Hola!
My name is Magen. I am a nurse practitioner living in Boston, MA with a love for a community in the Dominican Republic. Can I tell you about it? Santa Lucia is more commonly referred to as La Mosca (Spanish for "the fly") due to the multitude of flies that thrive within this active city dump. Its residents have built a small community among the trash, which serves as a major source of income for many families (from scavenging). Our friends who work full-time in nearby Santiago describe this area as "a place of profound suffering and despair. Disease, addiction, crime, illiteracy, and malnutrition reign supreme. La Mosca is a torment for those that live there. It is truly a place characterized by hopelessness." It takes a special person to confront these impossible challenges. Let me introduce you to him: Since 2007, my church here in Boston (REUNION) has been partnering with Luis Vargas, a pastor in La Mosca. We met Luis through an organization called G.O. Ministries - an incredible group focused on empowering local leaders to bring their own communities out of poverty. Luis's enthusiasm, love, and hope for his community is absolutely contagious. To read more about the many ways Luis provides for the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of his community, see my blog posts "The Nutrition Center" and "Pain and Peace."
Every year we travel as a church to serve Luis and his community. After eight years, it feels more like visiting family. I feel extremely blessed that I am able to use my skills and knowledge as a health care provider to serve my Dominican brothers and sisters. You can read more about our pop-up clinic in my blog. It is my hope that this site will serve three functions: 1) to glorify the God who makes all of this possible, 2) to financially support our trip and medical clinic every year, and 3) to fully articulate to my family, friends, colleagues, and the internet universe how completely this community has consumed my heart and changed the course of my future. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to read about mine. Dios te bendiga! -Magen |