Choose to Hear Him

Greetings!

It has been a long and busy year in 2006! I know many of you have patiently been waiting for an update on my ministry and a newsletter that just never seems to arrive. Thank you for your faith in me and your patience. I am using a new format for my email newsletter and would love to hear from you about what you think. Please read on to learn more about what has been happening in La Romana!

Philippians 4:6-7
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

What a year!
How often I have thought about the above scripture during 2006! In January, I began taking classes to complete a master's degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practioner. All of my classes were online and I had to dedicate three days a week to working at the computer. Some days, I began researching or writing papers at 7am and didn't finish the day until after midnight. Needless to say, I purchased a more comfortable computer desk chair very quickly! In the end, though, I walked away with 2 A's and one B and felt the hard work was worth it. During that time, though, I didn't get to work with the medical teams as much as in previous years. This will continue to be a necessity as I continue to pursue my degree. Thank you, to all of the teams who are patiently waiting and praying for me to finish my classes! You are doing a wonderful work in the bateyes and barrios.

Aside from my classes, this year has been full of new and ongoing opportunities to serve and minister. We hosted almost 40 different work teams (construction, medical, evangelism and surgical) and many individual volunteers. It is so wonderful to see many new teams emerging, either because they are just hearing of our work or because their team is so big that they need to divide into two groups! We continue to work with the LEAP Foundation, based in Dallas, TX, as they minister to children and adults with facial/cranial deformities or those in need of plastic surgery due to burns/accidents. We have had new teams from Keokuk, IA, Columbia, MO and Wisconsin. Bravo to these new teams! 2006 also seemed to be a year when many universities began sending student work teams to us for a cross-cultural experience. They were all very well received.

Taking Time to Stop
Finally, I'd like to close with a story about a man from Batey El Salado. He has lived on this batey for over 30 years, never married and has no family in the batey or nearby. I had received word from a visiting team that there was this man living in a shack who was very ill, maybe dying, and they wanted me to go and make a consultation to see if he could be helped. When I arrived, I found Merlieu lying in his feces in a 5ft x 6ft metal shack behind all of the houses. He was nearly blind, had suffered a stroke at some point and his "home" was full of maggots, spiders, cockroaches and one metal cup for water. Apparently, the night before, he had been up all night crying for help. The neighbors brought him water but many thought he would be dead by morning. With the help of two nurse interns and one interpreter, we moved Merlieu outside of the shack into a chair. The interpreter and the male nurse bathed and shaved him while the other nurse and I cleaned out his home, sprayed for bugs and placed a new cot inside. It was obvious that he and his home had not been clean for many months. Initially, it was just a "crazy American show" to watch and only one man offered his help. As we worked, though, the neighbors began helping us get more water and offered to burn the soiled linens and clothing which could no longer be used.

When we were almost finished, the man who initially helped us said something that brought me to tears. This is what he said: "People are always coming by and looking at Merlieu. Most comment on what a poor man he is and how filthy and sick he is. But they always just walk on by. No one has ever stopped to help him in all of the years I've known him. Thank you. You are the first to stop."

How often have you just walked by someone in need and not stopped to offer a hand or a prayer or just a word? In believing that God provides for all of our needs, I believe he uses us to meet those demands. It is up to us to choose to hear him and take a moment to stop. Life goes by very quickly and how sad it would be to miss the Merlieu's who have been placed in our path.