Birthdays

Aden turned 3 while I was in Thailand with the McCoys and Radcliffes, and Marsha turned 4 (per Aden) on Monday. Monday night, the Riggins had the Radcliffes, McCoys and myself over for dessert - cake and ice cream. Birthdays at Kudjip are always a good time. The Dooleys have this birthday hat which seems to find itself at the house of the birthday person, it is even adjustable so it fits small and large heads. Marsha got to wear it on Monday. Then there is the traditional Kudjip station birthday song. It is 5 songs put together that just keeps going, especially when you are 3 and all you want to do is blow out the candles and eat the cake. Aden was very patient.

Aden is 3 and Wiley, who is almost 1 and a half, wants everything that Aden got. Earlier in the day I gave Aden my present - a helicopter. Aden opened it and was flying it around and Wiley was following him with his hands up wanting to play with it, saying copter. We tried to divert his attention, but he was intent on getting the copter. At dessert, Aden opened up his presents from the McCoys and Radcliffes and Wiley wanted them too. Aden did share and allowed Wiley to play with the ball and with Gordon. We all played a game of hot potatoe with the phlat ball Aden got, Joe prevailed despite Marsha putting up a great fight.

Fishing

I think the last time I was fishing was with my grandma when I was like 6 or 7. I don't remember much about it, and don't know that I ever caught a fish. Today (21st) Bill asked if I wanted to join him and Josh and go fishing. I admitted right up front that I had no idea how to fish and that they were going to have to teach me how to fish, but they said they would. So we went.

Due to the rain, we didn't leave til like 2, but it didn't stop us. As we started out Bill tells me to go faster, run even. I didn't know why we needed to run, or how fast to run, so I told them to set the pace and I would keep up. So we started jogging, and kept jogging. I was wondering if we were running a race or going fishing. I know the McCoys are competitive, but didn't see how running and fishing went together, so finally I had to ask why we were running. They said so we could get to the river sooner, we had a lot of ground to cover - oh, okay keep running.

We got along the river and kept going on a trail through the forest and many villages. Everytime we would pass folks they would talk to us and ask what we were doing. At one village everyone was outside and we found that we ended up with about 10 kids following and hiking with us. Many stayed with us throughout our journey. They guided us across logs over the river, gave us a hand to get up the slippery slopes and through the raging water, and wanted to get in every picture.

We managed to find a few nice fishing holes and Bill and Josh were patient in trying to teach me how to cast. I did get it in the water a few times, but also got it on top of rocks and only threw it about a foot in front of me one time. We didn't catch any fish, but did see one in the water. The rain started coming pretty hard so we turned back and headed for home, fishless.

It is rainy season here in PNG, so the path we were on was quite muddy. On the way to the river, I was trying to avoid getting my shoes all wet and muddy. I would jump from rock to rock, or try and find a less muddy path to walk on - not sure what I was thinking. I had no idea that as we got up to the river, not only would my shoes be wet and muddy, but I would be wading in the water to cross it, or to get to the good fishing holes. I soon found myself in water almost up to my waist as we crossed the river. On the way home, the rain made the river a little more difficult to cross as the current was quite strong. We held hands and formed a human chain to cross together, but that didn't prevent Bill and I from going down at one point. We decided that we should have gone tubing and not fishing, but it was a little late for that.

The little mud paths that we followed on the way to the river became small streams that we walked through on our way home. I had brought a rain coat, but Bill and Josh didn't, and were getting quite wet and cold. At one village we came to, some folks were huddled under a little roof. Josh borrowed a bush knife and chopped down some banana leaves for him and his dad. It helped some, but they were still wet and cold, looking forward to the hot shower back at Kudjip.

We had a fun time. I am hoping next time it won't be raining as bad so I can get better at fishing and catch something.

Some other pictures from Thailand

Meeting some of our partners

One of the neat things about the Thailand conference was getting to meet folks I had only heard about or communicated with through email before. Now I can put a face with the names I have come to know. William Walker is a pathologist in Kalamazoo, Michigan who has been a big help to our hospital since I have been to Kudjip. He willingly does the pathology for our hospital. Every month or 2, depending on how often folks come and go from Kudjip, he receives a box of our specimens. These specimens are usually biopsies that Jim does during surgery, and within a few weeks gives us an answer. This has been a tremendous blessing to us in getting confirmation of the diagnosis. Prior to this service, we relied on the hospital in POM, but it often took 6 months or more to get results back. I have also consulted him on peripheral smears that we do looking for leukemias. He has been a huge help in diagnosing leukemias without having to do a bone marrow and helping to get our patients started on treatment quickly. His hospital is willing to donate the expense they have in this process and for that we are grateful. Carl Reading is a radiologist from the Mayo Clinic. I first got in contact with him through Bill. At times, we have Xrays that we aren't really sure what we are seeing, or an ultrasound that we need help on, and through email we are able to get a radiologists opinion. He has been a big help with many cases. While he was here he taught a workshop and gave a lecture on abdominal ultrasound which were very good - so maybe now we won't have to email him as much. Ed and Carol Bos have set up an organization called WorldWideLab Incorporated. They help provide and train lab personnel at mission hospitals to do different lab tests. Ed has been out to Kudjip training some of our workers and has provided us with some of the machines that we currently have and operate. The service that they do has allowed us to care for our patients well by knowing what is going on inside of them. *See the older posts for pictures I just added from the conference.

CMDE conference

I just finished attending the 29th CMDE conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This conference was started to serve the missionaries who are serving overseas in order for them to get CME credits and stay on the field. It was held at Suna Bua Resort and Spa - a very nice place. During the 2 wks I heard many lectures on various medical topics, played tennis and swam almost everyday, went whitewater rafting, ate lots of rice and watermelon, and more. During the conference, different missionaries would share about what they are doing in their part of the world. One missionary has been serving since she was 62 when her husband passed away. At 83 now, she is the only doctor in the state in which she lives. She shared that she had to hike 13 miles over 5 landslides just to get to the place to catch her flight to get to the conference. Quite inspiring. We also had talent/skit night one evening. I think everyone's favorite thing was a guy from Thailand sharing about the Christmas they rented an elephant to help out with their activities. This happened a few years ago and he told the story really well and had us all laughing hysterically. Writing about it won't really do it justice, but I will try. Living in Thailand, they often had elephants going through their yard, so they decided to see if they could rent one for a day. They got it for 1000 Baht (good price) for Christmas day. His wife rode the elephant into town to tell people about their Christmas program they were having that night (nativity story), this attracted lots of folks who wanted to come to the evening service. They were hoping for 50 people, soon found out about 500 were coming due to the elephant ride in town. The elephant was hungry and thirsty, and the food and water costs were not in the 1000 Baht. He had folks go and pick up some fruit - 1000 Baht worth, only to have the elephant eat it in about 5 minutes. 1000 Baht more of food resulted in the same thing, so the elephant trainer suggested the banana trees in the yard - sure. The elephant proceeded to deforest the banana trees, which made room for the bleachers that were needed for all the people. Then the elephant was hungry, and when the hose didn't cut it - he grabbed a hold of the hose which was connected to the pipes, water pump, and house - resulting in destruction of all. The elephant man didn't seem to notice or care that his hose was destroyed and insisted that his elephant need water. The missionary concluded that when you are working with an elephant - nothing else matters. Eventually the program got started and there were about 500 folks there. The missionary rode the elephant in as a wiseman, and the elephant bowed down to baby Jesus (without practicing or rehearsing this). This was quite moving and one of their neighbors who they had been witnessing to, came to the Lord that night. As he said, when you work for God - nothing else matters. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with other missionaries serving the Lord in various places around the world and hearing how they are serving God. I got the chance to learn more about different mission organizations, which is helpful as I continue to seek His will for my future. I enjoyed the opportunity to get away from PNG, this is the first time I have been out of the country since I got there in Sept 07, and the time I had with the McCoys, Radcliffes, and Becky over these past 2 weeks. It was also a blessing just to worship the Lord together with a large community of believers from all over the world and to remember what God has called me to.

Buddhism and Baptism

One of the sights that we went to while we were sightseeing in Chiang Mai was a "wat" - the name for a Buddhist temple here in Thailand. I don't know a lot about Buddhism, but I know that lots of the Thai people are Buddhist's, 90% per the web. I was quite amazed at the number of people who were there and worshipping at the wat. There were people who were paying money then lighting candles, pouring incense on things, praying in front of numerous idols, getting blessings from the monks, ringing bells, walking around the big golden central building with a flower in their hands saying something. I really don't understand any of this, but know they are somehow trying to achieve nirvana - end of desires, cravings. For me as a Christian, it was sad to see so many people lost. So many people who are trusting in something that has no hope, so many people who don't know Christ. On the flipside, there was a bright light in the darkness as some young Mong (people group in Asia) people got baptized last Sunday. Last Sunday, we (McCoys, Becky Morsch and I) went with Kent Pelton to Maetang - it has a Bible training college, where he teaches, a Tribal children's home, and a church, all run by the Nazarene Church. There are about 90 kids who live at the home, and primarily come in order to attend schools in area. Some of the kids come from a christian background, but many do not. At the children's home, they go to church, have bible studies, and learn about Jesus. Through this work, many of the kids come to know Christ. Kent preached that am to the kids at the church there, then we all went out to a nearby park for the baptism of 7 kids - ages (I am guessing 10-15). It was neat to hear some of their testimonies prior to the baptism. Kent has been going to a nearby village of Mong people and has developed a relationship with this village. In the process, they have asked him a lot about Christ and he has been able to share with them who Christ is and the hope they can have in Him. Of the girls who got baptized learned of Christ as a result of Kent's work in the village. So after seeing so many folks who are lost, who don't know Christ, who are worshipping idols, it was encouraging to know that the Holy Spirit is working amongst the people of Thailand. There are still so many folks in this world who don't know Christ, who haven't heard of Christ. Thankfully at the conference I am at there are many folks who are trying to change that as they work for the Lord in numerous places in Asia. Continue to pray for the work of God's people in reaching the lost.

ChiangMai, Thailand

I have been in ChiangMai for 3 days now doing some sightseeing before heading to the medical conference. It has been fun to be a tourist and to relax. We got in Friday and after eating some good Thai food with the Nazarene Missionaries who are here Kent and Kathleen Pelton, we headed to see some sights. We first went to the botanical gardens by the palace where the king and queen live. I can't say I was real excited about this adventure, but they all enjoyed it, so I took pictures and kept walking. While we were waiting to go inside, Marsha was looking at some purses. She noticed some clothing on a rack next to the purses and starting looking at it. She really liked this handmade shirt and had taken it off the rack and was looking at it. Soon the lady who ran the store came out and informed Kathleen that it was her laundry and wasn't for sale. So Marsha couldn't buy the very nice shirt which we learned the lady made and it took her 4 months to make. She offered to make one for Marsha, but we won't be here in 4 months so we declined. It was quite funny. We also went to a Buddhist temple and to the Jade factory. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Duke's and then went to the Night Market and did some shopping. Saturday we got to see tigers, elephants, and a waterfall. The elephants here are pretty amazing. They are trained to play soccer, paint, and more. We enjoyed an elephant ride and our guide even got off and took pictures of us on the elephant, so we didn't have to buy their picture of us. The paintings of the elephants were quite impressive. One of them was an abstract artist, but the others drew very nice flowers. After the elephants, we went to Tiger Kingdom where we got to pet the tigers. We had our choice of age of tigers, and we went with the 6 month ones. We got to go inside the cage with them and their trainers and pet them, and lay down with them. We had to approach from behind so they didn't think we wanted to play, and couldn't touch their front paws or face, but otherwise we could pet them. Photos to come. Following the animals, we then went to a nearby national park and got to hike to see the waterfalls. The McCoys enjoyed the opportunity to do some bird watching and we enjoyed getting outside and hiking. They haven't had a lot of rain recently, so the water wasn't too high, but it was really pretty.

What can happen when it rains

I was playing tennis with Josh today when it started to rain. It often rains here, so it isn't that big of a deal, but it sure isn't good tennis weather. Neither of us wanted to stop, to concede the game to the other (our series was tied at 1-1), so we kept playing. After I beat him, he still wanted to play another game or two (it has something to do with losing). We played one more game and he won, so I said we had better head home since it was still raining pretty good.

I got home and got ready to take call. Not long after that, Michelle, the medical student calls from the ER and says she needs some help. I head down to find out what is happening. 2 kids and one adult are in the ER needing to be seen when I got there. They were apparently at a church service of some sort when it started to rain. During the storm a tree fell on the church and came down and injured these 2 individuals. The adult - had a laceration of his shoulder, but more importantly blood in his abdomen, likely a ruptured spleen. I quickly got Jim involved and we got him ready for surgery. The two kids were more fortunate. Pori ended up with his big toe and part of his 2nd toe amputated by the tree. I had to use a bone cutter and rondeur to remove some of the bone in order to sew it together. There were a lot of bleeders and I got sprayed with blood pretty good on my shirt. Benjamin, the 2nd kid suffered a laceration to his lower leg that shaved off some of his skin, but also took some of the bone with it. Part of his tibia was attached to the skin flap that was hanging there. Michelle cut off the bone and then sewed the flap back together. Thankfully we were able to care for them, but it took us a few hours to get them all stitched up.

I am heading to Thailand for the CMDE medical conference in a few days. I am not sure if I will have internet access while there, so this may be my last post for a while, but keep checking in case I can post while there.

Medicine for Ismeal

Meghan Harlan has come to volunteer here for the next 3 months. She is friends with Katie Conner who has come to be a teacher to the high school kids for the next 6 months. Katie and Meghan's parents were friends with Bill and his family growing up, and now they are here serving.

Ismeal, 4 yo, came to me about 3-4 months, ago and we diagnosed him with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. He lives in Baning, about 10 minutes away with his brother, Stylon, 2, and his parents. I have given him 12 wks of IV chemo meds which he tolerated very well. He did blow up like a little Michelin Man, and has eaten his parents out of house and home, but otherwise is doing good. Now per our PNG cancer book, he needs a maintenance course of 6-Mercaptopurine for 2 years. The problem is we don't have this medicine here. Thankfully, Meghan's uncle, Ken, is a pharmacist, who has graciously supplied the medicine that Ismeal needs. Meghan brought this medicine with her, just in time for him to start it. I continue to pray that Ismeal will respond to the meds and go into remission.