<![CDATA[CHRISTIAN MEDICAL MINISTRY OF ALABAMA

<![CDATA[CHRISTIAN MEDICAL MINISTRY OF ALABAMA - Blog]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 12:53:19 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Tuesday]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/tuesdayOn this Tuesday, our team woke up for worship, a morning devotion by Christina P. and prayer with our new teams for the day. After a nutritious breakfast and quiet time, we left for the village in El Piñon. We set up the clinic in the church with Carson and Lauren at triage, two medical stations with Dr. George, Katie, Spencer and Emily (PA-C) and Mark, and a physical therapist station with Leigh Anne, Kate and Christina P and a station to discuss Jesus with Aaron. Some great experiences include Kate performing a distraction at the knee and Katie injecting a knee! We broke for lunch and then returned to clinic to see more patients during the afternoon. Today’s clinic involved many mothers with young children and we had so much fun getting to know these precious families! El Piñon is a special place for our group since Christina will be returning there for the whole month of June after the mission trip with students in medical school. We left clinic set up for our return to the village tomorrow and are excited to serve more of the people of El Piñon. Upon returning to SCORE, our group split up and some rested, some went to the beach, and some stayed at the pool. We had a delicious pasta dinner and got to hear about the ministries here during SCORE night where we heard from employees including Carlos and Joel who are some of our interpreters. Afterwards we shopped at a market they set up to benefit local ministries and supporting their sales of jewelry, local coffee beans, and bags! We finished the night with a game of Fishbowl and had lots of laughs! We are excited for another great day!

]]><![CDATA[Monday]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/mondayOur team woke up early today with great anticipation for our first day of clinic and started our day with worship, a devotion led by Mark, breakfast, and quiet time. We packed up our supplies and got on the road to set up clinic in Monte Christo for the day. During the morning, we provided medical care and physical therapy to residents of the Nursing Home run by the parish church. They were happy to see us and many have been provided continual care through CMMA’s year-round trips. It was amazing to speak with these people about their life stories and their profound faith in Jesus that has been colored by many years of wisdom from walking with Christ. We worked alongside translators who work with SCORE as well as the facility’s nurse, Elsie, and we truly could not have done it with their help speaking multiple languages such as Spanish and Creole. After finishing up our work with the residents, we ate a quick lunch and prepared for clinic in the afternoon for the church members. We had two medical stations run by Dr. George and Emily (PA-C) with the assistance of Mark, Carson, and Katie. We also provided physical therapy led by Leigh Ann and assisted by Christina P. and Lauren. Spencer and Kate helped run triage while Aaron worked alongside the local pastor in evangelism, talking with patients about the gospel and praying over each one as they exited the clinic. After completing our afternoon clinic work, we packed up our supplies and returned to SCORE for some rest and pool time before dinner. We finished out the evening with worship, a devotion from Dr. George, a trip to the gas station for ice cream and other treats, and a few more rounds of CodeNames. We are looking forward to another great day of clinic tomorrow in El Piñon!

]]><![CDATA[Sunday, Day 1]]>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/sunday-day-1After an amazing breakfast provided by the SCORE staff, our team got ready for church and we went to a church in El Piñon (where we will return on Wednesday to run a clinic!). When we walked in, a woman was praying fervently in Spanish and we were seated in individual chairs. There we worshipped the One as one people in Spanish throughout the sermon, which covered 5 verses displaying the gospel from Old to New Testament. After the service, we met the congregation and they blessed and hugged us. We drove back to SCORE, had lunch, and headed to the beach. While at the beach, some of us threw the ball in the waves, others practiced our Spanish speaking with local swimmers while still others opened up about personal testimonies to fellow trip members. After some fun at the beach, everyone went to have some personal quiet time then met up for dinner. We ate a fabulous dinner of chicken, rice, and sweet plantains, and then Kate and Aaron led our first night of worship and we discussed our fears and excitements of the day. Afterwards we dispersed into small groups and began a great night of fellowship getting to know the hearts of our fellow trip members. To end the night, adventurous members of the group went tarantula hunting and others played a fun board game called CodeNames. Overall, it was a great restful day to begin the trip and posture our hearts to be servants for the Lord spiritually and physically for the upcoming days in clinic.

]]><![CDATA[4.27.2024]]>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 01:25:31 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/4272024The team landed safely. Stay tuned daily for updates from the field. ]]><![CDATA[Last Day of Clinic 2024]]>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/last-day-of-clinic-2024Hola mis amigos!

Our last day in clinic and we worked HARD. Despite all exhaustion and very sore backs, we gave it our all until the last patient was finished. When asked around the team if they would prefer another day of clinic or our planned fun day for tomorrow, everyone said clinic. If that doesn't show where our hearts are at, I don't know what does. I admire the team's work ethic and drive to share the Gospel and heal others. The village of Experimental was so welcoming and we were happy to be there. Somehow, the energy is still high and smiles are constantly shared amongst us. One thing I love about writing these blogs is reflecting on the day and always seeing the good through and through. This morning did not start off the best. We loaded up the bus and started to head down the street when we found out our bus had a flat tire. (The wheels on the bus did not go round-and-round). So, we turned around and looked at each other like "what happens now?". The solution came easy-- we would take half of the team in the translator's van with the truck, and when our bus was fixed the rest of the team would join. Although this set us behind an hour, our efficiency has increased throughout the week and we still treated an abundance of patients. Tomorrow we will take a break and will be going to Catalina Island! To all of the parents out there-- everyone will be wearing sunscreen!

A few wise words from our D4s who have been our lifeline this week:
"I had fun helping the first years progress throughout the week. It was cool to see as we got further on throughout the week they became much more confident and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed getting to know the guys in my small group. All of the guys were in one small group and I'm excited to go back to school and continue our friendships." -Zane
"It was enjoyable getting to know all of the first year students and exciting to see them grow over the course of the week. I was able to provide care but be very hands off by the end of the week. It was super exciting to see because I remember going as a second year and having the same feelings that they are having now towards sharing the Gospel with unreached people and increasing their knowledge in dentistry. It was a huge blessing to see the care we were able to provide to the Dominican people and ultimately share the Gospel boldly. I had fun." -Nolan
"Having only heard stories from the previous years trips, I was in no way prepared for the abundance of love and care that emanates from this group of people. From the smallest to the largest task, our group has always been ready to serve. While not the most physically rested, this week has been such a reprieve from the busy 'normal' day." - Lauren

Gracias a Dios,
Margaret B :)

]]><![CDATA[Day 3]]>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/day-3It's game day!

Day three is officially OVER!!!!! Once again, we had an early wakeup call. Some say it's a miracle our team of over 20 to show up on time for our 6:15am meetings-- I think it's because we are just so excited!!! Once we finished our morning devotional, we carb-loaded on pancakes and french toast to have energy to get us through the day (or at least until lunch). This time, we ventured into the village of Pajarito. It was really fascinating passing by other local villages seeing kids play baseball and many happy locals waving at our bus. We unloaded fast in anticipation to efficiently treat many patients. The confidence in our hands continues to grow everyday-- all thanks be to God! This being said, we treated over 40 patients. Additionally, 8 people prayed to receive Christ today! One of the most meaningful moments of the day included the team placing our hands on the pastor's brother and praying for their church and community.

I don't mean for these blog posts to keep getting shorter and shorter, but golly, we are getting more exhausted by the minute. Nothing has felt better than placing our head on our pillows after a long day of work knowing that we were able to use our gifts from God to impact others. Tomorrow is our last day in clinic. Such a bittersweet day knowing that we came to this country to serve others but it is fulfilling knowing that our work was accomplished. I will let you in on one little secret from this trip-- we stay up late every night having this very competitive game night. I mean so competitive we even have Mardon out here vibing with us. Christina has to come out and tell us to go to bed. We play this game called 'Code Names'. Every night we have this little rivalry of boys versus girls. Personally, I am for the girls but the score is tied right now. So, when we come back and you hear some of the boys complaining about losing... just know you heard it here first, it was a fair-and-square win!!

Blessed be God forever,
Margaret Braun]]><![CDATA[March 12th, 2024]]>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/march-13th-2024Hola everyone!!

Wow, what a wonderful day filled with Jesus' love!! Today we ventured all the way to Honduras. No, we didn't take a boat but it is a small village in the Dominican Republic. As soon as we got there, the team worked efficiently to set up the clinic. You could see the confidence that has grown in the team in just one day. I mean, I heard everyone throwing out some Spanish terms. Everyone is going to come back a little more fluent and filled with heart-felt stories. The locals have been amazing patients but even more curious and receptive to hearing the Gospel. They have been sharing their stories with our team and greatly impacted the team through that. Tonight was SCORE night. Dr. Bob gave us a wonderful sermon on acceptance. The reading was from John 3-- the story of Nicodemus. A story of Jesus telling him that we live a life of two births. First, our physical birth followed by our spiritual birth. It doesn't matter who we are or where we come from, it is building that relationship with the Lord that fulfills salvation. I thank everyone on the team for humbling themselves before the Lord to serve others. Everyone's strengths in our team have meshed and flowed so together so perfectly. We have been so blessed that everyone has attributes that create this beautiful team to serve the same goal. It has been amazing to witness other teammates talk to locals about God and plant the seed of Jesus Christ.

Each community we have visited has expressed gratitude for what we have provided. Even though we are all so tired, you are never too tired to show you are thankful. I want to highlight members of the team and what they are thankful for--

Today's Gratitude from the Team:
Christina: chocolate tres leche; Margaret: the dentist's teaching; Noah: helping patients and learning; Nolan: seeing the amount of patients we saw; Lauren: vulnerability of other; Makayla: everything and seeing puppies; Zane: benadryl; Helen: great mentorship (Lauren and Nolan) & God giving me inspiration in sharing the Gospel; Nathan: beautiful weather and beautiful friendships and beautiful hearts; William: the local villager who let me take a guava fruit; Guy Best: cohesiveness of the team; Dr. McClenny: watching the students engage w/ patients in evangelism & treatment. Mardon being a great new director; Laurel: Maggie's guitar and patient D4s; Maggie: faith-filled conversations with my team and patients; Mardon: Maggie Braun

Dios te ama,
Margaret Braun

]]><![CDATA[Day 2]]>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 05:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/day-27504129Howdy y’all!!

Oh my, oh my… where do I start to explain this amazing day. The morning came fast and we all sipped our coffees anticipating our first day of clinic. A lot of sleepy eyes turned wide awake once we got our morning assignments. After our 6:15am team meeting and breakfast, we departed back to El Peñon. There was a quick set up of six dental chairs before the patients started rolling in. All of the D1s were extremely grateful for the D4s and Dentists on this trip teaching us valuable knowledge about dentistry— things we have never been exposed to before. In total, 35 patients were treated in clinic. The evangelism side was blessed to bring many people to Christ and deepen many faiths. There may have been a few hiccups getting the day started, but not a single person stopped working hard the entire day. The bus ride home was filled with smiles and laughs as we shared stories from the day. We are ALL going to sleep good tonight.

Today’s devotional resonated with me. 2 Timothy 1:7 states “God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” This reminded me of the Holy Spirit I have been filled with leading me throughout all of my days. The whole entire team has taken this week to draw close to the Lord and use the faith given to live with such spiritual qualities. I was blessed in my small group tonight to share our testimonies. These girls are not only the sweetest but you can see the love they have for the Lord radiate through them. After all, we’ve been gifted grace from God through Christ Jesus which allows us to fully receive His love and be an outpouring to others.

Makayla Yu had a fabulous day!! Here is a summary of her time: “First things first, this morning we found out our doorknob was broken yet again. I got placed in evangelism this morning. That was my first time spreading the Gospel with other people. This was a very unique experience to me as the people did not speak the same language and required a translator. I realized people here are educated with Christianity but the difficulty comes down to their acceptance towards Christ. In the afternoon, I was in the clinic. The first two patients I had were the pastor’s daughter and grandson doing a cleaning. They were so grateful and I loved their smiles. The last two patients I have were a mother and daughter. The daughter had a broken molar. I learned how to do nerve blocks. Personally, I thought my first block would be in an adult patient but it turned out to be very sweet kid. I learned many techniques on how to extract a broken tooth covered with extra gums. The mother had serious concern regarding her upper arch of the mouth. After evaluation, it was decided to extract those remaining teeth. I was able to do all of the nerve blocks!! I successfully removed two teeth before the remaining teeth were removed. After an exhausting day, a hot shower was really appreciated with laughter from my friends while we shared the Gospel.”
Guy Watkins Best also wanted to say: “Hi Mom! I love you!"

Dios te bendiga,
Margaret B

]]><![CDATA[First Full Day!]]>Sun, 10 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/first-full-dayHello Everyone!!

We have officially ended our first whole day in the Dominican Republic!! To say we are exhausted is an understatement— you won’t believe all we have fit in this very first day. The morning started slow, everyone waking up around sunrise to have their cup of Joe. The team met for breakfast before departing for our Sunday church service in the village of El Peñon. The theme of the sermon was the goodness of God in our lives. I encourage you to read Romans 12:10-13. The love we receive from Jesus translates so much deeper when we share it with others around us-- and we are so excited to be returning tomorrow to put these words into action providing dental care. It's a pretty amazing experience to provide care in the exact same building that we worshiped our Lord. The day did not end there. Once we returned to SCORE, we had a wonderful lunch and team meeting. After attempting to assemble cardboard dental chairs, we got our scrubs for the week. I think this got everyone more pumped up to get to work tomorrow. The truck is loaded and we are ready to roll. After prepping for our first big day, we had some time to relax on the beach. Honestly, there wasn't much relaxing--rather, there was spikeball, football, and exploring. I will say we have quite the active and go-get-them attitude in this group. I mean, you should see us playing games at the end of the night. There are tons of laughter amongst our friendly competition. Our post-dinner meeting involved times of sharing our testimonies, singing worship songs, and reflecting on the good individuals have provided throughout the day.

Thank you so much to everyone who is keeping up and reading this first message. We really appreciate all of the prayers you have sent our way. I promise we all miss our loved ones so dearly, but cannot wait to share that love and laughter with the local people. Everyone is eager with anticipation to grow in their faith this week. There will be more stories to come and more lives to touch. Our biggest take away from the day is: enjoying God's creation around us and hearing the wonderful message from a local church.

For our first daily shoutout from Nathan Vincent: "First, I'd like to thank God. And then my family. All my coaches. Specifically Coach Gummadi and Coach Winters. Lastly, I want to thank all of you for reading this for your continued support, prayers, and love."

All Glory Be to God,
Margaret and Margaret
]]><![CDATA[SMI Day 1]]>Sat, 09 Mar 2024 23:24:56 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/smi-day-1The team is safely on the ground. I will be posting daily updates. Please stay tuned, and as always, we covet your prayers. ]]><![CDATA[Oct. 19th- Clinic Day 4]]>Fri, 20 Oct 2023 01:34:26 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/oct-19th-clinic-day-4Happy Thursday and last day of clinic! We started the day bright and early per usual with morning worship and an awesome devotional led by Libby on the Parable of the Sower in Mark! We had breakfast and loaded on the buses for our 30ish minute drive to Quisqueya. It was more of an active city, so it was super fun to look around (especially at the fire truck with Roadrunner on it). The back of the church had quite a bit of shade, so about half of our team was outside and the other half was inside today.

It was a solid day at the medical stations. We had some pretty standard patients, but people still got to learn and experience new things (like running urine, how fun!). Something that really struck the medical team was the joy of the Lord that radiates through these patients even when walking through the unimaginable. There was a patient who not only was experiencing physical illnesses, but had also lost some family members within the past few months. Even through all her hardship, she was still able to say that God is good. It was such a challenge to all of us to find joy even through trials.

Evangelism was great today! There were some hard conversations, but we also got to see a few people come to Christ! One team shared about a man who wasn’t very excited to chat at the beginning (not even the Lakers could get him excited). They began to share the Gospel with him and slowly started to see him soften up. They were very humbled by the end of the conversation when they were prepared for a rejection and he said “I’m ready.” They read Galatians 10:9 to him and before the translation could even come back to them, he had already confessed that Jesus is Lord and was ready to pray to receive Christ! It was so encouraging to see how God can move when you least expect him to.

In the words of our team member Jay, “Things were awesome at the Sunglasses Hut”! We saw a record breaking (for this week) 21 eye patients seen today! Not only that, but 19 of those 21 patients were able to receive reading glasses! Thanks to Jay, Michelle, and Ethos, the joy from the glasses station was felt across all stations. They were able to love on patients so well and bring smiles (and a pair of aviator sunglasses) to so many faces.

“Kids ministry was awesome. Period.” – Daniel

We got to wrap up our last clinic day with my favorite session all week. During worship, it was so sweet to see so many smiling faces and people enjoying worshiping God together. During our team debrief, we got to hear about how the Lord moved not only in each station, but throughout the week in people’s personal lives. It truly has been a blessing to serve with a team who showed so much love and humility 24/7. We ended the evening with some great small group discussions and fellowship.

Thanks for reading! Catch ya tomorrow for our fun day!

]]><![CDATA[Oct. 18th- Clinic Day 3]]>Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:56:19 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/oct-18th-clinic-day-3It is Wednesday, my dudes, and while Wednesday is usually when people are starting to feel fatigued by the week, this was arguably the most interesting day we’ve seen yet! Luke, one of the Briarwood Fellows, led the devotion this morning in 1st Corinthians 12. The team is composed of Fellows, doctors, medical students, and other professionals, and Luke exhorted us to remember that with our varying professions and skills, we all serve different roles but are all part of the same body.

The team took an hour drive to a village called Concho Primo to serve with a pastor who had planted a church there. We had planned to serve at a different church he had planted and only discovered once we got to Concho Primo that we would be stationed at that village. The team adapted amazingly to the change of location, especially since the village didn’t have a central building large enough to house all of the medical stations. This is where I get to brag on our team, because we had no idea that we’d be working in the village, which was mostly in the sun, and everyone had to be incredibly adaptable. But everyone worked with joyful spirits, and we were able to set up quickly and improvise to make space. I hear Chad (one of our pastors) even made a makeshift staircase out of rocks so we could get into a building. God provided enough shady areas to house the entire setup and a wonderful breeze so we were safe as we ministered to the people.

I was involved with the evangelism station today and helped as we shared the gospel. One woman said that she had come to know the Lord through the work of a medical team several years ago, which is such an encouragement to hear! One man came to Christ after talking with Chad, which is the most exciting news all day. He spoke Creole, so we had two translators (Spanish and Creole) so we could speak to him. When we asked him if he wanted to receive Christ, he started shouting “Oui, oui!” (Yes, yes!) very excitedly. There was discouragement too, as many people expressed hesitance or reluctance to accept Christ and went away without accepting Him. Please continue to pray that God would move in their hearts to draw them closer to Himself. God’s presence was evident as we witnessed to the people of Concho Primo, as he opened their hearts to His voice and our service, letting us experience their lives and minister to their needs.

We returned to the compound early, and were given a few extra hours to unwind and cool down (praise the Lord!) – as much as it’s a joy to serve in the clinic, getting to decompress is essential, and the time the team spends intentionally getting to know each other is incredibly fruitful.

Ultimately, we ask that you please pray for strength and joy for the team as we have one more day of clinical ministry; pray that God would open our eyes and hearts to see the people as He does, and that God would open the hearts of the Dominican people to hear His word in truth.

We’re excited to see how God opens doors and challenges us tomorrow!

~The CMMA Missions Team, October 2023~

]]><![CDATA[Oct. 17th- Clinic Day 2]]>Wed, 18 Oct 2023 01:08:32 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/oct-17th-clinic-day-2Happy Tuesday!! From before sunrise to after sunset, the vibes here have been amazing. With amazing worship prepared and led by Ethan and Hannah, a powerful message shared by Renee, and tireless physical and spiritual care provided by the whole team, today has been spectacular.

In evangelism we met an amazing woman who found Christ 12 years ago with the help of messages shared by previous medical missionaries. This interaction was so encouraging as we were able to see her in the faces of those who had the seed of Christ planted in their lives for the first time today. We were able to ponder the possibility of seeing them in 12 years and hearing similar stories of salvation. Additionally, for us medical students who have little experience leading others to Christ, it was incredible to talk to God with others and begin seeing how to incorporate evangelism in future medical practices.

The Children’s team were spectacular today (as they are everyday). Their energy and enthusiasm for the children of the community did not falter even as the heat of the day peaked while they were in a fully metal building. We found joy in the children who channeled their inner Picasso on Michael’s face and filled the air with bubbles. We were comforted and impressed by the children who were so eager to help set up the clinic before and after lunch time. Finally, we were reminded of patience when mediating arguments among the kids and cleaning up the discarded toys at the end of the day. For those not on the Children’s team, we always look forward to hearing about the joy and hard work experienced by those on the team.

Clinic today was filled with high highs and low lows. We were able to relate to patients not only on a physical and spiritual level, but also on an emotional level. Past pains were able to be used for comforting and encouraging others today. We were reminded that even the worst times in our lives can later be a part of sharing God’s bigger, better plans for those who seek Him. Immense learning is happening on this trip as well. Every day, we learn more Spanish phrases, and the medical students get closer to finding what medical specialty God has called them to. We were all reminded that patients deserve patience. That can be forgotten in the fast-paced culture of the United States, but it is put in the spotlight here in the Dominican Republic. As a medical student, I was comforted by 1 Corinthians 12:15-26 today as it can be easy to find my incomplete training as something holding back the group.

Thank you for reading! I have to go now as Ken is sitting alone with Quirkle waiting for me to finally beat him in a game.

]]><![CDATA[Oct. 16th- Clinic Day 1]]>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:43:08 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/october-16th-clinic-day-1
What a Monday! We had an early start to our first clinic day – A morning devotional led by one of our 3rd year medical students emphasizing the centrality of the Gospel, how it humbles and empowers us to serve others. It was an excellent way to cultivate the proper mindset before heading out to clinic. From there, we had an hour or 2 for breakfast and devotional time with God before we left for El Peñon. The 20-30 minute bus ride got us to our destination around 8:30am, where we immediately began setting up the church for clinic. Maybe this goes without mentioning but man was it HOT and Humid outside! Residents of the village began arriving around this time and we started seeing patients around 9am. We near about doubled our estimate of how many patients we were able to see before lunch! The sense of community in El Peñon was referenced in the prior post, and it sure was evident today at clinic. We had patients assisting our translators when other patients arrived who spoke Creole – One of the countless examples of how this community puts the needs of the entire group far above their own needs. We continued clinic until roughly 4pm then began packing things to head back to SCORE for dinner and an evening debrief.

Endless stories and testaments to God’s faithfulness were shared by various members of the team. To list a few, one member of the children’s ministry emphasized the sheer magnitude of a sincere hug. He went on to explain how it was eye-opening for him to experience how gestures like a hug or smile were able to overcome the language barrier. On another note, the medical students and doctors in clinic were carrying on about how amazing it was to see each patient picking up and loving on children who in many cases weren’t even their own – another testament to the strong community God has built in El Peñon.

At the end of our evening meeting, Dr. Chris Duggar shared a message on the Prodigal Son, a story many of us are so familiar with. I believe I’m speaking for many more individuals than myself when I say that I’ve never heard such a familiar sermon preached with such passion, wisdom, and thorough insight. His emphasis on the older brother’s response to His father’s compassion for the younger son drew the parallel to our call as Christians for the fulfill Great Commission. It was quite inspiring to hear a message like this that provided an excellent reminder of our purpose of the trip. We certainly are tired, but inspired and excited to have a good night’s sleep and see what God has in store for us tomorrow!

]]><![CDATA[Oct 15th in the D.R.]]>Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:47:30 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/oct-15th-in-the-drGreetings from Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic!

We made it to the DR yesterday afternoon. We spent some time getting settled in at the SCORE International complex for the week, and got to visit the beach for a little bit. The beaches are beautiful here! We ate a yummy dinner and then headed to the Lilly House for a sweet treat. Most of us went to bed early last night because of the long travel day we had.

Today, we had the opportunity to visit a church service at one of the churches we will be setting up clinic at this week. Its name is El Peñon. It was a beautiful service. It was spoken in Spanish, but we had a translator translate the message for us. The pastor, Maximo, taught about how the joy of the Lord is our strength. We got to worship with the congregation; we sang a song in English for them, and they sang multiple songs for us in Spanish. They even sang a popular American worship song for us, “What a Beautiful Name it Is”. It was such a neat opportunity to be worshiping together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The worship was a beautiful picture of what it will be like in Heaven one day when we are all worshiping God together. After the service was over, we shook hands with the people at the church and got to meet them. I am excited to be heading back to the church tomorrow to start our ministry.

We headed back to SCORE for lunch, and then we got ourselves organized for our week in ministry. We sorted medicines and other healthcare supplies so that we will be ready to serve the people of the DR. It was then dinner time. After dinner, we had a large group meeting filled with a time of worship and reflecting on our first day. Then, we broke up into our small groups and had discussions about our devotional for the day (1 Timothy 6:6-10). It was a great first day of our trip. God is good!

Please be praying for us as we start our ministry tomorrow and serve the church of El Peñon.

]]><![CDATA[October 14, 2023]]>Sat, 14 Oct 2023 21:32:00 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/october-14-2023The team has arrived in the Dominican Republic! ]]><![CDATA[June 16th in the D.R.]]>Sun, 18 Jun 2023 17:25:01 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-16th-in-the-drHowdy!

Or buen día as they say here in the DR.

Yesterday we went to the capitol of this wonderful country, Santo Domingo. We were so tired – or at least, I was – that I had no energy to write the blog last night. But it was a good day, so the exhaustion felt good to have. (I got to hold a bunch of pigeons and feed them out of my hands. Pigeons are heavier than they look.)

The Dominican Republic has an ancient feel to it in some places. One of those places is Santo Domingo, where you can stroll among the ruins of Christopher Columbus’ house after grabbing KFC on el Conde. History is palpable: Dr. Bob told us how the cannon balls would simply be absorbed into the walls of the fort on the river because the walls were made of live coral (which are still there).

It was because of this ancient feel that I felt the truth of Dr. Bob’s words when he told us to watch for the skyline of Santo Domingo as we were driving in. He said it was an analogy of heaven. Dr. Bob told us to imagine the highway as the road of life, and the capitol as the Shining City we were all heading towards as Christians. It was a comforting metaphor to end a mission trip on.

Because our time here is over. For now, at least. But it is heart wrenching to think that we won’t be heading out to help people again on Monday. I’ll be heading back to Birmingham to start school again. Everyone else will be going back to the normality of our lives in America. (Except for Christina, who will be relaxing on a beach here in the DR for the next week.) This trip will be a thing of the past. Mr. Bobby said that we had a choice as we leave the country: we could let this trip just be something that happened to us, or we could work to make it something that changes us. So, what is it I learned from this trip that should change me?

As simple as it seems, I learned that God is still there, still working, and still cares. I struggled with a lot of apathy towards church and towards God coming into this trip, but the smallest of things can help change the mind. One day I lost my wallet. You know, the tiny thing that has my ID, all my money, and my debit card inside. I was understandably panicky about that. Dr. Marsha, though, kept a calm head and prayed to ask God to let me find it. Internally, I scoffed at this. God doesn’t care about wallets, after all, I thought. It could very well have been stolen at clinic and I would never see it again. Not five minutes later I found it in a place I had already looked.

I had to sit there for a moment with my wallet and the fishy feeling all divine appointments have. I thought about all the people I have met this week, patients that will praise the providence of God over a pair of reading glasses. In the middle of abject poverty, disease, boiling heat and suffocating humidity, these people respond “By the grace of God, I am doing well” whenever you ask how they are doing.

After sitting in the evangelism station with Mr. Bobby and hearing how he initiates conversations with people about God, I feel like my faith has been restored a little bit and I might have the courage – by the grace of God – to strike up similar conversations with my classmates.

After reading this blog of the experiences we’ve had in the DR, I hope you too have felt that fishy feeling of God moving. If not, take a look around. If God can reach me here, he can definitely reach you in your living room. If you come away with nothing else from reading our blog, know this:

God loves you as he loves the people of the DR.

God is looking for you and reaching for you just as he was looking and reaching for me.

He sent his Son for you, to die for you: the greatest act of love in the history of time.

And so, as we pack up and prepare to depart, I will leave you with the words I was using to say goodbye to my patients this week: Dios te bendiga. God bless you.

From the heat and the sea breeze,

~Samantha Chapman
UABSO Class of 2025
]]><![CDATA[June 15th in the D.R.]]>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 15:17:49 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-15th-in-the-drBuenos Dias,

My name is Cory Dixon and this is my second blog! It’s been so such an amazing trip to the Dominican Republic! It has been such an amazing, edifying, and humbling trip. We got to serve the wonderful people of the Dominican Republic for two whole weeks. Today was unfortunately our last day of clinic, and we lost Brenton and Beck as they flew back to the States. However, it was such as sweet day! Today we went to a church where the pastor was one of our translators. The pastor was the translator I was talking about in my past blog. It was such a wonderful time being able to serve his community and see how he interacted with them. He was such a light to me while we were on this trip to the DR. He always smiles and was a help to all of us throughout the entire 2 weeks. At the end of each clinic day, we pray for every pastor and usually we do it through a translator. Mr. Bob asked who wanted to pray for him, and I jumped at the chance. Since he was a translator, I prayed for him and his community. So, that the pastor could be equipped to care for them as he took care of us for the entire two weeks. Seeing this image, it was such a blessing to pray for him. It was a great reminder that Lord cares and blesses us more than we deserve.

After clinic, we were able to relax and enjoy some much-needed rest. We then went to a local pastry shop and got some desert while we were able to fellowship and laugh. What a joy it has been on this trip! The Lord continues to bless our time here and bring people to hear the good news every single day we have been here. Our leadership is so intentional in living for Christ. Tomorrow is our last day in the DR. We are going to Santo Domingo (the Capital) to explore the beauty. I am so excited to see what God has in store tomorrow!

All Glory be to God,

Cory Dixon

(PS. I miss Dad. Hope you miss me to!)
]]><![CDATA[June 15th 2023]]>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:30:45 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-15th-2023Hi,

My name is Jen Dixon and I have been here since Saturday, June 10th. It’s been so sweet to join in on all the fun the team has been having here. It’s been so humbling and encouraging to hear about all God has been doing here. Today we went to a little sugar cane village to do medical missions. There was one particular man we were able to help that stood out to me. He was a 78-year-old man who walked into the clinic with the biggest smile on his face. He was ecstatic to receive an eye exam and reading glasses. Come to find out, all he wanted glasses for was so he could read a Bible. He told us he became a Christian a week ago and was not able to read the Bible. When we gave him his glasses, he had the biggest smile on his face. He then proceeded to ask where the bibles were and if he could have one. We immediately gave him one and sent him to the evangelizing part of the clinic. It was so encouraging to see his attitude and desire just to read God’s word. The joy of his spirit and gratitude he had was so encouraging to all of us. He could not stop telling me and the others how he was so grateful for all that he had. He had very little but was thankful for the food and shelter God provides for him every day. It was a sweet reminder that God will always provide for his people and the joy that comes with being God’s children.

After clinic, we were able to fellowship at a fun pizzeria and celebrate Brenton’s birthday. We then went to the beach to watch the sunset but ended up jumping in with our clothes on. It was a sweet time just floating in the water reflecting on all the Lord was doing here in the DR. We ended our last night with Beck and Brenton by playing a huge game of catch phrase. What a joy it has been so far. The Lord continues to bless our time here and bring people to hear the good news. Tomorrow is our last day doing medical missions out in the villages. Excited to see what God has in store!

All Glory be to God,

Jen Dixon
Athletic Trainer

]]><![CDATA[June 14th, 2023]]>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:20:17 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-14th-2023

]]><![CDATA[June 13th in the D.R.]]>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:13:43 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-13th-in-the-drHola blog! Soy Emma! I’m blessed to be one of the SCORE interns this month!

It’s Tuesday the 13th today! (I’m not quite sure exactly what day this is for the team, and that would be because I am actually not officially apart of this team!) That being said, because of the way this group has welcomed me into this team, I feel very much a part!

So, in today’s blog I’d love to share how I’ve seen the thoughts and actions of the believers in Acts 2 reflected in this amazing team!

Right from the beginning, I felt welcomed and invited to dive into service alongside this skilled set of nurses, doctors, and soon-to-be doctors! As the day went on, I could clearly see this team strived for a togetherness as the Christians in Acts 2:44 did. Throughout the clinic, as our Dominican brothers and sister passed through each station, I could see the group’s resemblance to the early body of Christ, using their varying skill sets to bring God His due glory. Finishing out the day, I got to attend the group’s nightly worship. I was blessed to take part in the team’s mirroring of v.47 as they looked back on the care they provided and praised God’s hand for weaving in and through their work!

One of the most important yet difficult things Christ calls us to is His true humility, and just as the believers in Acts 2 walked humbly, this group has served with a Christ-like humility that has both convicted and encouraged me! I am so grateful that God allowed me to come alongside this crew to learn how to imitate the believers of Acts 2 and ultimately, Christ!

Thank you to this team for your kind hospitality to me!

Adios blog!

-Emma Martin, Samford Nursing Student
]]><![CDATA[June 12th 2023 in the D.R.]]>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:57:35 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-12th-2023Howdy!

My name is Sam. Today was the beginning of the second week of our mission trip, but it was my first day in clinic with everyone. I flew in yesterday afternoon on very little sleep and not a little bit of anxiety, but made it here to SCORE alright. I did forget to bring my swimsuit, though, which was disheartening. Not that many of us have the energy to swim, anyway.

I am the optometry student on the trip this time around, so I was over in a corner of the church in el Piñon asking people, “Cuál es la línea más pequeña que puede ver?” until they told me it was time to pack up.

Today I had a distinct impression of the perfect timing of God. When I came to the Dominican Republic last year, I was a baby first year optometry student and probably should not have been speaking so confidently to patients as I did. We saw conditions that we had just learned about in neuroscience and our beginner’s optics courses. Today, I saw conditions, again, that I had just learned about. Things that I would have had no idea how to handle had I seen them last year. Nothing too complicated, but fishy in the way all divine appointments are. It inspired a mystified sense of gratefulness to, not only God, but to my professors for teaching me well enough that I knew how to handle the conditions I came across.

I am excited for the rest of this week. Not only will I get some great practice in clinic, I will increase my fluency in Spanish, learn about the culture of the Dominicans, and get to know my fellow clinicians and volunteers.

From the heat and the sea breeze,

~Samantha Chapman
UABSO Class of 2025

]]><![CDATA[Closing out week one of our mission trip]]>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:10:11 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/closing-out-week-one-of-our-mission-tripAs I flip through the pages of the Bible, I landed on Galatians 3:13 which reads “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”. When I came to Christ it was as if the blinds were taken off my eyes. I came to understand that Jesus came to this earth to redeem us from the curse of our sin. A perfect and holy God became man and bore the sin for us. As we close out week 1, I have reflected on this very thing, the gospel is what saves. The Lord has been so gracious to give us the opportunity to spread His good news to the people of the Dominican Republic. Each day of the week we went to a different village and provided healing for the body and the soul. I was impacted so much on how welcoming, loving, and giving the Dominicans are. Each day of clinic, we had patients that presented with many different illnesses that they needed care for. One of the most meaningful moments I have had thus far was my time spent in evangelism. Bobby, Gabby, Essie, and I were sharing who Jesus is with this one gentleman. He was so happy that we were taking the time to share Christianity with him and prayed with him that he decided to give us gifts. Immediately after we were done praying for him, he grabbed his backpack and began pulling out mangos one by one. He didn’t have much, but his mangos were a symbol of love and thanksgiving. It was a gift from his heart, and that is one moment that I will never forget. Another thing I loved about this trip was the stories our team all shared at the end of the day. We came together and delighted each night on what the Lord taught and showed us that day. We have shared so many laughs, our testimonies, prayed over each other, and have leaned on God throughout our time here. Thanks be to God, all glory to Him.

-Elyssa Hernandez, ACOM 2023

]]><![CDATA[June 10th in the D.R.]]>Sun, 11 Jun 2023 17:52:04 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-10th-in-the-drFun Day

This weekend started on Saturday with a much-needed off-day and break as we got to decompress, relax, and have some fun together as team. A one-day guest pass to a resort a few miles east along the coastline from where we’re temporarily calling home gave us the opportunity to spend the day relaxing and rejuvenating through enjoying the beach, paddle-boarding, playing beach volleyball, kayaking, sitting by the pool, and partaking in an all-you-can-eat buffet. It was a lot fun and such a blessing.

A restful Lord’s Day concluded our weekend after we had little to do except rest after church with a local village. A great time to relax and catch up on more rest while preparing for clinic for the week. I’m sad to say our first week is over but more excited than anything else to get back into the clinic to meet and care for more patients. It’s been such a blessing to get to meet and minister to, build relationships with, and hear the stories of some of the people of the Dominican Republic. The people are just like I’d heard they’d be—kind, funny, welcoming, hospitable, fun, and energetic. I already have a few favorite stories and moments from the trip and am looking forward to making more and sharing those when I get home.

Brenton Bicknell, UAB Medical Student

]]><![CDATA[June 9th in the D.R.]]>Sun, 11 Jun 2023 17:39:02 GMThttp://cmmauab.org/blog/june-6th-in-the-drHey everyone,

Today was our last day of clinic for this week, and we wrapped up in a place known as el Bronce. Each day, a student has been assigned a role in each of the four stations through the clinic (triage, medical, pharmacy, and evangelism). Leading up to Friday, I had spent one day in triage checking patients in and three days with physicians in the medical stations to help gather information about current illnesses. Today, I had the privilege of working in the pharmacy station, which included filling medications as well as explaining to patients how to take these medications. It has been a fun experience learning the flow of the clinic.

Reflecting back on our first week, I wanted to share my thoughts on one difficult aspect of the trip and one rewarding aspect of the trip. First off, the difficult – in clinic, we’re often seeing patients with a wide range of backgrounds, from children to people in their late 80s. Some of the issues we see simply cannot be addressed in a pop-up clinic like ours, and though we prescribe medications to help ease pain or discomfort, sometimes the illnesses are not treatable. This becomes especially difficult when it is an illness that can be treated in the U.S. with long term care or can be treated with lifestyle changes that the people we’re seeing simply don’t have the ability to make. It is something I feel like I have struggled with this week, especially in some instances when I feel like we are putting a band-aid on a bigger issue. That being said, there are a number of cases we have seen in which we have been able to help greatly, and it is important to remind myself that our support goes beyond just medical treatment. One aspect of clinic that has been incredibly rewarding is praying with patients after discussing medical treatment. Many of the people here are very receptive to prayer and often pray alongside us in their language, whether Spanish or Creole. We often all share smiles after praying, and there is something deeply gratifying about sharing smiles with someone else, despite the presence of a language barrier.

Prayers for guidance, grace, and communication would be greatly appreciated going into week 2. So far, it has been a great experience growing closer to the team of providers and fellow students while helping bringing medical and spiritual support to different communities.

-Beck Wilkes, Student at UABSOM

p.s. If there is anything specific any of you would like to see included in the blogs, make sure to leave a comment underneath the blog.

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