As The Third World Turns...

Martha's Flavorful Memory

2012-01-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Wow...what an emotional last few days. Our dear friend, Martha Lamar, who was the head cook and hospitality person at the dormitory died late on Monday night. It has really sent a shockwave through the whole ministry here in La Romana. As I stood at the wake yesterday afternoon, there was crying, some wailing and generally a lot of discussion about the woman that Martha was. I'd like to share one of those conversations with you now.

One of the most interesting conversations was with a group of translators. As many of the teams know, Martha was the head cook and in charge of making sure that the dormitory had everything it needed when teams were visiting. Having more than 60 teams this year, you can understand how much work this was! She helped to coordinate the cooking for the teams during the day which meant that she not only had to have breakfast ready for upwards of 90 people by 7am but she also had to have their lunches ready by 8am so that they could load them on the bus for the day! It was a lot of work but she did it lovingly and I don't think I ever saw her complain about doing it. So, as I was standing with a group of doctors and translators at the wake yesterday, they began talking about Martha and her influence on their lives and work. They mentioned that all of them noticed the change in flavor of the food on Monday (she was in Santo Domingo on a ventilator that day). Each of them said that the food just wasn't as flavorful and all of them attributed that to Martha not helping with the cooking. Incredible. She even added her special flavor to the food each day.

I marveled at that comment because more than once I have complained about how boring ham and cheese sandwiches were after almost 12 years of seeing them daily with the team lunch (I started bringing my own lunch each day a couple of years ago). How callously I said that! Here was Martha and Tata 1 and Tata 2 and Margarita getting up while it was still dark to make sure we all had a delicious and filling lunch but my comment was only that it was boring! Oh how I wish I had considered the labor of love put into those ham and cheese sandwiches. And, I'm sure they didn't LOVE ham and cheese after putting together so many sandwiches each day for 12 years or more. Who would? But yet, they did it anyway and with a lot of care. They also made rice dishes and empanadas for the teams and staff. It was this rice that lacked flavor on the day that Martha died.

So I guess my thought for the day is this: first, consider what you say before saying it. We have no idea where another person has been or what they have lived through or even what their motivation (or lack of it) is for this very day. There's a well-known saying about walking a mile in someone else's shoes, and I think that's pretty important to remember before we begin critiquing a situation or a person. Second, we should be telling the people around us HOW MUCH we care about them. If you wait until just the right moment or wait for a special time to really express how much you love them, that moment in time may never come. There wasn't a person at breakfast on Friday morning in the dining hall that thought this would be the last time they saw Martha's smiling face in the kitchen. No one could have expected that and certainly no one thought they wouldn't have another chance to thank her for her service. Finally, friends, PLEASE remember that how you live your life really does affect those around you. The "flavor" you add to your world may be sweet and savory or it may be bitter or bland. What flavor do you want people to remember about you? When you are no longer part of this world, will your flavor be missed?

Each of us has such an important place in the lives we have been given, even when you aren't sure what that role is! It is so easy to be overwhelmed or troubled by daily events and it is really easy to lose your joy in life as things just get in your way. Don't let that happen. Continue to be light in the darkness, hope where there isn't hope and a smile where there are only tears. We really can make this world a better place. Martha did and so can you!

http://www.myyogaonline.com//programs/de-stress-express/day-6

2012-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Five reasons to reduce stress.

This is a great article with a lot of sound reasons that reducing stress can help you overcome a lot of physical problems you may have. See what you think!

http://www.myyogaonline.com//programs/de-stress-express/day-6

http://www.myyogaonline.com//programs/de-stress-express/day-3

2012-01-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I recently read this really great article on fatigue and how what you eat can hurt or help the cycle of fatigue. Having just dealt with a lot of what this is saying, I thought I would pass it on and you could read about what chronic high levels of cortisol do to your system. There's some information I'm not totally supportive of, like an all plant-based raw meal plan, but the information about the physical affects of our stress and how our diet can play into this are really good. I hope you enjoy! Let me know...

Click on the link below to read about stress and how your body reacts:

http://www.myyogaonline.com//programs/de-stress-express/day-3

Another year coming to a close...

2011-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

I woke up the other morning and heard the most beautiful song bird outside my bedroom window. I just lay there for awhile and honestly marveled at how beautiful the music was coming out of such a small animal. Later in the morning I was listening to the joyful laughter of children as they played stick ball in the street outside my house. The parents and older siblings were nearby commenting on each hit and settling any discussions about whether someone was really out or not. It didn't take me long to realize that these very simple things are real blessings in my life. Beautiful music, children's laughter and the peace of knowing that things are going to be ok. That's been happening a lot to me lately. I've been recognizing how incredibly blessed I am by lots of simple joys in life.

For one, I live on this beautiful island where a cold day is a day less than 80 degrees! And I am continually amazed by the color around me...greens in every shade, bright oranges and reds and yellows with the bluest of skies and oceans all around. Who would have thought color could be a blessing? I guess you realize it when it's not there. I imagine all of the folks who have lost their sight or those who have failing vision would give a lot to see those amazing colors once again. And what about the sounds? Those who have lost their hearing and now live in a complete silence must long for the days when they could distinguish the different notes of a song or hear the rolling waves of an ocean.

A few years ago I preached a sermon at the Maranatha Baptist Church here in La Romana. I had just lost my mother (8 years ago this month, actually) and I was trying to hold onto the things I knew to be true so that sadness and grief wouldn't overwhelm me. I remember that I wanted people to cherish the things that they had in life today...family, friends, health, jobs, a home, etc. because no one could predict when those things would disappear. God has blessed each of our lives in amazing and wonderful ways that can become so commonplace that we tend to ignore the blessing until it's gone and then we realize we never thanked Him for it.

What do you need to be thankful for today? A good friend? A spouse? A roof over your head? Your health? Do it now! Tell the people in your life how much you love them. Take a walk outside and marvel at the blessing of nature around you. Call a loved one and enjoy the sound of their voice. There's a saying here in the DR that goes something like, "I'll get to it tomorrow." When someone says that, I always want to reply, "But tomorrow never comes..." We have today. Live it, love it and thank God for what you have!

Loud awakening

2011-12-23T07:29:00.000-08:00

For most of us, who have grown up in the US, the Christmas season (aside from the shopping craziness) tends to be a peaceful, relaxing and usually joyful time. I can remember quiet Christmas mornings where you try to hear Santa's footsteps through the night or try to sneak down a squeaky hallway to look at the tree and presents before your parents woke up. All together, though, it was usually fairly quiet outside...especially if there was a recent snowfall and everyone was indoors.

Now, lets fast forward to the Dominican Republic... If you have lived in the DR, and probably some other Latin American countries, you recognize that Christmas is synonymous with chaos. Chaos in the stores, chaos on the streets (more than normal!) and chaos with the celebrations. Oftentimes in the evenings there will be loud street music until the wee hours of the morning, and for me, a night person, that's not so bad. I enjoy the festivities and watching people celebrate the season. Well, most of the celebrations. My neighborhood has apparently lost track of time and/or disregarded the "normal" festive hours that exist in the DR. Our neighborhood festivities originate around 4am and usually end by 8am. Yep, you heard it right...the party, music, singing and dancing all start outside my house at around 4am. Now, it might be because the local corner store opens around that time for the early morning risers or it may be that all the clocks are broken in my neighborhood but my hypothesis is that they rest through the night to begin their day (night??) with joy.

So, this Christmas 2011, I thought I would share a piece of this "joy" with each of you. As I was awakened for the second time somewhere after 6am (the first was around 4am) I decided to record a video so you could hear. Let me say that I never left my house and all the recording is done from inside with windows and doors closed. Enjoy! Here's the link to the video: http://youtu.be/kKlIChtT_C4

Blessings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kristy

Links to the 2012 team letter and important information

2011-12-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I wanted to make sure that if you are part of a team coming to the Dominican Republic or if you are considering a trip that you have all of the current information. Below you will find links to important documents, including the costs for 2012 teams.
Blessings!

2012 Team Letter
Maranatha Expectations
Hospital and Mission History
Medical Referral Forms for Medical Teams
Hypertension Treatment Guidelines for Medical Teams
Website for the book, Where There Is No Doctor
Basic Medical Creole

Back in La Romana!!

2011-12-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

Friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement during the last six months of my time in the US taking a much needed rest. In the last six months I have learned that if I don't take care of myself I won't be around to take care of all of the people I love and serve in the Dominican Republic. It's something that I knew in my head but was obviously not living in my life. I now have a renewed energy and health that I didn't have when I went to the states in May 2011.

I returned to La Romana in the early morning hours of December 1, 2011 and have been taking things very slow, concentrating mostly on getting my house arranged the way I like it and practicing the things I learned in the US to keep me relaxed and refreshed. I went to the hospital a few days ago to meet with friends and reconnect with colleagues and it felt great! So many warm smiles and hugs that it really felt like coming home. I was also able to work with Moises and talk to some potential new medical folks that may begin surgical clinics with us and even a couple considering long-term missions work with us! Praise God for his provision!

For many of you, you may not have known that I moved into a new place just before I left for the States back in May. I know am renting a home in a wonderful neighborhood closer to the hospital that has a really nice yard for the dogs. Both Kobe and Sasha are in heaven with their new space and I'm so happy that I found a place for less rent than I was paying while still offering me a safe neighborhood and room for the dogs. It really has been such a blessing to wake up to the birds singing and have a quiet neighborhood full of families and kids who have already adopted Kobe and Sasha...they watch for them when they get out of the yard and want to give them baths!!

So as we end 2011 and begin a new year, I want to encourage you to take some time with family and friends this season to love on them, care for them and let them know how much they mean to you. We are all so blessed and often forget our blessings when we are stressed or under pressure so lets remember to thank God for all of the good we have in life, even when it's hard at times. Even when we may not have the riches of the world we have the richness of friendship and a hope that never ceases.

Many blessings,
Kristy

The new season of teams is arriving!

2011-10-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
many of you will soon be arriving to the Dominican Republic to begin another season of service and work in La Romana. I wanted to send a quick note out and ask you what it is that you need to make this next years trip more productive, special or focused for your team. Please write to me or Moises and let us know how we can help you plan or organize your trip. I would also like to let you know that International Ministries has a booklet for teams to use in preparation for their trip and I would encourage each team to meet together and get to know each other before actually arriving to the DR! There are many good resources and it also can make a huge difference for your team so please make the effort to work together, even a little, before you arrive. Here is the link for information on team building from International Ministries: http://www.internationalministries.org/read/5345

This link will also give information for people who would like to be long-term volunteers with applications, fund raising ideas, etc. Please feel free to contact the mission if you have any questions.

Again, I am really excited to see each of you and see how God will use you this next year in La Romana.

Many blessings,
Kristy

Finally some updates!

2011-10-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I sincerely apologize for the length of time it's taken me to post an update on my blog. I've been in the US on a break to try and get my health back to normal! No, I don't have anything serious but because of some serious exhaustion from working so hard in La Romana, Dominican Republic, both my mission and I decided that it would be important for me to take a break and make sure that I am rested and healthy before going back to the Dominican Republic. The most serious part of my exhaustion was that my cortisol levels had become very high and contributed to many of my problems (migraines, insomnia, chest pain and palpitations) that led me to decide I needed to take a serious break and learn to rest and care for myself as much as I care for those around me. So, I am happy to say that after several months, I am sleeping well, feeling rested, having fewer headaches and my cortisol is finally back into the "normal range." I really appreciate everyone's prayers for my recovery and your patience in waiting to know what's been going on with me!

I'd like to share some things that I've learned on this journey of rest, some of which I've shared in my newsletters and a few other thoughts that you might find interesting.

First, although I've always tried to counsel others on caring for themselves, I really didn't understand what it meant to care for myself. I am sure that many of you may also be in this same place. I used to think that if I took the weekend off or even an entire day where I didn't meet with a medical team or if I didn't go to the hospital, then that meant that I was taking a break. The very next day I would rush right back to my "normal" life and work upwards of 17 hours a day. It had become so normal for me that I didn't see anything wrong with it as long as I took a day off here and there. Writing this now seems so silly and so unrealistic, but at the time, I thought that I couldn't do anything else. These last few months I've learned how to care for myself and how not to feel so guilty about saying no to requests for my time if I know it's not the best thing for me.

Next, I've learned that having a sabbath time in my week (actually on a daily basis!) is very healthy and should be practiced by all of us. One of the ways that I've been able to do this is to spend at least 20-30 minutes a day doing restorative yoga or centering prayer/mindful meditation. Initially, I was timid to tell people about this, especially in the Christian world, because I felt that people might think I was kooky or trying to change religions or something else. The reality is that taking time out every day to understand your body (where it hurts, what's tense, what's tired) is VERY healthy and can be very much centered on Christ. For me, it's a time to make quiet time for God and focus on what He may be wanting me to be aware of. It is also a time for me to see where my body might be getting tense and potentially lead to a headache or a migraine.

I have also discovered the joy of reading again! Yeah!! I have always been an avid reader but over the last several years, when my reading wasn't involved in my studies for my master's degree I just didn't do it. I tended to be too tired to read at night. I also realized that my mind was always running and often wouldn't calm down enough to enjoy a good book. I was always thinking of what I had to do later, the problems related to my work or even all of the repairs or cleaning I needed to do around the house. Now, I've rediscovered how to relax and enjoy books. I've read several great one's this summer. I will probably post the list soon!

Finally, the most important thing that I've learned these last few months is how to patiently wait for God's timing. There are a lot of things that have happened with my health in the last year and I've prayed for healing and help but have always expected that those prayers would be answered quickly! (I know, naive, huh??) What I've come to realize is that if I can make a conscious decision to trust God's methods and His timing, the best will always come for me. I can remember back in July when I'd been in the States for about two months, that I was sure I had rested enough and I was ready to go back to work. It wasn't until a month later (still resting!) that I woke up one day and not only felt rested but REFRESHED for the first time in years! It was at that point that I recognized that I would never have given myself enough time for rest if my mission hadn't made me wait. God knew how much time I needed and set circumstances around me so that I would have that time. In fact, three months after that day in August, I am still calmly waiting to return, now with healthy lab results but other situations keeping me in the US and unable to return to La Romana.

So, again, thank you for your patience and your prayers. I apologize for the length of this post but knew there was a lot to catch up on! I will be better about updates in the future.

Many blessings to all!
Kristy

News from Kristy Engel via @constantcontact

2010-07-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

News from Kristy Engel via @constantcontact

The 1st Walk-a-thon "Walk for your health!"

2010-07-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 3rd the Good Samaritan Hospital sponsored it's first walk-a-thon to initiate it's new Wellness Program. The program started after the death of one of our employees who was only 40 years old. She died of a heart attack while working. After her death I began talking with the hospital administrator, Moises Sifren, and the assistant medical director, Franklin Bido, about the need for our hospital to start a wellness program. It would focus on preventative measures that employees could take to avoid complications of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. We will also focus on monitoring our health as well as encouraging employees to begin and exercise program. As a hospital, we should set the example for our patients in regards to good health and healthy lifestyles. The walk-a-thon was the beginning of this endeavor! It was a very hot day, around 100 degrees, but we had well over 300 people participating. There were employees and their families as well as invited guests, volunteer medical personnel and over 80 American's!! I've posted several pictures from the event.
Following the 5 mile walk-a-thon through the streets of La Romana, there was a concert by Rayos de Luz and Orquesta Maranatha in front of the Maranatha Haitian Baptist Church.
Our next objective is to get as many employees as possible signed up for health screening exams and started on an exercise and healthy eating program. We plan to build a walking/running track on the hospital grounds as well as a gymnasium at the hospital that would be available to hospital employees and the physical therapy patients.
This is just the beginning. Eventually, we hope that our program will encourage other businesses and hospitals to set the same example and begin employee wellness programs.
Please keep us in your prayers as we begin and let me know if you would be willing to help in any of these activities!
May God bless you!
Kristy

New website!!!

2010-06-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Please visit my new website at: http://kristynurse.org
I will be adding new pictures and stories so please visit often!
Also, if you are a team member, team leader or would like to know more about how you can get involved in the work we are doing in La Romana, this is the website for you!! There is lots of information for teams so that they are prepared for their trips.
Thanks for all of your help!
Kristy

Update: Week 3 in Haiti

2010-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

In a brief phone conversation last night (Feb. 4th), Kristy wanted everyone to know that the team in Haiti this week is safe, and working very hard in difficult circumstances. On Wednesday alone, the team treated 527 patients. On Thursday, from what we understood (between background noise, connection static, and unfamiliar names), they were in Carrefour, an extremely poor and distressed area of Port-au-Prince, and saw over 400 patients. This week's team is spending all of their time in Port-au-Prince, or just outside of town.

Please continue to pray for the health, safety, and strength of all who are volunteering their time and skills to minister in Jesus' name. May their gifts of presence provide hope and comfort to each person they encounter.

On another note, you have undoubtedly heard of the missionaries who were arrested in Haiti for attempting to transport children across the border into the Dominican Republic. Media sources in our country have described them as "American Baptist," meaning that they are Baptists from America. They are not in any way a part of, or associated with, "American Baptist Churches USA," the denomination in which Kristy serves through International Ministries. For further clarification, click here.

posted by Soozi Whitten Ford (Convener, Kristy Engel's MPT)

Last Week's Experiences in Haiti

2010-02-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

We left late on Monday (January 25) for the second week of medical clinics in the tent cities of Port au Prince. We had a team of 15 with us from the University of Massachusetts and others from Connecticut, Maine and California. In addition, a group of Dominican physicians and volunteers joined the team to help us organize and work in the clinics.

As we loaded our 50-passenger tour bus at the hospital, we were told that we would soon be switching buses because a different bus was responsible for taking us to the border. When we arrived to the location for the bus switch, the new bus had not yet arrived. We had to wait about 45 minutes for its arrival and then moved all of our bags before departing again for the border. A small delay, but we were on the way!

Just outside of Santo Domingo, an engine alarm sounded on the bus and we pulled over only to discover that the fan belt had shredded, and we had to wait for yet another bus to be driven to us from La Romana so that we could continue our trip. This time we had to wait three hours! By about 5:00 a.m. the second "new" bus arrived and, once again, we switched the bags and continued on our journey.

With several hours left to drive, we realized we would miss the border crossing with security. Although we wondered how that would be, it posed no problem. Over the next few hours with stops for bathroom breaks and coffee, the traffic became thicker and after so long on the road, several began getting car sick. We eventually left one doctor with a pastor friend of ours in Jimani because he was too sick to make the rest of the trip into Haiti.

Two hours more and we finally arrived where we were staying in Haiti. Although the reconstruction of the building still was not finished, we went ahead and loaded up some trucks with our medical supplies and headed out to our first clinic. (Several were praying that our "home away from home" would be finished by the time we returned!) After seeing over 200 patients the first day in a tent city with more than 2000 people (which had doubled in size since our visit the previous week!) we returned to the dorm to find it freshly painted and cleaned. It was a sight for sore eyes and tired bodies! A construction crew worked all week to make new bathrooms for us and to make sure that we were as comfortable as possible. The cooks from the mission in La Romana were with us to make sure we were all being fed.

The second day, I worked with an ER doc from UMass to triage patients in the tent city of Da Da Dou in Del Mas 3. She and I saw several cases of pneumonia in kids as well as a lot of malnutrition. This tent city had also doubled in size and was home to several thousand people. One of our American nurses had a cardiac problem during the clinic and, with the help of the Haitian police, we were able to transport her to the University of Miami field hospital at the Port-au-Prince Airport. When we walked into the hospital, I saw a familiar face - a surgeon I worked with in Limbe, Haiti but hadn't seen in over 12 years! Dr. Mike Sheehan yelled my name across the tent and we smiled as we laughed at how strange it was to meet again like this. He helped to make sure that our patient was well and had the medicines she needed, and then helped to coordinate future care that we might need at their hospital. While we were there they found out they were out of Rocephin and, wouldn't you know it, we had several thousand dollars of Rocephin back at the compound that we weren't using! We told them we would bring it and they were very happy! We returned to the hospital the next day with the medicines and also brought wheelchairs with us that were very welcome. We traded these supplies for our much needed vitamins.

The next day we saw over 200 patients again and on the final day we saw 300. Overall, we saw almost 1000 patients in four days. I had several meetings with important figures that want to help with our work as well as making connections with medical facilities and supply centers. It was an amazing and tiring week for all.

We return to Haiti again tonight (February 1)with another large group of 50+ people. We will continue to run medical clinics and do food distribution. (In the photo at right, Pastor Bob Beaumont is delivering much needed food to a family.) Over the next several weeks, we still need doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to help fill the needs of our medical clinics. If you are able to help in those areas, please contact Angela Sudermann (angela.sudermann@abc-usa.org). Your prayers and financial support are also still very much needed. If you are interested in donating funds to this project, please share your gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering through an American Baptist Church (with "Haiti relief" on the memo line) or give online (click here). Another way to donate is through the mission hospital in La Romana (click here) Please continue to support this work that will build bridges between the DR and Haiti as well as uplift those who are so desperate to know you care!

Many blessings,
Kristy

Associated Baptist Press Article

2010-01-28T10:09:00.001-08:00

As most of you are aware, Kristy again returned to Haiti this week with another medical team, including many from the U.S., including the UMass. Although the fan belt broke for the bus they were riding in - at 3 a.m.! -and put them behind schedule for about 3 hours, they were still allowed to cross into Haiti without any problems. Prayers for their ministry, health and safety are appreciated.

Although the dates are incorrect, the Associated Baptist Press provided a nice article on Kristy's ministry. CLICK HERE

Continue to check the International Ministries' website for current information. CLICK HERE

Posted by Rev. Soozi Whitten Ford (Convener, Kristy's Missionary Partnership Team)

Wednesday Morning Update

2010-01-20T05:29:00.001-08:00

Two medical staff, Denny Morachel and Jean Claude Succes, returned to La Romana late last night with a few patients from Haiti. Denny reports that all is well and that the team saw about 500 patients yesterday afternoon prior to his departure, and that they expected to see approximately 200-300 more. Denny is pictured here with one of the patients.

Cell phone service remains nonexistent and the team reports that they are fine following the aftershocks this morning. Your continuing prayers for the team are appreciated.
posted by Soozi Whitten Ford on behalf of Kristy and her MPT.

Tuesday's Update

2010-01-19T17:05:00.001-08:00

Kristy and team departed from Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana just before midnight on Monday. Traveling on two large commercial buses, there are approximately 80 persons on this team as Kristy has described in her previous post (below). Ten trucks with food, medicine, and medical supplies departed earlier in the evening, anticipating longer travel time over difficult and hilly roads. Volunteer personnel in La Romana were notified that the team arrived safely in Haiti before 8 a.m. this morning.

Your prayers for endurance, safety, and wise decisions will be very much appreciated as this team ministers in Jesus' name over the next few days. Also, pray for the volunteer medical personnel journeying from the U.S. who will be arriving in La Romana this weekend in preparation for the second team, departing next Tuesday.

(posted by Rev. Soozi Whitten Ford, on behalf of Kristy's Missionary Partnership Team)

date correction

2010-01-17T17:21:00.001-08:00

I have a date correction....the third trip to Haiti will be on Feb. 2nd not the 3rd. Thanks!

Update #3

2010-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here's the most recent news...
I am heading to Port-au-Prince with a group of 75 individuals (about 30 medical personnel) and we will be running 3 different clinics in approximately the same area. We will be setting a limit of consultations each day and my job will be to manage and help run the three clinics. I will not be doing consults as I'll be needed for questions and administrative duties that running the clinics entail. We will have one American volunteer with us, Dr. Bob Chagrasulis, who has a long history of working with us in La Romana and much experience in trauma surgery. As far as we know, this trip will not include surgery but there are many things a trauma surgeon can do to help, especially when he speaks French and some Spanish!
We will be bringing around 6 trucks with food and medicine to be donated and used in the clinic. The food distribution will happen in a separate location and involve many of the individuals that are not medically related. The 75 of us will travel in buses to the border and then cross together with a security detail. We will be met on the other side (in Haiti) with another security detail to help with the escort into Port-au-Prince. Pastor Coulange, the Haitian pastor we will be working with, is coming to La Romana tomorrow to cross the border into Haiti with the group of volunteers. We are planning a second medical trip on January 26th which I will also lead and another on February 3rd. The trips on the 26th and the 3rd will contain many American physicians, NP's, nurses and EMT's. At this time we are not taking non-medical volunteers. The trip on the 26th is already full and headed up by physicians associated with UMass. We will also bring other Dominican staff at that time.
MANY have asked how they can help. The best answer I can give you right now is two-fold. First, we need your prayers. Prayers for safety and strength as this will be a very difficult voyage for all of us on both an emotional and physical level. Second, we need your finances. For us to purchase the medicine and cover our transportation across the border and back (it's a 7 hour trip or longer, depending on the roads) we really need the finances to make this easy. There are a couple of ways that your money can directly come to the work that we are doing. First, online donations can be made on www.laromana.org and this will directly go to an account that the hospital can access. The other way is through International Ministries, the mission I work with, also through online donations at: www.internationalministries.org. I know that financially things are very difficult for many of you but I ask that you be generous. Each of you know me and my reputation as well as the reputation of the mission in which I work. Please believe that we are trying to do the best for those who are most needy and we want to provide all of the needed services we can but this does cost money. Clothing donations are not currently being taken but if you are traveling with a medical team that can bring extra medications to our site, that would be wonderful. If you are not part of a mission team but would like to join one, International Ministries would be glad to help connect you with a team that is coming. You can find information about volunteering at their site above.
Again, thank you for your prayers and for your concern. I believe there are many things that have happened to make sure that I was right here at exactly this time to be able to serve in the ways that God has gifted me. Your continued support helps to keep me here and make this work possible. Many blessings and I will update you when I return from Haiti on Saturday.
Remember, Do what you can, with what you've got, in the moment you're given. That's all that we're called to do.

Haiti update from La Romana #1

2010-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here is the first update on La Romana, Dominican Republic and our efforts to help with the earthquake disaster in Haiti.
For more information: www.internationalministries.org

Kristy Engel, MSN, CPNP

video link

2009-02-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
If you're interested in watching some videos of the work that we do here, please check out this YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/laromanadreamin

more pictures of life in the bateyes

2009-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

a few pictures of the kids I work with

2009-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Just the beginning...

2009-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

I am just starting out with this "blog" thing but hope to use it to keep people up-to-date with the happenings in my life and in La Romana. If you know me well, you also know I am not very good at journaling and keeping in touch but will try to do what I can to make this better. Maybe this blog will help with that!
What I'd like to do with this blog is keep those people who know me and support the work I'm involved in, updated with where I am traveling and speaking as well as what work is going on in the Dominican Republic. Please let me know what information you would like from me.
Soon, I will be able to start posting a schedule for my US Assignment during 2009 and early 2010. For those who are new to this, I am scheduled to leave La Romana and return to the US for visits with churches, universities and other groups to talk about the mission work in La Romana. A big part of this is also to raise funds....soooooooo if you are interested, please check out the International Ministries website on the side of this blog and make a donation. Your donations keep me here doing the work I do!
Well, since this is just the beginning, I think I'll close. Again, thank you for all you do to help the work here in La Romana and hopefully I will get to see you during my travels in the US.
Blessings!!