Most Recent Trip to the Dominican Republican

This past week was such a great adventure.  I flew into the Punta Cana airport and immediately walked into a group of Taxi Drivers just trying to make a Dominican Peso ($RD 38 to $1USD).

One of the workers at our Distributorship was picking me up and his name was Raul.   I was told who to be looking for and what he would be wearing upon my arrival.  As I came off the plane, and walked through customs, there was a band playing really fun Dominican music.  Once I passed the party, you either walked Left (to where the Taxi Drivers were) or you went Right (to where you rented a car).  I ended up walking back and forth between both because I didn't know which side Raul would be at.  As I'm looking for him a Taxi Car Recruiter walks up and says, "Taxi, taxi!" and I told him, "no thank you, I'm waiting for my colleague."  The Taxi Salesman told me that he was on the other side and I asked if he knew Raul and he told me of course.  I then asked him if he knew what kind of shirt he was wearing and he says, "one like this."  I smiled and asked, "do you know what kind of hat he's wearing?"  This kind of response and action is typical in the Dominican Republic and I already knew that, I just had to play along and get a laugh out of it.  This is referred to in the Dominican as "El Tigre."

I stayed in the nicest hotel in a town called Higuey which is a small town and a little less privileged economically compared to Santiago, Santo Domingo, or Punta Cana.  My hotel did not have hot running water so I had to wake up every morning and do a 10 minute crossfit workout to get warm before I hopped in the shower and then would pump myself up and pray and/or yell in Spanish just to get through!

It was such a great site to wake up every morning and see the city which was nothing to marvel at, but it was nonetheless an awesome experience.

The first day we drove by a Historical Catholic Church not too far away from the office.   There were a lot of tourist that came to check it out.  The first day, we worked in Higuey and had great success.

The second day, I worked with one of my Route Managers in a town called Seibo that he was very proud of.  He got in a fight with another girl in the office who is from La Vega, and the argument was over whose town was established first.  Quite amusing!  On our way to Seibo we drove by amazing Sugar Cane fields with immigrants that came over from Haiti to find better opportunities.  It wasn't slavery but their living conditions were so bad and they worked long and hard out in the fields like slaves would have done here in the States back in the 40's minus the beatings (as far as I know).  From Seibo, we drove over to Consuelo and Hato Mayor.  There were so many motorcyclists on the rode and these are not motorcycles as we know here in the States.  This are scooters that are most likely not street legal here in the States.  The crazy thing is you will see families of 4-5 all on a scooter.  One time, I saw a man driving with a 2 year old kid asleep between his legs!  Another time, I saw an 85 year old lady on the back of one of these and I thought to myself, "wow, talk about efficiency!"

In talking to Jhonny Cotes, my Route Manager, we had a talk about the Haitians in that they are fearless, hardworking, speak 4-5 languages, and are very unified.  I really liked that about them.  The Dominican is very happy and always looking for a party.  I would say a large majority of them drink in large amounts and there is always a Domino Game going on, sometimes during working hours unfortunately.

The greatest thing about the country in my biased opinion is that it is BASEBALL COUNTRY!  It's really neat to be talking to kids who play ball and the possibility that some poor kid trying to shine my shoes might just be the next Sammy Sosa or David Ortiz.  They seemed to be the fan favorites in the town amongst all the players that have played or are currently in the Bigs and are from the D.R.

Betting is huge there.  They have store fronts set up that are called Bancas (I believe), and you go in and put a Bet down on the team you think will win.  It's funny and they're everywhere.

Spiritually, I did not get to pray as much as I was planning to nor read the Bible as much as I wanted to.  I got to have a great conversation with my friend Jhonny Cotes about the Lord and he seemed very responsive, so that was encouraging.

I ate so much Mofongo and purchased a Dembow CD which is Dominican Rap and amazing and hilarious!  Every evening when Jhonny and me would pull up to the warehouse around 6:30, he would blast his busted CD player to the max to some crazy Dembow Rap.

That's a little bit about what I did and I'm sure I will have more to come.  Business was good, and I have a lot of follow up this coming week and hopefully we can deliver some batteries within the next few weeks.  I had a great time and made some new friends which is the greatest part of my job.

I like to say, my business is nothing about batteries and all about people.  I feel most successful when I am able to connect with my salesman, and we are able to provide a better quality of life for all those involved.

Next stop, Colombia!

The Word of God

I have been reading a lot in Proverbs lately and following Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on the subject.  He talks about the Word of God being the voice of God to man.

I'm sure many of you have noticed that whenever you attempt to lead someone back to the truth, they usually get offended.  I say this with confidence because I myself have been that person who has been upset or angered when someone has told me I was in the wrong or in sin.

Whenever I read the Bible, I feel like God meets me where I am through that writing.  When I'm happy, the Bible celebrates with me.  When I am down in the dumps, the word of God meets me where I am as it were somber with me.  When I need more insight or wisdom, His word speaks at a "higher capacity."  When I need him to "dumb it down" for me, he speaks at that level towards me as well.  No matter what state of mind I have been in when reading God's Word, He always meets me where I am and leads me back to the truth.

Moving a long, my next trip is to the Dominican Republic.  I will be there for 2 weeks out of the month of October.  I will be working in a town called Higuey which is 15 minutes away from the famous, Punta Cana, a famous town full of resorts and luxurious get a ways.  I must admit, I'm very excited to hang out on the beach, maybe play catch with a Dominican on the white sand, while throwing rocks into the crystal blue water.  God has been very faithful to me with work.  I was recently awarded the #1 salesman away for volume for the First Quarter of our current Fiscal Year.  I was not expecting to accomplish this, and neither were my teammates, but it was really cool to see God work that out.

Thanks for following along.  I hope this writing encourages you to see God's word more as a friend, and as intimate and show you how important it is to study Him more.  The more I read about God, the more I realize, I don't know enough about Him.  It's exciting when you read the same thing over and over again and catch something you have never caught before.

JG

Financially Fit -- My Recent Lessons

I've been doing a Dave Ramsey study on his 2nd edition of The Total Money Makeover.  It's been a blessing to attack my school loan debt and learn how to invest more wisely.  The Lord has provided me with a great job I really enjoy.  I want to enjoy it now while I can because there is a chance I won't always have this job.  I am in Sales and our job is extremely risky.  "That's why they pay us what they do," is always what my boss reminds me of.  Sales can be a scary thing if you're not passionate about it or if you suck at it.  I happen to believe God has blessed me with an ability to Sale.  (Sorry for the Job Description and the ranting.)

Anyways, I have really enjoyed The Total Money Makeover because I am attacking debt, able to save 15%, and Tithe more frequently.  I am learning about all kinds of things like Mutual Funds, Roth IRA's, and how to invest for Short Term focuses and Long Term focuses.  It takes a lot of discipline and willing to live below your means now so you can be ok down the road.  It all comes down to a heart issue really.  Are you ok with driving a busted up 2002 Ford Taurus named Dolores the Taurus?  YUP!!!  She gets me exactly where I need to go and I don't have a car payment, so I can save.  I love it.  Every time I wash Dolores, I get a new since of pride towards her and remember how awesome she has been.  I will drive Dolores until her wheels fall off.  I've been made fun of for always wearing the same shirts, so it's not secret that I don't shop a lot.  I recently went on a big shopping spree before Christmas though and was actually happy about it afterwards.  During the process however, it was hard for me to fork over the money for it.  In Latin America, my co-workers tell me, I'm "CODO!'  It's pretty much saying I'm cheap.  To sum it all up, I am hoping to be debt free from college loans by the end of this year, Lord willing.

Readers, I encourage you to, as Dave Ramsey would say, "live like no one else today, so that tomorrow, you can live like no one else."

Save up!

Catching up with Technology

I have recently been inspired by Technology and the reason is due to the inspiration of Steve Jobs.  I purchased his Audio Autobiography and was completely mesmerized with how innovative and driven he was.  It makes me sad that as intelligent as he was, he could never understand the magnitude of God.  He said the sad thing about the christian religion is that they base everything on faith as opposed to living like Christ.  Well, we can't be just like Christ even when the Jesus tells us in the Bible to be perfect like He is.  The truth is we need a savior and Christ is that savior.

At any rate, I purchased a MacBook Pro last Friday, now have an I-Pad, and the I-Phone.  The funny thing is in college, I operated off of a Go Phone and said I'd never make the investment to amp up my Tech Game.  Well I finally gave in and did, and am so glad to have done so.  My roommate just gave me a PBS Video on Steve Jobs called "One Last Thing," that I am going to watch tonight.

As I analyze his life and understand how Steve was wired, I look at my own abilities and see that my gifts and talents are more geared towards sales and relationships.  One of the things Steve Jobs really inspired me to strive towards is to get back in touch with my Engineering side.  One of my biggest regrets is not completing what I originally set out to do, and that was to get a degree in Construction Science.  So, I went to Half Priced Books and bought a book called, Methods Engineering Design and Measurement of Work Methods by Edward V. Krick.  I want to study Industrial Distribution as I continue to work with Independent Distributors in Latin America to grow their business pushing our products.  Currently, it's going great and I'm gaining a lot of experience.  I aspire to do my own thing in the future or take over Interstate Batteries' International Market to help make our battery line #1 throughout Central and South America.

Steve Jobs wasn't only in touch with Technology but made it a point to make his work an art.  He was very in tune with the Liberal Arts side of things.  My advice to you is that you find a way to make your profession as much of an art as Steve did with Apple.  Thanks for creating such memorable products and for changing the world the way you did, Steve!

Readers, I urge you to go out and make art in whatever it is you are passionate about!

HAPPY NEW YEAR -- 2012

I am excited to go into a new year and start fresh.  My goals are as follows:
-  Love the Lord more
-  Love people around me more
-  Read more and gain more knowledge in the following:
     -  Entrepreneurship
     -  Engineering -- Industrial Distribution
-  Work out more and eat better
-  Get plugged in more at my church and seek more community with Brothers at church
-  Learn more about my profession -- Auto Parts and Batteries
-  Commit to contacting my closest friends/family at least 3 times a week to just say hi
I am looking forward to attaining these goals and know it is not possible without help from the Lord.  I know 2012 is going to be a great year.  Can't wait to get after it!

Jonathan E. Garza