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...

I am waiting in another airport in the U.S.  It really doesn’t matter where.  There is a distinct commonness to them all.  You check in at the counter outside the security area to a hopefully smiling agent, then find the security line with your boarding pass in hand. You are being examined for any suspicious behavior as you pass security.  Once you take off your jacket, belt, and shoes and then get the nod to proceed past the security zone, you...

 Hohidiai School  — Architect’s rendering of the new school grounds. Hohidiai School Floor Plan The new Hohidiai International School will be built in modular stages or “Pods”.  This will allow immediate use of portions of the facility while the rest of the building is under construction. Modular Construction – A typical ‘Pod’  A typical pod will consist of two classrooms.  The Partition design may be...

A Night to Remember It was a night to remember, a landmark for IFC/Hohidiai. It was an evening with 300 of our closest friends and supporters. We all gathered to share the update and story of IFC/Hohidiai. The décor was Indonesian; the tables were set and decorated with Batik cloth, the traditional cloth of Indonesia. The platform had a wide display of baskets, paintings and ‘cakalele’ sword and shield from North Maluku. The dinner...

Semi had a broad smile as he put the sand and concrete mix into the mold. It is a job for a plodder – someone who doesn’t mind repetition. It can only be done one at a time and takes time to get a nice sized stack. This is an important job because we need every one of them to do the smallest building. We need huge numbers of bricks to do the larger building. Bricks are made one at a time in a press with a long handle. The mix of concrete,...