First Update from the DR!

I can hardly believe that it has already been 3 months since I moved to the Dominican Republic! The days since my arrival last November have flown by…I have been keeping busy with the adjustments of moving to another country, developing relationships with the people here, and getting established in various ministries--not to mention battling an amoeba and other health issues. Now, however, I finally feel settled in, healthy, and able to communicate more frequently.  I really appreciate all the continued prayers and support. It means so much to me to hear from many of you and know that I am still in your prayers.  I hope this update will give you a better idea of what God has been doing in my life, and how to pray for me specifically.

First of all, I am so excited to share about what took place this past Saturday.  Together with members of our church here in San Pedro who are studying medicine, I organized a one-day outreach in a nearby town where our church (IBEM) is launching a church-plant. We held the outreach in the building where the new church is holding services, and there was a great response. Over 30 volunteers from IBEM came out to help; many from the medical team and others who came just to meet people and evangelize. We did free blood pressure, blood sugar, and basic health screenings, using them as a platform to spread the word about the new church, as well as sharing the gospel.

Not only were we able to share the gospel or pray for each patient that came through, this medical outreach also opened up many doors for the pastors to connect with people in the town, as we had close to 60 first-time visitors to the church. Please pray that the church will continue to grow as God pursues these people and draws them to Himself. 

Also, please be in prayer for our team and the new medical ministry that has birthed from this outreach. Our team is made up of medical students and doctors from our church, all from various nationalities and  backgrounds (Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and USA).  It has been so fun to work with them and it has brought back many memories from my internship this summer.  Our team name is “Palpitando por Cristo” (Heart-beating for Christ). We hope to develop this team by doing more medical outreaches in the near future.  We also hope to someday join with medical teams from the States, facilitating short-term trips with more extensive outreaches.

Apart from organizing and leading medical projects, I also have a day job :) I am the school nurse in the elementary school that is part of the ministry here.  There are close to 300 students in the school and they have never before had a nurse on campus.  I have been working with the directors to develop policies for children, teachers, and parents to ensure safety, and hope to have an organized school nursing system ready to fully implement this coming school year. Please pray that everyone would continue to be receptive to the changes that need to be made and that it would be a smooth transition. 
In the meantime, I put together first-aid kits for every classroom, provided the teachers with first-aid training, and hope to offer them more advanced workshops in the future.  Of course, I have also been taking care of the precious children here. I have seen everything from cuts and bruises to swollen spleens, but I think my favorite job is pulling out loose teeth and seeing their big smiles afterward!

Every Thursday afternoon after working in the school, I go to the Safehouse.  This is the place where the women who have been rescued from at-risk situations come to learn trade skills such as making jewelry, as well as learning about Christ through Bible studies and attending church with us. I have greatly enjoyed this ministry and getting to know the ladies there. I go for a couple of hours and assess their medical needs, do brief health-teachings, and most importantly spend time getting to know them and building relationships with them.  It has been a constant reminder to me of the great blessing the profession of medicine can be as a tool to open up doors for personal and spiritual conversations because of the element of trust that it establishes.  Please continue to pray for these ladies, as they have a lot of struggles, and also that God would continue to give me opportunities to have an impact in their lives more than just providing them with medical care.

I am involved in multiple Bible studies here, but the one I just joined and am most excited about is the Youth service on Saturdays.  I work with one other female and two male youth leaders. I have loved getting to know these middle and high-schoolers, and it has been cool to see how God has expanded the group even since I got here. A month ago, in the first service I attended, we had one girl and three boys show up. This past weekend with had almost 20! Please pray that God will continue to grow this ministry as we are inviting more and more youth, including young people from my neighborhood. Also, please pray for me as I will soon begin mentoring some of these girls one-on-one.

To prevent this post from getting any longer, I will spare the details, but I am involved in a few other things as well. I have been editing the ministry newsletters, singing in the church choir, teaching piano lessons, volunteering in the poor sugarcane villages, and just helping anywhere I see a need. For those of you who know me well you are probably thinking, “Typical Diana…she doesn’t know how to say no.” Although it is true that I have a lot on my plate, I am loving my life here and I feel fulfilled and joyful knowing that I am in the center of God’s will and that, in His mercy, He is using me to reach other people for Him. As Matthew 11:30 says, the yoke God gives us is easy and the burden He gives us is light.  I wish the same for each of you reading this, and encourage you not to settle for anything less than living a joy-filled life, bringing glory to God by being satisfied in Him in whatever place He might have you!