I just got home form a number of days on the road. I met with a dear friend and his wife. They are great supporters of our efforts. IFC has some great supporters and friends. This is what makes this work so amazing–we have partners who lovingly give and stand with us. We have some who have stood with us from the very beginning.I am writing today to ask for your prayers for the wife of Pastor Barry. I was scheduled to spend an afternoon...

We have been involved in relief work in North Indonesia for nine years. The heart of the work is providing free medical care to the poor. The cost of staff, facilities and medications is substantial. We plan to turn the work over to the nationals. There are 15 staff who are in accredited medical and nursing programs. These Indonesians have been selected for their compassion, academic abilities, and commitment to the future of IFC medical work....

It was not the food booth on a busy Indonesian street but it was lots of fun and the Soto Makassar was excellent. Jim and Cindy Aldrich did a great job with all the preparation and hours of cooking the soup. They wanted the participants to get a taste of Indonesia. Jim showed slides from the recent trip and detailed the work in east Indonesia.The tables were set up just like you would have if you sat down at the place we enjoy going to get this...

Soto Makassar is an outstanding soup that I have come to enjoy very much. I have taken many of my friends to the roadside booth in Tobelo where the best Soto Makassar is served. The soup is a broth with beef cut into small pieces. It is served very hot in a large soup bowl. You have the option of putting a small block of sticky rice, a hard boiled egg, squeeze a lime slice, a spoon of hot pepper sauce, and salt. You can add whatever you want in...

What a challenging year we have experienced in 2008–our world has changed in these few months. Now we face 2009 with it’s own challenges and hopes. I have found that even with the ebb and flow of the world economy there are things that do not change. They do not move aside when world markets crack under their own weight. Like the false assurance that may come while taking the first few steps on a frozen lake–soon it will begin...

When I look back at 2008 I am amazed at the forward steps our work has made. I credit the awesome staff led by Peter and Esther Scarborough. They are the real heroes and have worked with integrity and compassion.Here are some of the highlights:Building and dedication of new 21 bed patient ward.We now have 28 children in our care. These are orphaned and abandoned children.Three new vehicles were purchased giving us reliable transportation.The...

The roads on the remote island near our base are narrow. Those of you who have been there and know what it feels like to pass an oncoming truck understand the sense of relief after both vehicles pass untouched. There is no shoulder and it is not uncommon to have a pile of sand or even road crews on the road without any warning–no signs or flagmen. The dogs are the worst–they just lay down in the road daring you to hit them. Pigs,...

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...

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...