April Activities

This is a photo of Presidente Brito. He is the district president in Azua. There are six branches in his district and only the city of Azua itself is big enough to have business concerns that need employees. His members are economically challenged beyond anything our family has experienced. He is young with a tremendous amount of responsibility and he is humble and obedient enough to be concerned about the Perpetual Education Fund as well as all of the other things he must do. Making the best use of the PEF program will make a big difference in his district but only in the future. He (like the rest of us) must balance the many urgent and important tasks he should accomplish with his available time and resources. He is also going to school, has a family and I'm sure has a "to do list" that stretches to infinity. Good thing he has faith that a loving Heavenly Father will provide him with the ability to do what he is asked to do. Above, he and his branch presidents are listening intently to Grandpa teach them about the Perpetual Education Fund.

This is the local car wash. We came down that road behind the cars to see the beach. The road passes over the cement that this stream also passes over to run into the ocean. The beach is about a block behind this point.

This is a view of the beach in Azua. It is called Playa Monte Rio or Mountain River Beach. The river runs into the area at the right on the far side. No tourists come here but some local people were enjoying the beach this Saturday morning.

Here is a typical style older home in the town:

This pink house is more typical than you might think. They do creative things with cement and cement blocks here. What would your neighbors think if you built a house like this one?


We also had the chance to speak to these fine missionaries who were finishing their missions and going home. This is Lissette from the Employment Office giving them an overview of the Career Workshop. When she finished we taught them about the PEF and how to get involved when they got home. The elders from the United States can't participate but we encouraged them get educated and find good jobs in order to donate so that their fellow missionaries in third world countries could get a good education also.

During the last two weeks of April the USS Comfort is here in Santo Domingo. The previous stop was Haiti and from here it will go to Antigua, and a couple of countries in Central America. It is staffed with military doctors and nurses and medical technicians from all of the branches of service as well as public health and several other organizations. They are taking four months to bring medical services to people who couldn't get it otherwise. We spent two days last week and will spend four days this week translating. There are three locations where they are screening patients who need surgery and treating patients who need an amazing variety of help. The first day I helped where they were taking vital signs: blood pressure, temperature, etc. The next time I was with the lab table where they drew blood and did simple tests to provide the doctors with information they needed as they talked with patients. Those who need surgery will be taken by helicopter to the ship where they will receive the surgery and the follow up care that they need through the end of the month. One companion can accompany each patient on the ship.


This is a tiny part of the crowd that waited to be seen inside. Lots of vendors came too, selling fruit and ice cream and drinks and whatever. We heard that about 3,000 people were seen the first week. The pavilion is for hand ball. It had nets like soccer but the balls are not the same and I saw them moving the ball with their hands. This group was doing drills and I didn't get to watch long enough to understand how the game is played.

This mom with her five kids had waited a long time but the son in the orange shirt was a great example of the perfect patient. He watched his blood draw without a flinch and never moved a muscle. His sisters, on the other hand, never stood still.

The nurse below wanted her picture taken with the children and the "Happy Tooth" who was dancing around and entertaining the kids. I heard it was an attorney who was wearing the costume. She deserves credit because it was very hot even without a costume.

This nurse told me that she was shaken by how bad things were in Haiti. There were tickets given to the department of health but instead of giving the tickets to the needy, they were sold and then sold again and again. She said she will never again take her living conditions at home for granted. She said she has a totally new appreciation for a tooth brush, shampoo and running water every day.

The USS Comfort is providing wonderful service to needy people. Grandpa told me he was helping them give out prescription medicine worth a lot of money to people who needed it. I had never heard of this ship before. Apparently it has been making trips like this every other year for many years. Many lives will be saved and even more will be improved by their care. There are so many ways to make life better for others. What are you contributing? Remember you can improve the "comfort" in your own home by being helpful and wearing a smile.

We love you,
Grandma and Grandpa Pettingill