Blog
More Than 30 Visits
The beautiful palm trees of the islands of Indonesia have greeted me some 30 plus times. I anticipate each trip and look forward to spending time serving alongside the amazing Indonesian staff. I have fond memories of the amazing experiences I have had with hundreds of volunteers who have paid their own way to touch the poorest-of-the-poor. Respect is too small a word to express my feelings for these volunteers. At the end of this month another team will travel to Indonesia. This team will consist of eleven people from different places in the...
read moreRemember
More than eleven years have past since I first set foot in Indonesia. It was a life changing experience to walk in the refugee camps and witness the sad struggle of thousands of people. Now, a decade later, those memories set the direction of our work. We have a passion to serve the poorest-of-the-poor in the remote island of Halmahera. The challenges are always before us–funding–medical resources–training of staff–organizing the construction of facilities. I strongly believe the real heroes in our work are the staff...
read moreDishes and Modems
Satellite Internet – If you think it is frustrating waiting for your slow computer to boot up, then try being in the middle of the jungle attempting to find a satellite somewhere low in the eastern sky. That was the dilemma Peter Scarborough and I were facing. We were trying to upgrade the internet connection in order to get the internet speed increased to a level where we could show detailed images of patients to doctors anywhere in the world via the internet. It would greatly increase our ability to help patients with the advice of...
read moreRemembering Those In Need
They come asking for help. They are poor and in crisis. Their needs range from illness to injuries. The one common thing about all of those who come is they all believe our medical staff can help them. Recently a little girl was brought to the clinic for examination. She had a growth on the right side of her head, including her right ear and it wrapped around to cover her right eye. The concern is that she was allowed to get to this condition. She should have been brought in months or even years earlier. Her growth is in an advanced...
read moreVolcano
When you live on the “ring of fire” you might see fireworks. There were many at the base who were awakened at around 2 a.m. yesterday by the rattling of windows as a volcano erupted. The volcano, Mt. Gamkonora, is only 20 miles from the base and it shook the place in a display of its power. The ash blasted over 10,000 feet and then showered the area with a white coating. This is not an everyday or every week occurrence but it is a reminder of the awesome power that is not very far away. The base is just far enough away and yet...
read moreOn The River
The Delaware River has a lot of historic significance for the early years of the United States. Here I was with a band of over 50 men on the shores of the Delaware River. We could see Pennsylvania State just across the river on the steep bluffs that faced us like an impossible obstacle to climb.We were there for some historic landmarks of our own. We were gathered to have a time of refreshing from the Lord. We had the full cross-section of men–we had businessmen, bikers, college and high school students. It was a three day event and we...
read moreA Surprise Gift
We have some amazing partners and our supporters are awesome. I have to tell you about the most recent gift we received. It comes from an unlikely donor and just blessed us so much that it brings tears to my eyes and the story will touch you as well. We serve the people that this culture considers the least and lowest of the region. The lowest and most rejected are the lepers who are considered worthless by the community and are even thrown out of their families and villages. It is a less than human, existence. We have a leper residential...
read moreLong Lost Friends
Thirty-five years is a long time. It is a lot of water under the bridge of life. Such is life when friends say good bye and new chapters open. High school graduations are a major event before the scattering starts. Those who spent almost every day together then are pursuing much different paths. I left high school to attend college. I had other friends who went directly to work and others got married. Whatever the reason, we all scattered and hardly looked back. We had lives to live and goals to achieve. The seasons of responsibility came,...
read moreSaying Yes
The little three letter word we use so often has so much power. It is the word “YES”. I can see myself as a child anticipating that word after asking a hope filled question. It might have been: Can I go to the lake? Can I have some candy? Can I stay overnight at my friend’s house? I can remember waiting to hear that little word — “Yes”. When you think about it, it is a very powerful word. It can bring a smile and the hope of a good experience. That little word has been used to start the process to help so many in need: “Yes,...
read moreClean Water
Clean water is vital to good health. There are several ways to transform marginally safe or contaminated water into drinkable water. A common practice in the remote islands of Indonesia is to boil the water. It takes time and fuel to boil every drop of water a family drinks. A well (bore) can be drilled at a per-foot cost. It can be too expensive for some villages. Another option is to hand dig a well. This is a lot of work and the well remains open to future contamination. Roof catchment systems can also provide drinkable water. The...
read more