Crowded waiting room

"Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we -- who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not -- can be saved." Charles Spurgeon

Waiting for the chance to see the doctors!

Typhoon Fengshen

Howling winds, sheets of torrential rain, and total darkness. That is how we awoke at 5am yesterday morning. We had prepared somewhat the night before for the impending typhoon, but after 3 years we have grown somewhat lax in our preparations. The threat of a typhoon used to send me out to the store to stack up on supplies, flashlights were out and ready, prepared for days of confinement. I've learned that when a country has an average of 20 typhoons during any given year that life in the metropolis may slow for a moment, but it never really stops. We usually just make sure the buckets we keep filled in the shower have fresh water and that we fill some pitchers with tap water to be filtered as needed. Oh and we shut all the windows downstairs before heading to bed. (No one likes to get up and shut them during the night)

Yesterday morning, after being awakened by the storm, we all snuggled together for a while and enjoyed the cool 72 degrees before heading down to eat pancakes by candle light. The great thing about a gas stove is that we can still cook. We debated whether we would go to church or not. See we knew that church would go on despite the category 3 typhoon currently passing through. Allan decided he didn't want to get stuck in heavy flooding that is a constant reality of torrential rains in this city. We have gotten quite adept at driving through flooded roadways. Something I was very apprehensive to do 3 years ago.

After breakfast, the kids went to build a fort with some pillows and blankets. They needed socks to keep their feet warm. We spent the day reading, talking, playing and weather watching from our screen porch. For us, the day was passed in quiet enjoyment of cool breezes and each other. We were thankful to have power restored around 6:30 pm and water restored a couple hours later. We realize this was not the case for many of those around us.

Today clean up began and life in Manila continues on like any other Monday. It always surprises me that natural disasters seem to be such a part of life here. So much so that the city never really shuts down. Yesterday, most of the malls, stores, and restaurants were open even during the height of the storm. The airport never closed and planes landed all day. Unfortunately many of our adopted countrymen will begin today differently than they had planned last week. They will have lost much, including loved ones. We grieve and pray for those who lost loved ones on the Ferry that capsized during the storm and for those who lost houses and family here in our city and around the Philippines.

Public transportation continues even
during a typhoon and heavy flooding

Since we had no power, we didn't want to open
the refrigerator so we ordered Pizza Hut delivery.
Even food delivery happens during a typhoon.

Obviously it was a popular dinner choice,
it took Allan a few tries to get through on the phone.

Passing it on

There is an old saying in medical training, "See one, do one, teach one". We have volunteers in our clinic of all stages of medical training, including those with absolutely no training at all. We definitely hold to the model that once you have developed a skill, it is time to pass it on to the next person. Whether its teaching vital signs, wound care, blood tests, or the Tagalog language, there is always a new skill to learn. Here Cindy is instructing a first year Filipino nursing student in wound evaluation and care.

Healthcare Training class

We just finished a Healtcare Training class. As I mentioned on a prior blog, this class was composed of all Westerners, mostly with New Tribes Mission. One of the challenges of teaching medicine to someone with little prior medical training is pushing them gently but consistently to expand their comfort and ability to access, diagnose and treat basic medical problems with confidence.

Every student progresses at their own rate, some need more re-assurance, some need a little nudging to move to the next step. One thing is sure, they will definitely need these skills in the areas where they serve. One of the most important skills they learn is how to communicate with medical professionals about the patient they are evaluating. Not a week goes by that we don't receive several emails asking for medical advise. Those who have received even the most basic of training provide a much clearer story and description than those who have not. Presenting the patient with the pertinent information and descriptive words makes our advice much more accurate and valuable to them and their patient.





One of our fun events is to finish the training with a class on basic wound care including suturing. Everyone enjoys sewing the pig's feet back together (except for the smell).

Our dog enjoyed the feet after the class. I did take out the sutures though.

I was in prison - Matt 25:36

"'Not called!' did you say?'Not heard the call,' I think you should say.Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world." William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army

Ministering to the prisoners of Iwahig. Chronic problems abound and our short visit provided only a temporary relief.

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However, many heard the Gospel presented, maybe for the first time.

"Sympathy is no substitute for action."

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." quote from David Livingstone, missionary to Africa












There is nothing like experience to teach you. This past year, we have been caring for a patient with a very difficult case of leprosy. On top of his disease, he has had multiple adverse reactions to the medications. Fortunately, the WHO is providing his medication at no cost to him. Our clinic is providing the follow-up evaluations and managing the complications of his treatment. After a rough beginning, Ted (not his real name) is doing better and will be seen in our clinic for many more months.