A letter from Jenny Bent, newly appointed to the Dominican Republic
December 2011
Dear Friends,
My name is Jenny Bent. I was born in Bilwi, Nicaragua, to a family of five kids. My father, Reverend Norman Bent, is a retired pastor of the Moravian Church and my mother, Modestina McDonald, was for many years a Sunday school teacher. I was raised in the Moravian tradition. My family lived and served on the East Coast of Nicaragua until I was 7 years old. Then in 1981 our family was forced by the military to move to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. This was a time of military and political turbulence in Nicaragua, but in spite of violence the Church of GOD was present at all times during the process of bringing peace to Nicaragua. This church in which I grew up, its history, its involvement in social work, its ecumenical relationship with other churches like the Presbyterian Church, has formed me in deep ways, creating in me an awareness of the global community in which we live and helped lead me to this point in my life, entering into service with the church on behalf of “these the least…”
I lived and finished school in Managua; I received a B.A. in medical technology from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. Mark and I met 13 years ago, when he was assigned to work as a mission volunteer for CEPAD, working as an agriculturalist. We married in March 2008 and I moved to Haiti, where he had begun working as a mission worker for an organization called Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP), which means Farmer’s Movement of Papaye. We have two very active little girls; our daughter Keila is 2 and a half years old and Annika, our youngest, is 6 months old. Sometimes Mark and I share with our families how unique each of our little girls is. It’s amazing how much we as parents learn from our babies. You have to be very creative and adaptive during each phase of their growing up and sensitive to each one’s temperament. I need to share with you that our daughter Annika recently got her first tooth… Yeah!
When I moved to Haiti in April 2008 I was immediately introduced to the health program of MPP. I found out that the nurses and the people in the community wanted to establish a laboratory for the clinic, and so we began looking for ways to make the laboratory a reality. With the help of my Haitian colleagues, friends from the United States, and Mark we worked for almost six months to get the laboratory working, looking for the most indispensable equipment. I think the most helpful acquisition we got was and is the microscope. I worked at this health center for almost two years, and it was a treasured learning experience. Try to imagine how to buy equipment without knowing the language! Mark helped with the translation, but let me share with you one important piece of information—the best translator is the one who has knowledge of your field of work. One of the most amusing things for me was to talk to another Haitian lab technician and find that we understood each other almost completely. During my time working in MPP’s rural clinic my closest friend was the pharmacist at the clinic—Miss Marie. She was a wonderful example of resilience for me and on many occasions my trusted source for good advice.
Now I have been invited to work in team ministry with Mark, and our family will be attending the orientation program in Toronto and in Louisville, Kentucky. During this time of orientation other missionaries and I will be prepared to be sent to the mission field. We will be equipped with the tools to be sensitive, aware of our mission partners, and spiritually prepared for the realities that we might encounter.
Our family will be living in the Dominican Republic, in the Department of Barahona, near the border with Haiti. I will be assisting in one of the health program facilities of the Evangelical Church of the Dominican Republic, which is located in one of the bateys. What is a batey? Batey is a Tahino word for a living area and has come to mean quarters for sugarcane workers. Some of these bateys have become small towns. The clinic where I will be serving provides health care services for the sugarcane workers that are from Haitian background. My work has not yet been defined exactly, but there is work to do.
Mark will be working in Haiti; therefore he will be traveling back and forth between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He will be traveling a lot in Haiti, visiting different farmers’ organizations and interconnecting with different organizations that are interested in working towards a common vision. That vision is food sovereignty and dignity for rural people, focusing on systems and techniques that are sustainable in the long term. We are still not sure how Mark will be commuting between DR and Haiti, but we are looking at ways for getting a truck for this purpose.
2012 will bring new uncertainties and challenges, but also new opportunities to live the gospel of Jesus Christ through actions of service and social awareness. Your support is important to strengthen God’s mission as we work with our partners in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic.
I invite you to join us. Let us participate together in our Lord’s feast. Everyone has gifts to offer.
Jenny
(Mark:) The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 12
(Dominican Republic:) The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 13
blog: http://markandjenny--pcusa.blogspot.com/
Write to Jenny Bent
Write to Mark Hare
Give to Jenny and Mark Hare's sending and support
