As I mentioned in my newsletter (albeit briefly), the most beautiful baby girl in the world turned 2. And of COURSE she needed a foam tiara/headband :) Happy Birthday baby Nicole- the day of your birth still is and will continue to be the greatest day I've spent in the DR.
Her siblings were pretty excited to get some birthday party treats as well! Yay for florescent glow in the dark bracelets! I'd love to tell you the ridiculous stuff these kids do playing with the bracelets but I'm sure it's always a safety hazard. :)
Terry Wellman and me at the Presaaaaaa
Prepping the locrio- I'm learning slowly how to cook rice outside. It's no small feat. It makes me appreciate how hard people have to work not only to BUY food but to prepare food.
Finished product.....SO GOOD
And a little bit of dominos- cuz that's how we roll! Dominos remains my absolute favorite pasttime here. It never gets old and I could play for hours and hours. Unfortunately my skill level remains the same resulting in pained expressions and sighs from my "frente"(partner) and comments like "did you have ANY other domino that you could have played?" :) Always learning.....
Here is a very special patient- Roberto the Lionhearted. He's not doing well- please pray for him.
Some of my very favorite people to work with. Nef- the Super Translator and Hugh Hagan- Surgeon Extraordinaire! These two are the wonder twins!
Always a special visit with Julian...
And super special times when Cathy Case is in town. She worked TIRELESSLY! It is wonderful to have friends in town, especially friends who are SO skilled at what they do and who have a passion to teach and encourage. Cathy taught a CPR class here at the Guesthouse for the Clinic Staff, who arrived and took NOTES and were excited to learn. It's so encouraging to see!
Do we look tired? Cuz we were TIRED after over 60 surgeries! Cathy ran PACU (recovery room) during the week of ENT and Plastic Surgeries......WOW!
Incredible surgeons working together to change lives!
Oh- did you guys know that the Dominicans won the Baseball World Classic? I was in the park watching on a big screen at City Hall with hundreds of Dominicans. It was CRAZY wild! Then we drove through the city bleeping our horn until midnight celebrating with the locals. Never to be forgotten...another reason I love living in San Juan!
An afternoon with Kari and Laura with fresh pineapple juice and bruscetta! Ahhhhh!
Tis the season for Habichuelas con dulce (sweet beans)
Some of our adorable patients...
I don't usually post semi-graphic photos but this Rock star mama is not only breastfeeding her two year old twins...she breastfeeds the hungry neighbor's daughter as well trying to keep her fed. The neighbor's daughter is ONE and extremely malnourished. This mother was so happy to see us and so excited to get vitamins for her 2 little boys and the neighbor girl.
Dr. Sandy Valdez rocking it in the barrio clinics- we are so blessed to have wonderful Dominican doctors who come out to our mobile barrio clinics and help serve their people.
Dr. Adam and translator Amaury working with patients.
Nef and the cutie of the day...
Thursday nights our sponsored students come to the Guesthouse to visit with their sponsors. It's always an incredible experience to see them meet and hang out with folks who BELIEVE in them and in their education and future. Exciting stuff!
A beautiful Monday spent in Montecitos, a mountain community that was 2 hours away by bus and then pickup trucks. An adventure full of beauty, chaos, muddy roads and lovely people!
What a view we had to work with!
The lovely triage queen- Kendall..and one of her happy patients!
Here is how we arrived and left Montecitos- piled into big work trucks....
Life is FULL in San Juan- busier than ever but DEEPER than ever. We can see the Hand of God at work constantly, through the chaos of the mobile clinics and in the prayers of the people. Thurday a week ago- I watched Kari sit down with folks waiting for their medications in the mobile pharmacy and just ask them how they were doing and how she could pray for them. It was the singlehanded most important thing that happened that day. Tears flowed as they could share with her what was going on in their lives and how she could pray with them. They felt encouraged, VALUED, seen as God sees them. I am reminded- AGAIN- that it's not what we are doing here- it's what GOD is doing here that is important. We just need to see where HE wants us and go there. We talk about things like this in orientation with the groups; how important it is to give people DIGNITY, VALUE, to be seen as Christ views them. We often want so badly to give things....and most often I think God wants us to give VALUE to His children. It's a lesson I am constantly learning and trying to remind myself. How I make someone FEEL is probably more important than what I can hand them. Not always...but often. Good stuff for me to focus on.
Bendiciones a todo!
