We spent our entire last full day in the Dominican Republic touring the capital, Santo Domingo. We spent the morning at the Straw Market, a fun cluster of shops full of souvenirs. Some students got to practice their negotiation skills with the salesmen to save some money on their gifts (I’m looking at you Zach Sollie). So be looking forward to all of the knick-knacks and mementos coming back with us.
After the Straw Market, we got to tour the Cacao Museum in the city- most importantly for the free hot chocolate and tea samples. Once everyone got their candy fill, we ventured over to a walking street in the heart of the city where we broke off into smaller groups to eat lunch. There was a variety of choices, so lunch ranged from pizza to ceviche depending on people’s preference/bravery. There are currently 6 high risk students we are monitoring for food poisoning. After lunch, we all met back up at a beautiful, breezy town square that was home to hundreds of pigeons. Of course, some of our brave guys decided to become a landing zone for said pigeons (see picture above). After lunch, we set out on a walking tour and hit some pretty cool historical landmarks that included the first cathedral in Latin America and the extravagant home of Christopher Columbus’s son. All of us definitely hit our step count for the day after walking all over the city. During our walking tour, we lost the dynamic duo Bert and George Walker. Turns out, they went rogue and started witnessing to a street vendor. To quote Bert, “he had the face that made you just want to talk about Jesus.” The man ended up accepting Christ, which was the perfect ending to our whole trip. We have grown in our medical abilities, boldness to share the Gospel, and friendships with each other. Get ready for countless stories, hundreds of pictures, and nicknames no one will understand. Sincerely, Bun Butters Mickey K-Barbs Peanut Stretch Armstrong Peaches B-Worm The Local The Plug Poe Reba Big Zika Bearded Dude Zero Shaft El Scotcho El Gringo Fuzz Mom Queeny Wee Man Prosciutto Gritni ShanWOW Slaw Dog “The Nut Man” Two Tone Tina Timón PAU!! Big Cat Sage
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Today was our last clinic day- what a whirlwind the past two weeks have been. We’ve been in every size and shape of building, braved the Dominican heat, seen all sorts of medical conditions, and witnessed to people from all walks of life. We changed it up a bit today and set up clinic in a school classroom in a rural village. The quarters were tight for the medical stations, and pharmacy/evangelism were pushed to a classroom in a separate building half a football field away. The floaters deserve an extra shout-out today because they had to walk between buildings with patients in the hot sun. We were in high demand today: there was a crowd waiting to be seen all day long. Despite the exhaustion from 2 busy weeks, the day was packed with people needing care, interesting medical experiences, and special moments sharing the Gospel. Joe and Will’s first patient was a mom with her 18-year-old daughter with special needs. The mother was distraught because she couldn’t afford her daughter’s expensive epileptic medicine, and her faith was suffering from the steps she had to take to try to scrape up the money. Not only did the team give her three years’ worth of medicine for her daughter, they also set her up with Lilly’s House- a local program that gives women housing and employment. Needless to say, all of the people involved were close to tears at the end of this visit. Team members Morgan and Luke also had awesome days today- they both had their first experience helping lead someone to accept Christ into their heart. Oh, how the Lord worked through us today to reach the people in this village! There were plenty of funny moments throughout the day that kept all of us laughing. For instance, a communication mishap in triage led to medical stations getting quite a few older men with a chief complaint on their triage card as “depression,” which was meant to say “high blood pressure.” Talk about a plot twist for those medical teams during their interviews. Our wonderful floater Justin learned the importance of correct pronunciation today- turns out he had been telling people “seventy-six here please” instead of “sit here please” in Spanish for a solid 4 hours of the day. Even though every clinic day has had its share of stress, this group has kept each other laughing through it all. We also had a fresh way to show these villagers the Lord’s love after lunch. We brought multiple portable water filtration systems for the village, and Bobby presented these gifts by using them as a metaphor of the Gospel. The villagers were overjoyed, and their delight rejuvenated the whole team to power through the rest of the afternoon. We couldn’t have asked for a better day to end our clinic time in the Dominican. Wow, today was a breeze. And get this…there actually was a breeze. After several almost-accidents and some very colorful language from nearby drivers, we made it to the city of San Pedro and ventured into what could be referred to as the Ritz Carlton of Dominican churches. The multi-level church had been built recently and featured marble floors, some fabulous cross ventilation, and toilets that actually flushed. It was a dream. We set up clinic on the second level, and the surrounding forest made us feel a little bit like we were playing doctor in a treehouse.
On the medical side of things, our patients provided us with cases exciting enough to surpass even the beautiful building. From removing a keloid to draining a ganglion cyst, the fearless Dr. Walkers (no, they aren’t really brothers) guided their teams through new and exciting procedures. Amanda honed her ENT skills and thus if you need your ears cleaned out, she is your gal. Please call her nurse for an appointment. One member of our team sadly did not get to enjoy the beautiful building. Morgan (or as Eliz says…our fair-skinned beauty) endured some pretty strong sunshine and has the burns to prove it. She played with the kiddos from morning to night and had several important one-on-one conversations with different children. In my opinion, the cutest child of the day, also known as Rodrigo, stole the show. He ran around the clinic with multiple stethoscopes listening to the hearts (and wrists) of all who obliged. Our cardio goddesses of the day were Britni and Emily, who raced up and down the stairs to guide patients from medical stations to the pharmacy and evangelism. They definitely hit their step goal today. Eliz had a special encounter when a small boy with probable cerebral palsy arrived at the clinic. He came to her station at the pharmacy and her heart went out to him. For those who know Eliz, we all love and appreciate her passion for children with special needs. The child’s grandmother graciously accepted Eliz’s encouragement, and we know she made a difference in their day. Another victory for the Lord occurred in a medical station early in the day. A kind older woman graciously accepted medical advice and then listened as we began explaining that we also hoped to care for her spiritually. To our surprise, she answered the very next question with the proclamation that she was ready to follow Jesus. In that moment, she prayed to accept Christ. On a less significant but pretty hilarious front, Will learned that perhaps he needs to work on his Spanish a tad. Despite having a cheat sheet, he went rogue later in the day, resulting in a woman grabbing her chest when he attempted to take her blood pressure. Needless to say, we think we’ll keep our translators around. We’re still not quite sure what words were exchanged in this encounter, but we’re glad it happened and made for a great story to close today’s post. Had you been with us in clinic today, you would have heard not one, not two, but three very loud thuds. A beloved member of our team (who wishes to remain anonymous at this time), managed to fall off her stool on three separate occasions, eventually breaking the stool and providing the whole team with comedic relief. She set the tone for the day by just rolling with the punches. This small hiccup foreshadowed the chaos that was to come. Upon arriving at the church, we surveyed the building, noting that it provided the biggest space challenge to date. In the words of Chip and Joanna Gaines, it was utterly lacking an open concept. We set up several different stations, with medical in the living room, evangelism in the backyard, and pharmacy in the church’s small kitchen.
The morning was fairly low key, but once word got out, the people came in droves. We had a particularly rambunctious crowd in the afternoon, and I’m not going to lie, there was some shouting and very angry Dominicans who didn’t quite understand the concept of waiting patiently. Thankfully our faithful bouncer Shadrack kept everyone in line and restored order in no time. On the medical front, our most popular complaint was once again “gripe,” closely followed by hypertension and diabetes. Our luckiest students got to perform their first exams on some very private areas and thankfully, they lived to tell the tale. Andrew, one of our new team members who happens to be a wonderful physical therapist, made a huge difference in the lives of several patients with chronic pain. He was completely booked for the day and treated patients for pain spanning from their head to their toes. In perhaps the highlight of the day, Matthew singlehandedly ran the children’s ministry, which just happened to be all girls (see photo above). He was a wonderful sport as the girls practiced their braids and tried their hardest to style his short hair. It’s really too bad he didn’t have more hair for them to work with. On a more serious note, the evangelism team helped lead two people to Christ today. After a time of sharing the Gospel and prayer, God’s family gained two new members. After a long day, we packed up and headed home for SCORE night. The evening featured several missionary testimonies, worship, and a very spirited message from a local pastor. We concluded the night with a rousing version of happy birthday. HBD Scott…we’re so glad you endured our beautiful singing voices. Happy Monday! As we begin this post, we are cheering on our brave teammate Emily, who has made a bet that she can finish an entire pizza on her own. I’m obliged to tell you that her opponent is the previously mentioned John Bode (6’6’’). You could say that our team bonding is coming along pretty well. Stay tuned tomorrow for the results of this epic showdown.
On a more serious note, we had a wonderful day of clinic on this fine Monday. The Lord provided a nice rain shower to cool off a land that seems perpetually hot, so from the moment we began worship this morning, we knew today was going to be a good day. Upon arriving at clinic, our team unloaded and set up like the well-oiled machine we have become. We brought our new docs up to speed, and they jumped right in like pros. To say they have personality would be an understatement (we’re looking at you Dr. Walker). Meredith was our MVP of the day, as she rose to the challenge of running the eye station. Even though she had some big shoes to fill (we miss you Brett), she did a great job providing glasses and ministering to her patients. In a nearby station, Abbey and Morgan visited a very different part of the body. When a patient talked about warts and pointed down yonder, they knew they were in trouble. However, they responded like the strong future physicians they are and seized the opportunity to perform a procedure on a very grateful gentleman. Outside, Scott continued his quest to turn the color of a tomato. He singlehandedly ran the children’s ministry, playing with the kiddos in the beating sun like a champ. Throughout the day, we continued evangelizing and praying for all of our patients. Today, most of those who came through the clinic attended the local church and professed faith in Christ. We enjoyed their encouragement, but were also able to have good conversations with several nonbelievers. Our new docs stressed the importance of taking care of our patients both spiritually and physically. As a result, we made an extra effort today to incorporate Gospel-centered conversation into patient care. Upon returning to SCORE, we went about our evening meeting, and Morgan had the opportunity to share her testimony. She was a tough act to follow, but Christina didn’t disappoint and delivered a powerful message on struggle and wrestling with God. This led to small group discussions with an emphasis on vulnerability and resting in God’s perfect plan. As the days wind down, we are savoring these opportunities to love on both our patients and each other. Adios amigos! Hasta manaña! Our weekend was packed full of relaxation! After a long week of early mornings and long clinics we were eager to rest. On Saturday, we got an extra hour of sleep – what a blessing! We ventured to Catalina Island via bus, a big boat, then a small boat. The big boat ride was quite a rough ride. Good thing everyone packed their Dramamine. We pit stopped in the actual middle of the ocean to snorkel for a bit. The waves were rough, but the views were beautiful! We got to chase fish, see reefs, and crack lots of Finding Nemo jokes J. The island provided multiple ways for us all to rest. Some played volleyball, some slept in the shade, and some waded in the crystal clear shallow water. The island served us a buffet for lunch and Dr. Bob found a way to make our lunch biblical by passing his freshly caught and cooked snapper down the tables for us all to share. It was a picture-perfect day (see above)! Once returning to SCORE, we continued resting by going to the beach, going to get refreshments at Lilly House, or playing games.
We continued our weekend of rest this morning by waking up later and then walking to the local church right down the road. To some of our surprise, the service was completely in Spanish. Although the lyrics of the songs were in Spanish, we recognized the songs to be popular songs we all were familiar with. It was a neat experience to worship with the congregation singing in two languages. We were even able to take Communion with them as one united church family. The second wave of medical providers arrived this weekend and we have enjoyed welcoming them to crew. We were sad to see Dr. Salser, Dr. Duggar, Dr. Weatherly, Brett, Kyle, Logan, Sarah, Erin, Rebecca, Henrik, and Jose leave us this weekend. They were extremely valuable members of our team and we will miss them dearly. We’re enjoying our last night of relaxation and preparing our bodies, hearts, and minds for the work ahead this week! Please continue to pray alongside us! Buenas noches! As we drove to the clinic this morning, we passed one sugarcane field after another, getting more and more nervous about what awaited us with each bump we rolled over. To our surprise, the community church was spacious, clean, and equipped with good lighting, fans, and a natural breeze. We had a separate building for the eye station, and for once, our evangelism team got to enjoy the comfort of a roof…let me tell ya, it makes a big difference. Before we opened the door, patients filled the church. Thankfully, they were gracious when we informed them that the line was outside (and even took their chairs), but this allowed us to get clinic off to a smooth start. At this point, we could be described as a well-oiled machine. We fell into a familiar rhythm of triaging patients, leading them to medical stations for treatment, then taking them to the pharmacy for meds, and finishing with a stop in evangelism.
We saw a mix of patients, some with well-cared for chronic illness and others with little access to medical care. Alex and Eliz stole the show when a gentleman came in with a gnarly gash on his leg. Under the direction of Dr. Duggar, they debrided the wound like champs, while all of us other med students ooh’d and ahh’d from a distance. The other MVPs of the day were Chris, Sarah, and Henrik, who spent the entire day outside (please note Chris’s glow in the photo above to get an idea of just how strong the sun was today). They played lots of soccer, but most importantly, had the opportunity to share Jesus with several of their players. Ultimately, five kids accepted Jesus. Praise the Lord! Per usual, Brett never stopped sharing the Gospel in his eye station. Not only does he provide glasses so his patients can see the physical world, but he helps them to see that they are loved by the Creator and opens their eyes to the love of Christ. For your slightly gross trinket of the day, Amanda and Meredith took a trip down the road to becoming ENTs. I can sum up their experience in one word: earwax. We’ll leave you with that to ponder. We are looking forward to a relaxing day at Catalina Island tomorrow! Hasta la proxima vez! By day 4 we had hoped to call ourselves early risers, but I have to say…we aren’t quite there yet. Once again, 6:15 came bright and early, but we enjoyed our time of morning worship and went down for breakfast feeling refreshed and ready to begin the day. The village we traveled to today was a bit more rural than we had seen earlier this week, and I think most of our jaws dropped when the bus came to a screeching halt. Thankfully, we were looking out the wrong window at the shambles of an old church, but the current church still proved to be our biggest space challenge thus far.
A steady stream of patients poured into the church, numbering over 100 by the time the day came to a close. We saw a lot of flu-like symptoms and received several reports of parasites in places you probably don’t want to hear too much about. Also, shout out to our future OBGYNs for taking care of some cases behind the curtain and providing patients with both privacy and a comprehensive exam. At one point, a trailer pulled up to the front door, unloading a large troupe of children for our pediatricians to examine. The voices of patients speaking Creole, Spanish, and English melded together in what could only be described as chaos, but we like to think it was organized chaos and everyone received the care they needed. On the evangelism front, several team members invested in deep conversations about their faith. Amanda used the evangicube (picture a rubix cube with illustrations from the Bible) to share the story of Christ. She then asked if Malaney was ready to accept Jesus as her savior, and she exclaimed that she was, praying to receive Christ and entering into a community of believers. In perhaps the highlight of the day, we got to see the pure joy of a child who has just met her Maker and received the gift of eternal life. In the eye station, a 16-year-old girl accepted the Lord, and Brett spoke to her about the importance of sharing the good news with her friends. Much to our surprise, she returned that afternoon with a group of her friends. Although they weren’t having any vision problems, Brett checked both their eyes and their hearts, eagerly seizing an unexpected opportunity to share the good news of Christ. This evening, we returned to SCORE for a special treat. The members of the SCORE team prepared a fabulous Argentinian barbeque, complete with enough meat to fill up even the boys on our team. We heard the testimonies of three local pastors and brothers in Christ. Their stories both encouraged us and gave us an opportunity to learn more about the Dominican culture and approach to Christianity. We wrapped up the evening with singing, sharing, teaching, and small groups. We hope to finish the week strong tomorrow and are looking forward to some sunshine and rest on Saturday! Today was our first full day of clinic, and it was not without its obstacles! Upon arriving at the next village, we found an unfinished church building, complete with rebar sticking out of the ground and a pit deeper than our tallest team member…shoutout to John Bode (6’6”). It was a bit steamy today, but we learned we could weather the heat with the best of ‘em. We rotated amongst the same stations, ensuring that each medical student had the opportunity to work with a physician in their first two days. Throughout the course of the day, 130 patients passed through our clinic, eager to receive both the physical and spiritual care the Lord used us to provide.
Just a ways down the street, Sarah, who has been heading up the children’s ministry, approached local school teachers about sharing in their classrooms. After a short time of fellowship and teaching, the teachers requested medical care for their students. Rather than parading 25 small children through the clinic, Sarah summoned help from Dr. Weatherly, and he headed to the school. Child after child came in with a rash on their head. Although I will not attempt a detailed description, trust me…several of us students made career choices and will no longer be considering dermatology. Thankfully, it was nothing a little shampoo couldn’t clear up, and the kids should be fungus free in no time! Meanwhile, Alex and Kat, members of our children’s team for the day, began forming relationships with the other children and enquiring about their relationships with the Lord. Several students expressed that although they were familiar with Christianity, they did not consider themselves worthy of salvation. Alex took the opportunity to share his own story and some of his past transgressions, emphasizing that God sent Jesus to pay for the sins of all. They went back to discussing basketball and Lebron in all his glory shortly thereafter, but our hope is that the Lord will use this encounter as a stepping stone on their paths to one day knowing the Lord. In perhaps the most surprising turn of events, our fearless leader Christina succumbed to the elements. If you know anything about Christina, you know there aren’t many things that can take her down. Thankfully, she is on the road to recovery (or so we hope), and we look forward to her taking charge again tomorrow. Meanwhile, several of our floaters rose to the challenge and filled in the gaps, ensuring clinic ran smoothly for the remainder of the afternoon. We saw everything from lipomas, to lacerations, to Leishmaniosis. Our surgeons in training had the time of their lives, throwing their first sutures, draining abscesses, and injecting medications. Most importantly, two people prayed to receive Christ in our evangelism station. Praise the Lord! Until tomorrow…adios!! (as you can tell…our Spanish is coming along swimmingly) Our first day of clinic was a success!
Even though most of us went to bed pretty early for medical students, 6:15 came bright and early. We started the day with worship and breakfast and then did a quick orientation before heading to La Cubana. Having built a relationship with this village on prior trips, the setup flowed smoothly, and the people came eager for treatment. Despite lots of sunshine and very little space, the church we set up camp in was filled with joy and provided for a smooth first day. It gave us the opportunity to get our feet wet in a place where patients were both respectful and glad to receive care (whether we students were qualified to provide it or not). Christina and Dr. Bob headed up our clinic flow—organizing suitcases, meds, and lots of people with a smile on their faces. We set up seven medical stations, each equipped with a couple of medical students and a physician. The doctors gave students free reign with the history and physical and then swooped in behind to give their feedback and provide the actual treatments (which we haven’t quite mastered). Other stations included triage, optometry, children’s ministry, and a pharmacy, filled with all kinds of medications. Had you seen us parading through the airport, many suitcases in hand, you may have thought we were moving to the DR, but in reality, treating ailments of all kinds with limited supplies proved a challenge. Shout-out to our resident pharmacist Kameron for making all of that happen. Although several students and providers had the opportunity to share the Gospel, the true evangelizers weathered the heat outside in the evangelism station. Bobby and his team spent the day asking villagers about their spiritual well-being and spreading the love of Christ. We encountered people in all different walks of their spiritual lives. One gentleman sat down, and when asked if he was a Christian, said that he was not, but proclaimed that he was ready to become one. Another man approached the evangelism station with his daughter and proved particularly unruly. Not long after, the daughter parked her father under a tree and returned to the station to accept Christ. From her we learned that it is possible to overcome all kinds of obstacles to grow in your faith. We are looking forward to another full day tomorrow and can’t wait to see what the Lord will do! Hey! Just wanted to let y'all know that the team made it safely to the Dominican Republic.
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