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...

In Indonesia you do not just go to the “emergency room” for treatment. You must have the money in advance for the treatment. It makes it very hard for the poor to get medical help. The IFC Clinic offers free care for the poor. This is a way for the poor to get examined and then treated for their injuries or sickness. If the patient needs surgery we try to help with that if we have the funds. We have provided many surgeries from...

The hospital being built on the Medical Base has a roof, walls and the interior work is being completed. It will be a 16 bed facility with a birthing center on one end. This is will provid needed in-patient care for this region. It is located next the clinic and will compliment the out-patient work there.This project is being funded by Rotary (Australia). There is a helicopter landing pad and an ambulance that will add to the versatility of the...

The poverty in this region of Indonesia can be so bad that even the cost of transportation to a hospital or clinic can be more than most can afford. The mobile clinics that go to remote villages bring help to those who cannot access health care. The Alaska Team went to a village on the Island of Halmahera. This clinic was to be just a one day event. IFC have sent teams to remote areas and they stay for three days to as much as three months....

This nameless eight-month old girl was brought to our medical base in Kusuri. She was examined by Dr. Nichole Anderson from New Zealand and by Esther Scarborough, IFC Medical Director in Indonesia. Dr. Anderson said the cleft palate is the worst she has seen. I will try to see this child myself when I arrive in Indonesia.This is another child we ask you to pray for–we hope and pray we can see a door open to help her. The best option is to...

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...

Dr. Stella is now our full-time doctor at the Island clinic. She is an answer to our prayer and will allow us to go to another level in our care of the poor. Dr. Stella is young woman who is very committed and has such a calming way about her. She came to us just in time to get us prepared for the new hospital. The hospital is now getting its roof built. It will be a 16 bed facility with radiology and a birthing center. Next to the hospital is...

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...