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.

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.

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.

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.

Computer Issues

I am sure all of you have had issues with your computer. We have a satellite connection for email use at our medical base in Indonesia. It has periodic problems with connection but they usually get worked out. Recently the software and modems had to be changed. This is not a simple fix. You cannot just run to the Comp USA store and get what you need. There are no computer geeks with the needed parts just laying around. The problem had to diagnose then the parts had to be shipped. It was about three weeks in the process. We are now up and running.

I had a major attack on my computer on Saturday. I shut it down and called my computer savior. He stated it was a bad one and he would even have to chance my computer's anti-virus protection. He told me even the most popular anti-virus protection have holes. That was not good news. It is shocking to me that there are malicious people who just love harming other peoples property. I am now in the waiting mood to get the word on my computer. We do depend on these devices. I do remember when the checker at the grocery store had to punch the price of each item by hand. I guess I have computer issues.

Good News

I got a call from someone representing the Fuji T.V. Network of Japan. She was working on a proposed program which would include a testimony from Yulce. Yulce is the girl who came to the U.S. from Indonesia following her tragic burn. She received help from Dr. Peter Grossman and was transformed by the 12 surgeries in one year. She has a bright future and will be a story of hope for anyone who gets to hear about her life. Fuji wants to focus on positive programing. Yulce agreed to an interview and the production team has completed the interview.

Last week I was contacted by a magazine in the U.K. They told me that Yulce's documentary will be aired in the U.K. soon. They wanted to highlight the story of Yulce in their magazine before it aired on a U.K. network. The editor also wanted to promote positive stories.

There is so much bad news these days. It is heartwarming to have something on the air that is filled with goodness. I pray that her story will give hope to someone in Japan or the U.K. There might be someone who is ready to give up. The life of Yulce has gone all over the world to touch millions of people with the hope filled story telling everyone--do not give up. That is a greatly needed message in these days--that is good news.

Measles

We are in the middle of malaria season and now an outbreak of measles. Several of the children on our base now have measles.

Peter Scarborough wrote," Viktor had malaria before the measles, so he is pretty thin. His spots have come out and he is now fine. They start to get better once the spots come out. In our house, Lestari, Leigh, Theresa, Ami and Merna all have fevers so we expect spots to appear soon. The fevers are high and the kids miserable. It has started in the Children's Home with Moses being one of them."

Viktor is a sweet little boy. He suffered a lot in his infancy. He seems to catch everything but is a fighter. These kids are in good hands. They will be cared for and loved through the fevers and discomfort. It is still tough to watch them face the results of the measles and malaria.