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...

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...

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...

I will be traveling tonight on the late flight out of Alaska. We had six inches of snow yesterday and I think I will find green grass in my final destination–Illinois. IFC has many friends and partners in mid-state Illinois.My friend, Terry Holderread, invited me to come to Illinois in 2003. We called him “Brother Terry” which fit him so well. He was a brother and friend to everyone. I miss him since his death last year. I...

Peter Scarborough, IFC Field Director recently wrote, “We are looking forward to the patient ward (hospital) being finished in just over 2 months from now. We are also looking forward to the day when the ambulance arrives. We squeezed three guys onto the floor in the back of the car – would you believe that they were found in this state (broken bones, head injuries, and bleeding) by the road! We had another two inside the clinic...

Our team had three consecutive days of flights canceled. It was not frustrating because we looked for the good and filled these days meeting people. These three days were filled with divine appointments. I have learned not to get up tight or fretful but walk through the doors that open.It was during the three day pause in our travels that we met a woman who taught us all about life and death. Her name is Hawila and she was the mother to Gloria....

There will be a transition in our work in the years to come. It has been our heart to give this work into the capable hands of our Indonesian staff–they are smart and dedicated. We are building the infrastructure while selected members of our team are being trained. It will be a number of years before this transition is completed but we are now investing in the future.Well over 50 young people have completed the one year medical course...

The smell was overpowering as Esther Scarborough, IFC Medical Director, searched for where it was coming from. She walked to a shed behind a home in that remote village in East Indonesia. There she found a badly burned boy near death. He was weak and his burns that covered both legs from his hips to his feet were molded and infected. His burn was so bad that his family had given up on this 17 year old boy. They had “put him out” to die.Anto had...

IFC has been serving the people of Indonesia since 2001. In those years we have had many amazing people help us with support or by joining a short-term team. I want to give a tribute to a couple of these partners.I met a rancher named Greg in Australia. I went to his home on the edge of the outback and had a cup of tea one afternoon. He reminded me of what we think about when we imagine an Australian rancher. He and I sat and spoke about the...

Vino was brought to one of our clinics. I remember seeing him and wondering what could be done to help him. He had been badly burned in a kerosene spill accident. His right arm, right hand, chest and neck were scared and he needed expert reconstructive surgery. He was presented to the Children’s Burn Foundation and Grossman Burn Center. He came to the U.S. to be treated. He has made wonderful progress and is now free of the burns...