Week 16 in the D.R.

Week 16 in the D.R.

Sep. 8, Sunday

            We attended church at the Piantini Ward with the NRT specialists, Dr. and Sister Jensen, Dr. Brown and Jenn Smoot. They had arrived early Sunday morning. After church, we took them back to the hotel to rest and then Joy and Edith prepared dinner for them. We picked them up at 4 pm and had dinner. After dinner we packed up all the NRT supplies and took them over to the Church. We returned home about 8 pm after a long day.

Sep. 9, Monday

            We picked up the four trainers at the Marriott Hotel and took them to the Piantini Ward. We helped them set up their Neonatal Recessitation Training equipment. We helped register the Dominican doctors that will be training the other doctors on Tuesday. We left after the registration and went to the office to work. After the training was completed, we returned to the church and took the Jensens, Dr. Brown and Jenn to dinner at the Outback Steak House. We had a great meal and then returned home at 8:30 pm.

Sep. 10, Tuesday

            We picked up the four trainers and took them to the church. We helped with registration until 8:30 and then drove over to the park by the temple and met Mary Antivilo. She had requested that we purchase some medical supplies for the park first aid station. We had previously purchased an inhalator, a blood pressure monitor, three neck braces and several packages of gauze, tape, and ace bandages. We also secured a wheel chair for the station. Dr. Wilma was very appreciative of the donation. We took several pictures and then went to the office. We returned home and in the evening we helped out in the storehouse.

 

Dr. Wilma receiving medical supplies

Sep. 11, Wednesday

            In the morning we went into the office and then we went to the closing ceremony for the training at the church. During the two days, 53 doctors were trained in neonatal recessitation methods. Each of the doctors were given a certificate for completing the course and then each hospital associated with the doctors were given a NRT kit  to take back to the hospital and to be used to train other doctors.

Dr. Brown instructing medical doctors in NRT

Sep. 12, Thursday

            We picked up the trainers at the hotel and took them to the church. We helped register the next group of trainees, the nurses. They receive two days of less technical training they can use to recessitate newborns. We left the training at 10 am and returned to the office. We had lunch with the Ruckers and Dunfords. We returned home early to help out in the Bishop’s Storehouse. The couple in charge on Thursdays was unable to come and they asked us to help out. We worked in the storehouse a couple of hours and filled 10 orders. A group of young women came and helped fill the food bags.

Sep. 13, Friday

            We went to the office in the morning and checked on the food for the storehouse. We answered a few emails, ate lunch and then went over to the church to help with the final closing ceremony. 37 nurses completed the course and were given their certificates. We stayed and cleaned up the church and then took the unused supplies and food back to our apartment. We met the Ruckers and Ewell for dinner at Anthony Restaurant by the temple. It was the Rucker’s 45^th anniversary and they asked us to celebrate it with them. I got talking to Elder Ewell and found out he is my 4^th cousin. We have the same 3^rd great-grandfather, Pleasant Ewell. It is a small world. We returned home after dinner and enjoyed a quiet night at home after a busy week.

Nurses trained in NRT

Sep. 14, Saturday

            Joy and I took a mile and one half morning walk to McDonalds for breakfast. We ate breakfast and then returned to the Storehouse in time to supervise the delivery of the food to the warehouse. It took three men two hours to unload all the food. I had to count all the items to make sure we received all the food that was ordered. Joy went to the beauty shop to get her hair cut and I walked over to the barbershop to get my hair cut. We had lunch and then went shopping at the Bella Vista mall. I bought an alarm clock and then we did our grocery shopping. We returned home in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day in our apartment.