Women s heart health day
Ξ February 7th, 2009 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |
Cevicos: A journey of faith, hope and love
Less than 48 hours on the ground coming off another powerful week of mission work in Cevicos, Dominican Republic, I am this year, as in years past, exhausted physically and mentally but as alive as possible in my faith in God.
As I departed for Cevicos, as part of the Holy Family Parish Mission, with 12 other missionaries on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 10, I did so with a broken and empty heart. I have never felt so anxious, unsure and scared at what I would face on the other end of our American Airlines flight. Solanyi, a beautiful and driven young lady I had been mentoring for the past six years and who was my personal face of Cevicos, was killed in a car accident on Oct. 9. I was going back to Cevicos in large part to mourn her loss with her family and friends, and also to try to restore my faith in all that is good.
There is a more powerful call that we all are answering, that is to open our hearts to serving God’s poor. Our missionary team was prepared to do just that as we aimed to deliver medical and dental care to as many people as we could during our time in Cevicos.
Clinically, we were able to deliver medical and dental care to close to 500 people spread over four separate clinics that we held. We carried with us 15 suitcases or duffle bags of medical supplies, donated by caring partners in our missionary work or purchased by those of us making this journey. Getting what we need, when and where we need it, is no small feat. Somehow, it all works out in the end.
Our trip this year also marked the commencement of the 10th anniversary of our mission in Cevicos. A tree has grown from the seed planted by Deacon Bill Kane back in 1999. What is going on with our fellow Cevicans is powerful beyond words and as the week unfolded we would learn just how we are impacting the lives of those we touch.
meeting medical needs
Our first clinic was held in our clinic building in Cevicos. With the help of five wonderful teenagers from the community and of course, the sisters of Las Hermanas Dominicas de Fatima, we delivered a very orderly day of medical and dental services to over 150 people. The health issues ranged from high blood pressure, high blood sugar, infections of various parts of the body to parasites caused by the non-potable water these people are forced to consume. We carry meds to treat just about all of these issues. Dental care was focused on teeth that were rotted beyond repair due to lack of basic dental maintenance and diet. Teeth were extracted with professional care and people left with minimal discomfort.
Our second and third clinics were held in small campos, villages, on the outskirts of Cevicos. These villages are home to people who are poorer than poor and due to location, have little to no access to any medical care or supplies. They greet us with arms opened wide and smiles that would brighten any dark day.
As we welcomed people early in the day, we waved goodbye to many of them well into the afternoon as it just takes that long to process people through a clinic given the throngs awaiting us. The patience and grace these people exhibit waiting to see “el doctor or el dentista” is an example all of us impatient types could learn from.
Our final clinic was a half-day clinic on our last day in Cevicos, intended to see specific people who had requested time with the doctor or dentist. With few exceptions, the clinical side of the mission was abundantly successful.
sharing spirituality
What moved me on this trip was not the clinical aspect of what we do; it was the faith-based side of our journey. Those of us who are blessed to have been part of a trip to Cevicos find ourselves asking a very basic question, “are we making a difference, are we helping these beautiful people?”
For me, that question was emphatically and passionately answered on this trip, honestly, not during any medical clinic, but by spending time with the people. We had the opportunity to do community faith sharing with some families in a small building, dimly lit and filled only with plastic chairs, not nearly enough to allow all who attended to sit. One by one, members of this very poor community gave testimony to how God serves as the center of their lives and that it is their faith in God which allows them to survive the rigors of life, steeped in profound poverty.
What they all went on to say is that our mission has given them the gift of hope. They can feel the love pour out of us when we are with them and that gives them hope. They have hope and faith that Go …
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