairs Joanne and I walked up to see what was on top.

Inside one of the rooms

The following comes from this website: http://www.escapeartist.com/efam2/dominican_republic_walking_tour.html 

“The Fortazela Ozama (Ozama Fortress), open Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m., admission about RD$6). These dual forts and the somber tower sit on a bluff overlooking the conjunction of the Ozama River and the Caribbean Sea and were built by Governor Nicolás de Ovando in 1503, making this the oldest military building complex in the Americas. It was on these grounds, in the warden's lodge, that Diego Columbus lived when he first arrived in Santo Domingo with his wife, and it was here that Trujillo housed some of his many political prisoners. The tower is a wonderful place from which to watch a Caribbean sunset at about six o'clock in the evening. The grounds, too, are restful and impart an eerie sense of antiquity. On the grounds stands a statue of Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, famous military historian of the New World. When you buy tickets to the fortress, several young men will approach you as guides. They generally provide congenial and competent service and seem to take great pride in both their own work and the historical context of their city.

Calle de las Damas

“Calle de las Damas—In front of the fortress complex runs the beautiful Calle de las Damas. Built in 1502, it's the oldest street in the hemisphere. This street runs north and south for perhaps half a mile and is one of the most pleasant and historic walks in the Colonial District. This street became the "walk of the ladies" because Diego Columbus' wife, Maria de Toledo (a niece of King Ferdinand), established the habit of walking down this street to Mass accompanied by the noble wives.”

One of the doors leading to the interior

It was a pleasantly wonderful day. We truly enjoy La Zona Colonial. We will return and update you as time rolls on.