Memories

I just got home from a time in Idaho. It was a great time of sharing the work of IFC in Indonesia. It was also a time of stepping into the past. I spoke to a group and a woman came to me and said she had a picture of me from my college days. My wife and I went to a small private college in southern Idaho. I worked in the food service my entire time at school. My first job was to wash dishes and later I was given a job making cookies. I really liked that job and enjoyed the kitchen staff. Sometimes we would get an invitation to go to the kitchen staff's homes for a home cooked meal. The woman who said she had a picture of me was one of these wonderful kitchen staff that showed their kindness to some of us student staff. I looked at the photo and it brought back some great memories. It was taken 32 years ago--just before my wife and I were married. It is not often you get to see a reminder of your distant past. I was slim and had lots of hair--my how things have changed.

Friends from the Beginning

I am in Idaho this week. IFC has some good friends and supporters here in the famous potatoes state. I spent yesterday with Ray and Lorraine who are choice leaders and have supported the work in Indoneisia since we began in early 2001. We has a wonderful time and caught up on the time since our last meeting. They are so positive and encouraging.

I will be here in Idaho for this week--meeting with partners and finding new partners. I began this work with the desire to go thru every door that opens. I can see some new doors opening here and I will walk thru them. I know there is more in Idaho than potatoes.

Coming Soon--Update on the Hospital

The doors to our hospital are scheduled to open in about two months. This will be a great day when the sick can get long-term care at this facility. The hospital is small (compared to Western facilities) but it is a place where the poorest of the poor will get free medical treatment. We already see over 10,000 a year at our clinic just a hundred feet from the door of the hospital. We will have an out-patient facility and an in-patient facility next to each other. I want to thank Rotary Australia for the funds and vision to build this facility. It takes a lot of perseverance because of the growing cost of materials and the quality of the construction is first class. This will be the best facility in the region. We even have a helicopter landing site and ambulance for emergency cases. This hospital has a birthing ward and food service. In many hospitals in Indonesia the family has to provide linens and food for their loved ones. We will provide food and all the personal care needed to make the hospital time positive.

It is amazing to realize we just purchased the 75 acres of this site only four years ago. We now have the clinic, children’s home, leper treatment center, medical base house, mechanics shop, security gates, carpenter’s work area, coconut oil processing facility, gardens over 1,000 fruiting trees, a kiosk, and numerous staff homes. This is a community committed to show compassion to the poor and needy.

Partners

I have been reflecting recently of the hundreds of partners we have in our work. We have over 80 full-time workers at our base in Indonesia but there are hundreds of others who are standing with us.

I have friends, Dona and Craig, who have been supporting our efforts from the first day we began to work with refugees. I am blessed and amazed at their heart and faithfulness. They have never been to Indonesia but they are so important to Indonesia. I can't tell you what it means to me to have them as friends and I know without a doubt they know my heart.

My longest partner is my wife, Cathy, who has been married to me for 32 years. She is so much and more but she has made it possible for me to invest in the future of the refugees in Indonesia. She works a full-time job which makes it possible to live here. She also goes with me to Indonesia once a year while using her vacation leave. She has stood with me all these years and has been an awesome joy to me and so many others.

I have another friend who went on a short-term team. Tevis has a very tender heart. He is also a person who you love to spend time with. He is an influence in his local church along with Jim, Cindy, Dale and Shirley. These people are just amazing supporters.

I also have four men who have been my sounding board and wise voices to guide the work of IFC. Dan, Wayne, Jim and Jerry are the men of highest integrity. I know they have given so much of themselves and they each have a love for the people of Indonesia. These men are the foundation of this work.

I have so many others I am thinking about like Greg (Bull), Dennis, David, Jim, Anita , Joe, Collette, Patrick, Judy, Glen, Fliss and many more. The list would be very long if I named even the ones on the short list. It has been a blessing and it is clear to see it takes a lot of partners to meet all the needs. We are not a big organization but we are big into partnerships.

Kasih

Kasih, 11 months old, was brought to the IFC clinic in remote East Indonesia. She had a badly deformed face with a severe cleft palate (a Tessier Cleft) deformity. Dr. Nichole Anderson and Lisa Robinson examined her and felt she needed professional care--she was is bad shape and the risk of infection was high.. That care is being sought in Australia with renown surgeon David David. Please remember Kasih as she will need passport, visa, a host family and lots of support . The heroes here are Dr. Anderson and Lisa Robinson. They were moved with compassion and knocked on many doors until one opened.

Small Can Be Mighty

The sign said--Butler population 200. It was raining and it didn't take long to get a glimpse of what turned out to be Butler. There was a Post Office on the main road and a couple closed down shops. I am sure the vast majority of you have never been to Butler, Illinois. My friend, David Hunter, recommended we stop there after a recent speaking engagement in Central Illinois. We were looking for "Love Packages". There were no signs with arrows--we just began to drive around town and we found it in a short time. That is one of the blessings of a small town--no maps needed. There were two large warehouses and a couple cars parked at an open door.

We looked around for a few minutes and then stepped inside and gave a yell. That was when we met Steven Schmidt working in the warehouse. Steven told us how he started this work by looking at a small stack of Bibles in his home. He thought he should send them somewhere because he didn't need all those Bibles. That was the seed that began a massive distribution work. This is a small town where a mighty work is being done. I was impressed at the humble and determined efforts of this place. They shipped 828 tons of literature to all parts of the world last year.

I guess big things can come in small packages. It is just another reminder that small can be mighty. The determination and loving effort of this team has made a huge impact around the world. Now you know Butler, Illinois is on the map thanks to "Love Packages".

My Treasure Hunt

My Treasure Hunt was the title of the article that Brother Terry wrote back in 2005 for the pages of our annual report. I read it again today because I am near his home in Illinois and really missed seeing him. He passed away this last year after a hard fight with cancer. He fought with grace even though he was in terrible pain. I loved him very much and admired his strength and heart.

In his article he spoke about another man he met in Indonesia named Cornelius. Little did he know at the time that he and Cornelius would have a lot in common. He wrote, "The treasure was in the home of a man to whom Esther, IFC Medical Director, had been ministering to through her love, compassion, and health care. His name was Cornelius, he had cancer." Terry prayed with him and comforted him that day. Cornelius died in the next month but not until a man named Brother Terry was able to give him the treasure of his love and prayers. I imagine Terry and Cornelius have met in eternity--two men from different countries but forever brought together but the grace and compassions of Christ.

Yes--Brother Terry--you did find the treasure. Thank you for not burying it.