Wednesday: so good, so good, so good.

The medical team went to a batey that La Fuerza Azul had never been to before, named Guayacane. It had been a long time since a medical team had visited this batey and as a result both the kids and adults were very shy at first. While the medical clinic went smoothly, there was one patient who stole our hearts. There was a nine-year-old boy who had broken his leg more than seven months ago and it had never been set. The protruding bone had been exposed for so long that the nerves were deadened. There were complicated family dynamics; his mother had several other children and for some reason was uninterested in this child, yet his father was very present and doting. Our team, and your donations, paid to transport the boy and his dad to the Good Samaritan Hospital where he will be treated and our funds will help to cover that expense. We, and most especially our team doctors—Demytrya, Farheen and Hamid (shown below with one of our translators, Hilda), were deeply moved by the experience.

The construction team accomplished a great deal on Wednesday at Batey 50. The house we aim to complete by Friday now has a subfloor (brutal, back-breaking work) and most of the exterior walls are painted. We are also assisting in the construction of a second house, for which we poured the foundation on Monday, and by the end of yesterday the exterior walls were half way up on house number 2.

(above: moving rocks for the subfloor)

We also now have constructed 10 raised bed planters behind the church at Batey 50. This is especially exciting as, if properly tended, they will provide a sustainable food source for the residents. We hope to connect with the teacher who visits this Batey and see if watering the beds can become a project of the students. The kids had a blast working with Sandy planting the seeds.

After our work day, those traveling home from Batey 50 had a impromptu dance party on the bus. We even got our translators up and dancing, though we confess it took very little encouragement! One short reflection from Jenni: Today at Batey 50, the kids continued to amaze me. I had a pocket full of little barrettes that I was putting into the little girls' hair. Each and every time I did so, the little girls would ask, "Do you have another one for my friend?" or "Do you have another one for my sister?". Not once did they say, "Do you have another one for me?" This is evidence of one of the big reasons why Batey 50 steals your heart. It is a wonderful, caring community where the poorest of the poor truly take care of one another...even the littlest among them.