March 24, 2013 More Adventures by Barb Huge

My time here in the DR is  winding down and today I had time to rest and reflect on a few things.  (In addition to watching some great basketball…..go Buckeyes!!)  Angelica and I spent 2 nights in Santo Domingo, which is a very big city….they even have IKEA which surprised me.  We had 2 days of teaching—one day to  practicing PT’s and current PT students and the next day at a very large fitness center. They were all interested in learning more about exercise in pregnancy and post-partum.  Many pregnant women in the DR are told to stop exercising when they become pregnant; in addition there is  a high C-section rate and also high maternal mortality in the country. (In the US, maternal mortality is lower than in the DR;  C-sections in a large range of countries, including the US, are above the 10-15% goal set by the World Health Organization)  This is an area with great potential growth in women’s health programming, so it is exciting to see the enthusiasm. Traveling to another city on a bus and meeting other PT’s made me remember the time I spent in Santiago with a group of PT’s from Creighton. I re-connected with 2 of those friends this year, both at a PT conference in San Diego and then this past wk here in Sosua.  Nick and Laurie are both PT’s and have moved to Santiago as missionaries.  Networking is now part of what happens here and at home…..very cool for me.  I also love that all these connections are truly part of divine appointments.  So great to have the confirmation (again) that God’s plan is much better than mine and He is in control. 

Right now, in beautiful Fishers, it is snowing slow, wet and steady according to my Facebook friends; I am flying home tomorrow if all goes well.  I do miss family and friends, honestly though, it is almost impossible to look forward to the prospect of up to 10” of snow….and besides that, I will miss falling asleep to the sound of the waves......  enough of my first world problems…blessings to all of you!

March 19, 20133 - Week 2 by Barb Huge

 

This week I am spending with my dear friend Angelica (Puerto Plata in the morning at the Rehab

 

 Clinic, Sosua in the afternoon at New Missions health center). Unfortunately I am not able to take any pictures this week, however I still have lots from last week to share. Today we looked for some kid size leg braces which we hope will fit a little girl from PolyClinica. She is almost 7 and doesn’t attend school due to her special needs (speech and motor problems). I have another project I need to finish tonight (totally unrelated to being in the DR)…… filling out my bracket so I can join the “Madness to End Alzheimer’s” pool for the NCAA games….let me know if you want in to the pool. Go Buckeyes!!

March 16, 2013 - So Much to Process by Barb Huge

Peggy, Marlene, Dan, Barb, Mark, Tim.

The week is almost over for the team from Christ the Savior. We continue to have wonderful,

 

blessed days with the missionaries visiting various communities here. Friday included passing out more food bags, praying with families, and of course, lots of games and candy with the children. One of the translators is very good at coming up with fun games for the kids to play which look familiar (maybe the Hokey Pokey?);then we “introduced” Simon Says, except changed it to “Barbara Says”. Friday night is the time for Spanish church in the big tent; when the power went out and the generator wasn’t working, we each picked up a chair, carried it into the health center and had a great time of singing and preaching. Today we painted at the English church and passed out invitations to the church. We will worship there tomorrow right before the rest of the group leaves for the airport. I am staying for another week to spend time with Angelica and other PT’s, this year in Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo.         (Side comment not related to the mission trip…..) Watching the Ohio State game in the DR is a real treat……..and they just WON!!! Anyone who knows me very well knows I couldn’t pass up that tidbit.

 

March 14, 2013 - Hola! by Barb Huge 

Classroom in Redemption Village. 

 Another day winding down…..we have

 been visiting our sponsored children, doing crafts, playing games, more singing, along with passing out food and toiletries.  Wed evening we had a great dinner at an Italian restaurant just around the corner from the hotel. The food at the hotel is very good, decent variety and no one goes hungry ever; just nice to have a change of pace and some down time with Kathy, Joe and Rhea as well as Dustin (local missionaries in Sosua for New Missions).  Thursday began with a visit to Palm Village, an apartment complex where we played with some very energetic children of all ages; the afternoon was break time— activiites included naps, shopping, ice cream and reading.  We have met 2 large groups from Canada who are also doing service work in the communities and many European travelers. More to come….stay tuned!!

March 13, 2013 - Beautiful Children by Barb Huge

Child sponsorships can change lives... 

Hola amigos y amigas!!  We are enjoying our week in the Domi

nican Republic, in particular the weather is spectacular (vs the snow we had in Fishers last wk !!!)  Yesterday (Tues) we had a very full day of activities at Red

 

emption Village, a very poor village which was originally home to only Haitian refugees.  The population is a bit more diverse now, and the school run by New Missions is certainly one of the bright spots in the community.  We had 2 songs to sing with the children…and were surprised at their enthusiasm to learn the chorus to “This Little Light of Mine” in English.  We asked them to go home and talk to their family about the light of God in our lives and how we can “Let It Shine” for Him to everyone we meet.  We also told the Bible story where  Jesus encouraged us not to hide our lights under a basket,  Then we passed out food bags to each child and teacher.  This morning we spent in a different community, Bombita, which has a brand new school which was sponsored in part by donations from Christ the Savior church in Fishers.  We were so blessed by the sweet faces of the children as they sang and played games with us.  God is good…….more later

March 11, 2013 - Wonderful Start to the Week by Barb Huge

We had a fantastic 1st 24 hrs here in Sosua……travel was relatively easy, although we were missing 2 bags (out of 16 we checked) when we got to the DR.  We did orientation with Kathy and had dinner with Jeanne and Dennis.  All Sunday evening and today as well, we were in awe of the unusually large, intense waves crashing into the rocks around the dining room.  It was a tremendous testimony to God’s power in His creation.   Today the 6 of us assembled 300 food bags containing rice, beans, cooking oil, pasta and sauce; our 2nd project was cleaning and organizing in “the depot” which is full of craft and school supplies, sports equipment, etc. Then back to the hotel to enjoy some down time and sunshine, dinner and discussion re: vision/growth in the DR of this ministry (New Missions).  We will have pictures and hopefully video to post as the week goes on.  We are so grateful for all the support of our family (biological and church) and friends as we serve far away from home.  Keep the prayers coming…….

February 28, 2013 - Counting Down to Departure by Barb Huge

Beauty of Domincan Republic. 

Our team from Christ the Savior in Fishers is in the final stages of preparation……. purchasing supplies for the health center, packing our summer clothes (yay!!!) and praying for the ability to see God’s plan for each of us while we are in the Dominican Republic.  We leave Mar 10 and the rest of the team returns Mar 17.  I will stay for another week for time with Angelica and specific physical therapy projects.  The fact that I woke up to snow on the ground this am makes me even more ready to head south.  Thanks in advance for reading about our trip, for your comments and prayer support.  More to come…..