Day 4: Just In Time

Today, my group returned to Batey Hata de Mana, this time with no blowout on the way. When we arrived at the work site, our Dominican co-workers were nowhere to be found. Instead of wait around, our team sprung into action, backfilling the footings and moving cinder blocks into the work area. Once the masons arrived, they went to work laying block while we mixed mortar and concrete by hand.

By lunchtime, we had added several more courses of blocks to the wall and we were all tired. After a lunch of chicken and rice, meat pies, peanut butter sandwiches, and cookies, we went back to it, working in the hot sun for another hour or so. At about 2:30 p.m., one of our Dominican guides invited us to play baseball with a group of local kids who were gathering on the field behind the worksite.

It was great to interact with the batey locals, to attempt to speak Spanish, and to take a break from work to enjoy the day. The kids from the batey provided all the equipment we needed, handing over their gloves each time we took to the field. Although they beat us in all three games that we played, we laughed and otherwise had a really great afternoon.

When we returned to the worksite, the walls had been finished by team members Larry Crawford and Bill Crump, along with the Dominican masons. As we said goodbye to our friends Elena, Yosi, and Elenita, we promised to return tomorrow. The bus ride back was enjoyable as we took in the beautiful scenery, told stories from our day, and enjoyed the fresh air blowing in through the school bus windows.

Back at Casa Pastoral, we showered and enjoyed a meal of barbequed chicken, rigatoni pasta, plantains, mixed vegetables, and bread. For dessert, we enjoyed tres leches cake, which would rival anything you could order from the Crystal Grill. At Bible study, we heard from Jonathan, one of the missionaries at Maranatha Mission. He told us about their projects and the work they do to spread God’s love in and around La Romana.

The night ended with a trip to the Jumbo for helados (ice cream) and other necessities. Shannon Melton bought a new pair of shoes for her friend Yosi from Hata de Mana. Tish Goodman purchased candy and toys for the children in the batey she has been working in. We returned at the end of a full day, tired but ready for tomorrow’s journey.

Early in the day, as I was filling up Larry’s bucket with mortar to take to the masons, I remarked that we were mixing mortar “Just In Time.” As a production strategy, Just In Time (JIT) management maximizes profit by reducing inventory. Throughout the day, I returned to that phrase, thinking about alternative meanings it could have.

Perhaps our group arrived in Hata de Mana to install a water filtration system just in time to keep someone from getting sick. Perhaps our group arrived at the classrooms in the bateys just in time to provide the encouragement some kid needed to stay in school. And then again, perhaps we came on this trip just in time for God to make a difference in our own lives, and by doing so, in the lives of those we’ve met along the way.

Click here to see today's photos on Flickr.

Day 4: I Have A Dream

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

For the past two days our team has been working in Barrio Beraca. Our days have consisted of Vacation Bible School and construction. Our site is made up of a church and a school for Haitian children, who otherwise would not be able to go to school. These children cannot attend the public schools because they are not citizens of the Dominican Republic. The school currently has grades kindergarden through third grade. The current enrollment is 148. In the morning VBS is held for thirty in each of the 6 classes.

Construction for the most part has consisted of digging footings for the wall/fence that will go around the water filtration systems. Part of the team has been helping construct the building that will house the filtration system itself, while the rest of the team has been preparing the ground for the cement foundation for the perimeter wall. Today we finished the trenches and began pouring the cement footing for the wall. We have also almost finished the outside work of the purification building and will soon begin the flooring on the inside.

Today I got to have a conversation with the Pastor named Elise. She is quite the visionary and has been working for many years in the La Romana area to assure health care, education, and the Gospel is shared with all of God's people in this area, no matter if they are Haitian or Dominican. She has many goals and great expectations for the church and its mission. The dream in particular that she shared with me is her hope to build and provide an elderly care facility. The La Romana area only has two, to serve a community with a population over 200,000. Her desire, compassion, and determination showed me how faithful and hopeful she is that this will happen. She reminded me, as a pastor, how important it is to have dreams and hopes as we serve God in our own communities.

Dental Clinic: Day 2

Day two with the dental team was another outstanding success. Our friends picked us up at our hotel promptly at 8 a.m. to begin the day. We ventured through the city and into the countryside to a batey about one hour away. We passed miles and miles of sugarcane fields as literally as far as you could see. In them were the workers with machetes cutting and stacking the sugarcane on oxen drawn wagons, towards rail cars to be loaded to ship. The poorest of the poor and labor I really cannot envision.

We pulled into the small batey with Dr. Steve and Dr. Kevin's group transforming another church into a dental clinic with the same precision as yesterday. Today, Laura came with me and it was great sharing the day with her. She worked tirelessly doing everything from assisting me, to sterilization, to cleaning children's teeth and applying fluoride varnish. Eddie, Henry, Mary Steele, and Katharine Douglas were their usual amazing selves, doing everything that needed to be done to help the process run smoothly. Dr. Flautt and Katharine splinted a man's arm, which had been broken for four weeks with no care!

This is, as our group shares each night, where we saw God today. I saw him many places today, but none more than the view from our church into the countryside. As you looked up from the bloody mouth you had just gotten through extracting numerous teeth in, you viewed the beautiful, green, endless, sugarcane fields—purple mountains in the distance—and the shadows of clouds floating over them. As you looked back at your patient, you saw the face of thankfulness and appreciation. God is good, all the time.

Dental Clinic: Day 1

Our day began meeting a great group of dentists, dental students, dental assistants, and volunteers from Buffalo, New York and Michigan. They immediately took us in as family and allowed us to assist them in the day's work. Members of FPC this day were Dr. Henry Flautt, Eddie Amelung, Mary Steele Flautt, Katharine Douglas, and myself.

The dental group we joined had the most amazing setup I have ever seen on a mission trip. We pulled into the batey and to the local church to set up for the day. In 21 minutes these guys had moved the pews back and set up an eight chair dental clinic, yes EIGHT chairs, including two units to perform fillings! Not to mention a complete sterilization area which Eddie, Henry, and Mary Steele helped run with complete efficiency. They brought a compressor, air driven handpieces, electric handpieces for surgical dental extractions, and enough energy for an army. Katharine aided all the staff with medical evaluations and taught Mary Steele how to take blood pressure. Henry delivered dental anesthesia and did dental extractions, and I did my usual.

The setting was inspirational as the church faced west and the sun shone through an outline of the cross on all of us working throughout the day. I was continually reminded why we are here. These people are some of the poorest I have ever seen in some of the poorest conditions I have ever been in. Yet they are happy and praise the living God with a fervor that inspires me and the team. We ended the day seeing 176 patients, most having 3-5 dental extractions each, too many pediatric prophys to count, and endless fillings. What a great start!

I have included a list of the generous friends who allowed us to work with them below. Remember all of us in your prayers as we seek to make a small difference in God's kingdom.

Dr. Bill, Theresa, Christian and Cody Shortt

Dr. Kevin and Beth D'Angelo

Dr. Bill andElizabeth D'Angelo

Krista, Lianne, and Maggie VanWagner

Mary Wilson

Chelsea Eppolito

Katherine Marshall

Shalia Ramandev

Rachel Nozzi

Ashley Mears

Matthew Valerio