101 Paper Cuts

Well Hello Everyone! Wow, has it been awhile! I knew I hadn't posted in a few days, but I didn't realize it has been this long. I apologize for the delay! After I had posted on Friday we ended up having a pretty lazy day if I can remember correctly. Lili, who is one of my housemates was a tad bit sick on Friday morning so we postponed leaving for Barahona until Saturday morning. So, being that all our plans had changed, Kristin, Ruth and I went to the salon for a hour and got our hair washed and blowdried and our nails done! They wanted to get all done up for the show they were going to for the evening with Danny and Greg. I felt so pampered! It was quite an experience, very different from the salons at home! The entire kit and kaboodle only cost about $20-25 depending on if you brought your own shampoo and conditioner or not!

After we returned home from the salon Kristin, Ruth, Greg, and Danny went off to see a play and Lili, Isidro, and I decided to take the time to go out for an awesome dinner because Lili was healed!! Isidro took us to this wonderful place right on the ocean called Adrina Tropical. We got a table that over looked the ocean! It was a perfect night for an outside dinner as well. The heat of the day at broken and the Lord granted us a beautiful breeze! There was a man who made cigars to the left of us, which was quite impressive to watch while we waiting for our dinner. The whole night was so much fun! Maybe I am easily amazed, but I felt like I was on cloud nine. I have never eaten in a place so beautiful before! My favorite part had to be the fresh fruit juices we ordered and getting to spend time with Lili and Isidro! I am very grateful for them. I am so thankful for the talks we have together and for a wondeful sister in Christ who I can truly confide in. Not to mention, I have never met anyone before, and in such a short amount of time has so many inside jokes. We can simply look at one another and laugh for hours.

And that would end my Friday night!

Saturday morning we awoke around 7ish to pack for a town called Barahona which is about 3 hours from where I am staying in the capital. Lili, Isidro, Danny, and I went to do medical needs assesments in the Batey's. A batey is a small community of sugar cane workers and their families. The land is owned by the people who own the fields. The conditions in the batey's are some of the worst I have seen. Our first stop was to Batey 7, this was a small batey off the main strip of the sugar cane and set back into one of the fields. As we drove in there was a large clearing where 4 latrines were set to one side. These seemed to be the public bathrooms for the Batey. Concrete, metal siding, damaged, leaking, no good, but some of the best ones I have seen.

We walked through the Batey and spoke with the families that lived there. We asked simple questions about there health, water, food, and knowledge of parasites. We wanted to see how often they were getting sick, how many times a day they were eating (which when we asked if they ate three meals a day we would get a laughing response. Most families commented that they were lucky to eat one or two meals a day. They eat when the food is around and if they have money.) and also if they knew how to prevent sickness. It was surpising for me to hear that some people believed that parasites just lived in your body and you got sick when they decided to "act up." The people were so friendly, whenever we came to speak they would all get up and offer a chair, bench, anything they had. And the children were beautiful. By the end of our walk through the community we had about 10-15 children latched on to us. Begging for our attention. They were so proud to show us how creative they have been with their toys. One boy made a top out of a soda bottle cap and a toothpick and another made a kite out of a bit of plastic bag, some sticks, and string. I had one small boy latch on to my finger and not let go for 45 minutes, but I didn't want to let go either. He is in the picture below in the gray shirt looking away from the camera of course! The house you see them standing in front of us a pretty nice and sturdy house compaired to many of the others we saw there.

For our assessment we went to Batey 5, 6, 7, Mena Arriba, and Mena Bajo. Batey 5 was without a doubt, the worst. Most people didn't have bathrooms, some had latrines outside there homes or ones nearby they shared with the community. Some families said they simply used the nearby wooded area. Many families shared with us that because of the recent hurricane their food supply has been ruined. They no longer has platanos or yuca to eat and their diet consists mostly of rice and beans. The children are all malnurished. They have these big stomachs, but when you pick them up they weigh nothing. Most families say that they only buy water when they can afford it. A jug of water (the big blue plastic ones we would get for our water) costs them any where from 25-30 pesos. Under a dollar, but they still can not afford them. We learned that buying water only after the children have been sick is a common practice in the bateys. Saturday was difficult for me because of the things I saw. I have much to learn from this experience. The people in these communities have nothing, but they work with what they have and they make it happen. I pray that I don't forget what I have seen and I pray that we find a way we can help. I believe in what the Foundation is doing. It was comforting to hear Greg speak about the solutions they desire being permanent solutions. We don't just want to go in with a quick fix that won't last and where the community won't benefit. A lot of time and thought goes into what happens and I respect that. I would like to share with you something I wrote in my journal. During services on Sunday I tend to write down things I hear and I want to focus on or read when I need an adjustment in my 'tude (as Carrie says it).

"If I can ask of you one thing this week...Hear the Lord. Just as Abraham heard the Lord. Let us not harden our hearts."

Saturday night we spent the evening in the most beautiful house. There was beautiful tiles throughout the house and 3 pretty fierce pitbulls that protected the property. It makes me laugh that such a scary dog could be named "Shakira".

Sunday morning we all woke up around 830 and left for Batey Algodon. (Which means cotton in Spanish.) We met Pastor Jacki (spelling is most definitely wrong. Wendy-if you read this let me know and I will fix it!) for service in his church and then we spent a little under an hour in his house talking. I had the privilege to work with Pastor Jacki at the end of July in a small town called Anse Pitre in Haiti. He is by far the most jolly man I have ever met. He is so wise and I always enjoy the time I have with him to talk. He is from Haiti and speak both Spanish and Creole which gives his Spanish a very distinct accent. After our time together the four of us jumped in the FFP sea foam green truck and headed back to the capital. Below is Danny and I sharing the back seat on the way home. He is such a funny guy.

Monday was a work day. I woke up pretty late, around 10 that day. I must have been tired from the weekend. When I woke Greg and prepared a To Do List for Danny and I. I was pretty thankful for this, because I often feel that I'm not helping enough and it was great to be able to see what I could do to chip in and be able to do it without bothering Kristin, Ruth, or Greg for the next thing needed to be complete. I wish I could find the entire list of because it made me laugh. I love Greg's sense of humor..most of the time. I would like to share with you two of our tasks. Task Number 0: (Yes, I meant zero.) Make office computer faster, it has been running slowly. and my personal favorite: Task Number 5: Go to La Sirena (the local grocery/toy/clothing/everything you need in one building store) and buy three cans of ant spray. Then declare war daily on the population of ants living around the house. While Danny assumed the position of the Geek Squad, I began doing inventory on the medicines and med. labels we had upstairs. As much as I would love to admit that I enjoyed counting well over 40,000 pieces of paper and exceeding well over the amount of paper cuts I have allowed myself to receive in one year, I just can't. I took two days to finish counting all the labels and I am so grateful to be done! Kristin asked yesterday if I hated her for making me count those...and I can truthfully say "No way!" She must be crazy! She gave me a wonderful job! I could sit infront of the fan and Joy kept me company while I counted! It was awesome! Monday we went out in the early evening for a quick shopping trip. Kristin and Ruth took us to the Christian book store and I am so so so happy to announce that I just bought, for my first time, my own Bible! I have had Bibles before that were gifts, but this was my first purchase! I'm so proud of it. It is a Spanish-English Bible. It works very well down here according to Kristin because the Spanish is in a version that is very popular in the Dominican Republic and the English version is in NIV, which is what is pretty popular at home. So now I have the best of both worlds! I even got a pink cover for it. Yes, of course it is pink. We returned home and made a wonderful dinner, Cheeseburgers! Then went off to bed.

Finally, Tuesday! Tuesday was another day of counting papers and that would be it! Yes, I counted paper for the majority of my day. I would love to say I went on a crazy adventure, but I counted paper. It was a good day of rest which we will all need because starting today (Wednesday) Danny and I start preparation for the pill counting/labeling parties we are going to have Thursday and Friday in preparation for the 12 medical clinics we are going to have. Volunteers from a variety of churches are coming to count out the medicines and label them so we can be all set for when the groups come down. I'm starting to see how things here can get a little hectic. Kristin, Greg, and Ruth are now assuming their positions as the most busy people in the house as the countdown has began for the non stop rush of Americanos through the country! Keep them in there prayers. They are going to need it! I don't think anyone can be jealous of what they are about to face for yet another summer. They really have got it down.

I hope everything at home is going well. I miss everyone! Give each other hugs for me!

"Lord, show me poverty whom you loved so dearly.

Merciful Jesus,

have pity on me:

I am full of yearning for my Lady Poverty;

I can find no peace without her.

You, Lord, it was who first arroused love for her in my heart;

grant me the privilege of possessing her...

Jesus, you were very poor,

and I want to call nothing under heaven mine

but only to live

on what others may give me."

-Prayer from Francis of Assisi