Thank You and Merry Christmas

As 2010 draws to a close, I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who have supported me this past year.

Its been a great year, full of many accomplishments and improvements in the clinic. I am so proud of my amazing staff, many of whom are new. The four new women in the clinic: Tatiana, an ambitious doctor with lots of heart; Mary, a skilled medical assistant, always ready with a smile; Luz, a new Christian who is full of enthusiasm and Heidy, our dental assistant who is eager to learn more. I have learned so much from each of these women, their lives and their struggles. I feel privileged to call them friends.

Dr. Maria and her assistant Diana have taken on the new Community Health Program with an energy and love for Bayona. Their educational talks, seminars and tours through the community are changing the way that we help the sick. Prevention is so key and in many cases very simple. People just lack the knowledge to prevent common ailments.

Dr. Jose Miguel has provided great dental care to the children of our schools as well as assistance on 2 dental trips that benefited the community. We hope to be able to see all 500+ school children in the clinic for cleanings before the end of the school year.

In 2011, the ADR/ME partnership will culminate in an Early Intervention Program that I am very excited about and that will greatly benefit many special needs children. I know that Aquilino looks forward to working with therapists, a psychologist and a learning disabilities specialist.

Please continue to pray for the clinic, its employees and their families as well as each and every patient that enters our doors. Our hope is that the love and light of Christ shine brightly in everything that we do.

Merry Christmas to all! Many blessings this winter and a Happy New Year.

Thanks again for all you do,

Anna

God's handiwork

As I mentioned I am here in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO finishing up my 3 week training at MTI (mti.org). I kept meaning to take pictures of the breathless scenery, but didn't get a chance until today at lunch. These beautiful images are just a little glimpse of God at work here in nature. Its amazing to wake up to these views every day!

Inner Intentions

There are times when you think you've discovered everything about yourself. When you think you know all the dark and dusty corners of your heart. As a good friend recently reminded me, its usually then when there is more to learn.

I know that I have good intentions for most of what I do. That I want to love and help people. That I care about people and I want to be there for them. I also know that inside sometimes I am a mess. Emotions and humanness mean that I have "dark and twisty" (to borrow a phrase from a TV show) places in me. Before I guess I thought that they were inside and I was dealing with them -- as making messes clean is a process. Its becoming clearer though that the messiness is on the outside too.

Intentions are only half of the equation. My impact on others is the other half. I don't know what my impact is all of the time. Usually when its good I know because of the feedback I receive. And when my impact is negative and I know about it, I try to make it right. But I'm learning that I can make a positive impact more of the time. Perhaps its okay for that messiness to come out a little more so people know I'm struggling too. Perhaps its okay to be a little less confident and admit when I don't know because other people don't know either. Or say when I'm scared or unsure because we are all human and messy on the inside.

The thing I love most about H2O church at OSU is that they aren't afraid of their brokenness. They openly share it with one another and they care for one another as they heal. Jesus came to heal the broken and love the sinners. He is the only one who can clear out all of the mess and make it clean. So, we should share that with others so that as He puts our hearts in order He may be glorified through our transformation. And so that others may hear of His good works and believe.

Philippians 2 is a great chapter on this (v. 1-13):

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

My prayer is not to be free of my messiness because it is what makes me human, but for God to search out the offensive way in me and burn it out. To change me and mold me and to make me more like Christ, so that I may love His people as He did.

Psalm 139: 23-24

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

MTI New Beginnings

I am reporting in from a temporary home in Colorado Springs at the Missionary Training International where I will be for the next 3 weeks.

The 30+ participants include families, couples and singles. We are all getting to know each other and there are 2 other women and a couple who are coming to the DR. The 2 ladies moved to Puerto Plata in August and the couple is moving down in 2011. Its so great to meet other people who will be participating in ministry in the DR.

There are also many friendly people who are going to China, India, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, the Czech Republic, Australia, etc. Its interesting to hear about their different experiences and mission fields.

More soon!

Blessings,

Anna

Back Again

In Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata, DR

I am coming back again next week to the states. I will be home for Thanksgiving and then I head off the following Monday to Colorado for missionary training. After the 3 week training, I will be home for Christmas, and then I head back to the DR immediately after. Please feel free to call me on my U.S. cell phone during this time. Please pray for safe travels as well and for God to use this time to strengthen and equip me before coming back to the DR.

Thanks much for all of your support!

Blessings,

Anna

ADR Evaluation

So for those of you wondering about the hurricane... yes, we got rain, but no nothing was destroyed, thankfully!

It did, however, put a little damper on our previously planned ADR Evaluation of children in the community with special needs. Despite the quantity of rain, we still were able to evaluate 86 children and provide them with 117 services. There were four services available -- evaluation of development, language skills, learning issues and psychological examination. Most children presented learning problems and / or psychological issues. We also evaluated over 20 children that are under the age of 6, that are good candidates for our upcoming, eagerly awaited Early Intervention Program.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember to take photos... so this little blurb will have to do!

Blessings,

Anna

"Overflowing Abundance"

"And delight in her overflowing abundance" from Isaiah 66

Sometimes we become complacent and comfortable and though we have asked the Lord for something, we may believe it is not going to happen, at least not now. So, we settle in. And then He blesses us by answering our prayers and then some! And reminds us of His goodness and that His love and grace abounds always.

Today I received a donation to my support account bringing me to 107% pledged and 68% received to my account. How wonderful to be finished raising my living expenses! I am so thankful to God for His ever flowing blessings. For if we trust in Him, He never fails us.

Thank you to all who have partnered with me on my support team. To all who are praying, writing encouragement and giving of the blessings that they themselves have received from God. I am so blessed to have amazing friends and family and a God who loves me and cares for my every need.

Blessings,

Anna

Prosthestics

I know that I've talked about ADR in the past. The Dominican Association of Rehabilitation (its ADR when written in Spanish) is an organization we are working with to create an Early Intervention program, starting in the spring of 2011 for children 0-6.

It is an awesome organization that has been around for 47 years and is the leader in services for persons with disabilities and children with special needs in the country. They have 22 centers in the Dominican Republic. For more information see http://www.adr.org.do/

As part of the group 2 weeks ago, Rita Hook, a member of Rotary International, and her husband Harvey who is the director of The Gathering in Columbus, OH came to deliver prosthetic hands to ADR. These simple devices cost $50 to make, but are provided free to users, are non-electronic, extremely durable and the recipient can be trained to use them within 5 minutes. For more information, check out http://www.ln-4.org/

Harvey and Rita with a LN-4 hand

Rita and Harvey were able to meet with Dr. Zometa from ADR as well as the local Santo Domingo Rotary Club (of which Dr. Zometa is a part) to talk about a partnership for continuing to provide the prosthetic hands to the DR.

Rita with Dr. Zometa and a representative of Rotary Santo Domingo

The meetings went better than can be imagined and I believe that a long-lasting partnership has been launched. Thanks to Rita, Harvey and Rotary for investing in a country with a large need.

Blessings,

Anna

Healing Hands

Although I've written about the 15th anniversary, the dental clinic and meeting needs in the community, I still have much more to tell about this last group's work here in Cielo!

Elizabeth, Emily, and Jackie with Dawi and his family

The week before the group arrived Joe Budd, his son and his father, brought down a load of wheelchairs, braces and equipment for the physical therapy program. Thanks to the Lord and our partnership with ADR, the 1,000 lbs. of materials passed through customs within half an hour.

Deanna fitting Christopher into his new wheelchair

Erin helping Aquilino with Nairobi's therapy

This prep work enabled Deanna and Jackie, physical therapists from Texas, and Emily, a PT from Winston-Salem, NC to fit 6 children with new wheelchairs. They also fixed 4 chairs for children that were already using wheelchairs. In addition, they were able to provide 10 children with braces and shoes. We had great attendance at therapy sessions with 13 children receiving therapy on Monday morning, 10 on Wednesday morning, and 16 on Friday morning.

Lisbeth after therapy

Emily working with Dawi

Thanks so much to Deanna, Jackie and Emily for all of their hard work, dedication, and love for the children with special needs of the community. Thanks also to all those who volunteered their time in the clinic entertaining siblings, assisting with therapy and making new friends. And of course thank you to those who made all of the week's work possible through their prep work beforehand -- Anna and Andrew Harper and Joe Budd and his family. I hope I haven't left anyone out. We are all just so grateful to the countless people who work hard during the year to provide for weeks like this and for the prayers that accompany everything.

Jackie working with Christopher

May God bless you abundantly,

Anna

Dental Outreach

Last week's October trip included 2 dentists -- Dr. Johnson from North Carolina and Dr. Dillard from Texas -- and 3 dental assistants (from NC, TX and FL).

The doctors, assistants, and translators

The doctors and their assistants worked full days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, in the afternoon on Thursday and all morning on Friday. They were able to work on over 80 people doing extractions and fillings. In addition to the countless hours of work they point in, the staff brought down thousands of dollars worth of medicines, materials, and equipment. Part of their work in the dental clinic also included training our dental assistant so that she is able to do more procedures.

Dr. Johnson and Heidy work together on a patient

Dr. Dillard and Johnny extract 2 teeth on a young girl

Every morning was jammed pack with people in the clinic. There is such an overwhelming need for dental services. People living in the community do not have the resources to pay for yearly checkups or emergency procedures. In the clinic, we are trying to concentrate on education to prevent cavities by working with our schools and the community. However, the immediate need is great as so many people have impacted, infected and abscessed teeth. I wish we could do these trips 5 times a year!

Thanks so much to all for their hard work!

Blessings,

Anna

Filling a Need

Of all the things that happened on this year's October Trip, I think the one story that touched me the most is that of Francis and Frangelys.

Francis came to the mission several weeks ago to talk to us about her daughter Frangelys and her need for help. Frangelys has cerebral palsy and cannot move much on her own, talk, eat or bathe herself. She is completely dependent on her mother and eats through a feeding tube. Francis is a single mother with two children, one of whom needs around the clock care. Frangelys had been in a live-in program that was taking care of her, but the program recently sent her home without reason or warning. Apparently, they are sending all of the children back to their homes.

We prayed with Francis and set about trying to find a way to help her. Unfortunately, there was not an immediate way to help her monetarily. So, we continued to pray about it. Francis came to the mission again last week. Frangelys' feeding tube was infected and her mother didn't have any money for formula to give her through the tube. All Frangelys had ingested for days was tea and water. She cried all day from hunger.

On Wednesday morning of last week, Frangelys came with her mother to receive therapy. She met Emily, a PT from North Carolina who was moved by her circumstance. Emily asked Ron and myself what we could do for her. So, after explaining the situation, we all sat down to talk with Francis to pray with her and her daughter. We knew that circumstances had only gotten worse, not better for Francis. But we had hope. We used John 3:16 funds, a fund for urgent health needs to give Francis money to get food for Frangelys that day and take her to have her feeding tube cleaned. Emily asked her to come back Friday so that Deanna, Jackie and she (all PTs) could try to fit Frangelys with a wheelchair.

We spoke to several people in the group about the need that Francis had identified -- a blender -- so that she could liquefy food for her daughter to give her through the feeding tube. A simple appliance that was life saving for Frangelys would mean that she could now eat and that her mother could provide for her.

On Friday, we were able to find a stroller for Francis to use to transport Frangelys and we presented her with a blender so that she can feed her daughter.

We continue to pray for this family and for God's provision in their lives. For we know that as much as we love and care for others, God loves them so much more. He has a plan and a purpose and we may not always understand it, but should be looking for ways for Him to use us in it.

Thanks to all who are praying for this family.

Blessings,

Anna

Happy 15th Anniversary, Mission Emanuel!

Hi all!

We have just wrapped up the October trip, celebrating Mission Emanuel's 15th Anniversary in Cielo, Dominican Republic. Mission Emanuel had events in the states in September in Florida and North Carolina and finished off its birthday last Sunday with a Quinceañera attended by 500 people from Cielo and Nazaret. At the celebration we worshipped together, the mission handed out awards to key people involved in Mission Emanuel's success, and showed a video recapping the mission's 15 years in Bayona.

worshipping together

The Pastor's Wife and I, post-ceremony

Mission Emanuel over its 15 year tenure has built 2 schools and a Haitian education program, a Dominican and a Haitian church, a medical center that includes a pediatric clinic, dental clinic, physical therapy program and community health program, a water purification plant and a children's sponsorship program as well as a women's cooperative, various bible studies and outreach events. Mission Emanuel has also built over 40 homes in the community, a baseball field, basketball courts, and youth center. Each year over 500 short-term missionaries come into the community from the U.S. to give of their time and resources to bless Cielo and Nazaret.

Here's to 15 more years!

Miracles

Some people say that miracles only happened way back when. That they don't exist today. I've never subscribed to that theory ever. But in the case that I ever had any doubts, they have all been erased, as I was able to witness miracles last week.

For those of you who have been following my blog, you might remember Mari Rosa, the woman in the community with 5 children who was diagnosed with cancer last year. Mari has received extensive therapy including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which have both made her very sick. Her children and her husband as well as her neighbors have watched as Mari has gone through bouts of sickness, nausea, vomiting and fatigue with her treatment. They've observed as her faith, which was all but absent when she was diagnosed with cancer, has grown day by day even though she has been faced with a dire prognosis. They have joined with her in her struggles and sorrows and last Monday they were able to join her in her joy. Her doctors reported that Mari is cancer free! A miracle that we know came from God. Mari shared her good news with me and the staff of the mission and later that evening gave her testimony that night in women's church.

Mari Rosa

I am so thankful for a God who does miracles. A God who is with us in the big and the small struggles. One who will never forsake us, the only one who will never forsake us. He is a God that has done many miracles, is doing many miracles and will do many miracles until the end. And He allows us to see and be a part of these miracles so that we can remember that He is a God and loving God. So that when we pass through trials, temptation and fire we do not despair for we know that the same God who was with us before, is with us now and will never leave us.

Blessings,

Anna

U.S. Visit and M.E. Anniversary

As my first week back to the DR ends, I wanted to write a quick update on how my trip back to the states went.

I had a great time in Maryland with my parents and my brother and sister. My brother came home for 3 weeks to visit and it was wonderful to see him as we hadn't seen him in over a year! I also was able to visit with aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends.

Mom and Dad :)

Mrs. W, a family friend, and me

my aunt and my brother

Towards the end of my trip, I went to North Carolina to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Mission Emanuel. Many people spoke about the way in which Mission Emanuel had touched their lives over the years. It was a reminder of just how important the work we are doing is for Americans and Dominicans alike.

Mission Emanuel staff and friends

A Joyful Welcome

I arrived back in the DR Monday in the afternoon. I was thankful to arrive without any delays or problems. I spent the evening visiting friends and at church, where I was given 5 minutes notice that I had to sing in the place of a friend who was sick! Talk about pressure, haha. But everything went well and it felt great to be back here with everyone.

Tuesday when I got to work, I entered my office to a wonderful surprise...

(Welcome, Anna)

As if that wasn't enough, this morning they surprised me with a birthday party! :) I may arguably have the best job ever! Or at least the best co-workers and friends!!

With Dr. Tatiana Cespedes

Elizabeth, Aquilino, and Mary

CAKE!!!

Its wonderful to feel loved and cared about. I am just so fortunate to have so many great people in my life! :)

1 Year Recap

U.S.A.

I had a great travel day yesterday... no major delays, and I made it in on time without any problems. I am thankful to have had such a great day! I'm really looking forward to spending the next few weeks at home with my family and hopefully a few friends as well.

I will also be in North Carolina mid-month to celebrate Mission Emanuel's 15th anniversary celebration. I've never been to Winston-Salem where many of the people who come down on group trips to Bayona are from, so it will be cool to get to see people and experience the church.

Feel free to call or send me an email while I am home. I would love to hear from you!
Blessings,
Anna

1 Year

I will have been here a year on Tuesday, August 31st. Originally, this would have been the date for me to go back for good -- a year of time spent in the community of Bayona and moving on to other things. However, in January I signed up for an additional 2 year commitment with Mission Emanuel as the Director of Healthcare Ministries. I am so fortunate to have been here this past year and be able to look forward to another amazing 2 years of what God is doing here in the community!

I will be leaving for a month for Maryland to spend time with my family and to raise support for my coming year here in the Dominican Republic. I have raised 61% of my support, but am in need of an additional $15,000 for all of the expenses of this next year. Please let me know if you would like to join my support team.

I am excited to see my family, especially my brother whom I haven't seen in almost a year and a half!

I will also be in North Carolina for almost a week to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Mission Emanuel and to plan for the groups coming in 2011.

Give me a call, send me an email or a facebook message! I would love to talk to you while I am in the states!

Blessings,

Anna

Cena de La Iglesia

Last night the church had a dinner to raise money for the church retreat they are having in September. They invited several musicians and served a beautiful dinner of rice, chicken, vegetables and salad. I don't know why, but every time the musicians got up to play, I thought of Mariachi bands. :)

I helped cook a little, but mainly just enjoyed the environment and the company of friends. It was a nice evening!

It was a "formal" event... so I will leave you with a photo of me and my friends Yineris and Fela.

Fundraising Update

Hello all!

Its a three day weekend here because Monday is a Dominican holiday. I thought I'd take advantage of the extra free time to write a quick update.

As most of you know, I am raising my support for next year (Sept 2010 to Sept 2011) to stay here in the Dominican Republic. I have received pledges for $23,200 or 61% of my overall goal. I need to raise an additional $14,800 in pledges by the end of August.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in supporting my ministry here in the Dominican Republic, please email me at bianco.13@osu.edu or contact me on Facebook.

I will be in Maryland in September to see my family and finish up fundraising. I am praying to have fundraising done before the end of my trip so that I can return to the DR at the end of September. Please keep my fundraising in your prayers.

The Lord has a great promise for all of us. He is faithful and just and He will never leave us. I am believing in His greatness and His plan for my life.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." ~Hebrews 10:23

Rainbow, view from the clinic

Sorrows

I've not received many difficult phone calls in my life. Of that I have been very fortunate, but yesterday I answered a phone call from a friend to tell me that a little boy of 2 months had died while napping in his crib. They took him to the hospital immediately, but he was already gone and there was nothing they could do for him.

Such a joyful little baby... always smiling and laughing. I went to visit him the first day that he came home from the hospital. His mother was so happy and proud to show him to everyone. He had so much hair. I held him 2 weeks ago in church and I guess I'm just glad that I was able to spend time with him while he was here with us on earth.

His very mature sister, who turned 7 today, told me that he was in heaven and that he would always be with us in our hearts. They buried him this morning. His mother, father and aunts are not doing very well. Its hard for all of us to fathom. I can only imagine what they are going through. Please pray for the family: Mara (mom), Sylvestre (dad) and Perla (sister). As well please pray for the community, as the loss of Eliel has hit everyone hard.

Visitors

Sarah and I out at dinner

This month, I have been blessed to have two wonderful visitors here. My friend Sarah who is a medical student at The Ohio State University came for two weeks to help out in the clinic. Sarah spent time observing with Tatiana, our new doctor, and assisting me with entering data from medical surveys. We also toured the city a little, went to the mall and the movies and spent time in the Colonial Zone. Since we were there during the day we were able to visit the Pantheon. I have been to the Pantheon probably 5 times before because of tours with the groups, but this time was really neat because we had a tour from a Dominican Marine that was on guard. The Pantheon is a historic building that Trujillo used for governmental purposes and where he wanted to be buried. He was murdered before he, his wife and his mother could be buried there, so the people took the building back and used it to bury national heroes --generals, presidents, poets, writers, and artists. The building also houses an eternal flame that burns in memory of those that were lost, like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, VA. Other sites we covered were the Cathedral, which I had never been inside, La Calle de Las Damas, Forteleza Ozama, La Plaza del Reloj and Diego Colon's house. Afterwards, we ate at a Ceviche restaurant in the square. It was amazing!

Diego Colon's house

Sarah in the Plaza del Reloj

Inside the Cathedral

Hannah, who coordinated my first trip to the Dominican Republic in March of 2008, came for a week and left this past Sunday. It was fun to be able to take Hannah around Bayona and have her see life here in the day and evening that isn't related to our regular group trips. She was able to spend a lot of time with a family she is close to and was even able to go to a Friday night church service at Chiqui's house (the house we worked on when we came for Spring Break 2008). Hannah and I also spent a little time at the mall and movies hanging out with my friend Karen as well as going to a national park, Los Tres Ojos, that has three subterranean lakes and one above ground. The pools are beautiful and formed in natural rock caverns. Unfortunately, because of the darkness I didn't get good pictures, but the above ground lake is just as beautiful. After the park, the group of seven of us went to the beach at Guayacanes. Thankfully, we had fabulous, sunny weather despite the rainy season!

Hannah and I at Los Tres Ojos

View of the lake

Vacation Bible School, Dominican Style!

I've been involved in VBS many different years with churches, helping to teach a class of 5 year olds about Daniel in the Lions Den or talking to 8 year olds about Adam and Eve, but I have never been involved in anything quite like the EBDV. The Escuela Biblica de Verano or EBDV hosted by Cielo's church (and other Templo Biblico churches) packs the 3rd floor of the main mission building twice a day. Once at 3 pm for children under the age of 12 and again at 6 pm for teenagers and adults. At 3 pm there are so many children that there is no room to sit, stand or walk and the teachers have to shuffle through dense crowds of children to check the answers written in the students' books containing the curriculum.

Blue Team (my team) - talking about their act of service

Playing games of ring toss for points

In the evening, two teams of Red and Blue compete for points that will accumulate all week for the award's ceremony on Sunday evening. Points are given for answering the questions about the day's lesson correctly, for winning games during the course of the evening and for assignments given to a group from each team modeled after a TV show in the DR. "Reality Show," which probably could be compared to any show on MTV or VH1... Road Rules, Amazing Race, etc. involved challenges geared towards helping others. The theme of the EBDV is Actions that give Life. So, one night the teams were asked to do something for someone in need. The next day we watched videos of what the teams had done during the day. One team had helped to cook, clean, do laundry and give a makeover to an elderly woman. The other team cleaned and cooked for another elderly woman who was wheelchair bound. No winner was declared and the prize was simply the experience.

I had so much fun at the EBDV (despite the fact that my team lost)! It is amazing what the Cielo church can accomplish with such a small budget and how much joy they can provide for hundreds of people in the community of Cielo. The community benefited not only from the Reality Show challenges, but from the activity they were able to attend Monday through Sunday. Over 40 young people gave their lives to Christ on Saturday and Sunday and it has been awesome sharing with them this past week as they came to our normal church services. They are a great group of kids who were touched by Christ's sacrifice for all of us and are earnestly seeking His will for their lives. I look forward to spending more time with them in the coming months.

Dust

There are certain things that keep you grounded. Things that remind you who you are. Yesterday evening, I went to a bible study where we are reading Matthew and talking about the context of history and events happening within the book. Most of the history has to do with the Roman empire and it reminded me how much I love Roman history, mythology and Latin. I spent three years in high school learning Latin mainly because they did not offer Italian, which I eventually took in college. I don't remember much of the dead language I spent so much time learning, but I do remember the emperors and the daily life of the people of this epoch contemporaneous with Jesus and his disciples.

When I lived in Southern Italy, I took a trip with my mother and sister to Herculaneum. This smaller site is less famous than Pompeii, but better preserved. Here Mt. Vesuvius erupted showering ash and dust so quickly that those living there died within minutes suffocating in the thick air and buried in the dust. There was no time to escape. Houses and people were preserved by the volcanic eruption allowing historians and laypersons an unparalleled look at Roman life. Earthen jars used to store food and water, tile mosaics and clothing and jewelry were all found alongside the bodies of the dead.

I wonder what people will see when they look back at our lives. Perhaps some might say that I liked to travel. They might find many books in my house, perhaps clothing and shoes. But what does this really say about me? What do they see when they look now? Anthropologists believe that they can construct a person's whole life from the relics that are left behind -- what they ate, how they dressed, what they did. This says a lot about a person, but does it really say who they were? Everyone here eats rice and beans, wears t-shirts and jeans and goes to work or works in their house. That is so common that it says very little about the person. How then are we set apart? By our actions and our testimony.

What is your testimony? And what do your actions say about you? I have learned that I can be impulsive, reacting purely on emotion. I am transparent, communicating exactly what I think. But if I slow myself down and think more about a situation, the players and what is occurring, I come to a much more rational solution. I would like for my actions to be like those of Christ. Calm for the most part, caring and loving. The Lord listened to those around Him. He knew their needs and he cared for them. He did everything that He could to help those around them and give them a better life -- here on earth and eventually in heaven. Christ was selfless, not thinking about His own feelings, but knowing His purpose and carrying it through. As He died upon the cross, words He said that have most affected me are, "Forgive them for they know not what they do."

How many times am I tempted to be hurt by the actions of other people. To demand an explanation for their actions and their at times purposeful affronts. But who am I to want such things? If Jesus who was blameless in the sight of God and deserved to be treated with the utmost respect, dignity and worship did not demand these things on earth, how much less can I, who am nothing, have an expectation of others? Thus I must learn to become nothing, to believe myself unworthy of anything and to accept whatever comes my way. I do not deserve anything, nor should I have expectation of it. But this I do know, that when Christ comes in His glory is when we shall have our reward.

Cresciendo

I've noticed in the last few years what a difference a year makes. Even though they seem to fly by one after another, each year brings about new changes in my life. This year I feel like I've been confronted by my humanness and the raw human emotion evoked by circumstances simple and complex. These experiences have allowed me to empathize with other people and to better understand those around me. I have also been struck by how profoundly emotions govern our actions and have a better notion of what self-control means. Not just control of self in things such as eating or speaking your mind, but control of your reactions to the unexpected actions of others, perceived affronts small or large and stress. The scriptures mention self-control as a fruit of the spirit. This fruit allows us to carry out the mandate "be slow to anger and abounding in love."

Our sinful nature is predisposed to get annoyed and become angry, to be envious, to be selfish and to sometimes take joy in the tribulations of others. This nature is hard to control, difficult to train and nearly impossible to overcome, except with the help of the holy spirit. Though I have been made aware of the need for control and have realized what things trigger my annoyance, the actual control of these emotions is harder in practice. While still quite flawed, at least when my emotions get the better of me, I have learned to apologize immediately to those who have received the expression of said emotions. In the end it would be much easier just not to react, so that I do not have to apologize, however, I must remind myself again and again that I am only human... and after all what is it that makes us human if not our thoughts and emotions? Therefore, emotions are not to be cast completely aside, but neither can they govern our entire nature.

In this as in all things, I must continually seek God's forgiveness and will in my life. To become a better person I must learn from my mistakes and the wisdom of others. And I must be willing to take correction from heaven and those here on earth.

"A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence." ~Proverbs 15:5

I know the Lord is at work in my life. The more this clay is molded, the better able I will be to serve others.

Blessings,

Anna

Afterwards

So, I probably owed everyone a blog post much sooner...

Thinking about what to say I found that there were many more thoughts bouncing around my head then feasible space in a post. Logically, that ought to mean that I post more, but instead while grasping for the perfect words I just decided not to blog at all. Well, I've gotten over myself and thrown that idea out the window. Thus here we are, be prepared for utter chaos instead of organized thought.

Its July now and that means that we've finished with groups for the summer. It was a great last few weeks for the clinic and the community as we had a dentist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, nurse and physical therapy all volunteer their time to improve the lives of people in Cielo. We also had a great meeting with parents of the school to give them dental hygiene orientation.

One other change that July brought about was the departure of our doctor and friend, Ismael. He was afforded the wonderful opportunity to journey to Spain and study his specialty. It all happened very rapidly as they called him on Tuesday and he left on Saturday! We are all very happy for him and wish him well in this new venture. We are also thankful to welcome a new doctor, Tatiana Cespedes, to our clinic. Tatiana just finished working for 9 months in Azua about 2 hours from here and returned home to Bayona in June.

I've observed a lot over the last 11 months and I will have to write more later about my reflections on human emotion, sinful nature and the growth that has occurred in my life. I also had the opportunity to observe many things with the groups and there was one particular reflection that I'd like to share later as well. Perhaps I will write more tonight or tomorrow... in the mean time have a great day!

Blessings,

Anna

Winston-Salem Group

On Saturday, the group from Winston-Salem left for their respective homes. They, as well as the rest of us, experienced a lot of rain during their mission trip. This interrupted quite a few activities including some in the clinic. However, from my view point the week still went very well as we had an endocrinologist, a gastroenterologist, and a nurse visiting in the group.

Dr. Phipps (endocrinologist) was able to spend Monday and Tuesday morning assessing patients with various problems (diabetes, obesity, thyroid issues). He was able to diagnosis, rule out problems and get people started on better diets as well as adjust insulin doses. I know that the community is thankful for all the work he did! In addition to consultations, Dr. Phipps also helped another diabetic in the community by teaching him how to care for an unhealed wound he has had for 4 years and taking some skin off of the wound to allow it to heal better. Hopefully with some adjustments in Chercho's insulin, he can get his sugar down from the 220 range, which is very high. The doctor was able to provide Chercho with a glucotex, which reads blood sugar so that he can adjust his insulin.

Chercho, Dr. Phipps and Mrs. Porter

Many people in the community have diabetes or are at high risk for diabetes. Uncontrolled and under managed diabetes can be the cause of many issues including blindness, heart attacks and loss of feeling in extremities, which leads to open wounds that heal slower and can eventually create the need for the extremity to be amputated. In response to this, both Dr. Phipps and Dr. Bruggen (gastroenterologist) decided to go door to door in the community along with one of our summer staff, Rob, to take blood pressure and blood sugar readings. They were able to identify some people with hypertension and others that may have diabetes so that we can follow up with them. Hopefully, we can continue to do screenings once or twice a year to identify people with hypertension and diabetes.

Rob taking blood sugar readings

Dr. Bruggen also gave consults on Tuesday morning, but because of the rain was unable to see patients on Wednesday morning. We are all very thankful for his assistance -- I know that those with long-term stomach pain were glad to get some answers. Mrs. Porter (nurse) was very helpful. She assisted both doctors by screening patients and checking them in on Monday and Tuesday. She also worked with our medical assistant to give her a little more training and answered a lot of my questions.

Dr. Bruggen monitoring blood pressure

I hope that the doctors and Mrs. Porter can all come back soon!

10 months

So, I have been here in the DR for 10 months now...

Quick recap:

Moved here on August 31st... learned to drive in the crazy traffic that occurs here daily, where all laws are ignored. Spent the next 3 months with my tutor Carlos, learning Spanish. Was a part of the short-term missions staff for the October group where I helped facilitate translation and organization for various projects including: cabinet making, dental care, physical therapy room setup, painting and dedication, house construction, jewelry making and more.

October trip, dental care coordination

Went home for Christmas and spent time in Ohio as well as being a bridesmaid in my friend's beautiful wedding. Returned on New Years and was a part of the short-term missions staff for Rockford Christian's high school trip. Awesomeness ensued when 3 houses were constructed and I gave the Colonial Zone tour for the 2nd time. 11th of January accepted position as Director of Healthcare Ministries with the Medical Clinic. January 12th earthquake in Haiti -- spent rest of the week preparing food, water and medicines for Haitian relief. January 16th travel to Haiti to deliver supplies and arrive back around midnight.

Checking in on the construction

February 15th beginning of the Community Health Program which has had several major projects including trash clean up to eliminate places where mosquitos can lay their eggs to prevent Malaria and Dengue. Also, a class to teach 20 health promoters (almost all women, all live in the community), vaccination campaign and most recently a movie on domestic violence where we had 150 people come to watch!

Cleaning up trash in Cielo

March -- college and high school trips from the U.S. including OSU (woot woot! go bucks!). Amazing time working with the groups and organizing volunteers in the clinic. Continued organizing the clinic, moving rooms and equipment around, purchasing equipment and supplies and working with patients. In April went back to Ohio to visit and raise support. Also, spent time with my family helping them unpack in Maryland.

Myself and Dr. Nunez before I left for home

May brought some more support raising and preparations for June trips. As well as lots of preparation for our likely partnership with the Asociacion Dominicana de Rehabilitacion. And here we are in June where we have had several trips already and will have our last short-term trip next week. First group, worked with Dr. Mark to give dental care to employees. Next week we will have an endocrinologist, gastroentonologist, speech therapist and counselor in the clinic. So excited!

Things are going awesome. I've been amazingly blessed and am excited for the things God is going to do in the next 2 years and 2 months. This experience has already been invaluable, but I know that I will grow and learn so much more in the next few years. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, thoughts and financial support throughout these past 10 months!

Elisa (Mission Emanuel's office secretary) and I

Dental Care

We have been working with the Cielo school (100+ children) to give the children information on how to brush and care for their teeth. After an orientation on dental hygiene, children are then given a teeth cleaning and emergency assistance such as fillings for cavities and pulling teeth where necessary. Parents are sent a paper to let them know what other dental work their child needs as well.

Its awesome to see that the kids are receiving education on how to care for their teeth. Since we will be working with the school children annually the reinforced education will help to change oral hygiene habits. Hopefully, as adults they will not have as many dental problems and will raise their children with good oral hygiene.

We realize that some of the children are too young (three to seven years old) to really understand the importance of what we are telling them. So, we had a meeting last Tuesday night with the parents of the Cielo school kids. Dr. Jose Manuel Gomez presented a powerpoint prepared by his assistant Heidi about oral hygiene. The presentation lasted about a half an hour and covered the anatomy of the tooth, how to prevent cavities, good nutrition and dental appointments. Time was then given for parents to ask questions. There were about 50 parents present at the meeting. All and all a very successful night!

Last week, we were blessed to have Dr. Mark Kingry spending time doing dental cleanings for our employees. He was able to clean teeth and put in fillings for the most part, but had to pull some teeth as well. We are hoping that in the future employees as well as the community will have improved dental hygiene and won't need to have their teeth pulled! We are so thankful to Mark and all of his hard work! He also spent time talking to our new dental assistant Heidi about techniques and equipment use. It was an invaluable experience for her and our dental clinic.

Some exciting things have been happening in the clinic with dental care. I believe that we really take dentist appointments for granted in the United States and rarely think about the adverse affect a cavity or infection in the mouth can have on a person without access to dental care. An infection in the mouth is just as dangerous and potentially deadly as one anywhere else in the body. I am so thankful to Dr. Jose Manuel and Heidi for their hard work and to all those who have been supporting them and our clinic! We really are making a difference.