When last seen, I believe I was talking about my trip home and then returning to San Juan. I stepped back into some busy weeks. I got to hang out doing surgery in the clinic with two OB GYN girls and their crew. We had two weeks of the Brookside youth group in town, which involved me spending time TWICE in Bastida, where I got to see Baby Nicole (YAYYY!) AND Julian again (precious gifts!)
We had a Baby Shower in the clinic, which was a first that I know of). It was awesome, involving about 30 people (doctors/nurses/ and other crew from the clinic) crammed into a patient room, lots of yelling and balloons and games and chocolate cake and running to find prizes. Complete bedlam and possibly the greatest baby shower I've ever been to. Dominicans are just the kings of enjoying parties. Kari and I both just loved being there watching everything unfold before our eyes and trying not to get run over.
After 3 weeks of teams, Laura and I accompanied one of the groups to the capital and then headed to SAMANA which is definitely one of my favorite spots on this island. It's the original birthplace (we think) of Jenny Dog as well, which led to wonderful sentimental memories of when we first got her. I almost wished she could have come with us but things just didn't work out. But I thought of her when Laura and I were walking by the beach....I remember Jenny running there with Kari and I, waiting for us every morning outside our room. So funny. And now she's a little part of our family. Samana hasn't become a total tourist trap yet..so there are these serene nearly-abandoned gorgeous beaches where you can sit and read and swim and stare at the waves for hours on end. And of course thats after you drive through a stunning tropical-ish forest surrounded by palm trees and scenery out of a movie. I so wish that I could post some pictures to do it justice...but wow- nothing can demonstrate how pretty Samana is. Perfect.
One of my favorite things that happened in July was more clinic "stuff". We had a Nurses Meeting that led to some total and complete organization of some of the "treasure"- filled rooms in the clinic. I have discovered that I am a person who loves meetings. I love hearing people talk about their visions for things, information sharing, and sitting around tables with folks. Yup- I'm a meeting kinda gal. And after the Nurse meeting, we kicked it into "ORGANIZATION MODE". We now have a Wound Care/ER room and 3 private consultation rooms that just look SOOO awesome. Plus, it seems to give a real sense of pride to the staff having special rooms prepared and ready. We found a WORKING fetal monitor which brought great joy to my Labor and Delivery heart. I had to practice and listen to fetal heart rates on just about any and every pregnant lady who was willing to come and let me put the monitors on her. Never gets old...... AND we were able to pack some supply bags to give to the 4 hospitals from our NRC (Neonatal resus classes) which had some OB and general hospital supplies. It felt so good to be able to do that. And I loved watching Livida search carefully for our surplus items to share with others. Since the NRC class, Ive had a real appreciation for the supplies that our clinic has available to them because some of the local hospitals are LACKING a lot of things. All of this means that when the clinic is bien organizado (HA!) I will need to move AGAIN to the Scary Room and begin the torture process of organizing up there again. YIPES.
The clinic staff was also given a Weekend Retreat at a resort by the Solid Rock jefes. I got to tag along and just GRIN as I watched them lounging in the pools, chasing their little ones, and just enjoy enjoy enjoy to their hearts content. What fun to watch! For some of them, this is one of the only opportunities that they will have to enjoy a beach day, fill up plates at a smorgasbord, and splash in a big old pool. You can imagine the exuberance on their faces and the excitement when they got to the Dining room. One of the staff was eager to report to Cora that she got to have THREE GLASSES of milk with her breakfast. She was overwhelmed with the richness of it.
The next highlight was having Emma Wilde arrive. Emma is going to be here in the DR for 5 months in Jarabacoa through YWAM but she arrived here in San Juan first. It was the BEST having her. Her heart for the DR is just so obvious and we know that God has big big things for her here. It was exciting getting to watch her take everything in again and get psyched for her next big thing.
Another week found Laura, Emma and I accompanying Tammy and Cora and their youth team to El Cercado for a 2 night stay to provide Barrio Clinics and perform dramas at a few different churches. As you should all know by now....any chance to be in El Cercado is exciting for me and I LOVED staying with my host family (who is just FAMILY anyway to me by now) and meander around town and listen to these phenomenal youth use their talents to encourage and minister to the folks there. And of course we were in some beautiful areas doing the clinics...like La Colonia and Vallecito. One of the days after the clinic Laura and Emma and I walked to the river and got to bathe like the locals in this amazing (and kinda cold!) fresh water. The team LOVED it. It's moments like that, splashing in a river with Grecia and Morales with soap in my hair and broken flip-flops and screaming teenagers laughing all around us...that I have to grin inside at my rich rich rich life here.
And now I'm in the midst of 2 weeks of barrio teams with ONU group, a great college group who is doing a bang-up job at loving on folks in the barrios and providing them with great medical care. I sit and watch sometimes and see them asking good questions and becoming friends with our friends and translators and working on their spanish and carrying the beautiful babies around and holding hands with the little old ladies coming in and studying carefully everything that the doctors are teaching them. It's amazing. It really is.... how all this stuff comes together. They are absorbing EVERYTHING and I pray that it makes a difference and gives them this love to serve and love on people who are different than them but who still have dreams that are important. Sure looks like they are. Sure looks like they are living out loud...taking it all in. And I....I don't want to take for granted that I get to watch this all go down. I want to remember again how I got here and what a privilege it is to see God's hands and feet in action....and His heart aching for those who have or don't have. There are still cases that keep me up at night- that 16 year old who will die of a broken....broken... not functioning heart... that 2 month old baby with the weird lump on her back (is it spina bifida? oh man...- we don't know but her 16 year old mama is going to try to follow up....)... all the diabetics who don't have the means to follow up with their sugars... the out of control blood pressures and stroke victims. Wow. And the list goes on. And I'm learning...learning....learning.
Some of it reminds me of some lyrics I used to recite in college....
Hold me gently..take me through another day..
however hard I try...I crawl when I should fly
I wander through my days, pulled a million ways
Help me feel the forces I can't touch
I'm reaching out- help me learn until I know too much.
Hmmmmmm....... keeping on over here in San Juan. Grateful for what I have. Praying for those who don't. Knowing there are folks struggling both near and far. FEELING the burdens of my friends. Celebrating their joys but wow- spent some time recently HURTING for some who are in tough scenarios right now. I am reminded of how hard it is to have faith but also how hard it is to NOT have faith. One of my favorite things about doing the liturgy with Kari and Laura (and Emma too!) is when we do Prayers for Others. It's good for me to remember that, for us to pray TOGETHER for folks..... and not stop petitioning God. He does hear. He does answer. We have to remind each other of that ALOT.
Anyhoo- some pictures below and oh well- I'm going to get my act together for August and try to update more often.....
One of my favorite things here is getting to see folks meet their sponsor students. Look at this BEAUTIFUL picture of this El Rosario family with their sponsor.....
This is so out of order but I'm terrible at these things. Nearly abandoned Playa Rincon in Samana. Heavenly.
BABY SHOWER! That rocks!
Dominos. An oldy but goody. I think I remember that Monchi and I DESTROYED in this game. But as Dan reminds me....I'm still pretty streaky at dominos.
Playita in Samana. Just no words.
Here's how I feel about vacations.........
On the road to glory where the story never ends... okay maybe not but I WAS running toward the beach. Doesn't that count?
you are SO right. there is no excuse for our friend running off to the DR and not letting us know she is still alive in over a month. eeekkkk. never again, girl, never again. :) xoxo.
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