Dominican Republic Day 6-Tuesday

Before going on to Tuesday, I need to tell you about Monday night. After 3 days in the village Roy and I came home and had the opportunity to tell our testimonies and stories to the GAP students. (There were 13 GAP  students age 18-25 who live overseas for 9 months. They take Spanish classes, Bible classes and work with the missionaries. Most of them have a heart for missions and are seeking what God would have them do.) We got to share about how we served singly on the fields of Ethiopia and Senegal. I really enjoyed watching how our stories complimented each other. 

After that we had our team devotions (yep, it felt like a really long night!). Jim shared devotions with our team and challenged us to be more intentional in seeking the Lord throughout the day. We decided to pray together as a team before leaving and to be more intentional in sharing spiritually with folks as we walked throughout the village. THEN we got to go to bed for a super-restful night. 

Tuesday morning we were up and ready for another day. We prayed together and headed out to another village, Los Montones. On the way out we stopped by an agricultural store and looked at some of the medicines that were available to the local people with their active ingredients, where they were made, etc. We purchased a some wound sprays and antibiotics to add to our drug inventory. It also helped us know what we could recommend to the local people. 

The farm store

A good medicinal find (antibiotic)

Vets get excited looking at all the medicines!

SCORE had worked in the village of Los Montones for over 10 years. It had been a dark village with a lot of voodoo. In a few years the village changed and the crime has lowered also. It was also the first school in the nation to get 100% children in attendance. Two of our translators, Kike and Felix grew up here and their father pastors the church. 

The church building at Los Montones

 We went door to door introducing ourselves, shared the reason why we were there and asked about their animal health needs in the area and invited them to bring animals that needed treated to the church. The first house we went to was Ridell's house. He preaches at the church often and was in a wheelchair. I got the privilege to pray together with him for the area.

Visiting with Ridell at his house. We treated all of his chickens before we left.

We were looking forward to the next house as it was supposed to have lots of goats there. We visited with the lady of the home. The goats had been sold for fear that they would be stolen. (Theft of animals is a real concern here.) Roy had the opportunity to pray for her and she asked that her son would get a job. (Seeing Roy minister was one of the biggest highlights of my trip!) Unfortunately I didn't get a photo at that house.

Amidst our house visits we stopped at a small little shop--support local!--and we got some sodas to drink.

As we continued to go door-to-door, 2 of the Dominican vet students we met on Friday joined us. Here is Julio helping to examine a dog. Later on in the day they got to help with some of the dog spay and neuter surgeries.

Bonnelyn and Julio examining a lady's dog and placing a flea collar.

 

After going door to door we had ham sandwiches and regrouped for the afternoon. Roy and I were tasked with finding kids to do a teaching. We went down to the local school. The teachers showed up late and gave us permission to take the kids down to the meadow outside of the church.

McNelly and Roy leading the kids

Jim just lassoed this young colt that hadn't been halter broke yet.

Jim (our pastor/hoof trimmer/horse trainer) did a neat lesson using a colt that had never been halter broken on how to work with horses in a friendly manner so that it learns gently and not fearfully. He shared on how God wants to be the children’s friend also and shared the gospel with the kids.

Jim with the relaxed colt and one of the kids.

Our translator, McNelly and I

Did I mention that Dominicans like baseball?

Roy found a tractor!

Dan and Roy--farmers admiring a plow

Yucca is one of the crops we learned about

Sugar cane is a big crop in DR. Workers in the field get paid $1.50 per week.

When we got back to the SCORE compound that night we met up for praise and worship with others who were staying there, including the GAP students and an American youth group of 50 kids. (We appreciated the 10:30 pm curfew because we are getting old and the youth have lots of midnight energy.)

 

Dominican Republic Day 5-Monday

Monday morning Roy and I went to the preschool class and taught about safety around dogs. (No photos--although the kids were really cute and they loved their coloring books that we brought them.)

Meanwhile others of us were treating animals that we hadn't gotten to the day before.

This calf was getting treated for joint ill (an infection in its joint)

Dan and a little mute boy watching the calf recover.

Isn't he cute?

Here Wayne is getting ready to float a horse's teeth. (File down the sharp points of the teeth.)

Bill, Peggy & Sandy are getting ready to spay the missionary's dog.

 Finally as we were getting ready to leave, it started raining. I'll spare you the picture of the boys taking full advantage of it and taking a shower, soaping up in their underwear.

Waiting while the rain clouds are coming.

 After we packed up, we went to a second village for the afternoon, La Riconada. Once again, we went door to door introducing ourselves and then treated animals as necessary.

I'm making friends with one of the dogs.

Bill's giving advice on a puppy through Kike, one of our translators.

Our translators were awesome! I enjoyed seeing them work with the people to not only give instructions for taking care of the animals, but they also got to know the people and even took the opportunity to share the gospel on their own initiative. They have a huge ministry to the villagers and have a great heart to see them saved!

3 of our translators: McNelly, Kike (Key-kay) and Daniel

Did I mention this was cowboy area? Here's a group of horsemen stopping on their way through the village. 

 While working at the church an ice cream truck stopped by. One of our leaders, Jeff bought us all ice cream. What a treat!

Roy & I enjoying our popsicles on the hot day.

Lots of folks stopped by while we were at the church...some with animals in tow.

 

 This following calf was in pretty rough shape. It was found in a swamp and when no one pulled it out, our team brought it to the church and treated it.

 It was pretty out of it at first, but with a little sunshine and TLC it started to perk up.

Here we are giving it some oral fluids to rehydrate it.

 I'm  not sure if our calf ended up making it or not, but we sure did give it a fighting chance to survive.

Roy and Kike bringing us some refreshing water on a hot day.

After 3 days in the villages and 2 nights sleeping on church benches we were ready to head back to the SCORE headquarters for real showers, AC and a nice bed. On the way home we passed several Major League Baseball training camps.  These are AAA affiliates where local Domincans are groomed and discovered to play in baseball in America. (Can you tell that is Roy's comment? :-))

 

 Home sweet home! We slept super good this night!

Dominican Republic Day 4-Sunday

I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning. We had been invited to a house during milking time and I didn't want to miss it. (Thankfully milking time in DR is about 7 AM and not earlier :-) )

Dan, our dairy farmer and Roy milking a cow.

Normally they stimulate the cow to let down her milk with a calf, but sometimes they used an injection of oxytocin.That was a new one for me. 

These guys were Latino cowboys and used their horses and ropes to round up the cows and horses.

 Since we had church the night before, we didn't have a service on Sunday. We had invited people to come with their animals to be treated at 8 AM, and so by the time we got back there were owners of chickens, pigs, goats, horses all waiting patiently. First, I became a chicken doc.

Ethical dilemma of a vet. Treating a chicken that they use for cock fights. That was a first for me. While I don't agree with it, it was one way that these villagers made an income. Cock fighting is legal in the DR.

Then I went back to my Iowa roots and became a pig doc.

What's wrong with your pig?

Then I became a goat doc and treated this nasty ol' wound on this goat. We were happy to find that the leg didn't seem broken, and that the infection didn't go into the joint.

Meanwhile others were teaching on horse hoof care, and visiting dairy farms and advising on things like planting corn (It's best to put 1 seed per hole and not 5!).

Teaching about horse feet.

Overall, the animals seemed to be in pretty good shape. Those that seemed to be the worse off were the nursing mothers. We did a lot of teaching about the importance of feeding these mothers more to meet their nutritional needs. This pig was pretty run down. Here she's licking up her dewormer in a slurry of local soda.

The patient isn't quite recovered from surgery. Don't worry, that's what a motorcycle is for!

Took this photo for my nephews, Ben & Luke. The kids were having the time of their life pushing this motorcycle around with the motor off!

 

 That's the way our day went. Lots of animals! And then a night of sharing with our teammates & translators followed by sleeping on the church benches.