It has been at least seven years in process. It has been delayed, important documents lost or misplaced, prayed over and finally awarded. At long last the sun has risen and the KITAS visa has been approved. The directors of the Indonesia base have been given the best visa they could have. It allows then to remain in the country for a total of three years. It offers the right to own a business and purchase land. The social and medical work...

She is eight years old but knows what she wants to be. Lilly (not her real name) has a dream to become the first Indonesian astronaut. Lilly is an exceptionally bright girl. She would be close to genius and is an academic wiz.  She continues to amaze people by her aptitude and awareness of the world around her. Lilly was abandoned by her mother and father  and left at the Hohidiiai base. She has a very warm personality and does stand out in the...

He came to our open arms when he was an infant. Moses arrived at the Hohidiai Children’s Home same time as two other boys and they were the same age. These three grew up together and were inseparable. If you saw one, you knew that the others were close. Moses was the quiet one in this trio. He watched and was more thoughtful than the other two who would jump in and ask questions later. Moses went thru a challenging time last year. A...

I could see the new elementary school site near the city of Tobelo had a sight slope to it. Little did I know, it is way more detailed than that to have a site map. Jim, an engineer from Alaska, volunteered to complete a topographical survey of the six acre new Hohidiai school site. Remember this is tropical island with jungle. It has a beauty but is hot for Alaskan volunteers. The team worked with modern instruments–transits, tripods,...

It is one of the saddest things to see–the suffering of an HIV/AIDS patient. I recently became acquainted with Paul Schneider Jr. who leads AID for Children. They have been working with AIDS affected children in Africa. His efforts have been recently studied in Kenya where 250 AIDS children were given a vitamin supplement that has shown positive results. The Health Department of Kenya partnered with Aid for Children in a blind study to...

Anita was a puzzle. She came to the Hohidiai Children’s Home as an infant. She was a puzzle because she was so tiny and never seemed to thrive. She was beautiful and had apparent great needs. The thought was that she was failing to thrive due to her tough physical start. She would cling tightly to her providers but seemed very happy. She did not speak a word.  It was recently discovered that Anita cannot hear. She has been living in a...

We are starting a new year with fresh hopes and dreams. The mountains we climbed in 2013 are memories but we have new mountains to face.  The biggest mountains are building a new school for the beautiful children who have been in our care and our hearts. Another mountain to climb is the growing challenge of treating HIV/AIDS patients. A fresh hope is the arrival of Dr. Nius from seven years of medical school and internship. He will be coming to...

Grateful is too small a word to express how I feel about the landmarks of this year. The children in our care are at the top of my list. I have watched many of them grow up into talented and caring individuals. Their laughter and hugs are worth more than pure gold to me. The staff of IFC/Hohidiai are a treasure–beginning with our leaders. Peter and Esther Scarborough have served faithfully over the last 12 years. They are close friends...

She has suffered more than almost anyone I know. She has seen unspeakable violence and the loss of her oldest brother. Her village was a target of attack back in 2000 where over 200 people were killed in one day of violence. Winda was only 13 years old and defenseless in the attack. She is one of the strongest individuals I have ever met. The many atrocities she has  seen and yet she is stable emotionally. Winda believes it was God’s help...

Baassee Cho is an Athabaskan phrase that means a deep thank you. It is set apart from the general thanks to express a warm and special thank you. That is the name given to the new house built on our base.  The funds to build it were given by a very loving group in Alaska. The house is being occupied by an amazing couple–Dr. Leo and his wife, Dr. Deni. Dr. Leo and Dr. Deni will be expecting their first child in April. We are thankful for...