Serving in LaRomana 2013

Good Sam

Here’s a picture of the Good Samaritan Hospital when we left last February. Kelsey and Emma Lepore will be traveling to LaRomana, Dominican Republic on Saturday, January 5 and will be adding pictures and stories of their journey. Tristen Domingues, AnneMarie Bausserman, Richard Lepore and Susan Lepore will be traveling to LaRomana on Saturday, January 19 and will add more insights. Please keep these individuals and the people they are traveling with in your prayers.

January 19 – Day 1
bus in DR
We have arrived in the Dominican Republic. The school bus is here. The sun is shining. The temp is in the 80s.

January 20 – Day 2

BreakfastPancakes, bacon and fresh pineapple for breakfast, followed by the hour trip through the sugar cane for church on a batay. Anne Marie and Tristin arrived about 7 after missing the flight on Saturday and stepping out in faith that everything would come together and they would get here. God is good.
church The service on the batay is in Creole and the men and women still sit on opposite sides of the church. Following the service some of the kids lead us on a tour of the batay. The cook fires were going and the chickens being plucked – literally. After lunch we traveled to the beach for a little relaxation before the work begins tomorrow. The evening included another church service before the group returned to the compound to watch the football game.

January 21 – Day 3

The work begins. After my favorite LaRomana breakfast of oatmeal and pineapple we headed out to the batay and hospital. Anne Marie joined the medical team and worked in the pharmacy on the batay. Tristin, Richard and Susan headed to the hospital. Tristin and Richard played in the sand while Susan painted the curb, a job she did 10 years ago.

The plan is to have half the third floor ready for occupancy by the end of the year. There was much sifting and moving of sand, mixing of cement and moving of cement blocks. Tristin maned the pulley for part of the day.

January 22 – Day 4
It was a sand and pulley day at the hospital. Richard and Susan both spent the day moving things to the third floor: concrete blocks, wheelbarrows, bags of cemento, sand, gravel. Anne Marie and Tristin went to the batay today. Anne Marie continued in the pharmacy and Tristin entertained kids to keep them away from the medical clinic. They love to hang around the Americanos hoping to get something.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

January 23 – Day 5
20130123-193154.jpg An interesting day here in LaRomana. It seems the Maine group brought a virus with them. It started with one sick man and had spread today to 8 others, but this evening most of the seem on the mend this evening. Susan spent the day playing pharmacist at the batay and the rest of the FBCIA crew moving sand and painting lines in the hospital parking lot.

Many of the people in the batays today were being treated for infections and high blood pressure and we gave away lots of glasses.
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The evening ended at the beach with dinner and a short service on the beach. at sunset. A beautiful ending to a good day.

January 24 – Day 6
Heavy duty construction today. We started by moving gravel up and moving sand for cemento. Then of course we had to mix the cemento and move blocks to go with the cemento, When the gravel movers went to the front of the building to help with cemento, a dump truck of and snuck in followed by two truck loads of cement blocks. Anne Marie went back to her pharmacy position and all reports were that this batay was very nice – of course it’s all relative. But the kids actually returned the Frisbee they were playing with instead of taking it home – very unusual. Tonight is pizza night and then we have to think about packing up. The week goes so quickly!

January 26 – Day 7
A good last day. Lots of sand moved and concrete made and poured and over 200 patients seen in the medical clinic in the barrio. The evening was party time featuring the Maranatha Band, cake and ice cream. It has been a great week with the folks from Maine and Iowa.

The final stats were over 900 patients seen by the medical clinic, over 1000 people treated for worms. The construction team moved 80 tons worth of gravel, sand, rebar, and cemento from the ground to the third floor and made and poured 4 tons of concrete. The hugs, smiles, blessings and handshakes were not counted, possibly because our math isn’t adequate. Tomorrow we travel to separate places, but a part of us will remain here and we will always be connnected.

Kelsey and Emma in LaRomana



Kelsey and Emma Lepore just spent their third day in the
Dominican Republic working on the construction team. Here are two pictures. The first picture is of the hospital, and the second picture is of the team pulling sand and blocks to the third floor of the hospital. These materials will be used to construct the interior walls.