End of Summer 🥰

WISKINLOVE

My last blog ended with the arrival of my new truck that we all had been patiently waiting for, which seemed like forever! I want to say again how thankful I am to everyone for the support! God’s blessings are immeasurable. The truck, now officially known as “Ruthie”, has already put on lots of kilometers! When I got the new truck, we had a few patients that needed to go back and forth from the Capital, which from the clinic is about 6 hours away. Having a new, safe and reliable truck to get people back and forth was unbelievable.  One of those patients was this sweet little girl named Wiskinlove, who is 3 years old. She was originally brought down the mountain, because she was severely malnourished. After spending some time at the nutrition center, we took her to an eye doctor appointment where she was diagnosed with a retinoblastoma (eye cancer). After multiple appointments in the capital at different hospitals and specialists, it was determined that the best plan of action was to do multiple rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove her eye. She has now gone through three rounds of chemotherapy and will need a minimum of eight. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. The process is very difficult because Wiskinlove and her mom are far away from the rest of the family, and due to their lower education level, they are having trouble understanding exactly what is happening.  

STATESIDE FAMILY AND FRIENDS

I flew home to spend time with family and friends for the month of August! It was a great time!! Every year my mom helps run the Haiti Golf Outing Benefit through St. Pius X, our parish church. I always enjoy seeing so many familiar faces at the event and supporting Sister Luce’s mission in Port Au Prince, Haiti. My siblings and I hosted a retirement party for my mom, who just retired after teaching for 38 years! It was a blast! Right after the retirement party we headed up north to a cottage for a family vacation which was wonderful. The weather was a bit chilly, but at least it wasn't raining. We were able to spend time out on the lake, golfing and playing games. It was a great way to end my 4 weeks stateside! 

NEW PLACE TO LIVE

I flew back to the Dominican Republic at the end of August and hit the ground running. Being home stateside for 4 weeks was wonderful. In the midst of catching up on paperwork and doing medical clinics, I moved houses yet again! I share a home with other missionaries that come and volunteer in San Juan with a mission group called Solid Rock International. We loved our old house but we were on a very busy street, and it was getting way too loud late in the evenings. It has been a huge blessing, because it is so much quieter, and Luna and Coco have more space to run in the backyard. Now that I am no longer living out of boxes, it feels more like home.

WATER PROJECT

In August, we began a clean water project in Rosa la Piedra. In this country, you are not able to drink the water anywhere. You have to buy the blue culligan jugs (botellones) or need to boil the water before using it. This project will have multiple access stations to provide clean water to the entire community and neighboring areas. The team that has helped fund the water project will be coming at the end of October to see the progress that has been made. We also have a group of volunteers coming in November to run medical clinics.  

CATECHISM

Another exciting new project starting this fall is that Jessica and Olivia will begin catechism classes in Rosa la Piedra. Catechism is needed in all of our communities, but Rosa la Piedra will be our starting point.  

LITERACY PROGRAM

I’m not sure if I have ever mentioned Maritza in my blog, but she is a Dominican that we met at our youth group in San Juan two years ago at our home parish. She has become a great friend to all of us at BBOH and has been working with us at our clinics as the pharmacist. She went to school to be a teacher and will be starting a literacy program in Rosa la Piedra. In these communities, a larger number of people do not know how to read or write. 

DR. ANGEL

In October, Dr. Angel is going to go on a European Marian pilgrimage for three weeks. Although it is not quite a vacation, it is a nice break from his very demanding positions as an unpaid missionary Doctor, and Director of the Dominican non-profit, FUMSIL. Please pray for him and the other participants, who have the opportunity to go. Thank you to those who donated to help cover Dr. Angel's expenses for this pilgrimage!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

For Wiskinlove, as she continues to go through chemotherapy and her upcoming surgery. 

For Dr. Angel as he begins preparing for his pilgrimage.

For the clean water projects and the catechism and Literacy program that we are beginning this fall

For the health of our entire BBOH staff.