William Carey University School of Pharmacy CPFI

It's been a busy day.  We woke up early this morning and started traveling. God has been good to us and we have made it here in Barahona, Dominican Republic where we will be ministering through our medical services. Be praying for us as we are starting our first day of service tomorrow. 

What started out as an empty room turned into a room full of unspoken gratitude. 

With many obstacles including language barriers, we were still able to provide clinical care to over 70 people! This included giving immunizations, checking blood pressure, and doing glucose screenings along with dispensing medications with the support of our translators and medical doctors. 

Even though today was our first day doing the clinic, we can already see the impact we are making in this community. We can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store!

“You have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world!” 

After the team's weeks of preparation for children's activities, the expression on their faces made it all worth it! 

Curious eyes peeping through the windows, sweet little smiles, and echoes of "Hola!" are what we were greeted with this morning when we arrived at the local school in the central batey of Barahona.

During the children's recess, their anticipation was evident as we prepared to tell the story of Noah's Ark. Mouths were closed, ears were open and ready to listen. During the translation, a young student jumped with eagerness to complete the story before we even had the chance to proceed, only further displaying the evidence of God's word reaching to the ends of the earth. 

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on Earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!" Psalm 67:1-3 ESV

Expectations often do not equate to reality, and today, the reality far exceeded our expectations.

An expectation of seeing 100 patients quickly turned into the reality of seeing over 200 patients, none of which spoke our language. Something that we thought was going to be a huge barrier, ended up being no barrier at all. God was surely present in the central batey of Barahona today. Each and every person had a heart full of gratefulness and appreciation. It was clear the impact we were having on them; no words were needed.

With the flood of patients, the waiting times were longer than we all anticipated, but looking at all the faces around us, there was not a frustrated face in sight. Mothers, children, and elderly patients gathered around the pharmacy to receive their medications with joy, knowing they could stop worrying for now.

We are just as grateful for this experience with them as they were for the medical advice and medications they received at no cost.

As we have advanced into the week, we began to see a change in the way we interact with each patient. Each person came from a different place and had a different story, but we found that our hearts saw no difference. To our surprise, the people of Barahona graciously accepted our team with unwavering trust despite our imperfections. The patients confided in us about the good moments and the bad.

Today, we loved with open minds and open arms. Beyond the normal routine of our clinical services, our team took the time to comfort and connect with our patients, and it sometimes ended in a warm embrace.

"Hugging is the most beautiful form of communication that allows the other person to know beyond a doubt that they matter."

Children of all ages joined us today for our Vacation Bible School experience. It started off with a popular children's song, Choo Choo Wah Wah. All of us got up and danced with them, and it was a blast! After the Bible Story, there was a variety of activities outside for the kids to enjoy. Many members of our team joined in the fun and played frisbee, jump rope, soccer, baseball, and football with the children. Us simply playing outside helped us to see the world through their eyes again. 

"See the world as if for the first time; see it through the eyes of a child, and you will suddenly find that you are free." -Deepak Chopra

In June 2021, our service began in the bateys of La Romana. During this time, we served in the capacity of pharmacy interns assisting the people of the bateys to the best of our abilities. We were unsure of our own capabilities as second-year pharmacy students.

Fast forward to March 2022, we once again embarked on this journey to serve the people of Barahona. This time we served in the capacity of leadership. We were confident in our abilities as future pharmacists and were once again able to touch the lives of many deserving people.

The people in both cities put their trust in us to care for not only themselves, but their children as well. Their trust in us as pharmacists made us feel grateful. Their thankfulness toward us reinforced that we are right where we belong, changing and impacting lives through pharmacy.  

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." - Jane Goodall

Happiness, joy, gratitude, hope, leadership, community, pride, and kindness are just a few of the many words that we would use to describe this experience.

Today was our last day serving the people of Barahona. For some, this was the first time ever partaking in a mission trip while others had done this many times before. However, as a group, we eagerly served with joy and were so grateful to be able to touch the lives of the people of Barahona. Although short, this moment has left an everlasting impression on our hearts that motivates us to continue to serve.   

"Lose ourselves in the services of others we discover our own lives and our own happiness."