She is a tall Indonesian woman. She is going to be a Medical Doctor. She has completed her studies and just needs to pass her medical examination to get a license to practice medicine. Dr. Lena came to our base to work on her English language. She is very good in English but wanted a more technical grasp of the language.She told us that she came to learn English but she learned compassion. Dr. Lena studied medicine to have a successful and...

Cathy and I had just come from the remote islands to the east of Manado. We had spent lots time with the poor and sick–it was such a blessed time to share their lives and to stand with them. There is something about the simple live they live. The daily struggle to survive is always facing them–hardship is a constant reminder of their world. Our affections were with the abandoned children and the lepers who were now close to our...

The time in Indonesia was full of landmarks. I will be writing about many of them in the weeks to come–but for now I am in Australia. I will be seeing friends and finding new doors to open for IFC. We plan on traveling many miles while we are here and only have a couple days open–so it will be a busy time.It is amazed how many friends we have made over the years around the world. The partnerships and dear friends that have been made...

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 was the afternoon before our team was to leave the remote island of Halmahera. Our team was scheduled to leave on a flight in the morning. We were in town purchasing some of the last items before we were to leave. We were just getting ready to drive to our base some 20 miles away but we were flagged down by the ticket agent who had sold us the tickets a week earlier. She told us that our flight had been canceled. That meant we had to work...

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...