First is the countyside of DR/Haiti border. Second is a shot from the outside of the room i was in... 7 doctors evaluating, pharmacy, and me giving meds to children ( i know Silvia gave me this job for my love and patience with and for children! :)).
Third is looking in on the traveling medical clinic. Fourth is the line unending to enter. Fifth is Spreading the Good News!!! 9 people, children included, accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior that day! Bibles and little stories for Kids were handed out as well!

Photos all from the Batay (shanty town, slum, ghetto, barrio...) near the Haiti border. The poorest of the poor. The clinic was set up in less than 30 minutes with stations for general medical professionals to examine and prescribe medications. I have no shots of the other house that had the dentist and optomotrist. Medications, dental work, glasses, clothes, tooth brushes, floss, stitches, clothes, water, food, love and prayer were given this day. Oh my... what organization, what dedication, what love!!

Happy Comfort

Hola!
I am sitting along the Carribean Sea in a comfortable chair, outside, nice breeze, no rain, and a cold drink. Ahh... so nice to have luxury! I feel kinda bad saying that but after 10 days of hot & humid, grotesque poverty, little electricity, and only a few words in English... I am LOVING this! Dr. Silvia is not only a wonder women in her ministry to serve the needy people of her country, a wonderful wife and mother, a mentor like no other, a sister in Christ, a prayer warrior, a "mom" to me when i am here (as she claimed herself to be)... she is my personal travel agent as well! I could not be more blessed and more thankful for her!

I am at Coral Costa Caribe All-Inclusive resort in Juan Dolio. It's about 1 hour from El Ciudad (only one city here... Santo Domingo, the Capital) and it is lovely. I have constant electricity, air, a REAL shower, food and drink whatever and whenever i wish (included in the price of the room), and many activities to choose from. Maybe i should just live here. I kid. One of the many things i have realized is that my kind of "kidding"/SARCASM is sometimes difficult to translate. One must be careful (cuidado) when using this form of humor. Mostly, when you don't know the language and can't explain. I have experience tears from a dear friend and could not explain fast enough...thank heavens for my diccionario and her children to help translate to finally difuse the situation!

I have so much to share and now have the opportunity to do so... however, i would like to actually wander around the beach a little. Maybe tomorrow morning i will eat quickly and take a long walk before spending the rest of my time updating you all with the overwhelmingly amazing things happening in the forgotten ghetto called El Cacique!

I am going to post this and then try to post some photos... oh my they are so telling! maybe one day i can do this blogging thing well.
love to all!
I am not my own...

Finally an Internet connection!

Hello out there!

I was sure hoping to have more regular connection with the internet than I have had. There is so much to post, I don´t think i can do it all. Fortunately, i have been journaling everyday with as much detail as i can stand so I can fill in information later. I may be able to connect 2 to 3 times per week from here on out. I would like that!

Tomorrow is the first day of week two; I can`t believe it has only been one week- so much has happened! Gonna try to cover it all in the least amount of words possible! Yes, i said it! ha ha.

Here goes in la forma de listo:
1. The Country:
I cannot not say much considering I have been to nine places total so far! 1. Most of my time thus far has been spent in Haina. A suburb of SAnto Domingo which is aprox. 30 km from the capital. La clinica is in Santo Domingo. ON Saturday, I went on a 16 hour trip to do a medical clinic at a Batay on the border of Haiti. The country side is beautiful, very tropical. I caught a glimpse of the Carribean Ocean- it was lovely!

2. The People (La Gente):
An ethnic mix of Carribean, Latin, Spanish, and African people. Ì'm told there is a large English population here, but I have not seen them. I have been the only caucasian i have seen in the few places I have been. I don´t even notice it anymore...well except when the young men lose all self control and yell, whistle, clap, wink, and blow kisses at me. then, i remember I look different than the people i live and work with. Ive read that single female travelers need to be mindful of groping hands and a Machismo culture. I have not experienced that too much considering I have been alone for a total of 2 hours! It is a little daunting for such an independant person as myself. Everyone has been hospitable and friendly.

3. The Weather:
Hot and Humid all the time- period. Two times I felt a cool breeze! Am comfortable only when air is on (in cars is the only reliable place) I may ask if i can move into Joselin's car. The air conditioner in my room usually sits silent due to many (not 2 like i said before) hours of no electricity every day. I am hot and sweaty nearly all the time. To be honest, this has been difficult for me. On Saturday near the Haitian border, it was extreemly hot. I began to feel physically and emotionally ill after 5 hours... the beginning of heat stroke. I survived though!

4. The Ministry and my Mission:
I cannot tell you how mightly God is using me in the Cacique community and with Sociedad Lucas! It appears He has been preparing me and preparing them for our work together for some time! The doctors, teachers, and support staff say that my view is the same as their vision. And that my ideas are making their prayers to help this community as a whole a reality! We are working on community development. I am creating a survey and we will administer it to every household in the slum (aprox. 2500 people) the forgotten people of Haina. SUrvey will be to gather demographics as well as strengths and concerns each family has about the community. I suggested we work on developing alliances with city government as well as the director of the local school and a judge who is passionate about fighting child prostitution and human trafficing. This week we will conduct survey and consolidate the info. Then, in the weeks following, present the community´s concerns and our thoughts for addressing these concerns to these people of influence. Also, we will have a ¨book drive" to create a small library for El Cacique. Poverty, illness, violence, abuse, drug use, lack of education, lack of work, multiple pregnancies, teen and pre-teen pregnancy, and child trafficing are all real issues in this community. The major issue here is Institutional neglect. There is no social welfare system in the Dominican Republic. No help for the needy from those who have the resources. Like I said before... there is a lot of work to be done! The Batay is a very poor place where people (mostly children) are dying at an alarming rate from starvation and illness. The government and the general population chose to think of the Batay (like the projects) as a problem, not a place where people actually live and try to survive. There are a rejected people. the Luke Society sets up a medical clinic with MDs, Nurses, Optomotrists, Dentists, and Pharmacists. They also had out donated clothing. What a site! For nearly 5 hours i sat in one place and gave every child 16 and younger anti-parasite medications! Oh my... the older kids watched me for a long time and then memorized everything i said (in Spanish of course) and would say it with me every time (i said the same thing every time!) the babies HATED me...first they were scared of how i looked and then i shoved a bottle of medicine in their mouthe! Regardless of telling each one that ¨el medicina es mismo dulce".. they didn´t like it! I will go back with the team of 21 volunteers in another month.

5. Fun:
I am hoping to get away and have some fun this weekend- voy a la playa! If i can, i will post more pics then.

Done. :) Con Cariño, Melaniejoy

" We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Mother Teresa

Luke 4:18-19

Trying to figure this thing out

Hopefully I will figure this site out so my posts aren't so tweeked. Sorry. The following photos are of Sociedad Lucas Desayuno Program in El Cacique Slum, of my new home and family, and La Clinica in Santo Domingo.

Safe arrival

Buenas tardes amigos! I arrived without a hitch at 10 Pm on Monday to a slightly hot and really humid Santo Domingo. Waiting for me at the gate was Dr. Silvia, her husband Samuel and their son Samuelito. They welcomed me kindly and swept me off to meet the family I will be living with for the next 3 months.

I was a bit overwhelmed with just arriving that I was nervous and timid about speaking what I knew of Spanish. I was surprised to find that the family didn’t live in the capital, but lived in a suburb about 15 minutes away. Not a big problem except that there are no internet cafes, laundry mats, phone booths, or restaurants nearby. I am going to be dependent on these kind folks to get me around as well, no public transportation to speak of. I was also taken off gaurd when i learned not one of the four family members I will be living with speak English! Aye Carumba! The house is humble yet very nice with all the amenities one would expect in the U.S.~ most importantly, I have my own room equipped with a HUGE fan attached to the wall and a wall mounted AIR Conditioner!!! I couldn't believe it; i almost cried. All is well and good when the electricity is on! Ugg... blackouts occur nearly every day for at least 2 hours. I'm gonna have to get used to this.

This is a lovely family who i'm told have been very excited about my arrival. They are Joselin (Mom and 39 yrs), Carlos (15), Jean-Carlos (12), and Karla (9). I have become fast friends with Joselin and Karla. The boys are keeping their distance but curious of me.

I hit the ground running on the first day! Was introduced to the children & volunteers of the Desayuno program (Breakfast program) and took a walking tour of a small part of the El Cacique Slum (pronounced "El Cah-see-kay). This community consists of the poorest of the poor for certain. Dr. Silvia (director of Sociedad Lucas in Dominicana Republica), a nurse, a teacher, and a community health nurse met with me to discuss their ideas and hopes for what I can do to help. I will have my work cut out for me, es claro (its clear)!

By the end of the first day, I am exhausted by the emotional roller coaster I have been on all day and am beyond relieved that the language is coming back to me already (I struggled with it most of day and felt pretty isolated)… I will probably say “Tenga por favor paciencia conmigo” and “Hable por favor dispacio.” (Please be patient with me and please speak slowly) for the duration of my stay here!

See the first shots of my house, DR family, La Clinica, and the Desayuna in El Cacique in photos!
Vaya con Dios!
Mjoy

Leaving on Monday