Greetings Family and Friends,
Hello everyone!  We pray that you are all doing well.  Since our last post we have been busy here in the DR.  Our Makarios family has grown here on the island by adding one teacher and two families for a grand total of 31 American missionaries (including kids). Wow!  It has been great getting to know them and getting them acquainted with Makarios.

Our cafeteria transformed into a dental suite.

Most recently we had the annual dental team visit.  This is a busy time for Darren as he works with Doug Beck (part of Makarios host couple) to get everything ready as far as equipment and schedule for this team.  With the growth of Makarios it can be very challenging to get 150 students and 60 staff members seen by a dentist.  The team consisted of 3 dentists and 3 assistants, 1 hygienist and 3 other support staff.

Dr. Bud working on one of the students.

Angel Joel and Dr. Josh with a freshly extracted tooth.

Teeth brushing after lunch.

They did a wonderful job of seeing all of the kids and staff.  Cindy, the hygienist, was able to clean all of the Dominican staff's teeth, many for the first time!  This team is always a huge blessing to all of us at Makarios.  We have been vigilante about teaching the kids the importance of good oral hygiene.  It is challenging because this is not a priority for our kids and their families, most do not go to the dentist at all.  They are struggling to put food on the table and don't have extra funds for dental care.  The kids brush their teeth at school once a day and they have been given a toothbrush and toothpaste to use at their home.  The dental team, Darren, and the teachers have emphasized the importance of taking care of their teeth and the impact on their overall health.  The dentist told us this year that they are definitely seeing an improvement in the students teeth and oral care.  This was a great team and we hope to see them all again next year.
  

Dr. Bud being A LOT crazy.

Darren and Dr. Bud being a little crazy.

Prayer requests:
1.  Staff retreat next week.  A time of rest, rejuvenation, and fun.  We will have a speaker and have worship together as a staff (Dominican and the staff from Austin, Texas as well).  Pray that this time is well spent and God-honoring.

2.  Our continued positive influence in the lives of the students and their families.  As our church would say, "Leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ."

3.  Our financial support.  We are currently underfunded on our monthly income.  We have had a fair amount of one time gifts in the past that have helped us get through until now.  Please pray for more monthly partners and one time donors to help sustain us.

Thank you to all that support us financially and prayerfully we really appreciate you!
Until next time…

The Youngs