Blog
Coffee Time
It is time to see if after fours years of growth we can start harvesting coffee from our base in Northeast Indonesia. Jim and Cindy Aldrich set out to get some of those precious beans. It was not as easy as it would been and believe me every cup of coffee I drink now I savor it. It is a tremendous amount of work when you consider the experimentation to get the beans off the husks and the drying process. Jim studied about the process of harvesting coffee. Cindy picked a bunch of beans and our Indonesian staff in charge of the coffee also...
read more15 Seconds
Who would think 15 seconds would make the difference between making a flight or spending the day organizing new flights. We knew it would be close but when our flight from Alaska was delayed 40 minutes we had only 20 minutes to get to our international flight to Tokyo. We landed and just ran from the North Satellite with three train rides and a run up the escalator in the South Satellite. I was out of breath when I reached the top of the escalator and tried to locate the gate for our flight. Thankfully it was the closest gate. I walked around...
read moreTired but Blessed
It was a long trip back from remote East Indonesia but an awesome experience. The team went via Tokyo–Bangkok–Jakarta–Manado. The return trip was Manado–Jakarta–Seoul–Tokyo. We heard about the problems in Bangkok and were thankful we did not return to Bangkok on our return trip. The Bangkok Airport was closed and we would have been stranded somewhere in Asia.We accomplished everything we planned as a team. The LAN system is in place and the clinic and ward are now connected. The best part of the trip was to...
read moreLong Flight
37 hours from home to Manado (Indonesia). I have made this trip over 20 times in the last seven years. I can’t say I am used to the long hours of travel. I arrive at the airport at 5 a.m. and then the journey begins. I will be joined by a team that is traveling with me. We are excited about going but I remember how long the trip really is. The international flights have movies and seem to be more aware of the sleep we passengers need. Thankfully I can sleep well on a plane. We plan to install a computer network at our clinic in...
read moreCards
It just amazes me how some people catch a vision of our work. Katherine and her husband have been to Indonesia and helped in the medical work. Katherine’s husband is a medical doctor from New Zealand. Katherine is a talented photographer and took some amazing photos of daily life in Halmahera. She has selected eight photos and put them on cards. She is giving them as a promotion of the medical work of IFC. We are offering them for $ 10 for eight cards plus $ 2 for shipping. If you would like to have sets of these cards please contact us...
read moreNetwork Time
Cat 5e cable, crimping tools, switches, plugs and much more–these are the parts we need to build a computer network at our clinic in Halmahera. This will greatly increase our ability to keep records of all of the patients that come to the clinic. Last year there were over 10,000 who came to our clinic for help. The intake form was done hard copy. That is a lot of records and sometimes difficult to find needed information. This network will increase the effectiveness of our care. We plan to link the clinic to the new Ward (21 bed...
read moreNever Too Old
I met Leroy and Mary this week. Leroy is 74 years old and is drilling water wells in Kenya. He has been there for 20 years now. The youthful look in his eye covers the fact that most people are retired by his age. No retirement for him–he sold his home and he and his sweetheart are going for it in these golden years of their lives. He had lots of meetings and seemed to be fueled with his passion for helping the people of Kenya.I have heard the saying “die with my boots on”. Leroy is the walking personification of that...
read moreStaff Housing
We have 82 full-time Indonesian staff at our base in Halmahera. There are about 30 medical workers and 15 medical workers in training. These trainees are in a one-year program where they get the most basic education and practical experience. They are especially able to diagnose tropical infectious diseases, They can set broken bones and stitch up wounds. The training they are getting would be close to a first step EMT. The real blessing is they do an amazing job with those who come to our clinics with injuries or illnesses. The rest of the...
read moreYulens Still Waiting
We have not had a door open for Yulens yet. Yulens is the 23 year old mother from Indonesia who was tragically burned. She is a mother of a small child and has a supportive husband. We are pursuing all our options in hopes that she will get the professional care she needs. She is burned on her face and chest. She also has some burns on her legs. It is much easier finding help for a child than an adult. I am still hopeful she will get the help she needs. Until then she is waiting in Indonesia for a door to open.
read moreFaithful Friends
We all realize we are in challenging economic time. We are doing all we know to make necessary adjustments. I am thankful for those faithful donors who have stood with us for all these years and continue to support the work of IFC.I think of the 35 children in our Children’s Home that need love and support. We are working in a remote region but the effect of this economic fall does touch them. I think in some ways it hits them harder that others. When the income of a laborer is a dollar a day there is no room for extras. There are many...
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