lindddiiiisimmmmaaa

So this place is beautiful.  I mean, it's BEAUTIFUL.   We drive around and I see new stuff and I literally cannot believe that these fabulous jungles and waterfalls and mountains and rivers, etc. are my new homeland.  Stunning.

At the guesthouse right now we have (and have had) the most amazing students from ONU that are working in the barrios.  Last week there were 22ish and this week I think there are over 40.  And they are awesome.   They love on the patients and play with the kids and are excited and on fire and ready to go.  And it's infectious.   I LOVE working with them.   They couldn't BE any more organized (yayyyy thanks Kyle and crew!) and we are handing out lots of vitamins and toothbrushes and pain meds and goodies to the folks who live in these gorgeous places where we hold clinics.

A couple of them hung out over the weekend and we drove up some mountains to a phenom waterfall and hiked (ummmm some of them hiked- i lounged with the kindle by the waterfall) and chilled and took zillions of pix of the stunning landscape.   Seriously- do I LIVE here?  Ridiculous!

 Friday night we caught a most excellent concert at the Central Menonita Church of two worship bands and then Alientovivo, Nef and Jhonny's band.  They were AWESOME and the church was literally shaking at its seams.    Rock on, fellas!

Today we drove about an hour up into the hills near the Presa (dam) to a remote little town where the people hugged us and shook our hands when they stepped to our little consultation stations.  They smiled while they told us about their headaches (that have lasted 12 years) or stomachaches (since 1982).    They seemed to be a very kind and resilient community that also brought us bags of avocados and chinolas.   I LOVED it.    I walked with the translators to a woman's house where she probably cooked us all of the food for that day.   It was delicious and I ate rice and beans in her front yard staring at the mountains in front of me thinking again that I can't believe I live here and get to experience this and why-am-I-the-idiot-who-always-forgets-her-camera.    But whatever- pictures could never do it justice anyway.  It wouldn't ever capture that kid's ear that had pus spilling out of it, or the guy with pneumonia that Sam saw, or the quiet 19 year old that broke the lock on a door so we could use two rooms at the school (we reimbursed him!).    Pictures couldn't tell you how happy I was climbing the hill back to the clinic site with Nef and Jeff eating this sweet little fruit thing that I forget the name but they almost look like acorns and kinda pop in your mouth and you have to spit the seed out before you choke on it and I spit it all over my scrub top anyway.   Yeah.  

And we saw 90-some patients and then drove to the dam and looked out over the water that kinda feels like someplace in Switzerland with mountains rising out of it.    And then we climbed into a cave and saw bats flapping around and ran back to the bus and laughed and then slept (some of them slept, anyway!) most of the way back to the Guesthouse.    That's how today went.   There's some book out now- I think it's called 13 or 1000 Gifts or something like that.    And I feel like I'm living that book- that my life is full lleno full lleno of these gifts and they are handed to me like the avocados today.    I SOOOOO don't deserve it but I'm not taking it for granted.  I'm taking this all in and loving it.

It's a little overwhelming and breathtaking and craziness.   And sometimes I stress out at night reliving my day thinking of everything I wish I had done better or changed or said differently.    But mostly I sigh and think that I have the greatest life of anyone that I know..that I love Jesus and He loves me too...that I have the most wonderful community down here already...and that it's only just beginning.......  

Game on.  Here we go.

Week 2 and the beat goes on

Sometimes it feels like I never left here.  

I stare out the windows at the mountains and fields of rice and palm trees and I can't believe that I was gone for 3 months.    I'm still settling in in some sense.   I remember at home how it felt like everyone was going much faster than me and I was in slow motion with everything.   It almost sort of feels that way on a tinier scale here sometimes....but mostly I'm just soaking it all in.   Finding and seeing familiar faces, hugs, kisses, chilling with friends, sorting through stuff in supply rooms hoping to find what I need....you know...all that good stuff.  :)   I definitely have some catch up to do.   But its going to happen.   This will be my home for the next year and I love it.

I loved baseball last night.   Loved watching the little boys dance around and carry on to the blasting reggaeton from some guy's trunk speakers.   Loved watching the big shortstop swagger around.   Loved the locals stopping in and checking out the americanos doing their thang.   Didn't quite love the hour it took to rev up the generator to turn on the field lights but other than that- truly a perfect baseball experience down here in the Sur of the DR.  

I love the sweet little old people that we see in the barrio clinics.   They roll in, sometimes hobbling pretty seriously, at like 80-99 years of age, and they are adorable and when you ask them a question, they start off with "bueno......." and then start a litany of health problems.    I love the babies that scream their heads off when they see our scary americano faces.  

What I was reminded of today that I had forgotten about....is how heartbreaking some stuff is.   It was heartbreaking today to see an 18 year old that we could fix so easily in the States but he won't make it another 10 years here.    It's heartbreaking to try to educate him on some things to attempt to prolong his life or his quality of life and know that it will most likely be in vain.    18 years old.  One of the last to come through this morning.  Humble.  Poor.   Uneducated.   He let us pray over him and I was a little teary when Nef prayed because it's FRUSTRATING.    And it's treatable....but not here...in his condition..in his pueblo....in enough time.    So we pray.   And we offer kind words and hopefully some education that makes sense to him.    Ugh.      Yeah, I kinda forgot about that stuff.  And here it is in my face again, reminding me that God has given me so much and therefore He is expecting much from me.

So I've got to get it together here.   I want to do a really good job.    I'd like to excel, in fact, so there is much to learn and even more to do.   Pray for me in this!   I love being here and I'd love to LEARN more, SERVE more, DO more,  LOVE more.  

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."   Micah 6:8

Nik

Plan B...or C..or Huh?

So it always cracks me up here that no matter what the original plan is....my day never turns out like I thought it would.

I THOUGHT I'd be here Friday night around 10 pm...but my flight was 4 hours late and I didn't go to bed til 3:15...but part of that is because I was SO excited that I had finally made it here that I couldn't sleep.

I THOUGHT I'd rent a car and drive to San Pedro on Saturday to visit friends but I got to the airport to late to rent anything and ended up taking a bus to San Pedro.   And the bus was way better anyway.  I made about 10 new friends and laughed the whole way there.   San Pedro was awesome!  I visited with Cristhian and Zaidy and walked all over town and met some extended family.   Great times!  Oh and by the way, I THOUGHT that I had been calling Cristian to tell him that I was coming but instead apparently I was speaking with someone else (NOT Cristian- who told me it was completely a wrong number) and he had no idea that I was there.  Thankfully I found my way to their apartment and he was there.   Yet another beautiful moment of my pathetic Spanish NONskills.  

I THOUGHT I wanted to hang back here at the Guesthouse Sunday night and unpack and chill and not goto church but I went anyway and it was so great.   I keep humming the worship songs that we sang.   The whole night just confirmed how GOOD it was to finally be here.  

I THOUGHT I was going to work in the scary med room yesterday and today.  However, yesterday turned into a morning of some great conversations and catching up with Drs. Canario and Perdomo and then led to a last minute taxi driving experience (me being the taxi driver) to El Cercado.    And oh- how beautiful it was to drive up those mountains again.    Now it should be noted that basically the whole country went on strike yesterday to protest a bunch of things, like the frequent power outages, etc.   We were wondering if there would be riots in the street with burning tires and such but we didn't see anything of the sort.   However, there WAS a heavy police presence which I found reassuring (I think?). We were in El Cercado for almost 2 hours with a great group of folks who are here to investigate installing some Clean Water systems (stay posted on this with Solid Rock) and were testing the water at the El Cercado clinic and at Pastor Morales's house.    So cool to see some familiar faces and sneak over to Yudi's house and run in for quick hugs and reassurances that Laura and I would return this weekend (ojala!).

And today turned into an interesting scene.  Although I THOUGHT I'd be in the med room organizing, that only lasted about 30 minutes.   One of our group guys got kinda sick and has a pretty significant heart history and we ended up in the clinic with IVs and EKGs and phone calls to cardiologists and all that....  You know, just everything that is oh so familiar to me with my obstetrical background (haha).  But I am learning.  And the docs and nurses at our clinic are so wonderful!  And gracias a Dios, our guy is now safely tucked into his own room and resting comfortable here at the old Casa Huesped (Guest House).    And bless their hearts,  Kari and Laura helped me bang out the med room and then we made a dump run.  YAYYYY.    

So- I'm here.  And it's fabulous.  I love Room 16.   I'm so glad things are never like I think they'll be.  It's part of the adventure living here.  And I'm having a blast with Laura and we giggle at night in our beds talking about our day and learning new words and sinking into the scene and lovin every minute of it.   And once again- I feel God's hand here leading us among the dogs and careening vehicles and blaring music and laughing chilluns.  

A few pix of the first day or two (more to follow!)

me and Cristhian....

Me, Sara Theresa, Zaidy and baby Jose Miguel

Apparently Laura and I were so excited to finally be here and in S. Domingo that we put on the hotel robes and leapt from bed to bed.  I know, maturity at its finest.  

Room 16 is now complete.   And make no mistake.  Chooch is now on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a mere two days after he was placed on the door of Room 16.   I just don't think it's a coincidence.

mark...set....GO

So I'm pretty much packed...and i guess this is kinda it.  I'm bout to jump in with both feet and I'm PSYCHED.  Assuming that US Airways doesn't fumble too much, I'm flying to the DR on Friday evening for the beginning of a YEAR spent in San Juan working with Solid Rock Missions.   

But I should say again...that it takes a village to build an adventure..or whatever the saying is.  I am again humbled by all the folks who have helped make this happen, from my parents (who really are the best folks I know) to the prayer warriors who prayed me through this....to my friend peeps who contributed money and time and energy and love.    I love my life.   I love it here and I love it there.   I love Jesus.   I love Chester County, PA...and I love San Juan..and I'm just blessed enough to share life with amazing community in both places.   THANK YOU dear ones...for doing this thing called life with me.  Friends and family- I LOVE YOU.   

Someone on Facebook (go figure) had this great quote that I wrote down and kinda read over every once in a while and it seems awesome for this moment:  "Sometimes you have to let go of the life you had planned in order to see the life you have waiting for you".    Never thought I'd be doing this now...never thought (as my dear friend Rhonda says) that I'd be so excited at nearly 40 years old to be moving into Room 16 at the Guesthouse.   But I AM.   And it's TIME.  And I'm READY.   Vamonos.  

 And now a few pix that wrap up my season here and will carry me into the next season.