Upon our arrival to a village in San Pedro, our team was met with a challenge- a tiny church, half the size of yesterday’s, which left us wondering how we could fit all our stations and supplies. With the grace of God, the team was able to work together to make the best use of a small space. Despite the heat, it was beautiful watching all the volunteers from different backgrounds work towards the same common goal of letting God work through us to help as many patients as we can physically and spiritually. The team provided care to church and community members by listening to worries and treating them. It was a joy to watch the smile on the patients’ faces when we ask to pray for them at the end of each visit, and seeing how much a simple act means to them. Another thing that stood out to me today is that when a patient experienced an emergency down the road, part of our team was quick to run over and provide help with no hesitation, not leaving until ensuring the patient is taken care of. I’m grateful and humbled seeing what God has in store for us each day and how He can use us and push us to provide for others.
Sandra Fanous, ACOM Medical Student
0 Comments
Today we went to a church in San Pedro. The team provided medical care to the residents, the pastor & his family, and members of the church. We provided care by treating abdominal pain, headaches, cardiac and respiration abnormalities, and skin irritations. We also provided evangelism care by listening to the patients and their stories. We shared the gospel with them, and it was a joy to see the patients leave with hope for their physical and spiritual well-being. There were many laughs and many tears. It was so fun to interact with the people here in the Dominican Republic and practice speaking their language while learning from their culture. Seeing the joy and wonder in the children here was so inspiring as well. An impacting moment from today was when we were standing outside of the church with the sun shining down. We all had a hand on the pastor, and as we were praying over him and the future of the church, I felt a wave of instant gratitude and thankfulness for the goodness and grace of God. It brought tears to my eyes while thinking back on all that we did today. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to be here and serve Christ while combining my love for medicine and this culture. These are moments in my life that have impacted my walk with Christ and moments that I will never forget.
-Hunter Lane, UAB Nursing Student Today, we went to Catalina Island and saw beautiful palm trees, ate delicious food, and snorkeled. It was amazing to see God's beautiful creation and enjoy the clear blue waters, sunny skies, and summer weather. Luckily, the sun did not toast anyone. To end the day we adventured to the skate park for roller skating and sweet treats at Lily's Place Thank you all for praying with us this week. Continue to pray we have safe travels tomorrow as we head back to the states! Day 6 in the Dominican Republic
Today in San Pedro, the team was able treat many patients at Pastor Jose Ramon’s church. God’s presence is always in the midst of the environment. The gratitude from each and every patient warmed our hearts tremendously. We treated many different conditions that includes the following: tonsilitis, ear infections, bladder infections, overuse forearm injuries, low back pain, hypertension, and diabetes. We have been constantly reminded to be grateful for all the things that God has blessed us with, including the opportunity to help his people in other countries. We want to thank our team for working diligently to serve and treat people, the translators for explaining and translating information to the patients, and to SCORE International for hosting our stay and making this all possible. Congratulations to Doctor George Harris for treating so many patients. Today he treated about 44 patients by himself. The energy and passion he brought to the trip was unremarkable. Tomorrow, the team will finish the mission trip with a fun day at Catalina Island. Thank you all for praying for us while we serve the Lord and his people. -- Day 5 in the Dominican Republic
Today in Villa Verde, we treated the residents, the pastor, his wife, and the members of the church. The team was able to provide medicine, therapeutic interventions, wellness checkups, and spiritual care. We also were able to sight see and play with children throughout the village. God’s presence filled the atmosphere and the hearts of the people in Villa Verde. The people left with so much joy and gratitude knowing that we were able to help them with their spiritual and physical needs. Please continue to pray for the team and the people of Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. Tomorrow we will be traveling to San Pedro to the church of Pastor Jose Ramon. -- Day 4 in the Dominican Republic The team had a blast today in Monte Cristi. We were able to serve and treat members of the community, local church, and the nursing home. Our students were able to give some great massages and administer a quad cane and a couple wrist braces. There were a variety of conditions that we were able to treat including stroke, low back pain, abdominal pain, hypertension, and fungus. We also provided spiritual care and encouragement to each patient. At the end of the visit, we were able to visit the residents of the nursing home and brighten up their day with music and dancing. Tomorrow we will be serving Villa Verde. As always remember to keep this team as well as our patients in your prayers. Day3 in the Dominican Republic
Today was the first day of service and the holy spirit truly shifted the atmosphere in El Penon. We were able to see more than 30 patients today. Each patient was unique in their own special way. These God-fearing people impacted our lives the same way we were able to impact theirs. The MD, PTs, PT students, and OT students worked diligently to adapt to the environment and utilize their skills in amongst a different culture. There were lots of laughter and joy that will be remembered for a lifetime. Next assignment will be tomorrow at Monte Cristi. As always continue to pray us as we let God use us in mighty ways. This is the day that the Lord has made! Today we attended a church service at Iglesia Bautista, and the topic of the sermon was John chapter 21. Afterwards, the team had fun in the sun either at the beach or by the pool. Tonight, we had fulfilling small group sessions and we are looking forward to serving and ministering to the communities in the week ahead. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we let God use us in mighty ways this week to help others.
Welcome back to our column,
Wow. Our days of clinic have come to an end. We truly cannot believe how fast the week has come and gone. We’ve been so blessed to apply our knowledge throughout the week and physically help these people of the DR. Today proved our growing confidence this week as all of the students started faithfully making decisions and doing precise injections, exquisite extractions, and peaceful cleanings. The special story from today is just the cohesiveness and calmness of the clinic today with everyone working in unity and selflessness. Over the week it has been incredible to watch this special group of people not only grow closer together, but also grow in their faith. It’s a beautiful thing to see so many people care for each other and come together to care for other communities. Today’s clinic was short, and we ended the afternoon early. This gave us the opportunity to pray over the pastor and his family of the church we were in today. It was evident that God has been moving in that community, and we prayed for continued blessings upon them. We are so grateful for this week, these people, these opportunities, and mainly for the Lord providing in so many ways and remaining faithful throughout many circumstances. We hope you’ve enjoyed the day-by-day details, but wanted to use today’s blog to speak about the way God has changed us this week. We are hopeful for a continuation of this faith when we get back to Birmingham. Now, for some comedic relief…we feel like we’ve only been mentioning Catch Phrase, which feels discriminatory towards the other games that have been a hit, including the legendary Qwirkle and Nertz. These games can get pretty heated (maybe not as much as a monopoly game), but we still try to keep it friendly when we Qwirkle. Alas, tomorrow we are headed to Catalina Island: BEACH DAY. After an entire week of tough work, we are being rewarded by a relaxing field trip to the bluest waters you could ever imagine. Stay tuned for the many, many pictures of resort-like beaches and specifically delicious pineapple drinks. Over and out for today, Halle and Sarah Jordan Hola amigos, we’re back again for another update! Another day, another stellar breakfast, what more is there to say? Just kidding, we’ll give you the full update you’ve been yearning for. After our morning worship and quiet time, we headed to eat some delicious pancakes to energize us for the activities of the day. After a short travel, we arrived at another village and set up in a small church with a pretty blue cross on the front. The town was known as the “green village” because most of the houses are painted green. There were many great stories from the morning and afternoon, we wish we could include all of them. Some of us have a touch of PTSD from encounters with crying children today, and might even be more scared of the children than they are of us:-) A boy from yesterday who we were unable to treat completely was able to come back to the clinic today, and our amazing Dr. Claire (who will never stop receiving shoutouts) was able to get that tooth out!! We had some other kids who also came into the clinic today who Claire and some students were able to comfort and get treated so compassionately. Also, Griffin got his first extraction today, yay!! Optometry station was especially special today, as Natalie and Malia both got a chance to step away and get a turn at the evangelism station. Shoutout to Jennifer and Hannah to getting out of their comfort zones so selflessly, and stepping in for the Optometry students so they could get that chance. Speaking of evangelism, Bobby and Dr. McClenny and their teams today were able to lead an 80-year-old man to the Lord which was incredible to hear about. A very interesting update from today was the exciting power outage that occurred near the end of the afternoon due to heavy rainfall. Doing dentistry in the dark was a new venture. Who knew you could take out a few teeth with only loupes lights? The rainfall was a unique experience, and honestly a peaceful and refreshing way to end day 4. Now we are reenergized enough for some Catch Phrase tonight and our last day tomorrow!! Overall, it was a great day with the people in the village. It was truly amazing seeing the Lord move in ways that we will never forget. ` Over and out for today, Sarah Jordan and Halle Thank you for staying tuned to our channel…
In case you were wondering, we did in fact choose sleep last night. Anywho, another wonderful day in the beautiful Dominican has come and gone. We had a great start to the morning with worship and then delicious empanadas for breakfast. We then ventured on over in our handy travel buses to a village school where we did a speedy setup for the day. The morning shift was rocky as we had many difficult cases. There were a few defeated students and dentists, but as always, the Lord provides. We were blessed to have an Oral Surgeon, Zach, to truly be so helpful. Cleanings and simple extractions also came and went throughout the day, with Hunter and Jennifer getting their first ever extractions completed!!! One special aspect that we have found on this trip is that helping these people can be as simple as holding their hand during an extraction. The trust that you can give to a child who is shaking with fear or even an adult with tears in their eyes is something not to be taken lightly. It may seem like we are just taking out a tooth in that moment, but to them it’s much more than that. We are thankful for the words of encouragement from each other as we go through these moments with patients together. It can be difficult to keep emotions in check when your emotions are hit high in some of the more difficult procedures. One patient today asked if he could pray over his dentists that had helped clean his teeth for him, and that was special to see the Lord working to bring his act of faith to us. It is humbling to see people who have so little be thankful for such simple acts such as a cleaning. Another shout out to our two wonderful optometry students, who we found out saw 53 patients yesterday…the dental students (with 9 chairs) saw 55, if that tells you anything! We are so grateful for another day of being vessels for the Lord’s work and cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!! Over and out for today, Halle and Sarah Jordan Hello again to our fans, We are truly so sorry for the lack of humor and creativity yesterday, because we were very much lacking energy. But, have no fear – we are readier than ever to make you laugh. Day 2 here in the Dominican Republic started out with none other than coffee, worship music, pancakes, and devotional time. We loaded up again on the buses at 7:55 and headed to our next clinic destination. As returnees, we can confidently say this was the nicest clinic we have experienced so far: very spacious with lots of airflow. The morning consisted of LOTS of cleanings, a few extractions and restorations, and no mishaps, fortunately for us. The optometry students had an amazing morning, too. After helping a patient and praying for her, the patient wanted to pray for them, showing yet again the powerful move of faith in our clinics. After another lunch of sandwiches and the iconic Queso Lays chips, the afternoon was a lot of hard work. The second operative chair had to be shut off after the machines weren’t able to generate the burs or suction, but Dr. Claire Walker was being so incredibly supportive of the students. She also worked until the very last minute of clinic closing in order to remove a mesial root for the last patient. Another HUGE shout out to Christina for pulling her first tooth today! Led step-by-step by Tyler, she was able to grab a hold of the lower anterior and finally feel the adrenaline rush that comes with getting a non-restorable tooth out and giving immediate relief to a patient. Once we loaded up the trucks and made our way back home, we had another amazing dinner, then gathered in the upper room of SCORE to hear tonight’s speaker: Dr. McClenny. Normally being taught by him in dental school, it was especially sweet to be able to hear the way God moves through him and his advice to us about living the Great Commission through our careers. Now, we are lounging around trying to decide if 8:00 pm is too early to go to sleep, or if we have enough in us to ignite a game of Catch Phrase. Stay tuned!! Over and out for today, Sarah Jordan and Halle Welcome back avid readers,
We have officially completed our first day of our mission trip in the Dominican Republic. Juan Dolio has welcomed us back with open arms, as we immediately had a line of patients when we arrived to set up the clinic this morning. We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast, of course, then headed to worship and our quiet times. It is always great to start the day in prayer so that our hearts will be set on seeking and sharing the Lord throughout the day. We then hopped on our cute little buses and drove 45 minutes to a small village, where we began setting up in a quaint church. The first day brought its challenges, but we were able to pull off an efficient day in clinic and took care of quite a few patients. This included some really hefty third molars that gave our dentists a good challenge. We were able to give the people cleanings, extractions, and even some cavity removals and fillings. Along with our successes in clinic, we had amazing opportunities in evangelism with Bobby and Dr. McClenny sharing the gospel and leading many of our patients back to Christ. One special lady, Mrs. Margarita, has been away from the church for three years and was moved by the encouraging words of our evangelism team, proven by her spoken desire to go back to church on Sunday. This is just one of the many incredible stories shared today. The optometrists were able to supply glasses to many people struggling to see near or far. One little girl brought her Bible so that she could make sure her glasses gave her the ability to read the small text. We had beautiful weather today and are praying for a continued successful week that will bring the joy of the Lord to our patients as well as the care that they need. On a final note, we are especially proud of our D1 girlies who really jumped in today with injections and extractions even when they were nervous, and they did amazing!!! Although hot, sticky, and tired, all of us had great attitudes and are excited for what day 2 has to bring! Thanks to everyone for following along on the blog and for your continued prayers as we travel to different towns throughout the week. The 2023 Dental Team has made it safely to the DR with all their luggage.
Hello friends & family,
We enjoyed a little more rest this morning only to wake for COVID testing. After that unpleasant process, we loaded the buses for our rest day on Catalina Island. We drove to a city called La Romana, took our Dramamine, and boarded a boat! There was an unfortunate event with a smaller boat sinking near us but our boat was able to welcome them aboard. The Chilean children and grandmothers looked quite frightened but one of the students asked an interrupter to pray and thank the Lord for the protection he gave them. The family was very touched and thankful. After our short detour, we enjoyed snorkeling on the coral reef and cliff jumping before arriving on the island. The water is crystal blue and extremely salty so we were able to lay back and float quite easily! We were all marveled at the beauty of the island! The locals served us a lunch buffet—even had fresh fish they made over the grill. The team scattered—some chose to take a nap under the palms, others played volleyball and frisbee in the water. We worked on our bargaining skills while purchasing some surprises for you all and a few treats for ourselves! We left with our tanks filled! We returned back to the Score Facility to enjoy an Argentine Barbeque by a few local pastors. They served us a delicious meal of local meats and my favorite condiment chimichurri. The pastors shared their testimonies on how Jesus has worked in their lives to save them from desires of the world—they both dreamed of becoming professional baseball players in the United States. Our team has beautiful unity—lots of deep conversations coupled with plenty of laughter. It has been an amazing experience to see the students grow in their medical confidence as well as their boldness in sharing about what Jesus has done in their hearts. Many students have learned how to share the Gospel and pray with their patients, giving holistic care to the entire person: body, soul & spirit. We have approached the throne of God with our supplications. He is faithful and good, and we are spending our last evening together talking of everything He has done for us and through us for the Dominican Republic. The future of healthcare is bright with these men and women who will be caring for the generations of patients for many years—on U.S. soil and beyond. I dare to say, many of these students will one day be physicians who continue to give their lives and skills to serve patients all over the globe and to serve our Lord. Please pray for safe travels back for our team tomorrow. We are excited to share more stories with you. What a joy to watch the students live out Romans 10—“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” In Christ, Sarah Story, RN Natalie Barefield, PA-C What’s up everybody!
One last day of waking up before 6:00AM! Today marked our last day of clinic. As we filed in for worship at the crack of dawn we were filled with excited anticipation to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Dominicans once again. We kicked off the morning singing to the Lord about returning to the heart of worship (the worship team being Dr. Brian Shaw, Ivana Smith, MC Carlton, and Seth Baxter, I would be remiss if I did not include the entire team’s names verbatim), and centering our souls on truth from the scriptures as Hope Harris led us for our devotions out of Titus 3. The mess hall was filled with hearty laughter as we gathered and ate breakfast together and we were soon loading the buses for a final time to serve the Dominicans. We unloaded our buses at Experimental (Municipio Consuelo), a village in which many of our translators and their families lived. It was a delight to serve and care for the families of our translators who have given so much of themselves on this trip to make our medical care and evangelism possible. It was a joy to see our translators showing us their children, mothers, and grandparents: trusting them to our care and inviting us into their lives in an even deeper way. There were many beautiful moments and stories shared today. We met a woman who came to us after missed periods, and after a pregnancy test we were able to share the (well received) news that she was pregnant! After giving her a supply of prenatal pills that would last for her remaining pregnancy, she was ushered to our evangelism station where she excitedly received Christ. There was a boy with a moderate-severe hydrocele on his testicle who we were able to start coordinating fundraising for within the church. There was a woman whose marriage was failing and whose life seemed to be falling apart, who we were able to encourage with the hope of Christ, and though she said she was not a Christian because she said she no longer read her bible or went to church anymore, she was able to leave with the hope and truth of Christ. As we packed up, the church was filled with song as we sang in Spanish with the Dominicans, praising the Lord in their native tongue. We prayed over their church, and before we disembarked for the SCORE compound, shared a bittersweet goodbye with the translators that we lived alongside and grew close with (shoutout to Willy and Piña, I love you guys!) When we returned, we met for our last session of worship, and our last session all together in the upper room. Tears fell as one after another student and doctor stood and presented passionate stories, wisdom, and testimonies. We encouraged each other to not let the trip ending be the conclusion of this beautiful family that God has brought together. We encouraged each other to not let the medical system and the culture in America to swallow us up and place idols in our hearts. We encouraged each other that we are not alone, and that we will always be here for one another. I am humbled to have been a part of a team that has welcomed outsiders with open arms and has loved and served each other with such tenacity. “Great Physician, heal through me”, I wrote these words in my devotional right before we began our first day of clinic. As I set up each chair of my station every morning next to Dr. Brian Buning, I would repeat this prayer. Through every early morning and every late clinic, through exhaustion and setbacks, God has used us to be His healing hands. We have been used as instruments of mercy, and that is a privilege that I cannot properly express into words. I am blessed that my first students were those on this team, and it is the highest honor that the first patients of my career were on this mission trip. I am undeserving to have met as wonderful people as these, but God has been kind to me. -- Dr. Brian Shaw Orlando Regional Medical Center – PGY-1 ¡Hola a todos los amigos y familias del grupo CMMA!
The group was up and at ‘em again before sunrise around 6:00am to worship and spend time in prayer before starting our day. Dr. Brian Shaw, Ivana Smith, and Mary Claire Carlton welcomed Seth Baxter (our newly christened drummer) to the team to lead the group in a time to praise God with our worship. Britton Ethridge (the author of Tuesday’s blog) brought a word from multiple Bible scriptures to remind us that God’s spirit is not only with us at all times but is going before and behind us in all things. The kitchen team (who has been dishing out AMAZING meals all week) served up some Food Network©-worthy breakfast to fuel us up for the day. Students and providers alike then split up to spend time in The Word before packing up the bus to hit the road. The team arrived at John 3:16 Baptist Church in San Pedro and the whirlwind of transforming a church building into a fully-operational multi-disciplinary medical clinic began. At this point in the week, we have all gotten pretty good at throwing suitcases full of supplies, setting up impromptu triage stations, and creating clinic “rooms” like a well-oiled machine, so setup was over before we knew it. As the patients had been lining up outside the church before we even arrived, triage began immediately – with students and providers taking histories, making diagnoses, creating treatment plans, dishing out and filling pharmaceutical scripts, providing comprehensive physical therapy, providing prescription glasses, and most importantly discussing the love, grace, and never-ending mercies of God, Jesus, and the Holy spirit. Due to a lighter clinic load today, every group was able to spend more time evangelizing and praying over every patient. While we may not have seen every patient come to a point where they felt ready to make a decision to follow Christ with their whole heart, we have been so encouraged to be able to be used by God in any way that he has planned. The group has seen spiritual growth and healing in many of the patients that we have been able to minister to, providing much-needed watering to seeds that have been planted into the hearts of many of the local Dominicans. It has been gift to be used for the purpose of furthering God’s kingdom. We have been able to see the curiosity of many people to know and learn more about God and His free gift of eternal life. Sweaty and a little tired, the group started packing up the clinic after the last patient had been seen, and in no more than a half hour, we were headed back to SCORE to devour another incredible meal of pollo fríto (fried chicken!) and enjoy fellowship with one another. We are definitely feeling a little physically fatigued at this point, but our hearts are so, so full. We gathered again to praise the Lord in worship. Singing and reminding ourselves that “His love is enduring!” and “His praise should forever be on our lips.” So many of us have felt led by the Spirit to trust God in taking steps that have initially felt uncomfortable for us – diving into the spiritual lives of others through language and cultural barriers, praying over intimate needs of people who had been complete strangers 20 minutes prior, providing medical care in very early stages of our training, and meeting our patients where they are at in any way we are able to. Tonight after worship, Dr. Bob spoke on Acts 17. He discussed Paul traveling through Athens and witnessing idolatry everywhere he went. This is not a problem of the past, but this is a problem of the heart. It is everywhere. We live in a broken world, and we are broken people, and we are in constant need to remind ourselves of the gospel – that “Jesus and the resurrection” is the foundation of our lives. There are so many things we can make idols in our lives by putting those things above the Lord, but they will fail to satisfy our souls every single time. When we share the gospel with others who are attempting to find peace and security in many different idols, we need to be prepared for all sorts of reactions and responses. Through it all, however, we can have immense peace in the truth that God is constantly working out all things for our good and for His glory. Thank you all for you continued prayers – God is listening, working in the hearts of the local people, preparing a way for us, and answering prayers daily. It has been such a blessing to be a first-hand witness to those answered prayers! Please continue to lift up prayers for the team and those that we will encounter – that God will go forth before us and open up the hearts, minds, eyes, and ears of all those that we will come into contact with. Please also lift up all those that we have ministered to thus far – that God will send workers to water all of the seeds that have been planted! Yours in Christ, The Three L’s of UAB – Lis, LC, and Luke Hello friends and family of the CMMA team!
Today has been our third full day in the Dominican Republic. We’re beginning to move beyond the initial adjustment period and really starting to sink our teeth into the work of the week – spreading the Word of God and acting as his vessels to deliver healing to the communities of this beautiful country. The day began at 6:15 with worship from our musical team of Dr. Brian Shaw, Ivana Smith, and Mary Claire Carlton followed by a group devotion led by Lis Pettibone lifting our spirits and raising our energy for the day. Our journey today began at 8:00, and took us to the community of Quisqueya, where we set up our clinic at a local church with the wife of Pastor Miguel providing guidance and support to us throughout the day. Yesterday’s volume of 150 patients was exceeded today, thanks to a tremendous effort again by our optometrist, Brett Bryan. A total of 160 patients (100 medical, 60 optometry) were treated today physically as well as spiritually with the grace of God allowing us to deliver medications, medical advice, and the Gospel to the patients of this lovely community. Despite a new location, the process and Spirit of Christ remained the same with members of the community receiving clinical care, physical therapy, and optometry care as well as spiritual care through time spent in evangelism stations headed by Duane Baxter and Bobby Parks, with students Luke Anderson and Hope Harris, all working to spread the Word of God and soften the hearts of those in Quisqueya. After dinner and an ice cream run at Plaza Leche Y Miel, the team reconvened at 18:00 and discussed notable events of the day. Stories were shared of people who were aware of Jesus but had not yet accepted Him as their Savior before today as well as others who today only began to consider a relationship with Christ. The day was concluded as we broke into our small groups and discussed our time at the clinic, what we’ve been learning, and the reading of the day from Philippians 2:1-4; 4:4-6. We ask for all of your prayers that the members of Quisqueya may continue to live happy, healthy lives and that any seeds of the Gospel that were planted today are watered and nurtured and bloom beautifully in the future! Best, Nick Friend USACOM Medical Student To our partners in prayer and spirit,
Today began our “normal” work schedule for the week which means the full team gathered at 6:15 am to sing praises together (led by our incredible worship team mentioned in yesterday’s blog post) and hear some encouragement and guided devotion led by CMMSA staff member, Alex Foxx. He taught from the passage about Martha and Mary from Luke 10 and emphasized the importance of taking time to “sit with Jesus” as well as serving Him. After devotion, the team received their station assignments for the day in clinic. Clinic groups had a moment to pray over each other and the work that would be done throughout the day. Breakfast and loading the buses followed immediately after and we left the mission compound just before eight in route to Consuelo and the Iglesia Bautista Dominica (the local church housing us for the day). A total of 150 patients were seen during our eight-hour work day, and a special shoutout to the optometrist (Brett Bryant) who provided care, prayer, and gospel presentation to fifty of those 150 patients! We provided primary clinical care, physical therapy, optometry, and pharmacy to men, women, and children ages 3 – 77. The medical team saw patients with: intestinal parasites, sickle-cell anemia, upper respiratory infections, torn knee meniscus, hypertensive crisis, ear infections, severe skin conditions, and many more conditions. Most patients were prayed for by students/providers, as well as spending time with our “evangelism stations” on their way out. Many Dominicans would initially say they were Christian, but when asked to explain their faith were unable to describe who Jesus is, and the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As expected, there were complications throughout the day such as loss of power to the building (the fans!), a provider suffering from heat exhaustion (who needed to rest for an hour before returning), and the optometry building losing power which meant for a few hours Brett (the optometrist) was working double time sorting through over 1000 pairs of lenses and using trial and error to find the best correction for each patient. Difficulties like this are part of the process, so your fervent prayers are coveted and necessary! This evening we just finished worship, share/encouragement time, and a message delivered by Duane Baxter (CMMSA staff) where he encouraged us to not neglect the reason we began the pursuit of medicine, our hearts. He cautioned us that the world/healthcare will tempt us to focus solely on the legal, financial, and scientific aspects of medicine. He posited that the cure for a weary heart isn’t always leisure, but sometimes it is pursuing “full-heartedness” such as serving in the capacity we are this week. Please continue to pray for the safety, stamina, morale of the team as we depend in a special way on the Lord’s sustenance to provide care for the people of the Dominican Republic. With Joy in Christ, Britton Ethridge, ACOM Medical Student Hey friends and family of CMMA team members!
Today was an exciting first full day in the Dominican Republic. Everyone began their morning with breakfast together and attendance at a local church. The beautiful service was presented in both Spanish and English, giving us a glimpse into Dominican culture. The message was led by Dr. Bob Nilsen, who spoke on the book of Ephesians and how it shapes our definition of church. After church, the team spent the afternoon organizing the medical supplies and preparing for the clinics we will host this week. Most students spent time sorting pills, packing medical bags and learning about the flow of clinic. Following dinner, the team gathered for worship led by the wonderful Dr. Brian Shaw and CMMA students MC Carlton and Ivana Smith. Afterwards, small groups gathered to share testimonies and discuss Psalm 1:1-6. We enjoyed the time of fellowship and the opportunity to pray over the week to come. As we embark on our first clinic day tomorrow, please join us in sending lots of prayers and love to both our team and the Dominican patients we will be serving. We are praying for smooth and effective teamwork, as well as the opportunity to make a long-lasting impact on the people we will be treating. Thank you for your continuous support and encouragement. We miss you all and can’t wait to share our experiences when we return! Best, Yulong Huang and Kahlea Haladwala USACOM ¡Hola! Today marked our last full day in the beautiful Dominican Republic. We spent the day on Catalina Island, right off the coast of the DR. After a relaxing boat ride, we got to snorkel in the Caribbean Sea right off the coast of Catalina- it was the first time for many of us! While we swallowed a lot of the salt water, there were no worries as we also learned how to snorkel and explore the 4000 square feet of coral reef! Afterwards, we made our way to the white sandy beaches of Catalina Island where we were treated to a buffet lunch with grilled chicken, pork, and even fresh shrimp and fish (thanks for sharing Christina and Dr. Friday).
After lunch, some of us read on the beach, lounged in the shade of the palm trees, or got massages on the beach. Others haggled in the gift shop for the best prices, strolled down the beach collecting shells and coral, and took a whole lot of pictures! An intense round of frisbee in the water also entertained us for a lot of the afternoon. We are not sure who ended up winning that game, as most of us ended up a just a little bit red and very worn out! There was also a close call with a little sea urchin, but no worries, it was caught and released into a different part of the beach to save our feet! Our afternoon was very well spent. With snorkeling, four boat rides in total, and playing on the beach, we were able to enjoy more of the beauty of God’s creation here in the DR. We also learned more of the value spent in resting as God has commanded us and living in close fellowship with other Christians. By the end of the day, we climbed into the boat exhausted, happy, and with just enough sun for a healthy glow (though some could have used more sunscreen ;)! The ride back to the main land was extremely choppy, but very exciting as it felt like a rollercoaster at times. We have been extremely blessed today and all of this week. For our dinner, we had the opportunity to enjoy a grilled dinner hosted by some of the members of Iglesia Bautista Misionario. They inspired and uplifted us as they shared their own personal testimonies with the group. We enjoyed hearing how the Lord saved a man from living for wealth to now live for the Lord and pastor two churches in the DR. It brought us full circle as we reflected on the week we’ve had. It’s been full of sharing our own personal testimonies, learning from each other, building fellowship, and bringing healing of all kinds to some of the villages we’ve had the opportunity to visit. I cannot speak for all of us, but I know this week has been humbling and inspiring. I know I will carry this week with me as I return to graduate school. Tomorrow, we ALL get to fly home as we passed our COVID tests this morning! The easiest test I’ve ever taken… ish. Some are a little more disappointed than others – I know I wouldn’t have argued with a few extra days on the beach! Our flight arrives at 6:30 PM in ATL. We cannot wait to share all of the ways we have seen God work this week and all of the amazing things we have done with our friends, families, and supporters! |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|