Sunshine's January Update

Feliz Ano Nuevo! I am back in Santiago, Dominican Republic and I am so excited about 2007! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family. I spent Christmas in Louisville, Ky with my family, and we had a great time together. I didn't realize how I missed my family until I returned. It was great to be around my family who know me so well, to visit my friends, and my favorite local hangouts!

I spent alot of time working in the G.O. office with the other missioniares that I work with (my extended family) while I was home as well. We had some great times of sharing and fellowship. As a staff, we also had meetings discussing what we had acheived for 2006, and made alot of great plans for the growth of the ministy for 2007. It was so exciting to hear about everyones visions for their ministry in the D.R.atch(e) {}

We just hosted our first medical group here this week, and we were so busy! I arrived here on January 3rd to prepare and the team arrived just a few days later. Our medical team consisted of 16 individuals primarily made up of nurses, nurse practitioners, physicans, and a nutritionist. Since this team was so large, we decided to have two medical clinics at two different locations. We had one clinic in Los Salados, and the other in Hato del Yaque. This was the first time I facilitated a team by myself. I was completely in charge of 16 team members on the field and in charge of all the other details such as transportation, activities, and keeping the clinic run smoothly....in two different locations. (I just had to add that again) I certainly could not have done it without the help and support of the other missionaries that I work with.

At our medical clinics in Los Salados and in Hato del Yaque, we treated a total of 2,400 people in three days of clinic and there were still people who didn't get a chance to see the doctors that came. We see all ages of people in these clinics. Some of these folks just have simple colds, but alot of them have some serious medical issues. We saw a haitian man who had cut the palm of his hand with a machete. You could see the bones and ligaments in his hand. He had been in the hospital, and best that we could understand, he had run out of money, and had to leave the hospital. He came to see us for the pain, and because he couldn't bend his fingers, he couldn't work. I just could not imagine walking around town like that with the condition his hand was in. I think about all the dirt, infection, and parasites that he is exposed to dailey. Furthermore, because he couldn't work, he was going hungry. It reminded me once again how blessed we are. In the states we have things like sick leave and disability, but here it's a whole different story. Christy, one of the nurse practitioners that came to work last week, spent a good deal of time debriding the wound, and telling him how to take care of it. We loaded him up with cleaning supplies and Tylenol for the pain. We also saw this elderly man who came to see us for his leg. He was blind, and was walking with the aid of a cane. He had a platic bag and a metal can attached to his it. He probably spent alot of time begging in the streets. His clothes were filthy and on his leg, was a huge ulcerated sore. All of his toes were black and he was sort of dragging his foot when he walked. As we cleaned and dressed his wound though, we realized that the ulcer wasn't as bad as it appeared, it was just really, really dirty and caked with blood. His daughter showed up at the clinic as we finished cleaning his wound for him, and we made her promise that she would take care of the wound for him. We gave her plenty of supplies and medicine, and told her we would be inquiring of the Pastor of the church as to how he was doing.

For as much pain as you see in these clinics, we also see so much joy! The people that we treat are beautiful and gracious. They have big toothy grins, they love to laugh, and just the biggest hearts! I thank God every day for the honor and priviledge that he has given me to be able to come here and work.



At our medical clinic in Hato del Yaque we used a school that was right there in the community. One of our doctors had the opportunity to call on a sick woman in her home with John. Apparently she had been bedridden for a few months, and hadn't been able to leave her home in some time. The lady didn't have any family around, and she was too sick to walk to the clinic. One of her friends came to the clinic and told John about her. As John and Corrine began to speak with her, it became clear that she was suffering from a mass in her intestines. John and Corrine were able to share with her and pray with her. One of the hardest things about this ministry, is that you encounter illnesses that you can't fix, it goes beyound what we aa capable of doing in a medical clinic setting. There are no pills, or a surgery that you can perform for free. As a christain, my spirit knows that the best thing I can do for her is pray, but the human side of me wants to fix it, to make her better. When I see this kind of suffering, my soul cries out to God.

I had a wonderful experience about a week ago. I was asked by Kindy, she is one of the pastor's wives and works at the school, to be a guest speaker at her english class. She said that the students in her class would ask me questions, and I was just to talk with them. I had so much fun! There were warm, welcoming, and like everyone else that I have met in this country, just so much fun. I was asked about why I was here, my job, my family, and if I was married. I love to talk anyway,and so since they gave me the platform (so to speak) I began to share about what brought me here, my job as a missionary, and best of all it opened a door to share my faith with them. They just peppered me with questions! As we were leaving the class, one woman stopped me and wanted to have Kindy and I to her home for dinner, she was a local dentist. I thought, God you are soo awesome, any chance you put before me to share your love...I will! ( the food here is unbelievable, and I love to visit the homes, it gives me a chance to make new friends within the community, and practice my spanish as well) On our way backhome, Kindy had made the comment that because she was apart of their class, she didn't get a chance to share her faith the way she would like to. She said that I didn't realized the impact that I had made tonight, that since I was an american, and a missionary in this country, that it gave me an incredible platform to use in this country to share my faith! I thought WOW....would that be the kind of reception I would get in any class I spoke at?? The class teacher has promised to invite me back...I am looking forward to it.

I want to tell you all how much I appreciate your prayers and support. I could not be here without your faithfull monthly support. I return to the states on Feburary 20th. I will spend march, april, and may raiseing more support. In the months that I am home, I need to raise at least $1,200.00 in monthly support. I know that God wants me here, so please pray that the Holy Spirit would go before me as I prepare to go and speak. I have a few prayer requests that I would also like to mention. My grandfather's sister just passed away with cancer. She was a great chistian lady, so she is home with Jesus. Would you pray that God would comfort the family? She was diagnosed with cancer 5 months ago, and it really caught the family off gaurd. Would you pray for G.O. Ministries? We are growing so much and have alot of new staff on board. We have so many awesome plans for the future. Just pray that God would be with Brook and his family, with all the board members that help make the decisions for the ministry, and the missionaries that are working on the field. Email me and let me know if you have any concerns that I can agree in prayer with you on.

Dios te Bendiga!

Sunshine