Thursday, May 6, 2016

Thursday May 6, 2016

Our final morning at Palo Blanco began much like the others. Our team split into their respective tasks – which by this point we were becoming pretty proficient at. The Dominican men in charge of the construction project requested that Steve, Chris B and Duane stay a little longer because they are now well trained at laying block and have proven themselves to be hard workers! Neil finished another beautiful mural on the roof next to the aquaponics project depicting the tree of life. Rose, Lynnette, and Chris W put in more hours covering books and organizing the library. Chris R went swimming with the fishes again – capturing the larger fish in a net and moving them to another tank to make room for the baby fish. The nursing crew worked with the children again to meet their health needs, while the rest of the team worked on miscellaneous projects such as painting.

 

Chris R. swimming in the (stinky) fish tank!

Meeting the health needs of the children today meant working to delouse the worst cases of lice. Little Mayori (12 years old), and her sister (8 years old) were first up. These girls were very patient as we applied the lice treatment, rinsed, shampooed, and conditioned their heads in a mop sink on the floor with cold water, and then set about to the tedious task of combing out the lice and nits from the severely tangled hair.  It was nearly impossible to get a comb through their hair and when questioned we learned that they do not have combs or shampoo at home. Their hair had not been brushed or washed one single time since they had been treated for lice by the Palo Blanco nurse nearly three months ago. Mayori then explained that they only wash their hair on their birthday. We were heartbroken and holding back tears while Mayori looked innocently up at us and then proceeded to make silly faces and giggle. The combing process became too long and painful – because if you remember these are the girls that had healing chemical burns on their heads from cockroach spray their father tried to kill the lice with. Mayori’s little sister started to cry when we got to a sensitive spot on her head and she couldn’t take the pain anymore. We tried to distract her with treats and smiles but there was no way we were going to get all of the nits out her hair. By the time the combing process was done thousands of lice and nits surrounded both girls on the ground. The task felt hopeless. Christina, the nurse, told us that the reality was that we would never get rid of the lice for these girls but at least in this moment they had some relief and felt cared for. As Christina did the final combing and braided their hair she told them “Do you know that when God looks at you he sees the most beautiful girl in the world?”  Maybe, when these girls are having a bad day they will remember those words, and this moment of being cared for and remember that they are precious.

 

Rachel, Erin, Verray and Rose removing lice from the sister's hair.

The evening was filled with laughter, play, music, and fun as we spent time with our sponsored kids from the Ark at Jeff Vandermolen’s (director of Kids Alive Dominican Republic) home. We played volleyball, foosball, jumped on the trampoline, ate fried chicken and tostones (fried plantains), sang worship songs together while Luke played the guitar (yes, the girls asked for his autograph), and passed out gifts. Everyone had a great time and it was obvious that the Ark kids had a lot of candy in those gifts you all sent down!!

 

 

Luke and his fan club!

 

Tomorrow morning we get to go on a field trip to a butterfly ranch with the kindergarteners of ANIJA. It sounds like some chaotic fun will be heading our way!

Wednesday May 4, 2016

We woke up this morning to no electricity and no water. The power was off and on all day but the water in the whole city was out due to the rainy weather. The water in the homes (not the drinking water) is supplied from the river and it was too muddy because all of the rain. A neighbor with a well filled our cistern with a hose and when the power came back and the pump from the cistern was working, we thankfully had some water for showers and flushing toilets again!

Another morning at Palo Blanco. The construction on the new classrooms continued, the rest of the flats of lettuce seedlings were planted, the youngest children received their health assessments, and a hallway was painted.

(Nedelina and Fan Fan with Chris W - eating their peanut butter and vitamins because they are malnourished.)

(Rose and Lynnette harvesting lettuce for lunch.)

 

                                                   (Not sure what Chris is doing but it was too funny to not share!)

 

                                                                   (Duane and Isaely)

Steve, accompanied by Rose, Verray, Rachel, and Chris R, got to visit the home of his sponsored child, Rosanna. The home was located down a muddy road and nestled in a little pod of houses owned by her aunts and uncles. Her mother was not home so we only got to see the outside. The house was brightly painted with solid concrete walls. While very small, the house appeared to be secure and in good condition. Rosanna’s aunt was home next door and invited us to sit down outside with her. This home was wooden slats with large gaps between the boards. There was a pot with charcoal smoldering on an outdoor cook stove and the smell of smoke wafted through the air. The cooking area was concrete block covered in hardened clay on a wooden pedestal. Rosanna’s young cousin – approximately 4 years old – was running around playing with the orange tabby cat, chasing the roosters, and riding around on a homemade scooter. While we were sitting the aunt came out of the house and presented us with small cups of Coke and club crackers. We asked Katie, the missionary who escorted us on the visit, how the aunt kept the Coke cold. She said that as soon as we came to the home the aunt sent someone to the colmado (small store) to buy the refreshments for us.

(Roberto - Rosanna's cousin on his scooter.)

(The "kitchen" at Rosanna's aunt's home.)

 

(Steve and Rosanna)

                                              

                                                       (Rosanna's home)

Rosanna’s uncle arrived home shortly after we got there. The uncle was using crutches to walk around and we learned that he had been in a motorcycle accident a year prior and he said his leg was “dead”, useless. The uncle wanted to share some teyota (a starchy vegetable) with us from his crop so, he hobbled out to the field on his crutches to pick a bag of them for us to take.  Before we left, we learned that Rosanna’s father had left her and her mother several years prior to illegally immigrate to the U.S.

Rosanna loved opening her backpack full of gifts from the Adkin’s family. She thought the battery operated light that you push to turn on was great and spent time learning the names and ages of each of the children in the family photo.  The second time that Steve was pointing to each family member in the photo Rosanna, exclaimed “Jackson!” when Steve pointed to his son without any prompting to remember his name. She was clearly thrilled to connect to her sponsors in this small way.  When her aunt suggested she leave the backpack at home when it was time to return to school she hugged it proudly to her chest and insisted on keeping it with her.

 

    

(Rosanna opening her backpack of gifts and reading the letters the Adkin's children sent to her.)

The afternoon was spent at ANIJA passing out gifts that were sent by sponsors. They put together a small program for us that included praise and worship, testimonies from some ANIJA graduates, and refreshments. Hearing the stories of how ANIJA impacted 15 year old Yolanda who felt happy to be treated well in a school who didn’t discriminate against her Haitian ethnicity and 16 year old Jennifer who proclaims her love for Jesus boldly and gives credit to the ANIJA program for introducing her to Him, helped to drive home the importance of sponsorship and the opportunities it provides for these precious children. Another young man, 23 years old, shared his story of growing up at ANIJA, and how it felt like more of a family then a school. He has now successfully graduated from the university and is a civil engineer. He pleaded over and over to us to not give up on the young kids at ANIJA so that they can have the same opportunities he had. He also stressed that the relationship he has with Jesus is the most important thing he received from his time at ANIJA and proudly stated “I love Him!”

 

                                              (Estefania, Crisbel, and Angelica receiving gifts at ANIJA.)

We all had a fun evening. We decided to split up and have a guys and girls night. The men went with some of the missionary guys to Santiago to eat dinner and watch the new Captain America movie. Derrick warned the group that sometimes the power goes out during the middle of the movie and you don’t get to see the end. As I’m writing this, they aren’t back at the team house yet so we don’t know if that had that experience. The women enjoyed going to dinner in town with seven of the missionary ladies and then out for ice cream. We are currently all taking turns getting quick showers before the boys come home and use all the hot water and water pressure!

I challenge all of you to listen to the young man who shared at ANIJA and not give up on these children. Do not underestimate the power of your sponsorship and relationships with these children. This is important work!

 

Tuesday May 3, 2016

School was back in session at Palo Blanco today! There was no mistaking that when you heard the noise level – giggles, squeals, bickering, scraping chairs, thundering footsteps, bouncing basketballs, sing-song voices counting in unison in Spanish, all bouncing off the concrete walls and floors and echoing out the open louvered windows into the hallways. Sounds of progress were heard – banging hammers, scraping saws, clinking block, voices of men in both English and Spanish working alongside each other to build new classrooms where more learning will happen in the near future.

Those with medical training on the team joined Christina, Palo Blanco’s school nurse, in assessing the children. Grade by grade the children were brought to the clinic where Erin, Rachel, Catherine, and Verray methodically weighed and measured them, checked their heads for lice and ringworm, and gave them medication to kill any parasites they may have acquired from the water. Those children who were deemed malnourished by their percentiles on the growth chart were given peanut butter and vitamins and added to a list to receive regular extra nutrition and have their homes assessed.

 

                                            

(Catherine weighing FanFan)

 

The nurses heard many heartbreaking stories of poverty, struggle, hope, and despair as we assessed the children. A young mother brought her 3 year old son in to have a rash evaluated. Christina shared with us that she loves working with this mother because of the devotion and love she shows to her sons. This mother is unable to pay the 400 peso tuition for her children – the equivalent of less than $3.00/month – and so she signs up to do service hours at the school. A short time ago she had stopped showing up to do her service hours and when the school staff checked on her it was discovered that she had sold her last pair of shoes to feed her children. Palo Blanco was able to meet this seemingly simple need for her and allow her to continue to work diligently to provide as best she can for her children.

(Erickson - the son of the women in the above story.)

 

A young girl of approximately 8 years old, Mayori, came in to be assessed and we learned a small piece of her heartbreaking story. Mayori’s mother had abandoned her and her younger sister several years before. They were left to be cared for by their father who works nearly all daylight hours which means they were left alone most of the time. Both Mayori and her sister have lice - which by our assessment ~40% of the children at Palo Blanco have. Her father tried to kill their lice by spraying their heads with cockroach spray. The spray coated their scalps and dripped down their backs. It had been on them for over 24 hours when the girls showed up to school crying and in pain. They had severe chemical burns on their heads and down their backs. They staff at Palo Blanco worked quickly to provide them with appropriate medical care. They are healing well and their father is receiving education on proper care.

Finally, we learned of a four year old boy who came back to school on a Monday. His teacher brought him out of the classroom to the nurse saying that he couldn’t stay awake and “can you just watch him for a little bit?”.  Christina quickly realized that something was very wrong – this child was barely conscious. She quickly got him to drink some Gatorade and rushed him to the medical clinic. The doctor there had lost his stethoscope so this young boy’s heart sounds and breathing could not be appropriately evaluated. There was no glucometer – a device to check blood sugar levels with results given in seconds, so a blood draw was done and sent out to a lab where it would take 2 hours for results. When blood sugar levels drop to a critical level organs shut down, the person loses consciousness, and can very quickly die. Thankfully Christina recognized the signs of low blood sugar and worked to treat it. When the blood test results finally came back, the level was 34 – a level not far from death if it had not quickly been treated. God provided Palo Blanco and Christina to save this boy’s life. The heart wrenching truth in all of this is that the only reason this child was in this position was because there was no food in his home all weekend – the prevention for this problem was simply food.

Luke, Erin, Neil, and Duane were able to go on a home visit to Luke’s sponsored child’s home. The home was partially wooden slats and partially concrete block. As the family was able to afford to be a few more blocks they would add to the home making it more secure and weatherproof. Yaily (prounounced Jie –lee) was proud to show his home to his padrino (sponsor) and his parents were very hospitable. The team learned of some of Yaily’s struggles, health problems, with no diagnosis that left him intermittently in severe pain. This young boy would go from laughing and playing to debilitating pain in a matter of moments. Though he had been evaluated many times by several clinics a definitive diagnosis has not been found. The current diagnosis is kidney stones. The Kid’s Alive staff is working with the family to receive appropriate medical care and find a cure for Yaily.

                                                 (Luke with Yaily and his family at their home.)

Each of these stories is hard. Each of these stories is full of pain. Unimaginable circumstances to most of us. However, each of these stories is also full of hope – thanks to God’s presence through Kid’s alive, through Palo Blanco, through you….

 

May 2, 2016

This morning started earlier than yesterday after a good night, (though hot) night’s sleep. Seven women in one room with one bathroom! Eight men sharing two others. We are getting good practice in sharing, taking turns—deferring to one another. These lessons are part of the experience here too. We’re doing great! God is knitting our hearts together as a team, learning more of each other’s stories, even as we serve side by side.

We’d planned on exchanging our American money for pesos before heading out to Palo Blanco to work,   but we didn’t realize that due to the holiday today (We’re told it is the equivalent of Labor Day) the money exchange would be closed. So we simply headed out to Palo Blanco instead. We met Derrick and Katie and Jan there and after showing us around (there are 8 new people on the trip) we all settled in to our jobs.

God is doing amazing things at Palo Blanco. Derrick and Katie have worked hard and there is an extensive aquaponics project under way (It is massive—the largest in the Dominican.) It’s exciting to see the fruit of their labor and to have the opportunity to pitch in. (If you are unfamiliar with what that entails, take a few minutes and look it up.) In a symbiotic relationship between vegetables and fish, they are growing lettuce, peppers and tomatoes on the rooftop of the school and raising tilapia in huge cement tanks at the front of the school. For the first time the kids at Palo Blanco are getting fresh vegetables (and very soon fresh fish) to eat on a regular basis!  They hope to provide enough for the other schools too. The fish will also serve as a way to raise money for the school when they make them available for purchase.  Since it was a holiday there were no kids at the school, so our team kept to our tasks and accomplished a lot!

(Aquaponics at Palo Blanco)

 

We all split up. Verray, Erin and Catherine planted lots of lettuce on the rooftop (with some late afternoon assistance from Rose after she finished covering books for Jan.) Tyler, Chris Russell, Luke Rachel and Lynette helped to drain the huge fish tank (with Katie and Derrick) and transfer and count the tilapia. (Keith was there to count every fish that got tossed into the new tank!) They became fish herders! I wish you could have seen them wading in that fish tank, dragging the nets as the tilapia started jumping! Chris Bennett, Steve and Duane worked on the construction of walls for some new classrooms to accommodate the extra children in this growing school. Chris Wert took great care of Derrick and Katie’s three kids who obviously adore her!

(Chris W with Ellie, Beckham, and Bria - the Allen children.)

 

(Luke and Lynnette trying to catch fish with a net. It didn't work! Lynnette, Chris R and Tyler had to get in the pond with nets!)

(Fish herding!)

                                                  (Duane and Steve building the new classrooms.)

We left there tired, a little fishy, but happy. We let the “fishy” people shower first since they didn’t smell very good. When we got home, the team house smelled great. Yes, Carmen was here and had cooked a great meal as usual.

 God is good! This is the gospel! It is being walked out in sweat, in vegetables and fish and love, in laughter and tenderhearted goodness with plain ole ordinary people. It’s been a good day.

Sunday May 1, 2016

 

 

Well everyone survived the travel on Saturday. We are all proud of Lynnette who decided to make her first flight ever an international one! We are settled into the team house and all slept well after our lack of sleep the night before. I did hear that some of the guys were woken up by our neighbor’s 2am karaoke party but no one in the girl’s room budged all night!

This morning we spent some time before church sharing our hearts and hopes for the trip with each other and praying for our week. We then went to La Vid and worshiped with the Ark kiddos and other Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ. We also had the awesome privilege of joining them in communion. It was reinforced to us again just how big our God is and how His heart for the people of the United States is the same heart that loves the Dominican people and the people in the rest of the world.  While I don’t believe that we consciously think we are loved by God in a privileged way, I think that over all the American people live in a bubble and often don’t really understand the big picture of the whole world and God’s crazy love for us all.

 

 

 

 

                                             (Verray and Rose with their sponsored girl, Genesis)

 

Carmen, our amazing cook is back with us for the week. We were treated to a delicious meal after church of chicken, rice and beans, carrot and raisin salad, arrepita (fried yucca), and mango juice. We enjoyed having missionaries Derrick and Katie Allen and their family join us for the meal – and of course our very own Karen Green.

After lunch it was time for our annual waterfall hike with our sponsored kids from the Ark. We packed everyone in the bus and set off for the Salto (waterfall).  As we were walking (or jumping in some cases) across the swinging bridges we realized that the massive amounts rain that has fallen over the last few weeks has turned the waterfall to mud – not exactly ideal for swimming. It turns out it didn’t matter much though because we got caught in a downpour and were soaked by the time we got back to the bus. We still enjoyed our time with the kids and the beautiful scenery.

On our bus ride back to the team house the streets were busier and louder than usual (which is saying a lot because the traffic in the DR is always chaotic and crazy). The Dominican Republic is in the middle of presidential elections as well and we had gotten caught in the middle of a parade to promote the current president of the country, who is running for reelection. The parade consisted of a caravan of pickup trucks and SUVs blowing loud horns and blaring propaganda, with people waving flags with President Danilo’s face on them. We had the bus windows open and were leaning out watching what was going on and all of a sudden we looked up and the president himself was standing in the back of a pickup truck about ten feet from us waving to us (Rose swears he was waving to her personally). What an experience!

                                            (President Danilo - photo credit Steve Adkins)

This evening we will get to eat dinner out on the town and Delicias Columbianos. Their empanadas and hot sauce are delicious!