NOTE: We would like to thank Kristen Empfield for doing a great job reporting on each day's activities. REMEMBER, you can be a part of one of the 2014 CMMA missions...keep a lookout for the dates and info to be published. We have made it back to Birmingham safely. This morning we were on the bus and headed to the airport by 3:30 AM. Everyone was exhausted, which led to some really funny times. For example, we had a hilarious newscast presented by Taryn, Lindsay, and Ashley before we headed to Miami. If you have never been out of the country, you should know that it is a lot easier getting out than getting back in. I think it took all of us about 45 minutes to get through all of customs and the bag re-check. Then it was off to meet our connection to Birmingham. Since we had no time for breakfast, everyone split up at the airport to grab something quick to eat, and we reconvened at the gate. We landed a few minutes late due to some turbulent conditions on the flight, but everyone has safely arrived. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this trip possible and we thank you for taking the time to pray for us and of course to read this blog. We have finished up our clinics and today was our “rest and relax” day. We took a double- decker boat out to Catalina Island which was absolutely gorgeous. One of our fabulous interpreters, Felix, got to come with us. A few of us went hiking up to a cliff, but after we couldn’t find a safe jump point, Felix guided us back down the cliff. He also was our time keeper and made sure we made it back to the rest of the group on time. It was definitely an adventure and we all had a great time with minimal sunburn. Tonight, when we got back to the hotel, had a wonderful worship service and debriefing followed by some really moving testimonials from a few members of our group. I really feel like we have all bonded on this trip and we have all grown in our Christian walk. This has really been a very educational trip for all of us sociologically, spiritually, and in the realm of health care. I think we can all agree that this has been a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The week has flown by and in a few short hours we will be getting up to head for the airport. A lot of exciting things happened today! So it will be easiest to break it down by site. In the morning we were split between Consuelo and Olivares. After lunch we all returned to Olivares… CONSUELA We treated 7 patients at Consuelo today. All of them were very grate-ful and willing to hear the Gospel. Two of our patients appreciated hearing about Jesus, but were not ready to commit. We continued to pray with all of our patients. Also, we have had crutches all week, but no one has needed crutches until today. We finally gave out a pair of crutches to a very sweet lady who wanted them for her son. He was an amputee above the knee and his previous pair had broken. He lived far away so he could not be fitted there, so we asked her who was closest to his size and fitted them with the crutches. We also taught the lady and her daughter how to adjust them if needed. OLIVARES In the morning, Brian’s team treated 3 people, the first two of whom were not Christians. The both were baseball players. They stated they knew what it was to be a Christian, but stated they enjoyed girls too much to become a Christian. They said they made them happy and made them feel like a man. We talked to them about how their ways are only giving them temporary happiness, and how God provides consistent happiness. They agreed to take bibles we provided. Another man came right before lunch who stated he wanted to be treated with back pain. Our translator asked him to return after lunch, and then we could treat him. He came back after lunch, and when asked about what brought him to the clinic, he started off with stating that he heard us talking about God and that he was from Haiti. He mentioned that several years ago he heard his sister talking about Christ, but never really looked further into Christianity. Since moving to Olivares, he has had a lot of religions talking to him but decided he wanted to become a Christian. After talking with Brian and Adam, he decided to accept Christ today. He then took Brian and Adam to his home to share with his mother, and we gave them bibles. Upon returning to Score, we advised one of the leaders here about this story, and they plan to follow up with the local pastor to help this man along with his journey with Christ. Also, in the afternoon, we all returned to Olivares and hosted another Children’s ministry. About 40 children came and heard our lesson about how God calms your personal storms. After this, 2 children accepted Christ, we recited the sinner’s prayer with them. Afterwards, Ashley, Stefanie, and Kayla, along with our fabulous translator Hector, took the 2 kids to the side and prayed with them further. We then went over to the basketball court nearby and played several games with the kids. They all had a great time. Score Night Tonight, we had an Argentine barbeque, which consisted of mostly meat with a delicious sauce called chimichurri. Afterwards, we attended worship and a short message about gratitude from the staff at Score. We also heard a couple of testimonies and learned more about Score. With that, we are very thankful and grateful for the great opportunity Score has put before us. If you are considering doing any type of missionary work, I would definitely recommend checking out Score! Their website is www.scoreinternational.org. They offer several different programs and sites, and your involvement will definitely bring about lasting change, in your life and in the life of those with whom and to whom you minister. PT students, begin praying now about the opportunities to join a CMMA PT Mission team in 2014! Today was our last clinic day, tomorrow we take a retreat to Catalina Island! We are so happy that we have been able to help so many people and spread the gospel to them, as well as to the children who attended the Children’s programs. Today was an exceptionally exciting day! In the morning, we treated 15 patients between our two clinics and hosted a group exercise class with 7 members of the nursing home at Monte Christo. In the afternoon, things got really exciting as we hosted a children’s ministry at Monte Christy. About 50 kids came, and with a lot of help from our wonderful translators, we performed a short lesson about Christianity and the Gospel using different colors and shapes that made up a cross. We then offered to recite the sinner’s prayer for the kids who wanted to become Christians. Seven children raised their hands to accept Christ, but nearly all of the children recited the prayer aloud. We then decided to have some fun time with the kids, playing games (in both Spanish and English) such as musical chairs, Blanco/Negro (their version of Red Light/Green Light); Simon Says; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Everyone had a great time, and the fellowship was absolutely awesome. We are so glad we could bring the Word of God to these communities, and especially these kids. Hopefully tomorrow has more exciting things in store for us and more opportunities to share our mission. Today was a slower day patient-wise, but a lot of needs were met! We were blessed to have exactly the correct equipment for our patients today: Theraband, lumbar supports, a shoe lift, pain patches, ibuprofen, cosamine tablets, and bibles. We gave out several braces and taught them how to take them on and off. We had the right medications to hand out and the right assistive devices. The equipment was absolutely perfect for the needs that we had! We saw 27 patients in all today, 14 at Consuela and 13 at Monte Christo. We had the opportunity to meet with a few who have recently welcomed Jesus into their hearts. We continued to share scripture with them and talk to them about God and Christianity, and they were very receptive to our cause. We had two individuals who wanted to hear about scripture and the Gospel. Everyone was very welcoming and excited to talk with us. During lunch at Monte Christo, one of our translators, Felix, and a local resident took time to worship with us singing sings in both English and Spanish. It was an absolutely beautiful experience. Our day ended a little early today, so we decided to walk over to the beach before dinner. After a fabulous game of frisbee, some cheesy posed photos, and 2 cases of sand fleas, we came back for dinner and heard some great testimonies from some of our group members. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will hold a children’s ministries in the afternoon, and continue to spread goodness both physically and spiritually. Today we split into our two groups, and a lot of great things happened. At the church in Consuela we treated 17 patients with a wide variety of orthopedic concerns. At the Monte Christo nursing home, all of the residents were screened and 26 people were treated. Some of the issues we treated include: wounds (some really gross ones!), broken bones, strokes, gait deviations, spinal manipulations, and blood pressure screenings. We also prayed with each of our patients and a couple prayed for us, too. At Monte Christo, 3 people to come to know Christ! One patient, a Christian, was so overjoyed and blessed to have a new walker that he treated the team to a song. Tomorrow, we return to these two spots and hopefully, God will have a lot more in store for us and will work through us to help us treat those who need it. I would also like to take this opportunity to share some great points a small group of us discussed. Seeing so many injuries and infections and illnesses, we really should appreciate the things that we have been blessed with back home. One patient, who after a motorcycle accident had several broken bones in her lower leg and ankle and foot, was dealing with many open and infected wounds as well. The therapists working with her worried that the patient would end up losing her foot due to the injuries and the infection. She was referred/advised to seek medical attention immediately, and the wound was debrided and cleaned. Of course, this can happen anywhere in the world, even at home; but in such a great medical community as Birmingham, regardless of socioeconomical status, you could get immediate care for this type of injury, preventing the further complications. That simply is not available here. It isn’t even safe to drink the water, a basic necessity of life. So I just urge everyone to really think about how blessed we all are, and how thankful we should be. I have met some of the nicest, happiest people here, and they continue to show me how GREAT God actually is! We started our morning super early, meeting at the Birmingham airport at 4:15 AM. We had a 4 hour layover in Miami, where we left Carl because the plane was overbooked! But the rest of us continued on arriving in Santo Domingo after 3pm. After a short bus ride over to Juan Dolio, we have safely arrived to Score Hotel, settled into our rooms, had dinner, and took some time to Worship! Tomorrow the excitement begins! We have divided into 2 groups: half of us will be working at the Monte Christo nursing home, and the rest of us will head over to Consuelo. We are all very excited to be here and stoked to start working with those who need our help, and hopefully helping them come to know God. Oh! And don’t worry, Carl will get here at 8:30….After his fun excursion to South Beach for the day! So, there isn’t much to report now, but we all want everyone to know we are safely here, pumped, and excited to get started early in the morning! |
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