DONATE TO BATEY HOPE!

The bateyes need YOUR help! $6 provides vitamins for one child a month, $10 provides education and breakfast for one child a month, and $30 provides a gallon of anti-worming medication!

http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-09-28.6300853428

Shock?

I think I forgot that feeling you get when you come here for the first, second or even third time. That shock of what you´re seeing with your own eyes. The gut wrenching feeling that this can´t be real, this can´t really be happening, people can´t honestly treat others this poorly. I´ve been coming to this country for four years, and I´ve been living here since August. It has become almost a way of life to see these things.

This came about after reading a blog of someone staying in Montellano and just seeing things through their thoughts. It reminded me of how I used to be here.

Things here are good. Supplies have come in for the bateyes and the school. The clinics have started and it´s very exciting. I am going to visit Montellano Saturday to check on things there. It´s hard to believe that in two months all this will be put on hold, in my life at least, until January. I´m not sure how I feel about leaving here. I know I don´t like it.

Oops

So my last post was March 19. That´s bad. Sorry.

So the capital keeps me busier than Puerto Plata did which means that I am never on here. I moved down here at the end of March, found an apartment with two Dominican girls, started working in the medical clinic here, started planning batey trips, worked with a team from Georgia for some larger clinics, worked with the school in La Romana and now there´s an even busier month coming up!

This week I gave a workshop at the school in La Romana and was pleasantly surprised by the skills of the teachers there. It seems like the thing they need to focus on the most is having a safe atmosphere for these kids who are always encountering dangerous situations outside of school. In regards to skills and teaching styles, they are pretty up to date.

Today I had a meeting with a doctor and the pastor to plan the batey visits starting in January. Every Thursday we will be visiting a different batey to do health education, medical clinic and feeding. Our biggest issues are finances and transportation. So we are hoping that gets all worked out soon.

Support is short at the moment for living expenses as well as project expenses so it´s tough to know where things will go from here!

I hope to have another update soon once we are out in the bateyes!!

Noticias

So, as I said before, I am going to be moving to Santo Domingo to help start some clinics in the bateyes. I headed down there this past weekend to start the apartment search. I have a family helping me find somewhere safe to live, and I'm hoping that produces results soon.

Georgia and I talked about apartment stuff up here and we've decided to move out of the apartment by March 31st. So I will be heading down to Santo Domingo a little earlier than expected. I am going down on the 28th for an event, and will just stay there instead of coming back up. Project stuff will be finished on the north coast and I will just have some written things to take care of which aren't really due until May.

Things are still a little iffy as to whether or not Heather is coming in April. It's frustrating, but it will all come together.

Project wise, I am trying to figure out the cheapest/easiest way to get medications for the clinics. Also, trying to decide if we want to partner with a volunteer sending organization. So please just be praying for all these things as they come together!

Merci!

Never have I ever been chased by a cow... Oh wait!

Things have been sort of crazy lately. I spent some time in meetings in La Romana and Santo Domingo a couple weeks ago. To cut it all short, the end result was that I have a project post-April in Santo Domingo! Basically I am helping a church there to re-start the medical clinics in the bateyes. It's a huge project, and I still have no idea how I am going to do it all, but I am very excited!

Since then I've been trying to get work done here, and today I went up to the garden and planted all the seeds! It looks really great up there! I swear I'll get pictures up soon for you all.

On the way home I was chased by a cow. It was ridiculous and scary, but it happened.

This weekend I am heading back to the capital to search for an apartment since I need one for next month. I'll also get to spend some time in the church I will be attending when I am living there which I am excited about. It will be nice to get to know some people there. Over the next month I will be wrapping up here and starting the planning for Santo Domingo.

I am also going to be starting a student sponsorship program in La Romana in a school at KM 6.

Details on how ya'll can help for the student sponsorship program and the bateyes will come soon!!

Lots of tropical love being sent your way!!

-Christina

His plans are far better than ours..

As many of you know, my project here hasn't exactly been all I had hoped for. It keeps me busy, but not nearly as much as projects here have in the past. It's been frustrating being here and after the project ends in April I have every intention of leaving.

Or so I thought..

Two weeks ago when I was in Santo Domingo I met the pastor a church in Little Haiti. He was telling me about the school and the clinic they have, and also about a ministry they used to have but can no longer afford to run- Medical clinics in the bateyes.

Since this conversation I have been thinking and wondering about working with them. I've been praying about it, but just wasn't convinced. I figured in the future sure, but not right now. Well, that may be changing. Today I got an email from a girl who was on my very first team to come to the Dominican Republic. She is graduating this May, and wants to work here before heading to Medical School. I told her about Santo Domingo and she is very interested.

So I am waiting to hear from the pastor about whether or not this is a possibility. If it is, I think I will stay. This will of course require more fundraising which from here may be challenging.

So if you all could be praying that God would reveal what He wants in this situation, that would be greatly appreciated. I would also have to change the date of my flight, so that this wouldn't be too costly. I would really love to work with this church so I am just hoping and praying that this is God's plan as well.

Thanks everyone! Love you all!

Asi es la vida

I can hardly believe that February is almost over. This month has been a bit more productive than last. The land is set, seeds are planted at home and will be transplanted soon, the class has started and plans for a VBS program in April are under way. It's been a crazy few weeks and I'm sure I have some more ahead of me.

This past week I bought the gardening supplies and planted seeds. I visited a community in Santiago, where a good friend lives. There is an art association there called Arte A Mano. The artists are Dominican men and women who sell their art for income. It was interesting to see what was going on there since I didn't know anything about Santiago. Many of the women live in a poor community. I was told that when it rains there the rain fills up to the tops of the houses. I have no idea what they do in that situation because here it rains for days on end.

I had mentioned to Georgia that I was heading to Santiago but there was some miscommunication I guess. So, I returned home to a search party. Apparently they thought something had happened to me, and since my phone was dead no one could reach me. So, needless to say the last couple days have been spent sorting out what happened with people who were worried. But now everything is back to normal.

I am working on my analysis of the batey surveys this week and hopefully I will start working on the malnutrition media I need to do.

Georgia and I will be going down to Santo Domingo/La Romana this weekend so it will be a nice get away. I will have another update on here in a week or so I'm sure.