Summer!

Hola otra vez!  Hello again from the island of Hispaniola.  We hope this finds you well in all of your summer activities and family time.  I am sure you have all been busy as we have been.  We will try to update you with all that has been going on since our last update.

First of all, the medical side of things at the Makarios school has been going well.  At the end of April I had a chance to do some medical teaching to all of the kids in the school in two separate groups as well as to the teachers.  I covered basic hygiene and some of the most common things that I see medically in the kids (i.e headaches, abdominal pain, dehydration, constipation).  I was going to show them that new movie about constipation but....it's not out yet (sorry, I had to).  When we discussed germs I had some glitter on my hands and shook hands with the kids to show how easily germs can be passed from one person to another.  We really want them to have good hand washing to prevent the spread of illness.  I see various medical problems at the clinic.  I have a decent supply of donated medicine to give when necessary and I also have the ability to purchase antibiotics from the local pharmacies.  The pharmacies are a huge help and even give Makarios a discount.  The last week of school I "dewormed" all of the kids and staff at the school.  This involves giving a medicine called Albendazole to help kill any worms and some parasites in their gastrointestinal tract.  With the living conditions, drinking untreated water, not washing food correctly, and coming into contact with these small creatures all contributes to them getting parasites and worms in their bellies.  Diarrhea is one of the most common complaints especially from groups that are visiting here.  A new study did find that diarrhea is hereditary...it runs in your "genes." (sorry, I had to again).  Anyway, it is important to get rid of these parasites so they can gain weight and get the nutrition that they need since a lot of them don't get three meals a day.  Overall it is going well and getting to love on the kids and treat their physical needs is spiritually rewarding.  

I am also to volunteer at a couple of other clinics to help them which in turn helps me with my Spanish and Dominican medical care.  I volunteer at a place called the Monkey Jungle which is a free clinic that operates on Saturdays.  We can see up to 80 or 90 patients in a 5 hour period.  They have a free dental clinic there also.  This place is a real blessing to the local Dominican and Haitian people who don't have the resources to obtain the care that they need.  And the bonus for my family and I is that we get to go zip lining and hang out with the monkeys for free:)  My daughters love visiting the monkeys!  And I do too! http://www.monkeyjungledr.com/site/
 I also have had the chance to work at a clinic associated with GO MAD ministries.  Their mission is to help fight human exploitation here on the north coast.  In doing that they have a school, medical clinic, and a women's ministry to help get women off the streets and out of prostitution.  I am blessed to be able to help them with their mission and clinic which is past Cabarete (about 45 min. away).  I am trying to use my gifts for His purpose in any way I can.  http://www.gomadministries.org

Family zip-lining time, yes even Audrey went!

Becky and Audrey feeding the monkeys

We are still working away at our spanish language learning.  I go to class 2 to 3 times a week and our friend does lessons for Jenna, Becky, and I about 2 to 4 times a week.  We are making progress and I feel we are in a good place for only being here 6 months.  It is still one of our main goals to be able to speak spanish well, so we will continue with lessons and practice for months to come if not the entire time we are here.  Becky is doing well and we are even getting Audrey involved with some spanish.  Please continue to pray for us that we will have the time and mental strength to continue our learning.  It does make our lives busy with work and then spanish but we feel it is necessary for our mission here.

  

Summer!!! At the Mak school it is a little different here in the summer.  School is shorter and we don't have classes on Fridays but we have teams from the states here every other week if not more.  They come and do projects at the school (i.e. building a shed, painting the walls around the school, helping with recess and soccer camp, among other things).  It is a real blessing to have these teams here working to help make the school a better place and getting to know the kids.  I am  also responsible for their medical care so I have had several "on call" moments to provide the needed care.  We appreciate all of the teams and their hard work.

Becky is busy at home with the kids, transporting kids, learning spanish, and keeping our family in line (not an easy task!).  She does a great job and we thank her so much for doing this much needed part in our lives.  She is practicing her spanish by talking with and getting to know some of the local women.  She is also going to be joining a ladies bible study/cook book study with both Dominicans and Americans.

Becky getting some Mother's Day love from her two best girls

Jenna is attending the Mak school this summer to help her with her spanish and to make some friends.  She also had a chance to make some friends at a summer surf camp.  The campers would surf and then do some other activity (i.e. snorkel, games, crafts, trapeze).  She made some new friends (from the DR and Bermuda).  She had a very good time.  I have even had a chance to learn to surf also and hope to do some surfing with Jenna.  We also like to snorkel in Sosua.  There is a reef just off the beach so we can go whenever we want.  We have seen a lot of fish, tons of sea urchins, a spotted eagle ray, coral and even an eel.  We love learning about the underworld there.  Still waiting to see a shark though. 

Darren and his girls enjoying the beach on Father's Day

Jenna snorkeling, one of her favorite things to do here

 Audrey has adjusted well and seems to love living here.  Her favorite things are the beach and the monkeys at the Monkey Jungle.  She is understanding quite a bit of spanish and is even starting to speak in spanish!  She also loves going to the school during recess to play with the students and staff, who also love playing with her!  She also enjoys visiting with the teams that are here and is always ready to greet everyone with a big smile.

Audrey taking a moment to smile for the camera while enjoying a sucker

Overall, we feel like we are finally settled in and are having an impact here in the DR.  One of the highlights was the last day of school where all of the parents came and the kids did some activities for their parents and our pastor delivered a gospel message.  It is great to be a small part of these kids and their families lives and try to make the most of every opportunity.  Please continue to pray for continued relationships and opportunities to help them.  Check out the Makarios website to see what else is going on!  http://makariosinternational.org

The last day of school presentation