So much to be thankful for...

Well, I am back from our humanitarian trip to the Dominican Republic with IASK (International Aid Serving Kids). We had an absolutely amazing experience, and I was privileged to meet many wonderful (and FUN!) people who are dedicated to serving these children and making a difference in the world around them. What a wonderful time of year to go there, and come home to fully realize just how blessed we each are. It is difficult to understand true need until you witness something like this first hand. I hope these pictures in some way convey the spirit of the Dominican Republic...the unique culture, the beautiful children (I couldn't get over their EYES!), the poverty and the need. I posted way too many I know, but I was having a hard time narrowing it down. Enjoy this little glimpse into the "D.R." as it is affectionately called... (Oh, a brief disclaimer...part of the culture of the Dominican Republic often involved small children running around without any clothes on, so you may see some little naked children in this post. Just don't want to shock anyone!) For those of you who were on the trip, be aware that I focused most of this post on the children and culture of the D.R., but do not despair, I have hundreds more pictures coming your way on your disc, and there will be plenty of all of you on there to show your families!











This is the community shower. Those are mosquitos all over it. Can you see why we were on antimalarial meds?!?!



The villages where we worked were in the middle of sugar cane fields. The people will chew on this woody sugar cane, resulting in lots of dental decay. This man was amazed that I had never tried sugar cane, and insisted that he "peel" some for me to try. Tasty...NOT!

A boy chewing the sugar cane...

The kids loved having their pictures taken, and would do about anything to catch my attention for a picture!







The kids were more than happy to finish up our lunches each day...




The white residue you see around many of the children's mouths is mabendezol, a medicine given to all the children to treat intestinal worm infections. I couldn't believe how well they took it, when mixed up with a little Gatorade!




This is the kind of decay that our dental team was facing. Hundreds of teeth were extracted while we were there.




Can you imagine how this young man feels about his new smile?
Before:

After:


This baby is 3 months old and belongs to a 13 year old mother. Unfortunately, our team was unable to treat her hernia.







Look at the reaction of the kids when Erin, one of our volunteers, was blowing bubbles for them...







The Young Women of Dr. Abram's ward made these bracelets for the children, and they were a huge hit.

The EYELASHES on this boy were unbelievable...




I feel like feet can tell you a lot about a place and culture...



As I was walking through the village, I came across this boy writing his name on the ground with stones...

This was one of the saddest cases we saw while we were there. These two twin boys are 9 months old, and only weigh 10 lbs each. They are not rolling, sitting or crawling. They were so unbelievable malnourished...it breaks your heart. They were so CUTE, we all thought they were girls at first, since they came into the clinic dressed in pink!









The bathroom...yikes...








Fresh squeezed limeade, anyone?



This was a typical "kitchen".




We saw multiple kids with 6 fingers.







Here is another set of 9 month old twins...so chubby and healthy!







A typical "stove".

I couldn't believe this dog...

We had a huge rainstorm everyday that we were there...the boys loved to play in them...

And the women and girls covered their heads with garbage bags... :)


At the end of our trip, we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy the beauty of the Dominican Republic beaches. We stayed at a beautiful resort. It was a little difficult to see such a stark contrast between the resort and the village life. Makes you realize how truly blessed we are...


Anyone want to get married in the Dominican Republic? I'd be happy to go along as your wedding photographer! I couldn't believe how many weddings we saw on the beaches!



This was the sunset on our last night in the Dominican Republic. A beautiful and fitting farewell...