Ethiopia, Ecuador, India, and other updates from 2011

Stories and pictures from 2011 (Ethiopia exploration trip, Ecuador with Mission Medics, India with Calvary Missions & Mission Medics).

India - Katie's update

November 28, 2011

Our clinics here in the North have been amazing. We have seen quite a variety of patients. Numerous patients complain of back pain. I (Katie) have attempted to explain the importance of good body mechanics, though their habit is working in the fields standing, bent over with very bad posture. Their tools are very short, so whenever they work they are bent over. I instructed many in back stabilization exercises. Most of them laughed as I demonstrated the exercises. Many of the women seemed to be embarrassed. They did not want to repeat the demonstration, but rather said they would try the exercises at home. At times my exercise table consisted of two wooden benches side by side with a small blanket over the top, sometimes I actually had a bed to work with. All the patients seemed to be very grateful for the attention given to them. After being seen by medics, the patients would go to the pharmacy for whatever medications they needed.

In one village, I had the opportunity to work with a two year old with spastic quadraparesis due to cerebral palsy. I was able to demonstrate gentle stretching exercises as well as positions to facilitate improved trunk and head control. Most disturbing to me was the fact that they informed me that they fed the child when he was lying on his back. They also informed me that he often suffered from pneumonia. I was able to instruct them to only feed him in an upright position. Fortunately, he was still breastfed and his mother held him upright.

Another patient was a healthy 8 year old. When I asked what his problem was through the interpreter, he responded, "My height". I then asked what was wrong with his height and he stated that he was too short. I pointed to his mother, who was probably only 4 feet, 10 inches. We all had a good laugh. Other patients, however, did not present as healthy. One gentleman in particular, had a very low hemoglobin score, in fact it was off the chart which only registered a score of 3. It was shocking that he was even able to walk into the clinic.

It has been good to get a little break at Ryan and Amanda's. We were able to wash clothes, get some needed down time and enjoy a wonderful spaghetti dinner. Day after tomorrow we head out for another medical clinic with another rough jeep ride ahead. We are all grateful for Ryan's skill at driving on these so called roads.

Unfortunately, one casualty of the trip was my ipod. It happened to be in my jacket pocket when I was in the outhouse in the squatting position, as I bent over, well you can imagine the rest of the story. Must go for now. Love to all friends and family. Katie

India - Doug's update

November 28, 2011

Greetings for the Northeast of India,
After several days in country it is hard to know where to begin. Do we talk about the people and their beautiful spirits or the amazing country side and vistas no matter where you stand? Or, we could talk about the food that has been so graciously provided by the villagers and Sisters at the convent in Barbhot.
I am struck by the fact that so many here have so little yet they seem content with their life. They seem to find pleasure in community, spending time together drinking tea and chatting. Before anything happens we all sit together and share tea, even though we cannot understand much of what is said we are able to connect in spirit and simple enjoy one another's company. After tea we get started with the clinic and see patient's non-stop until lunch time. We see lots of colds, flu, headaches and fevers. We also see some with TB and others with skin rashes. One gentle man came to us in advanced liver failure and could not stop vomiting. He should have been in a hospital, but that was not an option for him. After some brilliant care from Lanie and Ryan he was stabilized and able to be transported back to his home. There have been several cases of people with wounds that have not been treated properly over many months and have become sever. We are able to clean them up and give antibiotics and additional clean dressing and hopefully they get a chance to heal and be free from pain. Lunch is usually rice with some local vegetables and fruit all grown and prepare there in the village, and of course there is tea. After lunch it is back to the clinic and more patients. On a couple days we have gone on well after the sun has gone down and use head lamps to see. Once we have seen all the patients for the day we have stayed with local villagers and packed up and driven back to the convent. At both places we have been treated so well it is almost embarrassing. We are treated like royalty given the very best that they have I'm sure.

India - Mountain Villages

November 27, 2011

Hello from the mountains of India!

It is Monday evening. We've been in northern India for about a week now. We just returned to Ryan and Amanda's home in Kaffer after spending the past five days holding clinics in Nepali villages. We saw a few hundred patients who normally have to walk for hours to reach any form of healthcare.

"Where can you go to purchase medication when you run out?"
"Well, there's a government healthpost that is open one day a month, but I have to walk three hours to get there."

I'm enjoying this team. They've worked hard without complaints, they cheerfully take bucket baths, and eat plates of rice with smiles day after day.

We're surrounded by overwhelming beauty. You have to be here to appreciate the majesty of these mountains - and the treachery of these roads. There is a reason most Nepalis walk from village to village. We drove for hours on tiny, rough roads and the vehicle rarely moved more than 15 miles per hour. Walking paths up and down the mountains are much more direct. But with medications and medical supplies it was nice to have vehicle transport.

Tomorrow will be a day off to rest, do laundry, resort supplies, etc. Thank you for praying. People are being blessed by our work and of course we're hugely blessed in return.

India - the stench of love

November 20, 2011

Wound care is not my favorite thing. I'm better with blood and guts than most pharmacists, but the smell of rotting flesh and bacteria is tough to take. I'm really proud of my teammates who removed bandages, soaked feet, cut away dead skin, cleaned out gaping wounds, and carefully bandaged limbs day after day this week. In a culture where touching someone else's feet is a sign of subservience, our "untouchable" leprosy patients were deeply moved by the gentle touch of white hands.

India - Lion Man

November 13, 2011

I met a special man today. He lives in a leprosy colony run by the government (translate: abysmal conditions). Years ago, before leprosy treatment was available, leprosy bacteria killed the nerves in his hands and feet. Over time, infections resulting from sores he couldn't feel ate away at his fingers and toes leaving him with useless fingers and stumps for feet. He looks old (80+) but is actually probably only in his 60s. Painful arthritis has debilitated him. He sits in a dark cement building with other elderly men with leprosy who can't fend for themselves. He depends on the kindness of other residents of the leprosy colony to bring him meals twice a day.
I met a special man today. He believes in Jesus. He is a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He was created with a purpose and is loved by God. He spends his days praying and worshiping his Redeemer, waiting for the day he will meet Jesus face to face and leave his physical body behind. In the local language his name means "Lion Man." And when I sat to hold his hands and pray with him, tears spilled down his face. I dared to ask this warrior to pray for me. His face lit up at this request - because in a world where there is little he can do, prayer is something he excels at. He promised to pray every day. I'm extraordinarily blessed and humbled by this.

India - Bangalore leprosy clinics

November 12, 2011

We're back in Bangalore and I'm enjoying unpacking my stuff and settling in for a week. In the past three days we've visited two leprosy colonies and two Calvary Chapel orphanages (children's homes). At the home we visited today (Prayer Garden) I visited with the young girls who are HIV positive. We sat on the floor of one of their rooms giggling as they tried to teach me Candida (the regional dialet). I'm leading a basic healthcare training session for Indian Calvary Chapel Staff and childcare workers tomorrow. We'll also hold a short medical clinic tomorrow evening. They tell me by the time we leave we'll have seen about 450 leprosy patients and as many as 100 other sick orphans and childcare workers. Here we go!

India - Schiefflin Insitute leprosy training

November 11, 2011

I'm typing this while sitting on a porch listening to jungle birds sing and the wind lightly blow through lush tropical trees. We're in a rural area outside Vallore, India with no internet, so I probably won't get to send this until later in the week. We're receiving training in leprosy care from doctors at the Schiefflin Institute - the world's leading leprosy center (where Paul Brand did most of his work). We took the train from Bangalore to Vallore this morning - a high-class train with comfortable seats and air conditioning (very different from last year's train adventures). We're staying in the guesthouse here at the institute, complete with running water and electricity. (Of course, some team members report sharing their rooms with geckos, frogs, and mice. I guess the animals agree the rooms are nice).

We've finished our three days of leprosy training. On one hand I'm having a BLAST. I'm getting practical education about leprosy from the world's experts. This is an amazing opportunity for our work later in the week and for training medics and missionaries in the future. On the other hand this is heart wrenching and exhausting. Leprosy is a horrible disease. It is rewarding to show practical love to people who rarely receive love. But it is extraordinarily difficult. It is difficult to look into face after face and see disfigurement, rejection, an appalling lack of education, and disgusting (smelly!) wounds. Difficult to keep going as my body adjusts to a different diet and living environment. Difficult to keep from exhausting myself since I still have many weeks to go...

India - Please pray

November 4, 2011

I'm in India!
Nov 4 - 20 - We'll work with a Calvary Chapel medical team offering medical check-ups to leprosy patients and orphans.
November 21 - December 6 - A small team of mission medics will travel north to offer medical care to villagers in the foothills of the Himalyas.

I'm been more reflective than usual as I prepared for this trip. What an amazing life I live! I'm excited to to serve and learn and grow and love people in India this month. I also have a healthy fear of the spiritual darkness and travel dangers inherent in this country. I appreciate your prayers for me, for my team, for the ministry leaders in India, and for each person we'll interact with while here.

Ecuador - Four Gringas

July 1, 2012

Four women
Four white women
Four white women who don't speak Spanish
Four white women who don't speak Spanish ministering for three weeks.

"What was I thinking, God? Is this really where you want us? Our Ecuadorian friends are scared to walk around Nigeria. How can we minister in a place where everyone is so afraid? What can we do in just three weeks?"

On our second day in Nigeria we met Angela. It was a hot day and my clothes were sticking to me by the time we picked our way through the mud and trash to her family's home. Standing at the door, we explained we were medics working with the local church to offer health assessments and answer medical questions. As we walked into the dimly lit house, we saw Angela.

Sitting slumped in an old wheelchair, Angela looked tremendously uncomfortable. Swelling in her feet and legs extended up into her scrotum and abdomen.
Wet lungs.
Heart failure.
"Oh Father, what do we do?" There is no easy treatment/cure for heart failure.

The prevailing mood in the room was not good. Angela's son and daughter-in-law looked skeptical and answered questions about her condition somewhat begrudgingly. Her condition had worsened over the past week and she was no longer able to lie down to sleep (fluid filled her lungs and made her feel like she was drowning). We heard an all-too familiar story. She went to a local doctor and was given some medicine. But that medicine ran out and they didn't have money for more. She'd been referred to a specialist but had to wait months for that appointment. Meanwhile her abdominal pain was worsening, she was constipated to the point of refusing to eat, and she spent 24 hours per day in a wheelchair.

We did check-ups on everyone else and treated her daughter-in-law for a pelvic infection. We prayed with Angela and promised to return the next day after we discussed how we could help her. In the end we decided to purchase some suppositories to treat her constipation and seek advice of local church leaders before getting involved in her long-term treatment.

When we returned the next day, Angela's swelling had decreased and she'd been able to sleep in her bed (at this point we'd given her NO new medicine). When we returned several days later the suppositories had given her significant relief and she greeted us with a huge smile. Over the course of the next three weeks we watched this woman regain hope. She still has heart failure, but she knows she's loved and cared for.

A girl with poor distance vision is now grinning from ear to ear in her new glasses.
An extremely poor new mom with a broken ankle now has a cast and crutches.
A malnourished girl infested with lots of worms is now worm-free. Now her food can nourish her instead of the worms!
A group of adults attended our training session where they learned practical ways to exercise, treat dehydration, and fix balanced meals.
We built wonderful relationships with people in Nigeria and Guayaquil.
We saw beautiful beaches, ate delicious food, and laughed until we cried.

Four women
Four white women
Four white women who don't speak Spanish
Four white women who don't speak Spanish ministering for two-three weeks.
Four white women who don't speak Spanish ministering for two-three weeks under the power and leading of CHRIST.

I love watching God work. What a privilege to see him work through us!

Ecuador - Google translate (from Manaal)

June 8, 2011

Tonight I (Manaal) was busy cooking and glistening in the church kitchen, which is upstairs and faces a busy street with a HUGE window, in a tanktop, my ipod blaring and attempting lunges as I waited for things to simmer, boil and bubble. You can imagine my surprise when the guards, who are normally restricted to the first floor, entered asking to refill their water container with the filtered water. After I got over my embarrassment, I asked if they wanted some food when it was done...20-something-year-old guys...of course they said yes... and that was the start of our truly entertaining night. Hanna and I brought the 4 guys some of our makeshift baked ziti and as soon as we had cleared our own table, we were again surprised when they came up with a sachel with the most amazing rotiserie chicken, plantain chips and salad...and a huge doughnut to share. We were all full, but as culture would dictate we gratefully cut away at the chicken, sharing, when the other 2 came upstairs it was a full on fiesta. They don't speak English. The four of us have a combined 2 semester of Spanish between us. Enter "google translate." Jen's mac and my mac were on opposite sides of the table as we all laughed at the translations while making conversation. We would have rocked America's funniest home videos. These are the kinds of precious and memorable moments that have flavored our trip.

Ecuador - Nigeria (in South America?)

//June 4, 2012

I'm grinning from ear to ear. So are Sheri, Manaal, and Hanna (the lovely ladies serving with me on this trip). So is the pastor of "La Roca Nigeria," a new church plant in a slum on the outskirts of Guayaquil. We spent the afternoon with him. So are the people we met as we walked around Nigeria today.

Why?

Because we're doing exactly what we were made to do: Serve God by loving people.

Nigeria (pronounced with a Spanish accent) is poor. Really, really poor. Like a poor part of Africa plopped on the outskirts of one of Ecuador's nicest cities. Standing water, trash, and feces in the muddy streets force you to watch where you're stepping. In our brief visit today we met children with lice & scabies, hepatitis, diarrhea, and unexplained fevers. We sat and talked to moms and were treated to snacks and drinks in each home. I love watching medic teams get EXCITED the harder the circumstances get - when our feet get dirty and our clothes start to stink (it is 90 F with heavy humidity here), grins just seem to get bigger.

Ecuador - Here we go again!

June 2, 2011

I'm headed to Ecuador this afternoon. I'm taking a small group of medics and a physician to work with a new church plant in a poor community outside Guayaquil. The energy and enthusiasm of my teammates is rubbing off on me and I can't wait to get on that plane!

Please pray for:

Quick bonding with our translators and local church leaders
We'll be doing health assessments in people's homes - please pray we are well received and able to build relationships while meeting medical needs.
Health, safety, and smooth travel for everyone on the team
Wise decisions and direction as we prepare for a larger medical team the last week.

Village Medicine Intensive Training

May 28, 2011

I just finished an AMAZING week. Dr. Mary Vanderooki, author of "Village Medical Manual," came to Boise to put on an intensive training for our medic program. She's a retired emergency physician who has worked in rural Ethiopia for the past 18 years. When I say intensive I mean it - 8 hours a day for 7 days. We learned new information about diseases specific to the third world and new practical skills for working with limited resources. Mary is in poor health so we limited the class size to lessen the burden on her. But she's generously given us her training materials and we plan to repeat this training in the future. If you're interested... stay tuned!

This all came about because of friend-of-a-friend connections, miraculous "coincidences," and God's perfect timing. The room was full of people committed to medical missions around the world. It is exciting to think about the people God will reach as a result of this week.

Ethiopia - Korah slum

April 4, 2011

We completed a big training session here on Addis Friday & Saturday. Great times with pastors & church leaders. Worship on Sunday was good.

And I had an unexpected treat. We went to visit a missionary family (the Shannons) who are working in a really poor community on the outskirts of Addis. I'm excited to continue communicating with them and hope mission medics can offer basic healthcare training there soon.

Their website is:
http://www.embracinghopeethiopia.com

The Shannons live and work in a Korah, a slum community beside the city dump where people dig through the trash for food and items to sell. The next street over is a leper community. Healthcare and education needs are huge. I didn't want to leave.

But leave I must. My plane leaves Ethiopia in a few hours. What a trip. I'm full of ideas and plans. I can't wait to come back and get to work!

Ethiopia - Vineyard team

March 31, 2011

The Kansas City team arrived Friday night right on time - it was fun to be at the other side of customs to greet them. This is an upbeat, flexible team and I'm really glad to be with them.

We left early Saturday morning to spend our first few days in rural villages northwest of Addis. There is very little water available - people line up for hours waiting to use one of the water pumps in town - so we were a smelly bunch by the time we left four days later. We visited 6 or 7 churches in just a few days. This was a special time of visiting churches, praying over church leaders, and playing with kids. I learned a bunch of Oramefa phrases and had fun using them to relate to people (what is your name, do you have children, how many, how old...) It is nice to not be the team leader and have time to do things like that. We did a training with a group of church leaders that felt Spirit empowered. As I talk to women I hear the recurring theme 'I have 6 children but 2 died', 'I have 7 children but one died', etc. I hope and pray I can return to do specific health training to empower these churches to help prevent disease and death.

We're back in Addis enjoying running water and western food. We'll have some free time tomorrow morning before we start a more extensive spiritual training tomorrow night.

Ethiopia - schools

March 24, 2011

(This update was written by my travel partner - Elen)

On Wednesday we traveled from Sodo to Sheshemane. We med Dr. Urgessa Biru who is building schools in the Sheshamane area. He has built forty schools so far. Once the schools are running for five years the Ethiopian government has agreed to take over paying the teachers. This frees his group to start more schools. So far he has transferred a number of them over to the government and they are running well.

We visited three schools and it was so wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the teachers and students. The students were out of their seats, stretching their hands forward to answer questions. We both wanted to go back to school! I (Elen) was very excited to see the fourth graders learning magnetism. Awesome!

We headed back to Addis Thursday on one of the small vans that serve as mini buses between cities. It was a "cultural experience" as the driver appeared to be a Rastafarian and was enjoying his kat leaves. It was an interesting trip through the Rift valley, very dry and hot. It is amazing to me that people can live there, but of course it is still the dry season now. We made it safely to a taxi stand and then onto our very nice guest house.

Today, Friday, we have been enjoying resting, washing, and wandering in the area near our guest house. We are not the only "forengi" here as the guest house is near the international school and many other hotels as well as the Addis University. Jen even found some ice cream, which made her very happy.

Tonight the team from Kansas City will join Jen and I will head back to the US. It has been a wonderful trip!

Elen

Ethiopia - waterfalls and tears

March 21, 2011

One of the babies Elen and I helped care for went to be with Jesus last night. He's the one I'm holding in the pictures we sent out. He was simply born too early in a country with too few resources. Ethiopians don't usually name their babies until they survive the first week or two. Death is a regular part of life. Now he's with the Father who knows his name and calls him precious.

Today we went with Sophie and Dr. Mary to the rural village where they hold a make-shift clinic twice each week. I'm still processing the day. Extreme poverty, basic medicine, matter of fact reports of death, horrendous diseases... and many, many precious people who struggle so hard just to survive. Father, please show them you love them!

I had an unexpected treat on Sunday. I went with a group of people from the Soddo hospital to a local reserve and hiked a steep mountain trail to two waterfalls. What fun!

Ethiopia - Babies

March 19, 2011

Elen and I had a beautiful (but long) bus ride from Addis to Soddo. We ended up on a crowded public bus, but the bus didn't make many stops, we made new friends, and the driver was good. After seven hours of driving we got off the bus at the Soddo bus station, strapped our packs on our backs, and walked up the hill to the hospital. We spent the next two hours learning to care for two premature infants who were born yesterday. One is 1.1kg and the other is 1.8kg. They require constant care.

Today Elen and I took baby duty while Sophie (our missionary nurse friend) went to a rural village to hold a clinic. When we first walked in this morning only one baby (the tiny boy) was in the incubator. My heart dropped.

Then we looked on the bed and the little girl's grandmother had wrapped her up in blankets and left her sleeping there. Her breathing was so much quieter than yesterday I didn't realize she was there. Praise Jesus! We're rejoicing over two babies beating the odds and surviving their first few days of life. Elen and I spent the morning caring for them. They both do better when held "skin to skin" so we cuddled them a lot today.

Saturday is market day so we ventured out to buy fruits and vegetables this afternoon. I stopped to buy some bananas and was immediately surrounded by curious people. "Look they're stopping." "Look they're buying." "Look they're leaving." (Sophie translated the running commentary to me). Several dozen children attached themselves to us as we made our way through the crowded market. It was honestly a pretty ugly scene as they trampled people's vegetables and knocked over stands trying to be close to us. There is a reason the local missionaries pay women to shop for them. But for less than $10 we have a sack full of fruit and vegetables!

Ethiopia

March 15, 2011

I'm off to Ethiopia. I get to spend a few days with the author of one of our Mission Medic textbooks, follow-up with a ministry my parent's church supports, and join a Vineyard partnership team training Ethiopian church leaders.

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Last update: Sunday, August 26, 2012