Mission Safari: The Next Chapter(s)

A Family Affair

After reviewing my recent posts regarding Sri Lanka, I realized that I did not adequately describe how my whole family participated in this trip. It was indeed a family affair. Let me share how each participated.

Before I left for Sri Lanka, each of the kids gave me a few dolls or toys to take and give to some of the sickest kids. This was of incredible importance as there were several sick patients that I cared for that needed a little cheering up. If you visit the photo album section, you will notice a few of the girls have dolls in the pictures. This was how Sarah was involved in encouraging the patients there, albeit from a great distance. However the sick patients felt the comfort.

Also before I left, Sarah gave me a packet of scripture verses to be read while I was away. On each 3x5 index card she had an encouraging scripture verse, some stickers, and a little note of encouragement. It was awesome to read and be encouraged while I was away.

Ben participated by being in charge of devotions while I was away. It was his job to remind everyone to read the Bible while I was away. Marti says that he was faithful in this job.

Sam was my prayer buddy. He likes to pray the blessing at meal times. We encourage him to pray for something else besides the food. While I was away, he prayed that God would "help Daddy and help him to come home safe." This prayer was indeed answered.

Finally, my wonderful wife Marti participated in a huge way. First, she encouraged me to go. Then she supported my decision to go. And then, she bravely took care of the children and home in my absence.

I am blessed to have such a family. I am proud of the way that each one participated in this work.

A Tsunami in Slow Motion

Well, I thought my connection to Sri Lanka was over last week when I arrived back in Nairobi. After a few days of rest over the weekend, I started back to my routine here in Nairobi. Over the weekend, a group of folks connected with MTW arrived to see the work that was going on in some of the slum areas here in Nairobi. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I joined the teams as they visited these slums. While in each slum I did some home visits, talked to folks, did exams, and gave them medical attention.

Yesterday, we ventured into the Kibera slums. It is the largest in Nairobi. Approximately 1 million folks live in this 4 square mile area of Nairobi. We had a torrential rain Tuesday night which made the visit to Kibera even more challenging.

To get into the slum, we first had to wade through ankle high mud. After surviving that we had to cross a handmade stick bridge. The rushing water was pretty impressive. The bridge sagged as we crossed. We almost had someone end up in the river of rainwater mixed with sewage. Having escaped that barrier, we then had the "opportunity" to climb up into the slum.

When we finally made it to the church, the pastor there explained that we were in the worst part of the slum named Silanga. He said it was a Swahili slang for Sri Lanka. I couldn't believe it. My mind couldn't help but make comparisons between what I experienced in Sri Lanka and what I would be doing over the next four years in assisting this pastor and his church.

To be honest, the sights and smells of Silanga were far worse than what I experienced in Sri Lanka. The open sewage, the poverty, and the ever present faces of AIDS were more overpowering than the refugee camp. As I made my home visits and saw the slowly developing signs of AIDS, I realized that I was in a disaster zone. But this was like a tsunami in slow motion. The effects are the same. Families are broken. There are orphans left to deal with the physical and emotional scars. Life will never be the same again. So many lives are forever changed. There is little hope to recover what is lost. And the list goes on.

I have been in Kibera several times before. But yesterday effected me like never before. I realized that my work with the Disaster Relief team was not over. It was only beginning...

Series on Sri Lanka Complete

With the last entry, A Man Named LAL, I have concluded my series on Sri Lanka. As I get updates from the MTW Disaster Relief Team (there is a second team there now until next week), I will post them.

Thanks for all who have sent encouraging emails. And most of all, thanks for your prayers. To God Alone Be Glory!

A Man Named LAL

In the previous posts I have mentioned the opportunity I had to share the Gospel with a volunteer translator from the refugee camp. This man was named LAL. As you may recall, he was the "spy" sent into our camp. He was the man who was trying to figure out why we there. He was the man that I was able to spend two hours sharing from the Word of God one day. After sharing the gospel with him, he asked if he could tell me his story. So, the day before we left, we sat down in a tent and he shared his story.

Lal grew in a single parent home; his father left when he was very young. Because he was the oldest sibling he was depended on to help put food on the table. Although he was a good student in school, he was always having to work odd jobs to help make ends meet. He ended up quitting school to earn a living in the market. However, he says he quit because he was always cheating customers by using tricks on the scales and was always having to move from one place to the next.

When he was about 17, his mother sent him to live with his uncle on the coast. Living with his uncle he learned how to fish and dive. He had some talent for this and his uncle helped him set up a business. He became successful. He ended up getting married. He started having children. His business continued to grow. He started offering PADI-Certified Diving lessons. This lead to several affairs with some of his female students. He began to drink. Eventually over several years, the affairs, drinking, and high living led to his downfall. He ended up in lots of debt and like a lot of similar stories, he lost his business and his family.

But he decided to start over. He cut back on his drinking. He started diving again. He began to make money again. But then in 2001, some Tamil Tigers kidnapped 8 of his employees. He ended up paying a ransom to release them all. But in the process he lost his business.again.

He decided to live a simpler lifestyle. But he had no where to turn. He came to this small fishing village. The people took him in. They showed him kindness. So, he began diving once more. He was able to purchase some scuba gear and a boat. However, the loneliness was getting to him. He started drinking again. But he continued working. He was just getting more established in his business. He did not like the drinking. But it had a grip on him. He didn't know what to do.

Then the tsunami struck. Once again, he lost everything. But as he ran to safety, his heart went out to the people of the village. He carried an elderly woman who was paralyzed on one side of her body to safety. As the refugee camp was taking shape he determined that he would help out this village. When we arrived he volunteered his services.

As he was telling this story, he told us that he was 42. He said that someone once told him that he would be "lucky" to live to the age of 50. When the tsunami struck, he started thinking about this. He wanted his life to count for something. He told us that we he died he wanted people to remember him as "Lal, the man who helped us."

We shared with many things about the gospel that speak to service and servanthood. We also encouraged him that he did not have to do these good works to try to earn a better life. Rather, as a child of God, he could do these good things because they were a reflection of the life and example of his brother Jesus.

Please pray for Lal. He desires his life to "count for something". But first, he must die to self, and become a new creation in Christ our Lord.

Camplife and Teammates

As I have mentioned in previous posts about my recent trip to Sri Lanka, we lived in a refugee camp. Our team brought in two sleeping tents, one for the ladies and one for the men. The other tents were arranged for in country.

Our time in the camp was filled with hardships (as I have already mentioned) but also some good times. The usual day started around sunrise. This was partly because of the work that needed to be done in camp and partly because our Sri Lankan neighbors were noisy at that time of day. After shaking the cobwebs out of the old noggin, and the stretching the bones, our first priority was usually the making of coffee. Fortunately a French Press coffee maker was donated to the team. This was an incredibly important asset. Sometime after the first pot of coffee and the second, we began to scrounge around to make breakfast, usually either toast or oatmeal, but occassionally scrambled eggs. We would then tend to personal hygeine which usually consisted of brushing teeth and maybe using a bucket of water to at least wash our hair. Then, we would have our morning devotions and team meeting.

Around 9am our clinic would start. Usually during this time some water had to be filtered and purified. This was usually a time consuming task. However, when you consider that I was drinking about 4-5 liters of fluids a day just by myself, you can imagine what it took for the whole team.

Sometime around noon, lunch would arrive. This consisted of fried breads stuffed with meat, vegetables, or potatoes. They were usually very spicy. But they satisfied the hunger created by the hard work. Around 1pm most people would look for a chair and shade to take a little siesta before clinic started again at 2pm.

The afternoons were hot and humid. We had "water nazis" who would go around and make sure everyone was drinking enough fluids. This kept the team from getting sick. Although we would "close" triage around 4:30pm, we usually never finished seeing folks until around 6pm.

After eating some good Sri Lankan dishes for supper (a cook was hired to cook supper at the camp) we would usually have a team meeting around 8pm for debriefing. However, we usually found the evenings busy taking care of the sickest patients who came during the day or who showed up at night.

Life would have been extremely stressful in that setting if it had not been for the make up of the team. We had a great team with lots of short term mission experience. Several had a lot of disaster relief work. The Advance team was only with us a few nights; they included two mental health counselors, a trauma nurse, and an engineer. Our team was made up of a Neonatalogist (NICU doctor), a Internist/Pediatrician who was also a retired astronaut with NASA who had 4 space shuttle flights to his credit, a retired radiologist who loves to fly planes, and two family docs (of which I was one). We also had a physician assistant student (who came from a family of 9 sisters and brothers) and a medic in the special forces who starts medical school this year. We also had a NICU nurse, a retired neurosurgical nurse, and a family nurse practitioner. We also had a few nonmedical folks who literally kept camp going.

Life was interesting in those conditions and having good teammates made all the difference.

Our Host Church - Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church

While we were in Sri Lanka, we were hosted by the Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Chapel. God in His providence connected MTW with this church just weeks before the tsunami. Since it is a priority of our mission organization to work with and along side national churches, it was almost a no-brainer for MTW to work with this small but wonderful church in Sri Lanka.

This church meets in Colombo. They are mostly Tamil speaking people. They have been trying to plant other churches throughout Sri Lanka. They have really been wanting to do so on the eastern coast. When the tsunami struck they realized that they needed to be part of the relief effort. Although they are a small church, less than 100, a great majority of the church took time off to work in this effort at some point or another.

Most of them were fluent in English. So, naturally, they served as translators. They did an awesome job. They looked for ways to assist in whatever needed to be done. They even had two members who were physicians and joined in the medical clinic. Their input on local disease was invaluable.

One man in particular was a gem. His name was Edmond. We mostly called him "Uncle", a term of respect there. He handled all of the logistical details in his country. He helped smooth the way for us time after time. In fact, he was practically a step ahead of us all the time in regards to timing and logistics. God used him in a special way to minister to the people there.

Pray for this small but vibrant church. Pray that they will be able to plant a viable and healthy church in the eastern part of Sri Lanka. Pray that the seeds we planted will bear much fruit.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Praise the Lord. I have been able to post some pictures of my trip to Sri Lanka. Please click on the two different albums on the left hand side of this blog. One series shows the destruction. The other shows "action" pictures of treating patients and sharing the Gospel. Enjoy!

Interesting Cases in Our Camp Critical Care Unit

Little did I realize on our first day in the refugee camp how much time I would spend in our Camp Critical Care Unit (CCCU). And even less did I realize how much that would allow us to minister to the people in the camp. But in God's providence this tent became a special place for both word and deed ministry.

I had the privilege of seeing the very first patient brought to our medical clinic. Unfortunately she was pretty sick. As I examined this little 7 year old girl and learned of her history I realized that we would be spending quite a bit of time with her that day. She presented with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. She had these symptoms for about 2 days. She was dehydrated. We took her to the CCCU and tried to give her fluids by mouth. However, she vomited this up right away. We then started IV fluids. This helped quite a bit. Our biggest problem with her was getting her fever down. We eventually had to take her out of the tent as it was trapping heat. We took her to some shade. This along with the tylenol we gave her helped. By the end of clinic she was much better, but she still was not smiling much. We sent her back to her tent with good instructions to follow up the next day.

What a difference a good night of sleep and hydration make! She came back with a beautiful radiant smile. She was so much better. We asked the family who they thought made her better. Without missing a beat they said God. Turns out they were Catholic. We asked if we were to hold a meeting on Sunday would they come? Not only would they come, but they said they would invite everyone they thought would be interested. Later that day, they brought back a list of 40 names of people who were interested in having a Bible Study on that Sunday. We were so excited!

The next interesting case took place later that day (Day number 2 of clinic). This time a 20 year male came in with a badly infected foot. He had stepped on a thorn about 4-5 days earlier. They thought they had everything out but the pain and swelling were worse. When I examined him, his infected foot was twice the size of the other foot. He had exquisite pain. He also had fever. It was obvious that he needed IV antibiotics and that he needed this infection drained. As it was now past sundown, we had to decide on waiting until morning or doing the best we could with headlamps and flashlights. We went with the headlights. After giving him some sedation, we proceeded to open the infection in his foot. I have never drained so much pus from a foot. Neither have I done this procedure at night, in a camp, wearing headlamps to see what I was doing. But, again, God showed mercy by healing this foot. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but nonetheless, it was healed by the time I left Sri Lanka.

Our most dramatic case was a 7 month old with dysentery (infectious diarrhea). When she came to us she had been vomiting and having diarrhea for at least two days. She was so dehydrated that she almost died within the first hour of being in our "CCCU". We were able to get an IV right away which we learned later in the night was a miracle. We gave her fluids right away and she seemed to improve. However, it was still early in the evening. We decided to check some labs. We also had a small handheld piece of equipment that would check a few blood tests. Because of her extreme diarrhea, her potassium level was extremely low. She needed this replaced in her IV fluids because she was vomiting too much. Although we had IV fluids, we did not have this potassium. We had to make arrangements to drive to the hospital 1.5 hours away and get the vial of medicine. To make things interesting at this point, we had a torrential downpour start around sundown. This caused some flooding in our CCCU.

We stayed up with this baby all night. In the middle of the night, her IV catheter came out of her arm. She was still dehydrated to the point where we could not put the IV back in a vein. We ended up having to put a needle into her shin bone to give the fluids (this is called an Intraosseus line). This probably saved her life. At any rate, after a long night the baby was doing better. When we rechecked her labs they had normalized. However, because she was not ready to go home (to her refugee camp tent) and because we were leaving the next day, we drove her to the hospital an hour and a half away. When we arrived with the baby, the pediatrician there told us that she was glad that we kept the baby because the very labs that we were able to do in our primitive set up was unavailable at the hospital because their lab machine was broken.

It was amazing to see what a difference we were able to make even in that small, hot, humid tent in the middle of the night, in the middle of no where, in the middle of a huge downpour (3 inches of rain overnight). God was with us every step of the way.

Technical problems

It has come to my attention that some of you may not have been receiving your updates the past week or so. That is corrected. I invite you to read the past 4 or 5 posts on my trip to Sri Lanka.

Devastation

One of the first questions I have been asked when folks see or hear that I have returned from Sri Lanka is "What was it like? Was it as bad as it looked on TV?" This of course is a very fair question. The answer is "no, it did not look as bad as the pictures I saw on TV." In fact, I must confess that I was actually disappointed the first few days BECAUSE it did not look like what I saw on TV. However the longer I was there, the more that I realized that in many ways it was "worse" than what I saw in the media.

First, let me describe what I did not see. I did not see piles of tall buildings completely destroyed. I did not see piles of dead people or dead sea life strewn all about the area. I did not smell the overwhelming stench of death. But again, lest you worry that I had a beach vacation the past two weeks, let me reassure you that the devastation of the village where we worked was very complete.

Our Advance Team decided to work in a refugee camp near the small inland village of Valachchenia, about 50 km north of the Batticaloa. The people in the camp came from a smaller coastal village about 3 km from where they were now encamped. The village had 139 families living in it. Almost all of their economy came from fishing or diving.

Many of the villagers were down near the beach when the tsunami hit; many were at sea. The waves came in at heights of up to 20 feet. The water came inland as far as one kilometer. The waves were so forceful that about 50 feet of the beach has disappeared. It changed the contour of the beach. Enormous ecological damage was done. Almost all of the palmetto palm trees were submerged by waves. Most were already brown; they were dying from the amount of sea water that saturated them. Also of note, there were several coconut trees that were down. These were not damaged by the waves, but rather by displaced wild elephants that came through the village looking for food.

The sights, like I mentioned, were not like the ones on TV. In some ways they were worse. The waves came in and completely wiped out the village. It looked like it had been vaporized. There was only a small amount of evidence that over a 1000 people actually lived in this little village. Only a few foundations were left. Only a few of the town "latrines" were left, and these leaning very precariously. Only small fragments of personal effects were left behind, most being swept away to sea. Occasionally we would come across a suitcase, empty of course, or a water drenched school backpack. We came across a few water damaged photographs, showing only hints of a previous, happier time. The village (or what was left of it) had some of the fishermans equipment scattered about, and this almost half a kilometer where it should have been; several tangled fishing nets were here and there, with a few boats smashed to pieces nearby. We even saw a sandal stuck in a palm tree about 15 feet above our heads.

From this small village of 139 families 69 people died, 35 of them children. One family of 11 was watching TV when the tsunami struck; only one survived. Along one of the paths we saw a small mound of dirt; our guide told us this was the burial site of a 4 month old baby who had died. The local cementary (in the bigger village of Valachchenia) was full of mounds of dirt - most of these new graves were unmarked.

Life is different now for these people; completely different. When we first arrived there was a look of stunned hopelessness on their faces. Almost every single person in the village had a family member or friend die in the tsunami. The waves of the tsunami are gone but the waves of despair, anxiety, guilt, pain, fear, anger, and hopelessness continue to buffet this band of people.

Being a Presence

As we drove into the Refugee Camp last week, we had to pass by the camp directors tent. Next to that was another tent being used by another aid group doing a mobile medical clinic. This was their second visit to the camp. To be honest, I was a little jealous not being the first team there, but that would soon be a non-issue.

After unloading our bags and equipment off the bus, we began to set up our camp within the camp. I am sure that we looked very curious piling out of the bus and PURPOSELY setting up "home". I am sure that it looked like great foolishness. The refugees did not want to be there but they had no choice. We had a choice and we wanted to be there. What a curious and peculiar group of people these Americans are must have been the thought of many of the folks in the camp. I wondered as we set up our tents if the pervasive thought was "Why are they doing this?" And as the week progressed I learned that this was the exact thoughts many of the refugees had.

In fact, they sent a "spy" to figure out what was going on. There was a man in the camp named Lal. He spoke both of the major languages of Sri Lanka, Sinhalese and Tamil, as well as English. As he was also a refugee he wanted to help. He proved to be a respected man in the village in that he was one of them and he could talk to us. A perfect spy. But also a man God wanted to spend time with us.

As we got settled into camp, more of the refugees began to visit us. And they brought sicker and sicker patients. They began to trust us. And Lal began to ask more questions. One afternoon, he said, "We have had some aid groups come into camp and help. Some bring medicine. Some bring food. Some bring water. But they all come and go. They come for a few hours and then leave. But I have noticed that you have come and stayed. I have been trying to figure out why."

As he was telling me this, my mind was directed to John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." I realized that we were only following the example of our Lord Jesus. I then contemplated Matthew 9:35-36 "Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd."

I was able to share this with Lal. I told him that we were children of God and that we were only following His example. I shared that we were there to help with disease and sickness. I shared that we, like our brother Jesus, had compassion on them. And because of this, we were willing to live among the people so that we could build trust with them.

And this is exactly what happened. As we spent hour after hour, day after day, the people began to trust us. They came for the counseling that was offered. They were willing to tell their stories of being out in the water, or on the beach, or in the village when the tsunami came. They told us their trials and tribulations of almost dying or having a family member or friend drown in the tsunami. They came bringing their sick because they began to trust that we could make a difference. They were willing and open to hear us tell about our Father in heaven who loved them and wanted to call them His children.

I was amazed at how the simple fact of living among the people opened up so many doors to minister both word and deed. I was encouraged and had renewed strength that it was right for me to be dwelling among the people of Kenya. I was amazed again at the incredibly loving act that Jesus committed when He dwelt among us and had compassion on us.

Home Sweet Home

I have arrived back home in Nairobi safe and sound. As my flight began its landing it was strange to look out over the plains of Nairobi, seeing the city center in the background, the land dotted with small shantys and big apartments, and feel like I was at home. But, I guess as they say, home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely here with my family. Our reunion as a family was as sweet a memory as I can ever remember. We hugged and kissed and talked from the time I passed through Customs at the airport until I fell asleep exhausted in "my" bed with "my" wife.

I want to thank all of you so much for actively participating in this ministry of mercy. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your financial support. God indeed used this trip not only to minister to the folks devastated by the tsunami in Sri Lanka, but He used it to encourage, strengthen, and grow us as a family both in our family life as well as our calling to be here in Kenya. NOT ONLY DID WE SURVIVE THIS TIME, BUT WE ALL THRIVED. We recognize this as the grace and tender mercies of our great God answering prayers lifted up on our behalf by the many praying saints around the world.

I know that many of you would like to know some of the details of the trip. Over the next several days I will be posting entries to my blog, The Mission Safari (http://missionsafari.typepad.com), describing different aspects, stories, lessons, and experiences of the trip. But for now, let me highlight some of the answered prayers over the past 2 weeks.

Highlights:

1. Marti and the kids thrived while I was gone. They felt at peace. They felt safe. The kids got along pretty well. There were no major home or car glitches. Marti felt a real presence of the Holy Spirit in my absence.

2. Marti and the kids had an incredible time at the Homeschool Conference during the first week of my trip. Sarah made 2 new friends - friends her age with similar interests (American Girls, sewing, and writing). Marti also made some friends. She was also greatly encouraged by the conference speakers.

3. God used the work of our team to make His name known in the area we were working. We lived in a Refugee Camp. Most of the folks were from the Tamil people, a minority there in Sri Lanka. The camp was made up of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians. We were able to pray with many patients.

4. God used us to make a difference in the health of the people in the camp. One 7 month old girl was on the verge of death when her parents brought her to us. We worked with her for over 24 hours providing Intensive Care. As a result one of the workers from the Sri Lankan church was able to share the gospel with this young couple.

5. God allowed me to share the gospel with one of the translators from the refugee camp who volunteered to work with us. His name is Lal. He said he was very curious why we decided to live in the camp when he knew that we could have afforded to stay at the hotel in town. I shared with him the testimony of Jesus from John 1 when John records that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Lal and I talked about the gospel of grace and sonship for over 3 hours. Please pray for him.

6. God used the trip to increase my interest in developing a Disaster Relief response team here in Kenya. MTW is very interested in facilitating this. My hope is to train not only missionaries here in Kenya, but Kenyan medical personnel to be prepared to respond to disaster work in the future.

7. God used this trip to strengthen our marriage. I have never felt such homesickness before. I truly missed my family, especially my wife. I have never been so frustrated not being able to share the ups and downs of the work. Thank God for using this time of separation to strengthen us.

There is much more to share, but this letter is long enough for now. Please stop by the blog to read at your leisure the details of the trip.

Thanks so much for praying. Thanks so much for your emails of encouragement and support.

In Awe of God's provision and plans,

Tim

Hardships

Ok, let's get this part of the trip out of the way.  This was no picnic.  The hardships began for some of our teammates enroute to Sri Lanka.  But again, what didn't kill us only made us stronger.

One of the hardest aspects of the trip was the lack of sleep.  Again for my teammates coming from the middle of the United States, constant travel for over 48 hours was the norm.  People arrived without sleep.  And for the Advance Team, even after they arrived, they spent the first 72 hours on the road and in meetings.  They slept on the van as they surveyed sight after sight on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

Making sleep more difficult was the weather.  The trip started and ended with large downpours of rain.  Given that we were actually sleeping in tents, in the Refugee Camp, starting a visit to an area is not fun when water gets in and soaks your sleeping bag and clothes.  The mud makes it less appealing as well.  And then, in between the rains at the start and finish, we struggled with high humidity and little moving air.

The days were also a challenge with the weather.  The humidity was high most days.  The sun was scorching (when it wasn't hidden behind the downpours).  There were some breezes that made it bearable, but most of the time, we tried to do our clinics in the shade under some tarps.

Other aspects of nature that we battled during our stay included fighting off the creatures.  There were a few scorpions that ended up in the tents and latrines.  A snake made his way through camp.  Even a bat came and visited the men's tent one night.

Another aspect of the trip that was difficult was the reality of the Tamil Tiger civil war.  We worked in an area controlled by the government but the population was mostly Tamil.  The military presence of the government was very real.  The camp was guarded by the Army.  In fact, we lived next to a "camp".  We were even given strict orders NOT to cross the road because there were landmines bordering the military camp.  We could not drive anywhere without stopping at military checkpoints.  It made for a very interesting time.  (In fact, last Sunday, for a little R+R we went to the beach.  The first beach we went to was behind a military base that had suffered a lot of damage because of the tsunami.  They recommended we not visit there as the tsunami had unearthed some landmines.)

Another aspect of hardship that hit me particularly hard was homesickness.  I missed Marti and the kids very much.  It was a struggle daily to get my mind focused on the work that I was there to do.  Not having outside communication exacerbated this. 

Not only were there the hardships listed above, but there were also the potential hardships (bad patient outcomes, sickness, and so on) that constantly weighed on our minds.  AND yet, despite these hardships, we praise God that no team member suffered any real injury or illness.  God was definitely our Shield and our Defender.  He was an ever-present source of strength.  He was our Rock.  He was our Provider.

Where Do I Begin?

Where do I even begin to tell about my experiences in Sri Lanka the last 10 days?  Do I begin by telling the day by day, play by play trials and tribulations?  Or do I count the number of times God glorified Himself in big and small ways?  Do I start with the stories of the people of Sri Lanka and the total loss of life, property, and hope that many have endured over the past two weeks?  Or do I start with the opportunities that we had to share the Gospel of Good News through the ministry of medicine?

There is so much to share.  But I will start with this.  My desire that God be glorified in my work and the work of the team has been accomplished!  It has been amazing to see how God would take a small group of people from a relatively small organization and use us for His purposes.  Lives have been impacted for good.  Lives have been saved.  Lives have been pointed to the Good News. 

I am currently in Colombo.  I arrived back here yesterday (a day early) with the rest of the team to deal with some visa issues for many of my team members.  Because of this, I was able to make arrangements to fly back a day early.  I am physically exhausted, but spiritually and emotionally recharged.  I have so many stories and insights that I hope to share over the coming days.  I want folks to share in the blessing of how God has been working here in and through me. 

Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow!

Safely in Sri Lanka

Just a quick note that I have arrived safely in Sri Lanka.  The flights from both Nairobi and Dubai were very smooth.  Having seen how drained the other Disaster Relief teammembers are that traveled from the US, I am glad that I only had a 3 hour time zone difference.

The national Sri Lankan church that we are working with are very motivated and quite efficient.  That has also helped.  Today was mostly been a travel day.  Given that I am posting to the blog, you can guess that we are at a hotel for the night. 

We leave out early in the morning and travel to the east coast to the Batticoala District.  We will be working about 30 miles north of the city of Batticoala.  There is a refugee camp there with about 1500 displaced people.  Of that number about 70 women (out of 750) are pregnant, many near term.  We will assess that situation tomorrow.  We will basically be living in the same refugee camp.  Should be interesting. 

Of note there is a weather situation brewing here.  We are expecting a cyclone of all things.  Our last update showed it weakening but not enough to prevent the heavy rains.  That will only add insult to injury here and make our work even harder.

Please pray for our team and the folks we will be working with.  May God be glorified.

Going, going....

We are off to the airport. I will update whenever I can.

Sola Deo Gloria. To God Alone Be the Glory.

Final Preparations for Sri Lanka

Well I finished most of my preparations for my relief trip to Sri Lanka. I have gathered all of my packing list and printed out essential documents needed on arrival (passport, medical license, list of medicines I am bringing into the country). I have tried to prepare myself for some of the extreme conditions we are going to be enduring. At this point from what I understand, our team will be camping out the next two weeks. We will also have a limited amount of clean water so we will be treating the water to make it safe. We will also be facing the weather; it is hot and humid there. We are expecting conditions to be wet as well.

I will also have very limited outside communications. Our team will have one laptop, one satellite pager, and one satellite phone. Our team leader will send out periodic emails to one email address per team member. These will be short and sweet as they will be sent by the satellite phone. I will not have any way to receive emails during our time there except for emergencies, and this to be cleared by a team member in the States. Marti will have access to email.

I am also trying to prepare myself for the emotional and spiritual toll. Some areas that we will be working in have been deeply affected by this disaster. There will be sights and smells I have never seen (or imagined). There will be many people (believers and nonbelievers alike) asking questions like "How does a loving God allow something like this to happen?" I am sure I may even ask that question at some point.

Making things even more difficult to process will be the fact that the Disaster Relief Team will be meeting one another for the first time Monday January 10th. This, for most people, after 36-48 hours of travel to get to Sri Lanka from the U.S. Many of the folks will be fighting jet lag, meeting new teammates, and then venture out into the above mentioned settings. I am glad that I will only be adjusting to a 3 hour time zone difference.

And finally, I am trying to prepare myself for the separation from my family. It has been a long time since we have been apart for such an extended period. I particularly am going to miss my family given the close bonds we have developed over the past few months as we have transitioned into a new country, a new work, and in some ways a new life.

I would not be honest if I did not admit that I have wondered if it wouldn't be better just to stay at home and continue to "settle" in here. I also have to admit that I am a bit afraid. But I find that I don't really believe that it is better for me to stay at home during this time. I do find myself realizing that I am venturing into completely new territory and that this trip is NOT about me but about God being glorified in the work that He does through our little team in Sri Lanka.

Pray that I will experience a dependence on God that I have never experienced before.

Ben's Birthday

Well, in the midst of the preparation for my relief trip to Sri Lanka, I had a much needed respite last night and today to celebrate Ben's 9th Birthday. Last night, to continue a tradition we started last year, we went camping. However a few differences are noteworthy. First, we camped in the front yard. Second, instead of camping out in sub-freezing weather like last year, we had to only endure an overnight low of 65 degrees. Third, instead of building a fire on the ground like last year, we built a fire in the barbeque grill (as I did not want to burn our nice front yard). Fourth, we invited Sam to camp out this year. And finally, as I am getting ready to live the next two weeks in a tent, I slept on a high density foam mattress last night. I guess as he gets older, so do I.

We continued hanging out by going on a long bike ride today. Most people have to drive to a location to do some off-road mountain biking. All we have to do is go outside the gate and start our ride. It was fun.

Later in the day (after grilling hamburgers on the grill) we went out to the giraffe center about twenty minutes from the house. It is a type of Endangered Species park and we were able to pet and feed warthogs and giraffes. The kids thought this was cool (so did mom and dad). We finished this outing with cake (homemade cake and icing, yum) and ice cream and opening of presents. The theme of the party? The St. Louis Cardinals! Not hard to imagine is it?

Throw God Out, By Michael Johnson, MD

Throw God Out! He is Messing Things Up! It is amazing the questions that come about from this most recent disaster. If God really loved His children, then why does He allow such a thing? Since He does allow it, I think I will not worship Him, because it is really obvious that He is not a loving Father anyway. That is the 'logic' of many of us who would claim to believe in God, 'if He would only do things our way.' To set the record straight, no matter what I personally think of the job my Creator is doing, just throwing Him out of my life, does not mean I throw Him out of office. It is a bit more complicated than that. God is no alderman, city councilor, mayor, senator or president to be intimidated by my complaints about His performance.
Like any good parent, it is not popularity that motivates the Father. It is seeing His will performed in the lives of His children, for their goodness, even when the children don't see, understand or accept it.
My Father in heaven is not worried about popularity. He is not taking a vote to see how many people want Him in office. He is there to stay. There are no contenders for the throne. He does not have to take an opinion poll to see what decisions He will make towards His creation. It is all settled.
Let's get over it. The Creator is here to stay. No amount of lobbying by me to the angels and cherubim will cause another revolt in the heavens.
Job lost everything even though by God's own record he was a good man; " My servant Job, there is none like him on the earth, blameless, and upright, who fears God and shuns evil" (Job 1:8)
Job illustrated his 'political loyalty' to the Most High God in Job 1:20-22; "Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head fell to the ground AND WORSHIPPED and he said, naked came I from my mother's womb and naked shall I return., in all this Job did not sin, nor charge God with wrong" Again, Job was challenged by his wife to give up worshipping this unfair, unkind and unfeeling God. Job 2:9-10 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity?" In all of this Job did not sin with his lips. God will not be thrown out of heaven, no matter if we decide to throw him out of our personal lives. This is not a popularity contest. He is, was and always will be God the Father. Recognize His mercy towards you and learn to extend that towards others. Jesus reminds us our Father sends both sun and rain on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) He may not be popular with a lot of people these days, but He is still God. Throw Him out and you will answer on the last day of election, which is also known as judgment. It is then that He will elect who comes home and who goes to hell.

I Love the CDC (most of the time)

One of the best resources on the internet for solid medical advice is The Center for Disease Control (the CDC). Their website is www.cdc.gov. As a physician it is always a bit tricky handling the patient who comes in for a visit and announces "I found this on the internet, what do you think?" If you are not paying attention, you might just end up in an unwanted fight with your patient. But, whenever folks pulled something off the CDC website I was always wholeheartedly in agreement. Until..

I realized that I needed to read not only what the CDC was saying but how they were saying it. For instance, as I continue to make preparations for my participation in the relief work in Sri Lanka, I visited the CDC website today. Of interest they had a notice on the Tsunami. Here is just an excerpt from the notice.

"Natural disasters contribute to the transmission of some diseases, especially since water supplies and sewage systems have been disrupted. Outbreaks of food and water-borne diseases are possible such as diarrheal diseases , including dysentery and cholera . Other risks to travelers are typhoid , and hepatitis A and E . When water and sewage systems may be disrupted, safe water and food supplies are of great importance in preventing enteric disease transmission, see http://www.cdc.gov/travel/foodwater.htm.
Rodents, snakes and other animals may also pose a greater risk in the aftermath of a tsunami and other natural disasters, see http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/animal-hazards.htm . Leptospirosis may occur in those who wade, swim, or bathe in waters contaminated by animal urine. Plague usually causes infection through the bite of rodent fleas, but also may be acquired by direct contact with infectious materials or inhalation of infective droplets. In addition, exposure to animal bites, most notably dogs in resource-poor countries, pose a risk for infections such as rabies .
Because of standing water in a tropical environment, mosquito breeding can become a problem and outbreaks of malaria , Japanese encephalitis and dengue are possibilities. Travelers should be advised that mosquito protection will be essential in these settings.
The risks for injury during and after a natural disaster is also high. Floodwaters, downed power lines, water-affected electrical outlets, interrupted gas lines, and large pieces of debris all pose health risks. Tetanus is a potential health threat for persons who sustain wound injuries. Other potential hazards include displaced land mines in areas of prior conflict. Travelers who are injured during a natural disaster should have a medical evaluation to determine what additional care may be required for wounds potentially contaminated with feces, soil, or saliva or for wounds that have been exposed to water that may contain parasites or bacteria. In tropical climates, minor and major injuries are prone to becoming infected.
During natural disasters, technological malfunctions may release hazardous materials (e.g., release of toxic chemicals from a point source displaced by winds, seismic motion, or rapidly moving water). Natural disasters may also lead to air pollution and lung infections may occur after inhalation of sea water. Disasters resulting in massive structural collapse can cause the release of chemical or biologic contaminants (e.g., asbestos or arthrospores leading to fungal infections). Travelers with chronic pulmonary disease may be more susceptible to adverse effects from these exposures. In addition, security measures, such as curfews to curb looting, and restricted travel to certain areas may be imposed."

DYSENTARY, CHOLERA, TYPHOID, RODENTS, SNAKES, PLAGUE, RABIES, MALARIA, DOWNED POWER LINES, INTERRUPTED GAS LINES. All of these things are in fact a reality of what lies ahead. But the way that it is put together in the notice one begins to think "this doesn't seem like such a great place to go." And that is the point. The CDC wants folks not to lightly walk into DISASTER AREAS without realizing what they are getting themselves into.
So, yes, there are many perils that POTENTIALLY await myself and the team I am joining. But we are going to a DISASTER AREA. Things are supposed to be really messed up. And that is why we are going. Because we serve a God who is BIGGER than the mess.