It was a VERY FULL DAY...we did get a little later start & only had to be on the bus at 8:30 to go to the hospital. I went with the Team Leaders to see the local Pediatric ICU (I am not a Team Leader but my Intensivist Jacob from Norway - this is his first mission & he asked me to go with). If a child had to go to a higher level of care Op smile always contracts with an ICU in the area. They vary in sophistication & ability based on the location (some have been pretty scary) but this one was actually at a "Hospital de Infantil" or the only Children's Hospital on the island & was pretty good. They had 10 Pediatric ICU beds & decent equipment so that was reassuring - hopefully we have no need for it.
The Medical Hospital de Policia is where we are at & it's not far from there. It is a new government hospital and is actually quite nice. Our recovery room is small but we can fir 4 beds in there. Orquida, Alma & I got as much set up done as we could in about 2 hours -my Spanglish is already improving & I am going to try to just speak Spanish to them...mostly because they don't understand English - pretty sure I will slaughter the language! We will have 2 translators in the Recovery Room with us so for parent conversations I will use them. We will have a few hours on Monday to finish the "detail set up" while the first cases get started.
I keep saying I am in Central/South America - seriously bad at geography - & my sister is a college geography teacher! I guess really I am in the Caribbean and there is a heavy Spanish & French influence in this country. There are dogs laying in the street everywhere...they don't bark or bother you they are just laying around sleeping mostly.
After set up I came back to the hotel & had made plans to meet the Santo Domingo Mission President & his wife - The Smiths at the Santo Domingo Temple. I arrived about 30 min before they did just so I could enjoy the temple grounds. My taxi driver asked if I was Mormon & I said yeas he said the Temple is the most beautiful building on the island & that Mormons always dress nicely...in my Spanglish I thanked him! Within 5 min of arriving on the grounds I felt a flood of emotions...the temple is a big part of the help needed here. I thought of the children's song - I Love to See the Temple and I felt a great sense of peace and also order - that temples dot the earth to bless everyone. I felt so fortunate to be having this experience & just walked around the grounds. A small bus pulled up to the temple & the youth & leaders just kept getting out - it mush have been packed. One of the women greeted me with a hug & kiss on the cheek as she walked by.
The Smiths met me there at 3 & it seems like we drove forever - it wasn't really that far but the traffic here is HORRIBLE! Pres. Smith said there is a list of the top 10 most dangerous places to drive & Santo Domingo is 3 or 4 after Qatar & Kuwait etc
So here in the DR most relationships are common law as in 90%. People just don't get married here or value marriage. Some have been together 30 years & have children & grandchildren but feel no need to be married. In some churches it doesn't matter if a couple is married but in the LDS Church you cannot be baptized if you are living together & not married. So families have had their children baptized but the parent are not - some have attended church for many years & are "dry Mormons" aka fully participate but not baptized. In order for these couples to be baptized they need to first get married. It is very expensive to get birth records & you physically have to go get them in the area you were born - The DR only began Electronic Records in 1978. Plus if one of the couple is from Haiti (the other half of the Island) you have to go to Haiti & get the records there - which are still paper & many lost in the storms etc. So the process is time consuming & cumbersome and on top of that very expensive. If both people are from the DR it is about $100 but if one is from Haiti it is $200. with the majority of families brining in about $200/month that is a tremendous financial burden or something they have to save for & then if another need comes up that money is used for that.
So when I contacted the Mission President about needs this was the primary one he & his wife identified - removing the roadblocks for people to be married, baptized & then go to the temple by providing the funds for them to be married. With friends we committed to helping & I believe at least 10 couples - more if some are both from the DR will be getting married & baptized in the next 2 weeks. The Smiths & a pair of missionaries Elder Martinez from Temecula & Elder Lanzas from Panama took me to meet the Lopez family. The father works for the government but still the $200 was a lot for them as they raise 4 children Palmela who is 18, Junior who is 16, Francelsa who is 11 & Camilla who is 8. They have been coming to church for several years & they were lovely people & had prepared juice & crackers for our arrival. we visited a bit & I did get to tell them that I have generous friends who want to help others both within the church & the good people in the DR in general. I told them that I believe families are forever & I have wonderful people in my area who recognize that we are all brothers & sisters & or family we wanted to help them get baptized & go to the temple - the same way we would help our own family at home. I of course was emotional as I shared that because yet again I never know what God has in store for me outside the Op Smile mission & I couldn't have imagined this - they will be married next Fri March 9th & Baptized on March 11th. I truly believe that if you take the first step not knowing what you are to do God will guide your path. There are several other couples they are offering to help - one was married today a bit away from us & the sister missionaries were having a wedding party for them. I will likely never see of=r meet these people nor will my generous friends but that doesn't matter - we are doing good & providing the help that is needed. (Although Sis Smith said she would send me some photos as she could)
They introduced me to a few other missionaries one was from Honduras where I have been - we talked about the corruptness of that country & the drug lords there - his parents are not members of the church - his dad is a carpenter & he got a call demanding a certain amount of money or they would kill his son (the missionary) the dad said he had no money & they told him to sell his tools which he did then he could not do his work as a carpenter. A year later they came back again asking for money & this time told him to sell his house or they would kill his son & he again complied. Just as he was building his life back his son decided to go on a mission so they would not have anyone to "ransom" but he is due to go home next month & knows that these people will know when he returns so he is fearful for his life...I could barely handle hearing the story much less living it - I have seen a lot but I still don't understand the trials people have in so many countries. Yet here was this young man serving others in another country. They introduced me to another missionary who came here from Haiti & came with only one pair of pants & one white shirt that he washed every night for the next day. As other missionaries left they have given him shirts & if they didn't fit he has tailored them himself to make them fit. I asked that we be allowed to help him with clothes & he declined but I insisted saying we mom's in the US want him to not have to do so much laundry :)
Some people here live by selling fruit & water on the streets or trying to wash car windows when you stop just hoping for 20 pesos (about 10 cents). The church has many members here but it is hard for them to attend church always as many people work 7 days a week or even have day & night jobs. There are 8 Stakes (like Diocese) here. The Smiths are from Florida & have been leading this mission with 157 missionaries for 8 months since last July. I was so grateful they took the time to spend with me & they were so grateful for the generosity of the people in So Cal. They said "this comes at a perfect time when we have needed something to assist these families move forward & this will change lives and change families eternally - Sister Kraus you are not here by chance". I had 2 other missions fall thru, & recently another future mission fall thru but I always seem to end up where I am supposed to be. God's hand is in the details of ALL of our lives - mine & the people of Santo Domingo & for that I am grateful.
I got back in time for our Pre-Surgery Team mtg - 3 hours - but it is all part of doing what we do safely & well :) Called my family for a lively conversation with Doug, Kelli, Sarah & baby K & off to bed. I am going to get to go to church in the morning! I am feeling immensely grateful to have the ability to be a conduit of others goodness & generosity...I am truly blessed
The Medical Hospital de Policia is where we are at & it's not far from there. It is a new government hospital and is actually quite nice. Our recovery room is small but we can fir 4 beds in there. Orquida, Alma & I got as much set up done as we could in about 2 hours -my Spanglish is already improving & I am going to try to just speak Spanish to them...mostly because they don't understand English - pretty sure I will slaughter the language! We will have 2 translators in the Recovery Room with us so for parent conversations I will use them. We will have a few hours on Monday to finish the "detail set up" while the first cases get started.
I keep saying I am in Central/South America - seriously bad at geography - & my sister is a college geography teacher! I guess really I am in the Caribbean and there is a heavy Spanish & French influence in this country. There are dogs laying in the street everywhere...they don't bark or bother you they are just laying around sleeping mostly.
After set up I came back to the hotel & had made plans to meet the Santo Domingo Mission President & his wife - The Smiths at the Santo Domingo Temple. I arrived about 30 min before they did just so I could enjoy the temple grounds. My taxi driver asked if I was Mormon & I said yeas he said the Temple is the most beautiful building on the island & that Mormons always dress nicely...in my Spanglish I thanked him! Within 5 min of arriving on the grounds I felt a flood of emotions...the temple is a big part of the help needed here. I thought of the children's song - I Love to See the Temple and I felt a great sense of peace and also order - that temples dot the earth to bless everyone. I felt so fortunate to be having this experience & just walked around the grounds. A small bus pulled up to the temple & the youth & leaders just kept getting out - it mush have been packed. One of the women greeted me with a hug & kiss on the cheek as she walked by.
The Smiths met me there at 3 & it seems like we drove forever - it wasn't really that far but the traffic here is HORRIBLE! Pres. Smith said there is a list of the top 10 most dangerous places to drive & Santo Domingo is 3 or 4 after Qatar & Kuwait etc
So here in the DR most relationships are common law as in 90%. People just don't get married here or value marriage. Some have been together 30 years & have children & grandchildren but feel no need to be married. In some churches it doesn't matter if a couple is married but in the LDS Church you cannot be baptized if you are living together & not married. So families have had their children baptized but the parent are not - some have attended church for many years & are "dry Mormons" aka fully participate but not baptized. In order for these couples to be baptized they need to first get married. It is very expensive to get birth records & you physically have to go get them in the area you were born - The DR only began Electronic Records in 1978. Plus if one of the couple is from Haiti (the other half of the Island) you have to go to Haiti & get the records there - which are still paper & many lost in the storms etc. So the process is time consuming & cumbersome and on top of that very expensive. If both people are from the DR it is about $100 but if one is from Haiti it is $200. with the majority of families brining in about $200/month that is a tremendous financial burden or something they have to save for & then if another need comes up that money is used for that.
So when I contacted the Mission President about needs this was the primary one he & his wife identified - removing the roadblocks for people to be married, baptized & then go to the temple by providing the funds for them to be married. With friends we committed to helping & I believe at least 10 couples - more if some are both from the DR will be getting married & baptized in the next 2 weeks. The Smiths & a pair of missionaries Elder Martinez from Temecula & Elder Lanzas from Panama took me to meet the Lopez family. The father works for the government but still the $200 was a lot for them as they raise 4 children Palmela who is 18, Junior who is 16, Francelsa who is 11 & Camilla who is 8. They have been coming to church for several years & they were lovely people & had prepared juice & crackers for our arrival. we visited a bit & I did get to tell them that I have generous friends who want to help others both within the church & the good people in the DR in general. I told them that I believe families are forever & I have wonderful people in my area who recognize that we are all brothers & sisters & or family we wanted to help them get baptized & go to the temple - the same way we would help our own family at home. I of course was emotional as I shared that because yet again I never know what God has in store for me outside the Op Smile mission & I couldn't have imagined this - they will be married next Fri March 9th & Baptized on March 11th. I truly believe that if you take the first step not knowing what you are to do God will guide your path. There are several other couples they are offering to help - one was married today a bit away from us & the sister missionaries were having a wedding party for them. I will likely never see of=r meet these people nor will my generous friends but that doesn't matter - we are doing good & providing the help that is needed. (Although Sis Smith said she would send me some photos as she could)
They introduced me to a few other missionaries one was from Honduras where I have been - we talked about the corruptness of that country & the drug lords there - his parents are not members of the church - his dad is a carpenter & he got a call demanding a certain amount of money or they would kill his son (the missionary) the dad said he had no money & they told him to sell his tools which he did then he could not do his work as a carpenter. A year later they came back again asking for money & this time told him to sell his house or they would kill his son & he again complied. Just as he was building his life back his son decided to go on a mission so they would not have anyone to "ransom" but he is due to go home next month & knows that these people will know when he returns so he is fearful for his life...I could barely handle hearing the story much less living it - I have seen a lot but I still don't understand the trials people have in so many countries. Yet here was this young man serving others in another country. They introduced me to another missionary who came here from Haiti & came with only one pair of pants & one white shirt that he washed every night for the next day. As other missionaries left they have given him shirts & if they didn't fit he has tailored them himself to make them fit. I asked that we be allowed to help him with clothes & he declined but I insisted saying we mom's in the US want him to not have to do so much laundry :)
Some people here live by selling fruit & water on the streets or trying to wash car windows when you stop just hoping for 20 pesos (about 10 cents). The church has many members here but it is hard for them to attend church always as many people work 7 days a week or even have day & night jobs. There are 8 Stakes (like Diocese) here. The Smiths are from Florida & have been leading this mission with 157 missionaries for 8 months since last July. I was so grateful they took the time to spend with me & they were so grateful for the generosity of the people in So Cal. They said "this comes at a perfect time when we have needed something to assist these families move forward & this will change lives and change families eternally - Sister Kraus you are not here by chance". I had 2 other missions fall thru, & recently another future mission fall thru but I always seem to end up where I am supposed to be. God's hand is in the details of ALL of our lives - mine & the people of Santo Domingo & for that I am grateful.
I got back in time for our Pre-Surgery Team mtg - 3 hours - but it is all part of doing what we do safely & well :) Called my family for a lively conversation with Doug, Kelli, Sarah & baby K & off to bed. I am going to get to go to church in the morning! I am feeling immensely grateful to have the ability to be a conduit of others goodness & generosity...I am truly blessed
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