Philippines, Ecuador, India and other updates from 2010

Stories and pictures from 2010 (Philippines & Ecuador with Mission Medics, India with Calvary Missions).

India - a morning with lepers

November 19, 2010

I spent this morning meeting with a group of 10 lepers - as in people with leprosy who are shunned by this society.

They're all older - old enough to have lost sensation in their hands and feet before leprosy meds became widely available (it is now a curable disease).

They live in community with each other, spend their days begging for money, and literally chop off each others' fingers and toes when inevitable pressure sores and infections get so extensive they involve the bone.

We talked with them in preparation for next year's medical outreach. We'll be working primarily with leper colonies. Education sessions are already taking shape in my mind...

India - medical clinics

November 15, 2010

Calvary Chapel Trust workers surveyed over 150 villages and handed out medical camp tickets to people they felt had the greatest need. Most of these people were elderly and disabled and do not normally seek medical help. Buses made continuous trips from villages to our camp each day, bringing dozens of patients on each trip. With the help of many Indian doctors and nursing student volunteers, our team saw over 1000 patients in the first two days.

Many of these patients are Hindu, but over 800 people asked our Christian (Indian) pastors to pray for them. More than 20 families asked a pastor to come visit them in their home. I'm praying many lives are profoundly changed because of this.

India - train ride south

November 13, 2010

There weren't enough tickets for everyone to be in the nicer cars, so 5 of us rode in an economy class car (by luck of the draw, I actually didn't volunteer this time). My least favorite thing about Indian society is people crowding instead of forming lines (going through security at the domestic airport was interesting with women pushing and shoving to get their bags through the conveyor belt). It is no surprise that my first experience with train economy class was pushing and shoving our way onto the train. Judy earned the name "Sister One-Shoe" after losing her flip flop in this process. We each had a sleeping shelf (once Pastor Guna removed the sleeping men from them) and we managed to get some sleep due to sheer exhaustion. The next morning we had the rare opportunity to talk uninterrupted with Pastor Guna for several hours (usually he's running from place to place too fast for me to keep up). We also spent some time talking and praying with a couple of homosexual cross-dressers (they dress in beautiful Indian clothing here and are revered by some Hindus as angel-like beings). I laughed at the bathrooms - there is a "western style" bathroom, which means you have to half-squat over the disgusting toilet bowel instead of fully squatting over a hole in the ground. The toilet even flushes - straight down onto the track below.

India - healthcare training

November 12, 2010

Thursday afternoon I stood in the middle of our training class shaking my head in amazement. On my left, a group of Indian women in beautiful flowing saris sat in a circle, heads leaning in toward the center to hear the group leader and translator talking about proper cleaning of a wound. On my right, a group of men took turns wrapping and slinging each others' arms - laughing as joking as they did it. Only God could bring this group of Americans and Indians together and allow a training session to go this well. Despite sporadic power outages, heat, humidity, and language barriers (we were teaching in English, Tamil, and Canida), over 80 Indian childcare workers and pastors learned a bunch of practical health skills and many excitedly told me about their plans to go home and teach others. Everyone was engaged, having fun, and asking questions. After I taught about diarrhea and the dangers of dehydration, group leaders had people make and sample a home-made rehydration solution using salt and sugar. One woman said "This is good. One of our kids has diarrhea today. I'm going to go give this to him right now!" Music to my ears!

India - "I want to live"

November 5, 2010

"Doctor Sir, what is a kidney transplant?"

A man traveled several hours to see Ryan today. He has severe kidney failure. He doesn't need Ryan to provide medical care. He's had pretty decent care including hospitalization, lab work-ups, and twice weekly dialysis. He's here because he's heard Ryan will listen and give advice - very different from the care offered by most physicians in the nearest cities.

"The doctor in Siliguri told me I must have a kidney transplant or continue dialysis for the rest of my life. What should I do?"

This man's story illustrates the difficulty of providing healthcare in this area. He is a farmer in a remote mountain village. He had swelling and urinary problems for many years but didn't seek medical care until he passed out from fluid buildup in his lungs and electrolyte imbalance from severe kidney failure. Ryan and I looked through his records (hand written on scraps of paper from various healthcare centers) and determined the most likely cause of his kidney failure is Type II diabetes. This rules out a kidney transplant - uncontrolled diabetes would likely destroy a new kidney as well.

Dialysis and medications currently cost him 25,000 rupees/month (more than $500). This is a huge sum for a rural farmer who earns less than $100/month. He has to travel to Siliguri for dialysis. This requires hiking to the road and riding more than 5 hours each way in a crowded public jeep. Moving closer to Siliguri would mean giving up his family home, farm, and only means of income. He has "worn out" his friends and family asking for money to pay for medical expenses.

"Sir, I want to live. What can I do?"

India - One week in life...

November 4, 2010

What should I share with you about our time so far?

Ryan and Amanda's vision for sustainable healthcare systems throughout this mountain area. Trained village healthworkers, a vehicle for transport of people and supplies, a birth center, a mobile clinic - it is exciting to see their plans become a reality.
The joyful hospitality offered by Nepali people living in these northern mountains of India
A small girl with horrible burns and infection on her chest (from a spilled kerosene lamp) and the care and hospital transport we were able to offer her.
A man who walked all day to get Paracetamol (Tylenol) for his child's fever
The miracle of our whole team getting up the mountain to the highest village in good spirits
An evening of singing and praying with Nepali youth in one of the villages
Ryan's grin as he drove us to the airport in his new ambulance - a vehicle he's waited months to obtain.

One more week in the life of Jennifer Boyd. Really? This is the life I get to live? Amazing.

India - Mountaintops

November 2, 2010

Tonight I'm sitting outside looking at a beautiful sky full of stars (writing this using old fashioned pen and paper - not sure when I'll next see a computer). There is no electricity, and we're at the top of a mountain, so the night sky is brilliant. We climbed over two mountains to get here yesterday. It was a difficult 8 hour hike, most of it straight up. I'm thankful for my summer hiking in the Idaho mountains - I'm in the best hiking shape of my life and I need to be! My consistent prayer recently has been to be filled with hope, joy, and peace because of my faith in God (Romans 15). We're sleeping on hard surfaces, drinking warm boiled water that has a metallic aftertaste, climbing straight up and down mountainsides, and listening to people talk about their illnesses all day long. But I 'm blessed with the ability to delight in simple blessings, and these "blessing moments" are the moments I'll remember:

A warm bucket bath (taken in a tiny latrine, shared with a roosting hen, with water lovingly heated over a fire by an elderly village woman)
A breakfast of flatbread (a welcome relief from rice!) and a side dish with cheese crumbs in it (I love dairy!)
Waking early in the morning to roosters crowing - Quiet time with God before everyone else wakes up. Priceless.
Cresting the final summit after 7 hours of hiking. From there we watched the sun set over some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas.
Sitting in a smoky room cooking flatbread over a wood fire with Nepali women.
Walking out of a store in Kolkata with a working cell phone - oh, the joy of feeling connected to the outside world!

India - Kolkata

October 28, 2010

I woke up this morning to the sounds, smells, heat, and humidity of Kolkata. I frequently say I'm not a city girl - but that may be because most of my inner city experiences have been in overcrowded cities like this one. I must say I'm glad to be heading north today.

We spent the past 2 days in Kolkata. This gave us time to adjust to the time zone and spend some time at Missionaries of Charity, the organization Mother Theresa founded. The timing of our stay made it difficult to actually volunteer in one of the homes, but we were able to tour the "Mother House" and sit through an orientation session to learn how the organization works.

The poverty of Kolkata seems the same as the slums of any other overcrowded city I've visited - except what I saw wasn't in the slums! Snapshots: a severely malnourished man curled up on piece of cardboard, a woman combing the hair of her freshly bathed child (she'd used water running out onto the street and the child's legs weren't much thicker than my finger), a photo fo Mother Theresa's calloused, bunion-ridden feet, a young boy pooping diarrhea directly into the gutter, a well-nourished, bright-eyed young girl speaking perfect English... and begging from tourists visiting Mother Theresa's tomb, Hindu gods and sayings in every cab and on most street corners.

Sensory overload. I'm thankful to be seeing this through the lenses of a well-established organization that is making a dent in the darkness (Missionaries of Charity). The light of Christ is stronger than any of this. But "the laborers are few."

India

October 23, 2010

I'm sitting here with a satisfied smile on my face. Piles of paperwork, clothes, medical supplies, and pharmacy supplies have been sorted, packed, and distributed. I can see my bedroom floor for the first time in weeks!

I'm down to a lightweight hiking pack, which I'll live out of while hiking into rural Indian villages for the next 2 weeks. More clothes and supplies will arrive with a Calvary Chapel team in mid-November. My friend Judy and I will join them for a bigger medical outreach in southern India. I'll spend a few days in Paris on the way home and get back just in time for Thanksgiving!

I'll have very little access to internet this month but I'll post or e-mail updates whenever possible. Thank you for praying for and supporting me as I go out once again. Your prayers allow God to work - I love watching what He does!

I worked in the same places in India last year. To see pictures and stories from last year, click below:
India 2009

Ecuador - last update

July 18, 2010

The team is sleeping in a bit this morning before worshiping with our Quito friends at La Vina for the last time. We´ll do a little shopping this afternoon, debrief as a team, and leave for the United States early tomorrow morning.

What an amazing three weeks we´ve had.
Highlights from my point of view (Jen) -

Tromping through the rain into very poor areas in the ¨jungle¨outside Tena - finding and treating patients who would not have come to the clinic.
Watching each member of the mission medic team grin from ear to ear as they use their gifts and talents - and are complimented on their skills
Building new friendships within the large team
Children running up to me for hugs and turns spinning around in circles
Waterfalls and ice cream and lots of compliments and notes of encouragement on my birthday
Team meetings each night singing praise to God and hearing people tell what God did around them that day.

If you are into numbers...
1004 - Patients seen in clinic
>1000 - Additional people visited by medics in their homes
>3500 - Prescriptions filled in clinics

So we´re coming home happy but a little tired!

Love to each of you. Thank you for praying. See you soon!

Jen

Ecuador - busy clinics

July 14, 2010

Hello from Tena, the smaller more humid of our outreach locations. We arrived back here from Quito on Sunday evening, and held clinics on Tues and Wed at the Church (not a Vineyard) that we are associated with here. We got to the Church at 8 am Mon, the clinic due to open at 9 and at least 50 people were already waiting for the clinic to open. This was a first for our Mission Medic group...we have lots of experience going house to house, but not in holding a big clinic. We had lots of help, as the teams from MT and from Kansas had joined us in Quito, and including a doctor, several nurses, and lots of supplies. I am proud to say that we operated as one team, with great cooperation...all 38 of us. We set up stations, which someone called pods...with a Mission Medic or a nurse or the doctor and a translator, and the patient. Actually, usually a family of patients. As they came in, the patients were given an intake sheet (think in terms of trying to spell very odd names...odd to us), and weighed and measured, then they waited for their turn at a pod, after which they went to the integrated health area (waiting for their Rxs). Meanwhile, the children, after they were seen by a provider, went off to play. We had set up next door games, toys and gifts, teachings and skits. They had balloon animals on their heads and in their hands, which they often reshaped into something else. All along this process, rovers prayed with the patients, and we saw many healings without benefit of medicines.

Sorry not to have more time to tell additional details. Only that the Ecuadorians were very gracious, patient with us as we stumbled over the language, or while they had to wait. That we saw over 250 people the first day, and over 150 people the second and I really think most of them felt loved on. And we have lots of new friends now from MT and Kansas.

Have to get the bags downstairs...we're on the move again.

Laura (medic alumni and team member)

Ecuador - the big team arrives

July 9, 2010

A note of explanation: Our mission medics team spent the first 10 days pre-screening patients for large medical clinics. On July 9, a large team of volunteer medical professionals and children's ministry workers arrived to put on these clinics. Overnight we went from a team of 8 to a team of 40+. Yikes! Jen

The large team has arrived successfully. The bus unloaded under conditions that seemed like a carnival: the flight was late, the bus was too big for the downtown roads, finally unloaded at 3am on a friday night with crowded streets and loud music that seemed to last until the sun came up.

But we all managed to get up for breakfast together this morning and then a trip by bus to the center of the world. 0 latitude and 0 longitude. Organizational meeting this afternoon to organize medical supplies because we leave for Tena Sunday afternoon to set up for the clinic which will run the following two days. The feel has definitely changed with the arrival of the large crew, please pray for smooth transitions and easy logistics as we travel from place to place.

Most of the team is getting better from the traveling sickness, but a few have now succumb to it, so please continue to pray for everyone's health, especially the new folks. And some old ones (aka Lauren as she
accidentally drank an iced mocha this morning - ice is bad, very bad.)

Thanks for your prayers and love to everyone at home.

Brad (medic alumni and team member)

Ecuador - home visits in Quito

July 7, 2010

Today the Medic team was in a poor section of Quito. The church there has a wonderful school and an outreach to children. We went door to door, meeting with people and seeing if they had medical needs. It is such a blessing to meet these wonderful people. They are gracious and friendly to us, and very welcoming.

There is much flu and cold in the area we were at. Many fevers, runny noses and sore throats. The air here is not very good and it is cool and damp which might be making things worse. We encourage them to drink plenty of water, rest and come to the upcoming clinic if they are not better.

We also saw people with the same types of problems I see in the medical clinic at Vineyard. There are UTIs, back problems, headaches and gastric problems. We have some great information to give people to help them with these common ailments. They are in Spanish - and I can't read Spanish - so I hope I am giving out the right ones. It could be embarrassing!

People are feeling better here though there are still lingering cold symptoms. We had a delicious meal of PIZZA at Bennie and Patty Gonzalez' house tonight. How spoiled are we? It hardly seems like a missions trip!

Tomorrow it is back out to the same area for more door to door visits. Keep us in your prayers, and pray for those people we are seeing.

God Bless you all,
Elen (medic student)

Ecuador - zip line!

July 5, 2010

Hola!

Right now we are in Mindon, we are going zip lining today! Our second day in Tena was very good - but hot, so i don´t think that we were as up beat at dinner as we were the first day...2 of our groups went back out to the jungle to see a few more people - while there we found lots of people that had symptoms of meningitis, so we are praying that they come to the clinic for medicine and treatment. We also got to checkup on the woman who had just delivered while we were out t here. We had another wonderful lunch at the church then back to the houses...we did areas that were closer to city center and areas around the church. On Sat, we went to different areas around the church before heading back to Quito...it was hot again so I think everyone was glad to get on the bus and have the breeze in our faces! Over all Tena was a very rewarding experience - it was awesome how people would welcome you into their home and make sure you had a clean chair to sit in, they were all so proud of their homes and were happy to have you in them.

The travel bug is going around along with a cold...but I think we´re healing, slowly but surely. Being back in Quito, we are sleeping in the church for the weekend until the big group gets in...we got to experience the church service on Sun, being in spanish, <i didn´t really catch most of it, but i could still read along in my bible ;)

It is much cooler in Quito, so i think most people are sleeping better even though we´re on cots. Its bringing back memories of boot camp for me - sleeping on top bunks, and cots- they were good memories though ;)

So we went to a local market yesterday after church - I think everyone came back with at least 4 bags!! It was pretty cool though, lots of handmand alpaca scarfs, sweaters and such...and some handmade wooden bowls..not too expensive...and for dinner, Elen and Audra made us an awesome dinner of spaghetti...so Today (Monday) is our off day, we´re going ziplining through the jungle and we found a laundromat that will do our laundry - so no more washing it with body soap and hang dry!! Tomorrow we start going house to house...more on that in our next update!

Hope all is well back home!

Lauren (medic student)

Ecuador - home visits in the rain

June 30, 2010

Hi from Tena, Ecuador!

(I cannot make this keyboard type an apostrophy (sp?). If this update sounds formal it is because I cannot use contractions!)

We are doing really well. I just finished sitting around the dinner table with our medic team and our translators. Everyone was talking excitedly about their day... and commenting about how they cannot wait to go out again tomorrow. This is noteworthy because today we spent 8 hours walking around in heavy rain and sticky clay/mud visiting homes in very poor areas on the outskirts of Tena. We were wet, dirty, exhausted... and really happy. It was a long, rewarding day. But first things first.

Our travel and flights all went smoothly. We spent one night at La Vina (Vineyard Church) in Quito. It was fun to see all the work the VineArts team has put in (a team of artists from our church in Boise was in Ecuador the week before us painting murals in the church and leading an art worship service). We had a quick turnaround... arrived at the church at about 9pm in time to sort medical supplies and repack for a bus ride to Tena early the next morning.

The four hour bus ride to Tena was beautiful. Quito is in the mountains, Tena is at the edge of the jungle. Big elevation change, spectacular scenery, very curvy road. I saw lots of cameras out so there should be pictures to show you later.

While in Tena the medics are doing our traditional house to house visits... but this time in preparation for a medical team that will arrive July 9th. We are doing initial assessments of medical problems and inviting those who can benefit to the clinic next week. We have exactly the right number of really great translators... a big answer to prayer. Many, many of the people we saw today were not very sick. But we came across two patients at the end of the day who seriously ill. One young woman who recently delivered a baby appears to have a serious abdominal infection. Another man is suffering from a serious skin infection that recently became worse. He has open sores all over his body and his feet are so swollen from weeping sores that he cannot walk (pictures are also available of this... not for weak stomachs). The 7 by 8 foot room he and his wife live in reeks of the smell of infection. He reminded us why we go to people in their homes (even when it means tromping through rain and mud). The team who initially met him took me back to help determine treatment (he will not be able to walk to the clinic). They watched his demeanor change to joy and gratitude as he realized we really wanted to help him. And that is just the medical stuff... imagine what God is doing because of all the prayers prayed over people today!

The School of Biblical Action (SOBA) students we are traveling with are teaching an inductive bible study method each evening at the church. I skipped out tonight to write this... but from what I saw last night they are doing a great job. It was fun to walk into the church this morning and see church members and staff hunched over their Bibles doing their homework from last night/s teaching.

Whew... you still there? I had better wrap this up. Thank you for praying, thank you for being part of our lives, we will send more updates the next time we get free time!

Jen

Philippines - last update

Sunday, June 13, 2010
From an update written by Tempe McFarlane

Hey, howdy friends - it's me, Tempe, checking in....following up from Mary's story from last night. :)

So.... I get the special honor of updating you on an amazing, spectacular leg of our journey. It seems like we've covered a hundred miles of Filippino mountains, but in reality, we've probably hiked about 15 miles in a 2 day mountain hilltribe experience. Picture this: Up at 4 a.m. so we can leave by 5:30 to try to beat the intense sun of the day and extreme humidity. Our team is the 6 of us from Boise, including 6 Philippino's - 3 young female translators and 3 men (2 sons of Pastor Ernesto and a former National Philippino Army hard core dude named Arturo who found Jesus and is now committed to serving his people. He has a great salvation story). The 11 of us are tucked snugly under mosquito nets in a room about the size of a master bedroom. We've had a pretty fun slumber party and have got to know each other really well. Our conversations consist of the CR, otherwise known as the Comfort Room, or known to you in the U.S. as a bathroom. You really have no idea how much we appreciate our bathrooms back home. Here, in the mountain villages, we share the CR with pigs, puppies, and well....you can guess the other "p" word. Of course there's no sitting, it's all about the squat...which is why the pigs get shoed out every time.

So we head out from the village of Belong at sunrise - each person carrying a 30-40 # backpack full of medicine and personal belongings and we hike for 5 solid hours into a National Geographic scenic place like no other we've ever seen. It's rainy season here now so the ground is sometimes wet and often slippery with mud. We climbed over high mountain peaks and down extremely steep narrow ravines leading down to the flat rice field terraces all throughout the area as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking, and intensely hot, even at 8 in the morning. It was a extreme hike and definitely not for the unfit. We were an amazing team, always covering each other's back. I'm sure you'll see a zillion pictures after we return home.

We finally arrive in Dananao just in time for the rain. God has been so gracious to us. Our host family welcomed us in, and as is normal with Philippino hospitality, they served us "hot" Kalinga coffee as we settled into the "upper room" and set up camp for the next few nights.

Early in the morning we set up "clinic" and for the next 8-10 hours we saw and medically helped about 140 people - from TB sputum testing, urine testing for UTI, IMCI (Integrated Management Childhood Immunization), ear cleaning and other medical concerns. We offered prayer and love to each person and we experienced God pour out his sweet love. In the afternoon we offered a teaching on UTI for the women. That night, we had such a sweet special time of ministry with our host family and other folks from the village.

The next morning we were up at 4 A.M. again to beat the heat and rain, and hike the 5 miles out to the village of Tinglayan and then the 5 hour drive through the moutains to Tabuk. The best experience is to sit on top of the bus, with a dozen other people, bags of rice, propane tanks and whatever else can be piled a mile high, and head through the incredible winding mountain road, often under construction, into Tabuk. This road is breathtaking and often the unfortunate receiver of mudslides, often stranding people for days, and at times even taking lives of people that get taken away by the mountain giving way due to extreme rain. About 5 pm we arrived at Chris & Cathee's house and kicked back for the night. We spent time in worship and debriefed our mountain hilltribe experience.

So - that leads us to now, Sunday. WOW what a cool experience today was. We ate Cathee's famous pancakes for breakfast (no rice, which was amazing) and we all piled in the jeepney & headed to Pakak for church with Pastor Ernesto in the resettlement village. It was so inspiring to see the youth leading worship and praising God. They have the coolest musical instruments. The hospitality of Pakak was sweetly overwhelming, and way more than we ever expected. As is tradition with special guests of honor, they captured, slaughtered, and served us a pig, in But But Illacano fashion. Not just any pig, but the pastor's pig....the "whole" pig. You get the picture - nothing wasted. Yup ! And we ate - the whole pig....snout & all. Then in the intense heat of the day, we drank "kalinga hot coffee" and then we danced. And we danced and danced the traditional But But dance in the courtyard in the middle of the village.

Wow - they honored us because we came and served with friendship, medical assistace and God's love to their people. We received so much more than we gave. Isn't that the heart of Jesus? Didn't He say it is better to give than to receive ? It's just a natural fit when you accept Christ. He tips your world upside down and gives you this amazing desire to want to love. And love comes in such a variety of ways...in fact, limitless ways. God is so creative. He created love, laughter, hugs and this great capacity to serve others.

So...here's some fun notes to remember to ask about...that we haven't covered due to time: gagging rauncy cheese-bit ice cream, Mary talking in her sleep, the serenading widower at 4 a.m., stool softener, 3:00 a.m. crowing roosters, butt-biting pigs, and........ your imagination will take you there :)

We have all been incredibly blessed. We've seen God answer prayers. We've escaped the lightening, thunder and downpour of rain. We've laughed and cried together and are so thankful for your love and support while we've been away from home. We've been praying for all of you and we're excited to see you in a few days :)

Tempe

Philippines - Belong mountain village

Saturday, June 12, 2010
From an update written by Mary Zimmerman

Monday morning, we arose early and took a jeep up to the mountains and then hiked for about 2 hours to a village called Belong. We were welcomed so warmly by our host family and the villagers! We took a projector up with us to the village to play videos that had specifically been put together in stories that show God's love and forgiveness. So, we rested once we got there and then showed a couple videos, shared testimonies, and prayed with the villagers. There was a great turnout and the people seemed to enjoy and understand the message.

On Tuesday we jumped right into going home to home, assessing people, discovering their illnesses, giving medication, and praying with them. We enjoyed every minute of it! The people were so thankful and many gave small gifts of rice or beans. We saw a lot of arthritis and ear problems. We spent most of the day doing assessments and covered about 70% of the homes. A couple more videos were shown that night.

We finished up home-to-home assessments on Wednesday. Afterwards, a few of us did a women's teaching on UTIs and other questions the women had. Just about every woman from the village showed up, so it was an encouragement to us that they wanted to learn. The rest of the day, we did some packing up and then took a 15 minute hike down to a village to show a couple videos there, as well.

Mary

Philippines - "Sweening" and rest days

Sunday, June6, 2010

This morning I (Jennifer) took Samuel swinging on an old rusty swing set. Samuel is Chris and Cathee's 2-year-old son. I was thinking how ridiculous it was to have sweat pouring off my face at 8:30 in the morning when Samuel's voice broke through my whiny thoughts. "I'm sweening!" he exclaimed in pure delight (translation: I'm swinging).

As a young child I loved to swing. So I've been shocked in recent years to find that swinging too high makes my stomach turn flip flops - and the feeling is not as pleasant as I remember. Now I'm concerned about staining my pants on a dirty seat, breaking a chain from swinging too fast, and twisting an ankle on a less-than-spectacular dismount. When did a delightful activity become a source of worry? When did I lose my childhood delight and become a worried adult?

Bear with me for an analogy here - I think short term mission trips are a lot like swinging. Lots of hard work to get prepared and get started. The thrilling feeling of living at the edge of my capabilities and having to trust God for even the most basic needs. Calm moments of rest in between each "upswing" challenge. Daily choosing to delight in the belly-flops of discomfort and lack of control. Trips even have a "dismount" where overseas experiences clash with life at home. So as a leader, I'm praying I remain "as a little child" full of joy and excited to go on this adventure again and again.

"I'm SWEENING!" - and I'm lovin' it.

After intense and hot days of village health assessments, health teachings, and video evangelism, we've enjoyed the past 2 days of rest at a beautiful little jungle "resort" beside a clear river. Let me define "resort" for you. The power goes out at regular intervals and the air conditioning unit doesn't work at all. We're sharing one "bathroom" with large spiders and we share our clear river with water buffalo and pigs. But the setting is beautiful and relaxing. We've gone swimming, kayaking, cave-exploring, and bat watching. We had a great time of prayer last night and are looking forward to watching God work as we hike into the mountain tribes tomorrow.

Jennifer

Philippines - Catao medical assessments

Friday, June 4, 2010
From an update written by Stephanie Gulick

Wednesday and Thursday we headed to the village of Catao which is about 30 minutes from Tabuk. What an amazing time we had. Funny story first; as we made our way in the jeep to the village, the road got VERY narrow and washed out. Chris tried his hardest to get us out, but we all had to exit the jeep as it got stuck in the mud! Jen, Steph and Nancy helped push the jeep up the hill out of the mud while the rest of the girls guided so Chris didnt go off the edge (quite a drop on either side). God was with us as we were able to make it out!

When we arrived in Catao, the people were very inviting as we split into 2 teams going from house to house doing medical assessments and praying with each family. God was moving with us as we prayed over each family as we felt his presence with each of them. Jen did some teaching on danger signs and when to go to the doctor. As we headed out that evening, the roads had to be cleared as another truck was stuck in the mud (in a different spot this time). It took 2 other trucks and about 9 men over 3 hours to get it out. So, needless to say, we did a lot of walking and laughing! Shiree taught us how to play the finger game and that brought out a good laugh.

Day 2 of Catao we finished up our house to house visits and sat with the people and addressed their medical questions. Abby and Steph did 2 teachings (acted out-pretty hilarious) on worms and lice in how to keep the spread to a minimum. The village thought they were pretty funny as we watched them laugh at them. Shiree did UTI testing and Arturo did TB testing. Shiree even did a pregnancy test that came back positive, so we said our congratulations to her. In the evening we did worship and showed a couple films and shared a couple testimonies on how God is working in our lives, especially in tough times. Eva shared her story of meningitis and almost dying and Steph shared her story of marriage and how God has worked miracles in both situations through trusting him and prayers. The visit was a blessing and God was all around.

Stephanie

Philippines - Pakak medical assessments

Tuesday, June 1, 2010
From an update written by Abby Trussell

Our first medical clinic in Pakkak with the But-But (sounds like boot-boot) was awesome. We went out in two's with a translator house to house and had very personable visits with each family in the village. We found some coughs and colds, ear infections, TB signs, thyroid problems, and possible ulcers etc. I think this was a great way to connect with the people more personally. After each assessment we gave each family an Emergency Packet with basic medicines and wound care accessories with an ending prayer for each family. At the end of the day we said our goodbyes and packed up our bags after our amazing home stays and many "love gifts" (mainly rice) and headed back for Tabuk. Today we had a relaxation day to shop for gifts. Jen, our leader found that she had lost her wallet after getting out of the Jeepney, and after a little while and prayer a woman randomly walked up to Jen exclaiming that the jeepney driver had her wallet! SO praise God!

Abby

Philippines - Pakak homestays

Monday, May 31, 2010
From an update written by Shirree Reynolds

Thank you for all your prayers so far. We have made it safely to the Phillippines and are having a wonderful time learning about the culture here and trying our best to serve the people.

It's VERY hot here and we've been sweating and sticky non-stop since arrival. I don't know about the others on my team, but I think I'm starting to get more used to the feeling of wet skin and clothes!

We left for Pakak the next morning and were greeted immediately by the children there! After getting a few things settled... each of us headed to our host homes. They are very gracious in Pakak and we fell in love with the people there and were so encouraged by the faith that they have in Christ! They taught us a lot about their life there and had us experience not only techniques in hand washing dishes and laundry from well water, but also took us to the birthday party of a two-year old boy and taught us how they dance and slaughter a pig for the celebration! They also took us to the rice fields and we learned the process of rice harvesting and later that night we got to go on an outreach with them to the village next to theirs where they hold a church service every week.

I think we all admire the hospitality and generosity of these people and how immediately loving they are to us!

Shirree

Philippines 2010

May 24, 2010

I'm off to the Philippines again! This year's medic students will work new villages, but we'll be in the same area of the Philippines as last year's medics (Tabuk). I'll post pictures and stories when I return. For pictures and updates from last year, see the link below.
Philippines Medic Outreach 2009

Mission Medics 2009-2010

May 1, 2010

This year's mission medic students have finished their final exams and scenarios and are ready to go overseas!

I've posted a few more pictures here. For more information about the program please check out the Vineyard College of Mission website.

Haiti Outreach Canceled

Friday, February 19, 2010

So far Boise Vineyard has sent two medical teams to Haiti. I helped send these teams but have not yet gone myself. I was planning to go on the third team.

Security is rapidly deteriorating in Haiti as the U.S. military has been asked to leave. Haitian authorities took over control of the airport in Port-au-Prince today, and our first team is having trouble leaving the country.

Plans to send future teams, including mine, have been canceled for now. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti in these tumultuous times.

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Last update: Sunday, August 26, 2012