Making Connections

This past week I was invited by another missionary to join their medical outreach in our city of Antipolo. Like us, this missionary is supported by Calvary Chapel…but not of Greenwood, SC. They are from Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, CA. They are church planters working in squatter areas on the far edge of our city. Some of their church members found our website and after contacting us, invited me to help their short-term mission group setup a one day medical assistance in their area.













In comparison to our clinic, this was a smaller scale medical program providing basic medical care. I passed out more advice and recommendations than medicines. There was one other doctor, a Filipina pediatrician and we had several dentists and dental students. Our clinic area was outside under beach-type umbrellas (which was greatly appreciated since it drizzled rain most of the time). The dentist pulled teeth right out in the open with all the expectant patients watching on, anticipating their turn in the chair.

Calvary Antipolo church members provided counsel and presented the plan of salvation. At the end of the day, their short-term team was off to another ministry opportunity. The pastor and I talked about some future ministry sites and I explained our teaching program for training healthcare workers.

Cool Fall Morning

Do you ever have one of those mornings when you just want to stay in bed? The weather feels just right for staying curled up under the covers all cozy. This morning was such a morning. Granted cozy under the covers in this case meant only a sheet. After 2 days of intense rain, the temp dropped into the lower 70s last night. We woke this morning to a temp in our bedroom of 77.2 and 40% humidity. I know this doesn't sound too cool, but since we normally hover in the low 80s, it felt good. It is amazing the range 10 degrees can have: 78-82 is ok night temps, anything above 84 is just stinkin' hot, and below 78....ahhh! that's nice. Emily came crawling into bed with me this morning stating "Why is it so cold? I'm FREEZING!" How is she ever going to survive a true winter again? Not that South Carolina gets really cold, but it is colder than here. I was thankful that after a few days of low water pressure, we had enough pressure to get some hot water this morning. While I relish a cold shower in hot season, I really despise them when it is cool.

Mr Clean

When I was a young newlywed, just beginning to keep a house of my own, my Mom recommended a great cleaning product--Mr Clean. I really liked old Mr Clean. We have spent many a day cleaning the bathrooms and the floors together. Well, times change and people move on and grow apart. Mr clean and I have been distant for some time now. Just last week though, I saw Mr. Clean's cousin here in the PI. This is the Filipino Mr. Clean.....Maestro Limpio. I am going to have to look into this though because that is not the word I know for clean. ***On further inspection, I have discovered that this isn't Mr Clean's Filipino cousin, but his Spanish one. I could not figure out what the second word was in Tagalog. It didn't translate clean. The Tagalog word for clean is malinis. Of course the Cebuano (one of the other languages in the PI) word for clean is limpiyo. I am sure that is due to the couple hundred years of being a Spanish colony. By the way, I didn't buy Maestro Limpio. I stuck with the brand I normally buy...Kleen. This is probably more than you wanted to know about my life in the Philippines. If you think we are living some exotic life in a foreign land, I guess this is proof that our life is just a tad bit boring and mundane, just like in the US.

Auburn Alumni Club Manila

Yesterday we had the final meeting of the Auburn University Alumni Club, Manila branch. After 3 football seasons, our friends and fellow tigers, the Brooks, will be headed back to the US in 2 weeks. We have had fun "tailgating", listening and occasionally watching the Auburn football games with them. We will miss having someone to cheer with.

Meet Bob!

A couple weeks ago, we were up at Faith for their annual "fall" Bazaar. This is a day of fun and fellowship in the missions community. There are booths set up in the gym selling local handicrafts and other items made in the PI. Outside the high school classes sell food and things to raise money for their class. The week before this event, the school chaplain had run into a guy at the American Embassey Bazaar selling something he had brought up from the southern most island of Mindano. Don knew the missions community, especially the American missions community, would be interested in buying some so he invited him out to the school. What a wonderful surprise on that first Saturday of October to see bright orange pumpkins of various sizes! People who have lived here much longer than us said they had never seen real pumpkins in the Philippines. (We do have some pale orange and green gourd type squash available) I bought a few of the little pumpkins and gourds for a fall display I had on our kitchen table.

The kids wanted a pumpkin to carve and since they sometimes seem to be richer than me, I told them they could buy it with their own money. Will decided to save his money, but Em bought a medium size pumpkin of her very own. (OK really it is a small medium size one) Since this is the hot and humid PI and not the cool, dry fall temps of October in the US, Em's pumpkin began to rot at the top. So tonight, we decided to carve it. I think this is the first time, Em has carved a pumpkin completely by herself. She had a fun time and did a great job.

For those of you who don't know my kids well, they name everything! So meet Bob--Emily's Filipino pumpkin friend. In a country that is already celebrating Christmas, he lit up our evening with a touch of fall harvest. We have already gone online to research how to plant the seeds from Bob. Perhaps by next year we will have a whole host of Bob's offspring. We aren't known for having a green thumb so we will have to give some seeds to Scott to plant as well.

Call for Delivery

Some days when life is crazy or the kids are having friends over, there is nothing like picking up the phone and ordering a pizza. We do have Pizza Hut here and like in the US, they deliver. Most fast food type restaurants do. Can you imagine calling up and ordering a burger and fries from McDonalds and having them delivered in 30 minutes? Can you say soggy fries?? Anyway, all food delivery vehicles here look the same. It's a motorcycle with a metal box on the back. These are cheaper than cars and can weave around traffic making for shorter delivery times. This guy is delivering for a restaurant called Chowking. (I'm not sure why the box is open)It sells typical Filipino dishes including the best Halo Halo in the country---or so we've been told by Halo Halo experts. If you are interested in seeing more of what they offer you can visit http://www.chowking.com/ .

By the way did you know that Pizza Hut's number is 911-1111. Will thinks it is truly an emergency number when we have served him rice one too many times during the week. One of our friends had a fellow teacher from Faith come to babysit their kids last fall. The single gal was a missionary from England. She picked up the phone to order pizza for the kids, but there was a problem. The people on the other end kept asking her where she was. She just couldn't make them understand her location. "What is your emergency?" they asked. "I just want to order a pizza." was her reply. After much frustration she finally gave up and fixed the kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It wasn't until Tom and Kate came home that she understood the problem....She had been using the Vonage Internet phone so instead of the local Pizza Hut she was connected with 911 somewhere in Michigan.

Why do we mail newsletters?

I have just mailed our October newsletter. Looking back over the past week, I realized that the newsletter itself is a lot of work. I stew, sometimes for days, as to the topic or person to be discussed. Debating what “angle” should a story have and deciding if it’s really important enough for mailing.

After the story is written, edited, and hopefully proofread well comes the task of mass mailing. The mechanics of mailing 155 letters is no small feat. First, a final and decent printed black and white copy is needed to take to a local bookstore where they photocopy just the B&W portion. Then, these 155 copies are run through the computer printer to put the color pictures superimposed on the newsletter. (I pray as the photocopies move through the printer that they are close enough to the original document to align with the pictures on the original.) Then through the printer goes 155 envelopes (thankfully there is Excel and printers to avoid 155 hand-written envelopes). Folding the newsletters and putting them in the envelopes is the next step. Finally, the stamp and a seal to close.

So why go through all of this work?

The best way I can explain is that our ministry isn’t just “the Gilmers”, or the doctors, or the clinic. The “we” in our newsletters, in our blog, and in our emails is a host of people. People who are just as involved in this ministry as we are.
People who kneel in prayer daily for us.
People who give regularly, selflessly, and generously to allow us to stay here.
People who write encouraging notes.
People who call and are concerned for our well being.
People who provide leadership and guidance to the ministry.
People who give their time looking for pill bottles, donated medicines, and shipping methods.

When I think about all the people involved (and it is likely you are one of those mentioned above), I want you to see the faces of those you are ministering to. I want you to see the person walk into the clinic well and healed after successful treatment. I want you to know the gratitude that was expressed to me. I want you to feel as if you were sitting in my chair when a child, who was once sick but now healthy, walks in to give a hug.

I am the fortunate one to have experienced the events described in the newsletter. But so many people are involved in our ministry and so I write with the hope of bringing you to where I am, even if just for a glimpse.

The Same...only different

Emily and Will used to love playing in the car. (They actually probably still would if we would let them) A lifetime and many moves ago, 2 1/2 year old Emily would beg to sit in the drivers seat and "drive". It wasn't too long before Will was old enough to join her. They would go on wonderful imaginary trips, smudging up the windows and turning the radio volume up so loud I had a heart attach the next time I cranked it up to go somewhere. Another big treat for Em was sitting in Dad's lap and "driving" down the street to our house. The kids loved to be waiting for Allan as he turned onto our street as he came home from work. Then they would climb in and streer the car down the block and up the driveway. Hard to believe, it's not too much longer before Em will be doing this without having to sit in someones lap.

I know the kids are not alone in this fascination with cars and driving. There is a universal appeal of machinery and transportation. During a visit at an orphanage a while back, Emily and Will loved playing with some of the orphans in the orphanage's jeepney. The kids crawled all over that thing, including the roof.

Yesterday, while sitting in the van outside the clinic waiting for Allan, I saw this little guy. He's one of our neighbors and his dad runs a trike service. He was so cute and having such a good time that I had to snap a picture. Kids are often playing on trikes here. I am sure they are taking wonderful imaginary trips of their own. The "car" may be different, but the game is still the same.

On and Operating

Thanks to all those who prayed for our ailing electronics!
The ultrasound, which was overheating immediately after power on, is now functioning without any problems. I opened it up to see if I could diagnose the problem but couldn’t find any component that seemed to be overheating or malfunctioning. Last week we had a visitor from the US who was an all-around handyman and we decided he should get a shot at repairing it. Obviously his mere presence was enough to coerce the ultrasound into functioning because, as soon as I turned it on, it started working. Since then we’ve had no problems.

The ultrasound has been getting quite a workout thanks to some visiting physicians. For several months now, we’ve had a husband and wife team of physicians from Switzerland working at the clinic once a week. They have been quite a blessing to have around. Both are capable ultrasonographers. The wife of the team is very proficient at obstetrical ultrasound and has been working with a nearby midwife clinic to offer free ultrasounds. Keep in mind that our particular ultrasound is designed for imaging the heart and large blood vessels so adapting it to ultrasound soft tissues and the uterus takes some finesse.

The ultrasound capability has helped this ministry greatly. We can help date the pregnancies accurately, identify problems with growth or the placenta, and refer the patients early if surgical intervention is needed.

P.S The EKG seems to be suffering from an aging rechargable battery pack. The battery pack is expensive but we plan to bring over a replacement soon. Until then we can keep AC power plugged in and maintain enough battery storage to allow the EKG to function.

Piano Lessons

The kids have a wonderful opportunity this year. The wife of Emily's 5th grade teacher teaches piano lessons to MKs. She does this free of charge as a ministry to the missions community. Needless to say, it is hard to get a spot in her schedule. Since we are homeschooling this year, the kids can go during the regular school day. So every Monday at 8:30 the kids can be found pounding the ivories at Mrs. Kuiken's house. Emily has had a little bit of piano before and also has had 2 years of band so she has progressed rapidly. Will had a hard time keeping up with her, but he has finally found his groove and is also doing well. They are enjoying learning and I am enjoying hearing them practice!

Here's Will doing school work while Em has her lesson

Now it's Will's turn:

WAR EAGLE! #2

Since my last blog was about last week's game, I thought I would share a few pictures we took in Auburn just before we left to head back to the PI. We went with my family to tailgate and experience the pre-game festivities before the Auburn vs. Kansas State game. The kids had never been to campus on a game day nor participated in some of the great Auburn traditions like the Tiger Walk. It was a great day and we loved being caught up in the orange and blue crush. The picture to the left is of Will getting geared up to head to campus and being his normal crazy self. I sure hope he doesn't become one of those guys who goes to the game with his torso painted orange.

The Girls in front of Samford Hall

Allan and Emily at Toomer's Corner
tradition is to roll Toomer's Corner after every win

Watching the cheerleaders while waiting for the team to pass at Tiger Walk

A look down the sea of orange at Tiger Walk

WAR EAGLE!

I think this picture says it all...

Auburn- 20 Florida- 17

At this moment

Last week I posted a blog about the weather widget on my computer's desktop. Tonight as Allan and I were shutting down the computer and headed to bed, the temp in Pine Mountain, GA; Greenwood, SC; and Manila was exactly the same- a cool 79 degrees. It was really neat. Al doesn't see the excitement in it, but it was like at that moment we were at the same place as friends and family back home. Of course this is probably our low for the day and their high and most likely the humidity isn't 92% there, but it was cool to me. It's amazing the little things that thrill me. Well, I'm taking my wierd self off to bed.

By the way, be on the lookout for a gorgeous full moon tonight. We were driving home tonight about 6:30 and the moon was that great autumn harvest moon. Truly beautiful!

Pancakes anyone?

As a family, we really like pancakes. Often on Sunday nights, we will make pancakes for dinner. Usually, we are quite boring and have just plain pancakes, but I have been known to throw in a banana or a blueberry or two. One Sunday night a couple of weeks ago, Cindy brought us some pancakes topped with mangos, a coconut syrup she had make, and whipped cream. It was not your everyday pancakes and they were truly delicious. Filipinos also like pancakes. You can buy regular pancake mix in the store and then you can get adventurous pancake mix. How about some Pandan or Ube pancakes? Ube is a purple root crop similar to sweet potatoes. If you can get past eating something bright purple, they are actually quite nice. We have had Ube cake, Ube ice cream and Ube in the Philippine national desert-halo halo. So it isn't too far a stretch to have Ube pancakes I guess. Pandan on the other hand is a type of grass. The Nelsens used to make pandan tea. It was OK, but I would rather have some good ole Southern Louisianne. We brought some candy made with pandan back to the states this summer to share with some of our friends and family. Allan's remark was always--"Some things are meant to be experienced not necessarily enjoyed." Needless to say we won't be likely to try Pandan pancakes nor do I feel the need to eat Ube pancakes either. But who knows, maybe one day in the grocery store I will feel adventuresome and buy the Ube ones. I'll keep you posted. By the way the cost for this small box of mix is 28.50 pesos which is about 65 cents.

Another Change

General consensus has been that most people liked the old blog style better. Thanks for being honest and all the great input. I can't seem to get it back the way it was. Al set it up the first time so he may have to monkey with it, but until then, this is as close as I can come. Be honest....How do you like this one?

Tropics vs. electronics

This past summer has wreaked havoc on our electronic equipment in the clinic. Certainly, this is nothing new. As I have described before, our computer has suffered the vengeance of heat and humidity. Almost every component in our desktop computer with the exception of the Intel processor, the sound card, and the metal case has been replaced during the last 2 years.

While we were in the US, the clinic's HP ultrasound began to overheat and is no longer in use until we can modify it to allow cooler operation. Our brand new machine for doing "Complete Blood Counts" has also succumbed to some unknown error. We are now waiting on replacement parts to see if it can be made operational again. Not to be left out, the EKG would not turn on at all during a recent clinic.

These electronic gizmos are not a necessity in our clinic but they sure make life as a doctor a little easier (and cheaper for our patients). Pray for our electronic sidekicks that they would survive well ... and pray for our patience while we deal with these problems.

Fall is in the air

While we were home this summer, I got a new computer. I really like it and at the side of my screen sits a cool little gadget sidebar. You can have all kinds of neat widgets on it. I have a calendar, a little slide show of pictures we took in the states this summer and 3 rectangles that tell me the current temp with a cartoon picture of conditions in Manila, Greenwood, and Pine Mountain. I have really enjoyed this feature until yesterday. Here I sit at 4:45 PM in an outfit I have worn month after month for over 2 years. It gets worn week after week, month after month because we are in perpetual summer. It is cooler here today than it has been in recent days, but my computer tells me that at 4:45 am in Greenwood the temp is currently 58 degrees. Oh fall is coming to the upstate and we left just before its arrival. In another month the leaves will be in a full array of reds, yellows and oranges, and I won't see them. How sad! I guess I will have to take the kids to the pool one afternoon this week to make myself feel better. I love to swim so it's a good thing we can do that year round, but I do miss fall. I guess I better quit torturing myself and remove the US weather from my desktop before the weather really turns cool there.

A new Look

I thought after 2 years of blogging that our site needed a new look to keep things fresh. What do you think? Were you tired of the old one? Do you like the change?

The Best things...by Will

My mom wants me to write a blog about the best things I did this summer and what I like about being back in the Philippines.

The best things about being in the states: 1. playing with my cousins Laura and Beth (including on the computer-Webkinz) 2.visiting old friends and playing with them. 3. cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, cheeseburgers, Zaxbys, cheeseburgers, Chick-fil-a, and did I mention cheeseburgers! 4. being spoiled and loved by grandparents, 5. going out boating at Mimi's lake.

Good things about being back in the Philippines: 1. Seeing my friends (which I have yet to do) 2. seeing Maggie again 3. Having my own toys 4. more cheeseburgers at Wendy's 5. Homemade tortillas and tacos 6. having a huge yard and playing in it with Emily and Maggie. I guess that's it.

We're back

I know some of you must wonder if we really made it back to the PI or if we are stuck somewhere in Hong Kong. We did arrive back at 11:45 pm on Wednesday September 5. The rest of our trip to Manila was uneventful. We landed early, breezed through immigration, picked up our 8 bags and headed through customs. Emily was in the lead and led us to an empty line with a tired looking woman who just waved us on through, no questions asked. Lesson learned: I think we will always let Em be in the front. Filipinos seem to really love her. As we went out to meet our friend Raul, the sky opened up and so we had to load the car amidst a heavy downpour. It has been relatively dry and hot of late so the rain was much needed. We arrived home to working power, water, and gas, but typical--no phone or internet. It was unseasonably hot and humid the first week back, but heavy rains the last few days have begun to cool things off.

We have now been home just over a week. It has been a crazy time as I have begun homeschooling the children again. For many different reasons, we made the decision last spring to bring the kids home again. The kids are settling back in to a routine that was once familiar. Emily has seen a few friends and evevn been to a sleep over, but Will and I have developed bad colds and had to cancel a play date with his friends Sam and Lawrence. On Mondays we go to piano lessons and then we will go to the Faith library. Will has asked if he can eat lunch with his friends that day. So hopefully he will catch up with some guys on Monday.

I have many pictures I want to share, but they are all still on my camera up 2 flights of stairs and I just can't seem to remember to bring it down. Maybe tomorrow.