Almost here!

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. Things have been coming along great and I have really exciting news!! One of my favorite physical therapists, Deanna, will be coming on the trip. This is a HUGE blessing because Deanna is so talented at putting things together and she is super handy with tools. She will be a great help and I am so lucky to be going with her and sharing this experience with her.

I am starting to pack tonight..our little team of 3 leave one week from Thursday on the 5 am flight! Pray for smooth travels because we only have a 50 minute layover in Atlanta and there is only 1 flight/day to Santo Domingo.

Lots of other donations have come in and I just spoke with a coordinator for ME who was asking about final touches for some of the equipment being built (stairs, balance beam, etc). I can't believe years of planning is coming down to just a little more then 1 week away.

Last little bit of info...I tracked down a PT from the DR who I met 4 years ago when I was working with one of the children. He is a great PT who was so eager to learn what we did here for PT. I left a message where he works now and I am excited to hopefully get to bring him to our clinic to maybe help out a little bit. I think it will be great to have a PT contact in the DR! He is the one in the scrubs in this picture.

If you would like to make last minute donations, please do so through the paypal tab because I can access that much faster than waiting for the target toys to get here.

Thank you everyone for your support and I will update when we return!!!

The Mural Project

The blank walls of the therapy gym need some help!!...so Lindsey Meyer will be coming along to lead a group to give the walls some life!! She is in the process of designing the mural and getting the supplies together.  It is going to be such a blessing for all the children and families.  

A little history...

Lindsey and I met during the first week at U of A when we pledged Kappa together.  Years later, we both ended up marrying guys from the same high school in Dallas.  So, we are lucky to be back together living in Dallas!! 

 

I am thrilled that we will be traveling together and working on this project together. 

Here is her support letter.  If you would like to support her, you can send the support to 4122 Herschel Ave, Dallas, TX 75219.

     Hello friends and family! I am really excited to tell each of you about an opportunity that I feel the Lord has placed before me. About two weeks ago, Anna Harper approached me about joining her on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. For the past six years, Anna has been teamed up with a ministry called Mission Emanuel whose purpose is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ while improving the lives of the Dominican people. Since 1995, Mission Emanuel has built a church, two medical clinics, a dental clinic, a water purification system, many homes for surrounding communities and two schools where over 500 students currently attend. 

    As a physical therapist, Anna is passionate about children with disabilities. While serving Mission Emanuel, she noticed the need for an updated treatment center and equipment to help the children in the community. It has only been ten years since the majority of Dominican children with special needs were institutionalized. We are excited to announce that the pediatric rehabilitation center for children is in its last stages of completion! The goal of this center is to provide an educational, loving and joyful refuge for the children and parents of those with disabilities. My role in the trip is to lead a group in an art project designing and painting a mural for the therapy gym in the center. I am so excited to bring to life the blank walls of the facility with the message of Jesus Christ!

     I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and use the gifts the Lord has given me to bring Him glory. I ask you to join me in this ministry as I seek your support and prayers. If you are able to assist me, I would ask that you forward any donation in the enclosed envelope with the check payable to Mission Emanuel-Lindsey Meyer. The mission is being funded entirely through donations and by those serving. Every penny collected will be used to directly benefit the outreach to the Dominican people and the missionaries. Because the days of the trip are October 15^th-23^rd, my goaI is that all fundraising is completed by September 30^th. 

I thank you in advance for your prayers and your financial support! 

Sincerely, 

Lindsey Meyer

 

Get Excited!!

UPDATE!

 I will be going to the Dominican Republic from October 15th-23rd.  If you have been wanting to contribute but haven't got around to it, the countdown begins.   I will be leaving in 7 1/2 weeks!!!

On the move!

I got an e-mail from Matthew Bonk and Nelson Nafziger from Medical Ministries International with the official news that the crate has been loaded in Philadelphia and is on the way to Baltimore.  It will leave Baltimore on August 5 and arrive in Santo Domingo on August 17th!! 

Here are some pictures of the crate being filled.  

There is approximately 7,500 pounds of equipment on this crate.  Most is for Mission Emanuel but about 35% is for another hospital in the DR.  

A must read

Here is a story I received from one of the staff members from this summer, what a beautiful picture of God's perfect plan!

A few weeks into the summer, we met the mother of a young girl who is deaf. As Jack, the director of Mission Emanuel, met with her to discuss ways ME could help, the mission director from a church in Florida happened to be with us in the DR and in ear-shot of the conversation. She got excited about the possibility of her church helping this little girl, and promised to head back to the States and start working on connections to get hearing aids to help her.
A few weeks went by, and as this mother came to ME everyday to ask Jack if there was any news, it got harder and harder for him to say each day that there was yet again no news. Each day, Jack struggled to look her in the eye and confess that so far, there had been no change.
As our next group arrived from Janesville, Wisconsin, Jack was getting to the point of wondering what God's plan might be for this family.
Each group that visits Mission Emanuel brings suitcases full of donations such as clothes, school supplies, toys, and medicine. Our staff then takes the donations, sorts them, and sends the suitcases of medicine to the clinic for our doctor to sort and put into her medicine supply cabinet. As she started to unload the suitcases we sent down that day from Janesville, she found a box at the bottom of a suitcase. It said Miracle Ear on the top, and contained two hearing aids, which just so happened to be the exact type this little girl needed! She came running out of the clinic to tell Jack the incredible news, with tears streaming down her face.
Over the next several days, we had the pleasure of sharing with this mother the news that her prayers for her daughter had been answered. I watched her sit and cry tears of joy as Jack introduced her to the woman who had been given the hearing aids to bring down to the DR as a donation. Without any work on the part of Mission Emanuel or anyone who knew about this need, God answered this mother's prayers. None of us did anything to make this miracle happen...we just got to sit back and watch the benefits of God's great work and provision, and it was an incredibly beautiful sight. I love this story, because it shows God's great love for us, and it shows that God does his great works in ways we never expect or plan. But I think the other thing I love it that my time in the DR is full of stories like this. I have never worked with Mission Emanuel when there has not been some incredible display of God's glory during my time there. That is why I continue to be a part of the work they are doing, and why I am continually drawn back to this incredible ministry. Thank you so much for the support you have given and continue to give. Everyone who shares in the work Mission Emanuel is doing is a part of this miracle, and is a way God provides and cares for his people in the DR. Gloria a Dios

THANK YOU to Megan and Jay Leftwich and Mike Cambardella for your toy donation!

Reminder---There are items on the wishlist for as small amount as $4.99! Go to the second page of the registry to see more items you can order online.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Stories from the Summer...and other news

I spoke with the mission director last week and was able to hear just a few of the amazing things that happened during the month of June and July when there were hundreds of people spending week-long trips working in Cielo and Nazaret.  I'm sure there are so many more.  If you were on one of these trips and have pictures or stories, please send them to me!!! I would love to post some updated pictures and share some of what is going on there that isn't directly related to the therapy gym!  

Here are a few pictures I borrowed from DeeDee Porter who was on staff this summer.  Thanks, DeeDee!

In other news:  

1. Of course, there are still items that need to be bought from the wish list (link to the right!)

2.  We have an anonymous gift of airline miles for the orthotist trip, thank you so much!!  If you are interested in donating for other team members, please contact me.

3. God willing, there will be at least one artist going with me on one of the next trips to work on the mural for the therapy gym wall.  So far, Lindsey Meyer is planning on organizing the mural project.  She is so talented, I can't wait to see how it turns out! 

4.  Thank you to Julia and Blake Schwarz for your toy donation!

A pretty sunset at Club Bamboo:

At the party for the neighborhood kids (organized by one of the groups):