"Newborns and Dominican Hospitals"

"Newborns and Dominican Hospitals"

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

Los Snow and their family with Elder y Hermana Saint Hilaire

Now if you haven’t been to a Dominican hospital before, then entering the walls of the hospital may startle you. We went to two hospitals this week, one each Sunday: one in Boca Chica, a small hospital in a very poor part of town and one here in Santo Domingo, Centro Maternal Infantil San Lorenzo de Los Minas, located in the Los Minas part of town. Both hospitals have a maternity ward. We went with Elder and Sister Snow. Sister Snow’s  almost 89-year-old mother made all of the kits. Sister Upia, a member and a former resident of Boca Chica, went with us.

The Boca Chica hospital was very humbling to us. The rooms were austere, and the young mothers were lying on their beds with their babies. A thin sheet covered the hospital beds. While the room was humble, the young mothers seemed happy with their new little infants. They were so adorable. I stopped to think about their futures, and the futures of their mothers. It saddened me to think that they were born poor but will they be able to rise from their poverty, go to school, get good grades, go to college, earn a college degree in some field that will allow them to earn a good living, which, in turn, might help them rise from their poverty? All these are questions yet to be answered.

Hermana Saint Hilaire with a young mother

We drove to the Centro Maternal Infantil San Lorenzo de Los Minas and parked in the parking lot, which was no more than a piece of grass mixed with dirt and rocks. We pulled the various suit cases the Snows had brought with them from the trunk of the car. Sister Snow’s mother had made about 170 of these kits. The Snows had been out to the Central Maternal before with the Saint-Hilaire, another missionary couple from the DR who are serving in the temple. Sister Saint Hilaire accompanies us this a.m.

               We began to trundle to the door to enter the hospital. Many eyes were on the missionaries in white shirts and ties and the sisters wearing skirts on a hot, humid day. Waiting for us was Danilo, one of the hospital workers. He had his cart and quickly loaded the two suitcases in the car and off we went. The mothers’ rooms were stark: three beds with a plastic-top mattress with no sheets unless you brought your own. María, the young woman who was taking us around, walked into the rooms to check on who was in the rooms and determined whether the baby was a boy or girl. Then she beckoned us in. As we walked in, we usually saw three mothers, lying on their beds, an IV in their arm, and their little tiny baby lying on a blanket on the bed next to her. Some of the babies had been born the night before; the others the day before.

               

Young mothers

We met four little mothers in the hallway who were ready to go home. It was hard to believe because their babies were so small. One of the young women had an especially small baby. When I asked her how much her baby weighed, she told me a little over four pounds. A little over four pounds! I suspect it should have been in an incubator. Whether there was one of those in the hospital, I do not know. The little mother with the small baby had it tucked inside of her shirt so she and the baby could share the warmth.

One mother had lost her baby. Fortunately, the Snows had brought along a hygiene kit we could give her so she didn’t feel left out. Oh, what sadness she wore on her face; and oh, what sadness we felt, knowing her baby was gone while others lived. When the Snows had visited this hospital before, they encountered more than one mother who had lost their babies. The mortality rate is high.

One of the mothers didn’t speak Spanish or English. She was a Haitian who had given birth the night before. We tried to communicate with her the best we could. We gave her a newborn kit and then waved. She waved back, a huge grin on her face. The other mothers were so appreciative. A couple of the mothers had their own mothers with them.

Sweet Angel

Sweet Angel 2

I reached out and gently touched one of the babies, placed my big index finger inside of her tiny little hand. For a moment, I thought she squeezed it. She won my heart immediately. So soft. So cherubic. So tiny. So incredibly beautiful. So serene. So, so innocent.

Sweet Angel 3

Miracle day: Los Zarzuela y Innovación Ortopédica

"Miracle day: Los Zarzuela y Innovación Ortopédica

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

Los Hammon, Los Zarzuela, Bennie Lilly, Carlos

                There are days on one’s mission when you know why you are serving the Lord. Today was one of those. The Church has a humanitarian project with Innovación Ortopédica, a group of incredible people—Cristina, Carlos, and Daniel. The Church provides prosthesis to this group and then makes referrals of members and non-members who need a prosthesis. One of those members is Hermano Zarzuela from Santiago.

Hermano Zarzuela’s bishop called me a few weeks ago to ask me about a prosthesis that Elder and Sister Atkinson had worked on. When I called Cristina, she told me that since Hermano Zarzuela is a diabetic, they had to construct a different kind of prosthesis, one that could expand and contract, depending on the leg swellings and contractions, and it was going to take some time because of the way they had to build it. This week I received an email from Cristina, saying it was ready.

Hermana Zarzuela

I had talked to Hermano y Hermana Zarzuela at the Casa de Huéspedes on Monday night after Family Home Evening (FHE). Elder Snow had seen them and then came over and told me they were there. We had not previously met Hermano y Hermana Zarzuela. But they are instantly likeable. He is about 66-years old and still in pretty good health. When I visited with them on Monday evening, they were ecstatic because he was going to receive a new leg sometime that week. They were going on Tuesday morning to Innovación Ortopédica to be trained on how to us  a prosthesis.

So at 10:00 a.m., Hermana Hammon and I along with Bennie Lilly, the Area Welfare Manager, met Los Zarzuela at Innovación Ortopédica to witness la entrega of a prosthesis to Hermano Zarzuela. As we waited in the lobby, we had a wonderful conversation with Hermana Zarzuela who could not contain her joy. She thanked the Church and Innovación Ortopédica for their great work and expressed her overwhelming job at what was going to be happening today.  Soon, Cristina came out and said it was time.

Hermana Zarzuela

Just at that moment, Hermano Zarzuela walked into the lobby. His smile was grandiose. He was a new man. He then showed us how he could walk. It was truly an incredible sight to behold. While he was walking, Daniel and Carlos explained how Hermano Zarzuela learned to walk on his new leg. They told us that he took to the new prosthesis as quickly as some of their younger patients. Carlos and Daniel showed us the material from which they made the prosthesis. It is a gel-like material that allows for expansion and contraction.

Cristina served cookies and orange juice. As we enjoyed the treats, we talked about the project and the Church’s involvement with Innovación Ortopédica and what a great partnership it was. While we talked, I felt joy like Ammon did when he talked about the People of Ammon. In actuality, this partnership is truly a miracle. People who cannot walk or use crutches or even use wheelchairs can now go out and lead very productive lives. And here was Hermano Zarzuela whose eleven grandchildren had never seen him walk with two legs.

Interestingly, Daniel commented that Los Zarzuela should gather their family together on Family Home Evening night and explain the process to their grandchildren. Although Daniel is not a member of the Church, he knows enough that we gather our families on Monday evenings and spend time together, enjoying each other’s company, sharing gospel truths, and learning about Christ.

Los Zarzuela, Carlos, Cristina, y Daniel

We enjoyed such a wonderful time at Innovación Ortopédica. Thank you once again, Cristina, Carlos (“Freddy”), and Daniel, for your miracle-working abilities and your willingness to work with the Church and with people like Hermano Zarzuela.

Perhaps, the frosting on the cake—to use a very old cliché—was that evening in the temple. Brother García asked me to officiate the 6:00 p.m. session. As I stood there, waiting for the members to enter the room, in walked Hermano and Hermana Zarzuela. Oh, what joy I felt! He walked into the room. He still needs to use a cane to balance himself for a while. But he walked in. His smile was huge. We probably didn’t need the lights this evening as both of them glowed.

Los Zarzuela

My feelings today overpowered me on several occasions. What the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does around the world with humanitarian projects is impressive. Some may be large; some may be small; some involve lots and lots of people; others involve just a few. But the Innovación Ortopédica project helps one person at a time. And today, it helped Hermano Zarzuela. Because of this single event, it will affect many, many people—his family, his friends, his community, and others to see his courageous example to walk again on two legs. Thank you, Hermano Zarzuela.

Constanza: Vegetable Garden of Eden in the Dominican Republic

Constanza

Tuesday, January 3, 2012--Constanza

Constanza

We had an incredible day today. We went to Contanza, a community northwest of Santo Domingo, to deliver 18 boxes of warm clothing and blankets to the people who live in Constanza. Members and youth in Puerto Rico made the blankets. Sister Martinez, the wife of Elder Martinez, Area Authority Seventy in Puerto Rico, coordinated everything for us. She sent the boxes via boat, and Benjamin from the office picked them up on Friday from the Aduana. I then scheduled the time with Elder Domíngues, the Area Authority Seventy, who lives in Santiago. 

The Delivery

Los Snows, Atkinson, Benjamin Lopez, and we left our office around 9:25 a.m. and headed for Constanza. Also, the Rappleyes went with us. Brother Rappleye is the CES Area Coordinator. His daughter and her husband were here visiting them and had also planned on going to take a suitcase load of things to Constanza. They talked to Bennie who told them we were going with lots of stuff. So, they asked if they could tag along. I told them it would be a pleasure for them to come with us.

Snows, Hammons, Elder Domingues, Presidente Garcias, Benjamin Lopez, y Elder Atkinson

The ride there was beautiful. Once we left the freeway, we began to instantaneously climb and climb and climb. We marveled at the change of vegetation and scenery along the extremely windy road. We stopped at the top to capture a better look at the valley where we had come from. Incredible! We stayed for a bit and then climbed back in our vehicles and continued our trip to Constanza.

              

Constanza fields

 

Just before we started our descent into the city, we stopped and scanned the vast valley below—truly the Dominican Garden of Eden. It was picturesque with the many fields of vegetables growing along the valley floor, with some of the fields of various vegetables climbing up the sides of the hills, between stands of varying shades of green foliage. I took a few pictures, but the pictures just don’t do the valley justice. 

The ride into the city was amazing. We had heard a lot about Constanza and its ability to grow things. When we were at the bodega and asked people where the potatoes came from or where the carrots came from or where most any of the vegetables came from, the answer was all the same: Constanza. There were fields after fields after fields of all kinds of vegetables at different levels of growing. Next to a field full of people picking potatoes was a field of potatoes being grown. That was the way it was with several crops.

Elder Dominguez

Coming from a potato state—Idaho—I was curious to see what kind of mechanization was being used in the potato harvest. Workers like little ants hunched over and were picking potatoes. Watching the workers pick potatoes reminded me of my own potato picking days several years ago. The rows were still being dug by a two-row digger, and the men in the fields were picking them by hand, except they didn’t have the pink rubberized buckets. Rather, they had sacks in which they placed the potatoes.

Hermanas from the Constanza Branch

The rest of the fields were clean, the rows straight, and some irrigation equipment lying in the fields. It was absolutely pristine with the rolling hills and mountains in the background. Field workers, Haitians and Dominicans, were everywhere, working the land by hand, harvesting this and that. I just reflected how hard of work this was and has been for years.

The blankets

                 

When we entered the city, we called Presidente García, the Branch President, who directed

Presidente y Hermana Garcia

us to the capilla. We turned left at the light and drove a few blocks down the street, and there was the capilla, or rented house, for the Constanza Branch. Presidente García and Elder Domínguez were there to greet us along with several members of the Branch. It was exciting meeting the Branch President and finally meeting Elder Domínguez. We unloaded all of the boxes and placed them in one of the rooms in the capilla.

Once we were done, we chatted with members in the Branch who had put together a little luncheon for us—salad with tomatoes, Dominican-style chicken, two different kinds of rice, fruit, and juice. It was delicious. We had a wonderful conversation. One of the members was a doctor; so, Elder Atkinson began visiting with her about a potential humanitarian project in her hospital. Elder Atkinson promised them the questionnaire, and they promised to fill it out and send it back.

Members of the Constanza Branch

               

We had such a great time, visiting with the members, the young men and women, and the primary-age children and getting to know the great saints who live in Constanza. They are like everyone here: They are hungry for friendly conversation and companionship with senior missionaries. They were saddened that we had to leave so soon after we had arrived. They extended many invitations to return to the Constanza Branch to participate with them. 

  

Hermana Hammon, Elder Domingues, Elder Hammon

  

The Rappleyes took Elder Domínguez back to Santiago. He had come in public transportation as his car had broken down. He is such a wonderful man. I look forward to meet

Elder Hammon and a very shy little girl.

ing his family.

"Los Llanos Baptism"

"Los Llanos Baptism"

Elder Darrel. Hammon

Probably nothing is more sweet than to witness a baptism while you are serving. Last Saturday was one of those days.

Elder Cowley, Hermano Romero, y Elder Anderson

We went with the Eickbushes to attend a baptism in their little branch Los Llanos. What an incredible experience! The ride out was forgettable. Actually, it was downright miserable. We took the Boca Chica exit and headed north on a fairly decent road. Before too long, however, the road turned into a gravel road with huge potholes. Brother Eickbush swerved here and there, and there and here.  He did a great job maneuvering around the potholes. He crossed two railroad tracks. If they had been Union Pacific’s, they would have fired the guys who were supposed to keep them up. A whole car could have been swallowed up. In fact, on one of them, Brother Eickbush rubbed the tail end of the car. If he had been going any faster, the bumper would have been removed.

The "font"

                When we arrived, we walked into the capilla or the building that they hold church in. There in the middle of the floor was a swimming pool—a real swimming pool, like the kind you might buy at Sam’s Club to put in your backyard. This one, though, was in the middle of the floor. But it was full of crystal clear water. I don’t know what it took to put it up, but they did it, and it was ready to go way before the baptism.

Los Fernandez

         Many people had come to the baptism. It was nice to meet and greet everyone. Los Fernandez were there with one of their grandchildren, an 10-year-old named Amber. What a delight she is! They are the ones who went through the temple a couple of weeks ago. Last Sunday, Hermano Fernandez was called and set apart as one of the counselors in the branch presidency. He was all smiles and gave us all hugs. He is such a sweet man.

One of the sisters who was at the baptisms for the dead a month ago had brought three of her sisters. None of them is a member. They enjoyed being there. Two of them had children who came with them. They were wonderful women who are dedicated to their families.

                It started almost on time. Presidente Vasquez is one of those excellent branch presidents who likes to move things along in their proper order. The speaker was Elder Anderson and then two members gave testimonies. They all did wonderful jobs. Then came time for the baptism.

Hermano Rafael Romero

Hermano Rafael Romero, age 60+, was going to be baptized. They had to literally pick him up and place him into the font because there weren’t any stairs for him to use. Elder Cowley, a new elder, performed the baptism. Unfortunately, a leg came up the first time. Then, a toe came up the second time. Before we attempted a third try, I talked to Hermano Romero and Elder Cowley. I told Elder Cowley to place his feet into front of Hermano Romero’s feet. I told Hermano Romero to kneel instead of trying to go straight backwards before being baptized. Well, it worked. The third time was the charm—as they say. Hermano was completely immersed.

Some members of Los Llanos Branch

                Presidente Vasquez asked me to say a few words before I prayed, which I did. After the prayer, I congratulated Hermano Romero. It was fun to see him baptized. It was wonderful to be in the branch and meet the people.

Joanne and Sister Eickbush had made some cakes, and they were ever so popular. Before too long, other kids from the neighborhood came running. I don’t know who ran out and told them, but they came, eager to participate in the cake letting. Joanne had found some pumpkin at Nacional and made a pumpkin cake. It was delicious.

                After the cake letting, it was time to empty the font. We began by dipping pails into the water and carrying them outside to dump them. Before too long, they had completely dismantled the pool, and the water gushed out onto the floor, and the sisters were there with brooms to sweep out the water. It was an incredible rush of water out both of the doors. I just stood and watched, bucket in hand, until all of the water had been swept out. I told Presidente Vasquez that if he had a baptism every week, he would have the cleanest chapel in the entire church.

Young people in Los Llanos Branch

                We said our goodbyes. They were sad to see us go. I really like Presidente Vasquez and Los Fernandez. They are good people, trying their hardest to make the branch grow and develop. The ride was a good one. The bumps were still there, but we were riding high from the incredible baptism we had just witnessed.

The Liceo Project

"The Liceo Project"

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is incredible! Its willingness to help with humanitarian projects continues to amaze me.

One of the stakes here in the Dominican Republic--the Las Americas Stake--is doing a 75th Anniversary Project. They have submitted a project to transform a neighborhood apartment building into a school for secondary students. The Stake President is Presidente de la Cruz, a wonderful man who is willing to help everyone in his stake, including members and non-members alike. Like me, he believes education is the key to success.

A couple of weeks ago, we went out to the project to see what it all entailed so we could write it up and then submit it to the Caribbean Area Presidency for review and possible approval to complete. We met Presidente de La Cruz at Los Frailles 2 chapel building. He drove because we didn't know where it was located. 

The apartment building to be converted

 We stopped to pick up his first counselor who really knew what was going on with the project. We clamored over and down roads that had huge rocks jutting out. I don’t think our little Honda Civic would have made it. We stopped in front of a building that looked almost completed. We were introduced to the director of the school and a handful of other people, some teachers and community members. We then went on a little tour of the place. It has nueve aulas (nine classrooms), which can ostensibly hold 35 students each. They will have 200 students in the entire school from the 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. session and another 200 students from the 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. session. When we went up there to one of aulas, I couldn’t believe the space could hold have that many student, but they assured me they had a capacity of 35 students.

The courtyard that will also serve as the P.E. spot

Inside one of the classrooms

What the Stake wants to do is convert this apartment building into a school for their children and for the community. It will cost about $12,000 to transform it from an apartment building to a school. Our K-12 educators would literally scream if they had to teach in this environment. Now, couple the environment with no computers, no air conditioning, no real playground, no real area for teacher offices or workrooms, no lunch room, no principal’s office, etc., etc., etc. Yet, the community is willing to make the sacrifices for this to become a liceo for their secondary students because there is no local school for them, and they now have to walk almost two miles to get to school. While school is mandatory here until they are 16-years-old, many do not go because of the challenge of getting to school. I complimented the directora por su coraje (courage) y vista (vision).

First Counselor in the Stake Presidency and the Liceo Director

The community, school supporters, Stake President, Elder and Sister Hammon

And to think Cheyenne built a new South High School for just under $70 million with all of the goodies one would ever need. And the people in this poor suburb of Santo Domingo are trying to convert an apartment building with $12,000 of humanitarian money to do it, and they are grateful and feel blessed that the Church wants to help. When I went to visit the second time, they had already begun with 140 students with no chairs, no chalkboards, no computers, no books.Many of the students brought their own chairs. After seeing what I saw, I have nothing but respect for what they are trying to accomplish.

I wrote up the project when I returned. The Area Presidency approved it on Wednesday with a couple of caveats. I returned on Friday with a couple of Church engineers to make sure the structure is stable enough, especially after taking out the entire wall between the living room and the bedroom, thus making a single room for students. It appears the Las Americas Stake has some service to provide, but they are more than willing to help the community of Las Brisas to get it done.

After thanking all of them for their work, we drove over to the first counselor’s home to meet his family. He has a wonderful little family—a beautiful, vivacious wife, four cute kids, the oldest one being 13. They live in a small home, behind another home. They were very happy to have us there. We stayed for only a moment. Then, we walked down the street, and Presidente de la Cruz greeted several people who were members of the church, some less-active but mostly active families.

We walked over to another house where a young woman was outside doing wash. Her mother came out with another daughter. Both daughters were teenagers. Soon, another little girl came walking up, probably five or six, and jumped into Presidente de la Cruz’s arms and gave him a big hug. He said, “We shouldn’t have favorite families, but this is my favorite family.” They were definitely humble people. After saying good bye, we  walked toward the car. Just as we arrived, he saw another family at the Colmado (little store on the corner). We stopped and greeted them. It was one of the hermanas (sisters) with her esposo (husband). She said she was a member but hadn’t been coming because she had been ill.  He had a nice visit with them. He told me that he had been the bishop here and had very fond memories of the place, and these people were in his ward. Now, they were in his stake. I could see that he was a man of God, loved by all of his people. His heart was full of love, and he wants to help all of them. He is a good man.

We said our good byes, climbed into his car, and he took us back to the capilla (the chapel) where he opened the door for us and for the missionaries who had come to teach English to a group of people. One of the sisters from California was going to teach the English class.

Front of the building with the big gate

I'll keep you posted about the Liceo. It is an exceptional project, one that will help hundreds of young people obtain an education that they might not have otherwise.