Define a hero for me?!!! Who are our heroes? This simple question can reveal your values and even your core beliefs. Do we look for our heroes in Wall Street or athletics? The media and the athletic leagues count on us to worship their leaders. We are being told who to view as heroes—if you can’t find a hero they will find one for you. Maybe for some it is the football player who is the 1,000-yard rusher or the best of the best at his position....

We are thrilled that over 170 students are now receiving high quality education at Hohidiai School. Our students won first, second, and fifth place in an English reading competition. Well done! Our top grade level this year is Year 7, and we’ll add Year 8 next term. Recently, two brothers began to attend our school. Their blind father asked us to take them in, but instead we offered his wife work and enrolled the children in our school so...

It might be up for debate when you claim someone or something is the greatest. How do you measure greatness? We measure by the best or highest standards of the time. The Koh-I-Noor 105 carat diamond is listed as priceless. It is known as the “Mountain of Light” when it was the world’s largest known diamond. It is currently owned by the British crown. Mt. Everest is the undisputed tallest mountain on the planet at 29,029 feet above sea level....

Eka, his mother, held his mouth to keep him silent. Hiding in a room of the head of their village. Christian’s family was in serious danger. This was the beginning of the conflict in the North Maluku region of Indonesia where organized militias were going from village to village looking for those of the Christian faith. Lody and Eka, Christian’s parents, were the only Christians who lived in a Muslim village. They had friends in the village,...

Winda was 30 years old when she lost her struggle with T.B. but found the hope of eternity. She was an amazing person. She was educated and could speak English as if it was her first language. She had a University degree in English language. Winda told me–she prefers to write in English because Indonesian words were too long. We would laugh but I know how difficult the English language is to master. She was academically gifted. The thing...

The evening was a wonderful success. It was just two hours together with the IFC family here in Alaska but is was filled with videos and updates. The catered food was exceptional and the testimonies were also uplifting. There were around 300 guest who joined us. One of the highlights of the evening was the dedication of the Hohidiai School building to the memory of Patrick Huffman. “Patrick’s House” is under construction as I...

We have all heard about computer crashes. It is another thing to have your computer crash before your eyes. The hard drive was corrupted and only some of the files were recoverable. The crash happened at the end of January. I was off to Indonesia in February and traveling once I got back to the U.S. I have not been writing for the blog because I had my hands full recovering my files and traveling. There are so many feeling you have when you...

I am reminded of the Norman Rockwell painting of a family going on vacation. They are in the family car and everyone is smiling and happy. The family dog has his head out the window and he enjoying the wind in his face. Then the second caption is this family returning from vacation. They are slumped in their chairs and exhausted–no smiles except the family dog. He has his head out the window with the same enjoyment of the experience as he...

Thanks to a generous grant from the Australian Embassy new dental equipment has been purchased and is in use at the Hohidiai Clinic. It is like walking into a modern dental suite with a reclining chair, overhead light, stainless steel trays and dental tools. The dentist and dental nurses have been serving the dental needs of the patients in what I would describe as an old barber chair. They have helped untold numbers of people with tooth...

Recently I heard an original song written by a father whose five year old son died of cancer. He had one line about the value of love–he said, “I could die as a bum but if I have love, I am rich”.  In reflection on the advances of the last 15 years–there has been a lot of love shared and received. The amazing people who have stood with the work of IFC have given of themselves with donations, in-kind gifts and many have...