Today we spent the day at La Romana Rehabilitation Hospital where we partnered with some local physical therapists and occupational therapists. We treated a lot of patients, had numerous gospel conversations and prayed with the majority of our patients. Today, we even witnessed the youngest child yet to consume the Word of God… literally. While treating an active 18 month old, the little girl got ahold of a new testament and took a bite out of Matthew. Talk about consuming the bread of life! (See picture above!)
Five people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior today! Praise the Lord! The youngest was a 14 year old boy who needed therapy after almost losing his hand when someone tried to kill him with a machete. After treating his hand, we were able to share the good news of the gospel with him and give him a bible. Another patient named Maria needed a walker, and we were happy to meet this need. After treating her, we were able to talk with her and her daughter. She ended up being a believer but discovered that her daughter did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. So Brittney and Catherine were able to lead her to the Lord and celebration ensued. Leigh Ann and Andrew were both able to have conversations with the clinicians about their personal relationships with Jesus, and both of the two leading therapists Juan and Ana professed to know Christ. They were thoroughly encouraged by our intentionality with sharing the gospel and praying with the patients. It is awesome to see how God has formed this team and brought 3 therapists with different specialties. Each day we have seen an even spread of orthopedic patients, pediatric patients and neuro patients, and each therapist has been able to work within their area of expertise. We have had some awesome translators and are truly grateful for how they have come along side us and helped us communicate, build relationships and share the gospel with our patients. We could not do this work without them! Please pray for our time at Buen Samaritan Hospital: -that our focus will be on lifting up Christ -that God will continue to open eyes and soften hearts -that conflicts that arise will be resolved in loving compassion -that we will be filled with energy on our last day treating patients Mosquitos smashed to date: 316
0 Comments
Today we headed to MUSA hospital to help out in the understaffed physical therapy department. When we arrived the halls were lined with people waiting for treatment. The morning was a blur as we saw patient after patient. However, we were able to provide numerous patients with assistive devices and train them how to use them so that they could interact in the community. Andrew was in his element as the hospital had a small pediatric clinic and he was able to treat the kids and minister to their families. It was a learning experience for us to see how physical therapy and medicine are different in the Dominican Republic, especially in free government hospitals.
Today we gained a new brother and sister in Christ! Kristin F. was able to share the gospel with a man named Miguel. This was his first time hearing the good news of the gospel and he prayed to receive Jesus Christ! Leigh Ann, Yemisi, and Kristen had the opportunity to work with Nelly at the end of the day. She was recovering from a stroke, and was walking fairly well so they decided to do high level balance training with her. They had a lighthearted therapy session with a lot of laughter and shared the gospel with her at the end of the treatment. Nelly was eager to begin a relationship with Christ and after praying with her, she was overwhelmed with joy. This evening we had the opportunity to relax and go to the beach. During our evening worship service we were also able to hear from Nate a local missionary pastor and were encouraged in our obedience to share the gospel knowing that it is ultimately God’s work and for his glory. Please pray: -for our day treating patients at La Romana Hospital -for boldness in Christ to fight the spiritual warfare we will encounter -for grace to respond to anything the Lord brings our way Mosquitos smashed to date: 234 (Kristin SQUISHED a BIG one on the bus!) Today was a good day! We are off to a good start! We went to Montecristy and treated about 30 patients from the community and the nursing home. We broke into four teams with differing roles.
Camille and Kristen B. worked with Dr. Bob doing triage. They met patients and conducted interviews to determine if they could benefit from physical therapy. They also performed other necessary medical tasks included taking blood pressure, giving steroid shots and even extracting foreign objects from people’s ears! Kristin F. and Yemisi worked with Lauren treating mostly orthopedic patients. One of their patients was an 82 year young woman. She was experiencing joint pain throughout her body because she walks door-to-door sharing the gospel with her community! They were encouraged to be able to meet both physical and spiritual needs by massaging her muscles and praying for endurance both which will allow her to continue her work in the village. Brittney and Catherine helped Leigh Ann treat mainly stroke patients. They had the opportunity to lead a 91 year old man named Juan to the Lord! Even though he had language deficits from a stroke, the Lord was not limited by this barrier to reach his heart. We were encouraged to welcome this brother into the family and get him connected with the local church. Dylan and Beth assisted Andrew with a variety of patients. They had numerous opportunities to pray with people and met some professing believers as well as some who were resistant to the gospel. One woman walked in with a large open diabetic foot ulcer on her heel. After cleaning the wound they were able to provide her with dressings for her wound and diabetic shoes. Today’s challenges came in the form of language barriers. We did have Spanish to English translators but several of the patients spoke Creole and could not understand the translators. We were still able to treat these patients, but our communication just required more charades! Please pray for us as we go to the MUSA Hospital - that we will see people through God’s eyes (1 Samuel 16:7) -that we will have discernment in treating patients and determining correct diagnosis -that we will continue to have good health and stamina Mosquitos smashed to date: 233 |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|