Blog
Walking
This is such an encouraging photo. Jien is now walking–it have been a long time since she tried to walk. We are praying she has turned a corner and will gain weight and strength. She is so brave and wants to live. This is a small step but it is so encouraging to the staff who have worked with her over this year. I credit her strength and the loving care of the staff for her improvement.
read moreFriends
I have been thinking recently about the amazing friends I have made in the last 10 years. I have been to some remote and far out places. I couldn’t possibly name them on these lines but I have thought about many of them recently. There is a community a couple hours drive north of Sydney, Australia. Taree has become a destination for me when I am down under.I do not remember who was the first Aussie I met there but I have made many friends in Taree. These amazing people have partnered with our work and have become dear to me. I am rich...
read moreEncouraging
I do not know what you need to have a sense of encouragement. The recent reports on two of the children who are being cared by our medical staff in Indonesia was exactly what made me feel encouraged. There were two little girls who have needed our help and prayers. Jien is now nine years old and Junita is less than a year old. They both needed miracles.Jien has recently started to walk with assistance. She is so weak and frail but seems to have turned a corner. She is now eating better and is growing from the 15 pound she when we first met...
read moreA Few Steps
Jien has been fighting for her life. The medical staff have treated her with little progress. She is now nine years old and less than 20 pounds. She has T.B. and malnourishment–that is a terrible combination. We have all been concerned and cheering her on. It seemed like every small bite of food was one more step closer to her being healthy.We just got the best news yesterday. She is not only walking but she has begun to eat more. She is a miracle and so many are praying and hoping she makes it. I can’t wait to hear the next...
read moreA New Ear
Tison went to surgery yesterday. He was scheduled to have his right ear repaired. The outer ear was pulled over to a closed position. Due to the burn injury his ear was folded forward and was closed–you could not see his inside of his ear. It was a concern because it was very obvious when you looked at him. He was very self-conscious of it and wanted it to look better.He has had several surgeries that addressed more functional problems–those are very important but to an 11 year old boy his appearance was also important. I think it...
read moreSnow machines
We have friends who have a large farm in Alaska. Tison was invited to come down and ride machines with their son. Here is a boy born in Indonesia and now very much a part of life in the arctic.We arrived with plenty of daylight on a beautiful sunny day. It was a little cool but the sun was bright and Tison was more than ready to get on the snow machine and have some fun. He got his winter clothes on and we hardly saw them again. They were just having a great time riding and enjoying the amazing winter day. Tison was having so much fun he...
read moreJunita
She is seven months old and has had more pain than any child should endure. Junita was injured in a hot oil accident. Her face, scalp, arms and upper chest. She was diagnosed with a 25% to 50% chance to survive the accident. Her mother ,who was also injured in the accident, brought her to our clinic in Kusuri asking for help. She needed skin grafts and had little time to waist. The staff made the decision to transport her and her mother to a Bethesda Hospital on the island of Kalimantan. She was escorted by one of the doctors and arrived...
read morePrayer–Down Under
I am sure most of you have heard of the devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The loss of life and destruction was vast. We kept hearing the death toll rising and the heroics of those tireless rescuers. I have several friends who live there and just got a note from Peter and Katherine, his wife . Peter volunteered at our base in Halmahera in 2004. He and I were roommates for about a week. Peter is a doctor and what I remember was how compassionate and kind he was to those he treated. He gave me an update on the recent...
read moreSnow
The road was clear until we drove into Delta Junction (Alaska). We went to Valdez over the weekend to meet with some of our partners and to speak to a group of supporters. We had a wonderful time. It was so beautiful and the drive was safe–all the big animals (moose, caribou, bison and bears) stayed off the road. We did see a lot of tracks but only saw two lonely moose.We had driven 360 miles on the road to Valdez and the next day we returned on the same road. The drive out of Valdez is just awesome. Those of you who have made that...
read moreIn America
It happened very fast–one of our trusted staff members is here in the U.S. Hendra is known by many of those who have come to Indonesia on short-term teams. He is a gentle but strong young man.He first came to the U.S. in December 2009 when he escorted Tison to the Fairbanks. It was really cold and Hendra stayed for two months to assist with Tison’s transition. He made lots of friends and was able to share about his vision to start an International School in Halmahera.The vision and direction of the school has moved forward and...
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