I have been to the Hohidiai base on the island of Halmahera many times. The base has changed from 75 acres of jungle to the life changing station with three children’s homes, a clinic, hospital, leper rehabilitation, HIV/AIDS residential treatment, T.B. patient housing, food services and children everywhere. It is a place that brings hope for those who come asking for help. The message of hope is clear–no one is turned away. The...

Everyone reading this blog has faced challenges in their lives. Challenges come in many forms–some can be life changers others just ruin your day. A grandmother came to our clinic and asked for help for her and her granddaughter. When she told her story, she unfolded a story of the struggle to survive. She was poor–not U.S. poor. Her challenge was NOT about living with only one family car or having basic cable service. She could not...

It was raining hard and then the skies cleared so I walked to the leper treatment center. I wanted to see Hendrik who was the first leper in our care. He was sitting in front of his unit. I called out his name and heard his call back to me. He inspired the building of these units to help other lepers. He was rejected by his village and lived like a dog for 15 years. He is now happy and loved by everyone.Hendrik was not alone at the Tamariska...

I met with Anis, one of our Indonesian staff, and reminded him that he has an important job. He is in charge of finding the lepers and bringing them to our base for treatment. I also told him he is like the servant of King David who was sent to find the lame boy named Mephiboseth. King David’s servant was Ziba. He went to a very remote place to find this lame boy hoping to bring him back to meet King David. When the boy met the King he got on...

New bricks are setting ready for the beginning of the foundation for the next leper house. This new building will be the third house at the Tamarista. These are all four-plex units which will provide homes for the lepers and their families to live. We are in the process of filling the two other buildings with lepers from remote villages in this region. There are several lepers who have asked to come to the Tamarista. This is the stormy time of...

It was the only day we got a reprieve from the tropical rain. It was a beautiful night for this celebration. The Tamarista, Leper Center, had two four-plex buildings completed. We were there that night for a ribbon cutting and celebration of the completion of these leper houses. The children danced a traditional dance and we enjoyed a nice dinner. I shared the story of Mephibosheth who was a lame boy who was a relative to Jonathan. King David...

Our team went out to a wooden hut; they described it as more like a dog house or chicken coop. The patient was an old, thin woman. The team had come to care for her wounds as she was a leper. She told them how when she was cast out to the jungle by the other villagers when she was younger and separated from her children and loved ones, along with 6 other leprosy sufferers.Thirty or so years later a pastor went out to find them and bring them...

Lazarus and his wife live in the unit next to Hendrick and his dog. Lazarus is a leper with a wonderful quiet way about himself. He is fortunate to have his wife by his side. This is not the norm. We have seen many lepers who are just thrown away by their families. They are banished and left to their own or with a little help from their village. Lazarus has visible damage to his hands. His fingers are frozen in a disfigured open hand. He cannot...

What a great name for the Leper Center — Resting Place of Kings (Taman Rista). In the middle of the jungle of Halmahera this place of rest is now being built. There is one four-plex built and second four-plex is nearly completed. A water well is now drilled next to the site to provide good water for the residents.I went to visit the site and could see Hendrik, the first leper we brought to the base, supervising the work on the second four-plex...

What a great name for the Leper Center—Resting Place of Kings (Taman Rista).  This place of rest is being constructed in the middle of the jungle of Halmahera. There is one four-plex built and second four-plex is nearly completed. A nearby well provides clean water for the residents. I went to visit the site and could see Hendrik, the first leper to take up residence at the base.  He was supervising the work on the second of a series of...