Full Circle....Haiti to Chicago to DR

The Dominican Republic is well known to Americans as the fun place for all inclusive vacations and beautiful beaches. However, if you venture past the walls of the resorts you will encounter a people who may live a life that is very different and encompasses many struggles, that may be hard to imagine from the comforts of the resort property. The Dominican Republic is home to over 10million people, and the ethnic make up is 73% of mixed heritage, 16% European and 11% black.  The largest group of foreigners are Haitian immigrants. As you can imagine, the number of Haitian immigrants, both documented and undocumented,  has increased significantly since the 2010 earthquake.  Prior to 2010 the estimate was approaching 1 million Haitian immigrants living in the Dominican Republic and that number has only grown since 2010. As is the case with foreigners in any country, there is often mixed opinions, beliefs, and emotions about these newcomers. We, in the US, have surely had and continue to have our debates and discussions about immigration.

In February 2012, I was part of a wonderful medical mission team to the Dominican Republic.  It was an amazing week of service and I remember a couple of things that really stuck out to me. Of course, I had absolutely NO idea that God was busy preparing my heart for this adventure at the time. Looking back it's pretty amazing and interesting to see how God was at work all along. Just as a side note, I love seeing the plan of God come together. What feels like chaos and unrelated pieces at the moment, are woven ever so artfully by the Master into a plan that makes sense. Wow!  There were many things that and people who captured my heart on this trip, but two of the highlights of that week remain very vivid in my memory.

#1 -- It was so awesome to see the church being the church and welcoming the stranger.   Hebrews 13:1-2 admonishes us to let brotherly love grow and to not forget to show hospitality to strangers, because we never know when we may be entertaining angels. I loved seeing several churches who had opened their doors to the "strangers" and were creating ways to share worship space. There were not many places that I saw Haitians and Dominicans living life together, but I saw that in the Church! Brother and Sister in Christ caring for one another, ministering together and being the hands and feet of Christ!  Our last night in the DR consisted of a worship service that was trilingual -- English, Spanish and Creole! How amazing it was to worship God in so many different languages and to know that HE fully understood it all!

#2 -  At the end of a long clinic day we gathered for a team dinner on the outdoor porch. There was plenty of food ... and my new friend, Grassiel, even made sure that the cook made one of the cornbread cakes that I was so curious about. I couldn't help it.... they were sold at every corner store and looked amazing. Not wanting a case of the diarrhea I exercised restraint, but those who know me, will know that I really, really wanted to try that cake. As we enjoyed dinner a little boy named Timeteo wandered over to where the group was sitting. Several of our group remembered Timeteo from a previous trip a year before when they met his mom in the clinic. This little one is only 2 or 3 years old and he was wandering around the community at night, by himself, with only a tshirt to cover his body. He was quickly embraced, put in a chair and given a plate of food. I watched this 3 year old consume enough food to feed a grown man... at least 3 plates full. I know my nieces at age 3 were extremely messy eaters, dropping food all over the place. Not Timeteo... this kid didn't make a sound as he guzzled down plate after plate. Not kid sized plates but plates that were full and overflowing. Every now and then he would look up from his plate and take in what was going on, before he returned to the business of devouring the yummy food. I held back tears as I wondered when did he eat last? Where is his mom? Isn't she worried about him out here all alone? Timeteo speaks Creole primarily so there were no answers to be had. Later that evening, we walked Timeteo home and left him with his mom. I'm not even sure if she had even noticed that he wasn't home. This little kid touched my heart in such a huge way, and I still didn't realize that God was laying the groundwork for my next assignment.

I went to the Dominican Republic expecting to take care of Dominican patients. Yes, the majority of the patients I saw were Dominican, however, meeting a few Haitian brothers and sisters was a wonderful surprise.  For me, it brought back a load of memories of my first trip outside of the US to Haiti in 2004. It was that trip that got me thinking that just maybe God could use me and my career as a way to serve others and to ultimately bring glory to God. Could it be that God was paving the way for me to go from Haiti to Chicago to Afghanistan back to Chicago to the Dominican Republic to land back where I started, serving the Haitian people? I'm excited for this next year of service working with Haitian immigrants and descendants in the Dominican Republic.  I hope you will pray about supporting me as I take this leap of faith to serve in the DR for the next year.

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