Pura Vida, Week 1

So its been a great week and weve made it to La Romana. This past week has been one of hard work, great lessons, better laughs, and memories that will last a lifetime. One of the first things that happened to us as we started to embrace and fall in love with a culture that is as beatiful as this island and as unforgettable as the food... weve lost our identities. What was once Ashley, Leigh, Murica, Rosy, Kalie, Chelsea, Steve, Zak and Eric, have now been transformed into Lupita, Lolita, Panchita, Tita, Petra, Paquita, Pepe, and Tito Tenoch.

The past week has been a great one. Weve seen a rough ballpark figure of about 350 patients, many of whom are suffering from a wide variety of sicknesses and ailments, most of which, however, can be prevented with basic hygein and reliable source of clean water. It is very frustrating to see that many pf these painful sicknesses, headaches, parasites, stomach pains, and aching bodies can be prevented with regular access to clean and running water, we feel almost inadequate in providing just temporary relief to problems that may continue to persist, but we have brought one thing that can be shared, cannot be stolen, that is priceless; Christs love. Although we are limited in what we can do and the more we do, the more we want to help, the smiles, the gratitude, the experience of encouraging a soul is almost inexplicable. To bring the light to a dark world, the worst of places is what we came to do, it is what were doing, it is what we will continue to do.

We will be in La Romana for a few days working in the bateys, continuing our work in medicine as a vehicle to deliver the Love of Christ.