Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Beyond Reach

I have been in the remote island of Halmahera in northeast Indonesia. There is no access to the Internet there--so I have been beyond reach since the 13th of August. Today we started traveling at 1:30 a.m. It was a four hour car trip on sometimes marginal roads thru the beautiful jungle of this island. The equatorial sky was brilliant with stars this morning. Our car nearly ran out of gas but we found a light on in a home along the road and got just enough gas to get us to the port. We then got on a boat for about an hour shot across an inlet (I always love the boat) then on a public car, one hour airplane flight and another public car to our lodging. It has been a tiring but inspiring day.

There are some amazing people living at our medical base in that remote place. They have been working to serve the poor and sick for just five years now. I love coming to the base because I get to see the fruit of the work. The most touching stories are not the buildings or programs being started--it is the lives that have been rescued. This place is a rescue center. You can see it every place you go--from the little children in the care of our staff to the sick who come into our clinic and hospital. It speaks of servant-like sacrifices to meet the pressing needs of the poor and former refugees.

I would love to live on the base and see it everyday. It is seeing the people blessed by our efforts that puts my work in perspective. I am energized and focused on our important work.

I am still in Indonesia for three days. I will be coming back to the U.S. with a number of projects I need to organized. It is an honor to be a part of this work and to be partnering with selfless servants who serve without complaint everyday.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Dental Needs

In March, a dental team went to our base and treated over 100 children and then visited a public school. It was a dynamic time. The dental needs where we work are great--no one get regular dental care. Two of our staff are studying to become dentists. We want to relieve suffering of those who come with dental issues. All of us know the pain you can have when you have dental problems.

I leave in three hours for Indonesia. I will be joining a dental team. This team will be training our dental staff and will be caring for those who come to our clinic during their stay.

I admire these volunteers who give their time and pay their own way. They just want to help those who are serving the poor. This year we have had two dental teams from the U.S. who have traveled over the Pacific Ocean. The timing is good for these teams to share their knowledge and professional skills. It all translates into a better trained staff.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Living in the Smoke

I have been stranded in airports around the world for many reasons. Once I was with a team and we were delayed for three days in a row. The reason that was finally given was they had no windshield for the plane. I was glad to be on the ground. I have even seen burning planes on the runway. This year we had a flight cancel from a remote island. It was complicated by the fact that it was the only flight off the island and we had an international flight to catch in a major city. In order to make that flight we had to drive four hours on a jungle road, hire a boat to take us to another island and then hope to get a seat on another flight. It all worked and we made the international flight.

We have a new challenge here in Alaska--due to large forest fires around the city of Fairbanks. Flights have been canceled and we are scheduled to leave on Tuesday morning. Lack of visibility and ash in the air makes it dangerous to land and take-off. This will be interesting because we have very little time to play with. The team will meet in Seattle and travel together to Indonesia. There are enough obstacles in getting to Indonesia but the new one is smoke.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Team Preparation

We have just over a week before we leave for Indonesia. This short-term team will be focused on dental training, hygiene, training children workers and construction. We have a dentist, three college students, and electrical engineer and the team leader. We have a relatively short time in Indonesia and so we have to be ready to fill our time and give our best efforts. The team members on this team live in two locations and will be meeting in Seattle. We will actually come from three points and meet for the long trans-Pacific flight to Tokyo then Singapore. These are long flights and we lose a day as we land in Singapore.

This team has several personal reasons for their interest in our efforts. I know everyone of them to some degree. One of the college students has been on a previous trip when she was 15 years old. She was an awesome team member. The dentist is a friend of a friend of mine. Our friendship will deepen as we travel together and are roommates on the trip. The young people are carving out the course for their lives. They are all single and just want to experience cross-cultural settings and take a hard look at the future doors for their lives.

I love to see the openness and heart these team members have for working with the poor. They inspire all of us who do this regularly. These team members always deposit something lasting in the lives of our Indonesian staff. It might be a friendship or professional skills.

We are there for two weeks on the ground and we give everything we have in those limited days. It can be exhausting and is filled with a lot of new experiences. The food is good, the people are humble and the work is rewarding. It is well worth the investment and many miles we travel to get there and to get home.