Sunday, October 30, 2011

Mission Trip Report Day Three:

Today is Sunday. Even in the Dominican Republic. My day started very early, but not by choice... My watch battery finally gave up and died yesterday. Not a problem because time is not a priority for Dominicans and I am simply part of a herd anyway; I just need to be sure to be at the same place that everyone else in the group is.

So after dinner, exhausted and t...ired from the day's events, I crawl in to bed and after finding out the winner of the GA/FL game and the Clemson/Ga Tech games (which I will not reveal here since at least on member of our team recorded the games and wants to be surprised when he gets home), and went to sleep. This morning I woke up refreshed, invigorated and ready for a great day. I showered, dressed and decided to check into Facebook and e-mails before heading down to breakfast. Boy what a shock when the computer clock said 3:30AM! Needless to say, I went back to bed for another 3 hours. I will hopefully be able to acquire a CR1620 button battery on Monday and once again become a slave to the sixty second circle of life.

When I got up the second time, I again dressed and after double-checking that it was indeed 6:45AM, went down to the dining area with a little side trip to the beach. I did not go for a walk in the sand but did scope it out. One day this week I will venture into "la playa" but I won't have my "Sunday, go-to-meeting" clothes on then.

The church service was wonderful, and the sermon was written just for me. The topic was "Transitions" and how even in transition times - especially in transition times - God is with us. With references to Abram's near-sacrifice of Issac and the burning bush episode with Moses, and others, I was encouraged and challenged. One particularly poignant point was the fact that when God had Moses remove his shoes because was on holy ground, he removed the insulation that separated him from the dust that God had created him from. Moses, for all of his faults and failings was chosen by God, but first Moses had to remove the barriers that were his protective insulation that shielded him from a oneness with his maker.

With out droning on about me and my life, suffice it to say that When you turn fifty, you go through a transition. When you leave the safety and comfort of your home, job, family and "life as you know it" and travel to a foreign country, even if only for a week, you go through a transition. When you and your wife bury her mother and begin the hard decisions regarding her father who is in failing health, you go through a transition. It was comforting to be encouraged and reminded that God is faithful to be with us in times of transition.

After the service, we returned for lunch and freshening before heading out again, some of us to a community center for funb and games with kids of the area, and others of us to the clinic to pack up "Go Bags" for our trip to a school some miles away where will set up a make-shift clinic and treat both children and adults. My task was to outfit a triage and treatment bag for wounds and injuries. I felt like I was trying to put all of the things we used to carry in the Roswell Fire Department Rescue trucks (and more) into an athletic bag. I'm hoping that I have enough of the right things. It is now "free time" before dinner. Many folks are playing in the waves on the beach or enjoying the swimming pool before dinner. Me? I'm blogging.

Please pray for:
The continued safety and health of our team - so far so good.

The English speaking church at Sosua. Today their pastor announced that he had accepted a call to be the youth pastor at his home church in Tennessee. You could tell his heart was heavy as he related the struggle he went through in making the decision.

The patients that we will see tomorrow at the school.

The doctors, the nurses, and one humble EMT who will be called upon to diagnose and develop treatment plans for the patients without computers, a PDR (Physician's Desk Reference - an encyclopedia of medical information), or possibly even electricity.

The evangelism team that is reaching out to the people of the DR with the story of the love of Jesus and His promise of salvation and eternal life. Not because of what we've done, but because of what He did, we have a promise that will last for an eternity.

Be a blessing to someone today.

Scott Straw

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