Hello Everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates on this page lately. I was traveling when Mum and Dad were last in port, and they didn't send on anything specifically to post here. However, this is an email they sent to us kids about the outreach so I thought I'd put it up here for you all to read. Enjoy :)
Saturday 3 May
This is an attempt to give you a running account of our trip, and avoid going blank when we finally get to i-café back in Suva. We had many crazy and frantic days getting stocked up and ready to sail, finally pulling out of Suva harbour Monday evening (28 April) around 6 pm. Dad spent much of his day racing around Suva, finally able to replace one of the freezers that died. I am so glad we had already donated our old freezer, but we still need space.
The sail was kinda rough again. I should have taken medicine right away, but tried to tough it out, and by morning, it was too late. That, and peanut butter on toast is not a good idea. So I had my second not-so-happy sail in a few days. It's frustrating when there was so much to do, to be just glued to the bed. So next time……..take the meds early, no matter what – even Jeremy takes meds about every time because he can't afford to be sick…..take the clue mummy!
I was so glad to finally be at anchor and be sitting still. Josiah was so glad to only have anchor watches. The deck guys (Ben O., Adam and Josiah) had been on round the clock watches since leaving Auckland 19 April. So Josiah was on watch from 4 to 8 both morning and night – 4 hours on, and 8 off for several days. It's tough to ever really get enough sleep, and kills his evenings every day. Now he only has a watch every second or third day.
When we finally stopped, and got the sevu sevu done, it was back to the ship for me, and FINALLY get the paperwork finished. The petty cash finally came into balance. OH MY GOSH!!!! What a relief. I ended spending the rest of the week on the ship, just tending to ship business, so haven't built any amazing relationships with the locals yet, but at least I'm doing my best on the ship. We're still getting "all systems going" as concerns the galley and housekeeping.
Today was Saturday, and a day off from ministry, etc, so Dad and I went in to shore, and just hung out on the beach, explored all the rocks, beach, volcanic rock, little tiny fishies, crabs running sideways, starfish, baby octopus, etc, etc, etc. The tide was out at first, and so exploring the beach was cool, and when the tide came up, then we went snorkling. At first I thought there wasn't much exciting stuff, but the longer we stayed out, the more subtle stuff you notice. I still haven't really mastered the snorkel mask, but at least you're never very deep, and you just stand up when you're sure you're either going to drown and hyper ventilate.
Sunday, 4 May 2008
We all went into the village for church – 7 churches in this one village. Granted it's a large village but 7 churches!!!! Dad and I, Josiah and a couple others went to the AOG church. Pretty small, a dozen people, and lots of children. They invited to stay for typical Fijian lunch, fish, dalo greens, dalo, cassava, yams. We shared our left over pizza – they gave it to the kids.
We were walking back to the Methodist church where Lori's team was doing an afternoon Sunday School program, when I stepped in a hole, and did a major sprain of my ankle……..like clinging onto Dad to get back to the M.church building which was in sight. We didn't have ice readily available, but Dad found a bucket of cool water for me……but my ankle bone area swelled quickly to the size of half an orange, and I think I could easily have fainted. Suddenly voices got really faint, and I was hot, and really fighting for it……I didn't faint but it sure hurt. Fortunately we have a physiotherapist on board, and she took command when we got back to the ship about an hour and a half later. Did you know how painful ice can be on an old injury. Nothing broken – as far as bones, but broke some blood vessels, and may have ripped some tendons. It kinda messes up my plans for the week.. I thought I was getting into the village this week, but not so sure now.
Met a young girl who is going to start a Kindy for the AOG families. I was asking where she did her training, and realized she hasn't had any, she's just launching with this. I was really excited to come talk with her, and give her ideas for preschool things…….ARGGH. Good on her for taking the ball and running with it.
Jolyn, one of the nurse stepped on a piece of coral today, and it broke off in her foot. They did minor surgery in the clinic to remove it. One of the other nurses is quite sick – we seem to keep viral stuff running around.
I showed off pictures of all your kids, grandkids, etc……There was a little 5 year old child that just adopted me, and plunked herself in my lap, and was quite fascinated with the pictures, my fan, and anything else I would come out of my backpack.
OK, ankle needs to be up, so I'm going to bed.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
OK, does this gap speak for how busy the outreach has been. Everyday, I think, "I must write some more to the kids because I'll forget the details. Nighttime comes, and I do an incredible imitation of Grandma Blodgett. My ankle has been a major element, although I did go into the village several times last week, but notice it's not healing up as well as I had hoped because I've been on it too much. We left Lakeba early Monday morning (3 am) and sailed onto to Cicia (pronounced Thi thia) arriving at 8 am. So we're here till Wed. evening, and then an overnight sail back to Suva, civilization, e-mail, banking………..It is really quiet and peaceful in the village, but……… a lot of tradition and protocol and Pride and arghhhhhhhh – On Sunday just past, I was beating my head against the wall, thinking we just haven't broken through in this place – there's so much……The Fijians have always done it their way……but we have an interesting event.
A. Last week, about Tuesday or Wednesday, in the village of .............. Stig, the father of our Danish family, went over to a house he was directed to, in order to buy a woven fan, and discovered a grandmother caring for her 9-year old grandson, who has developed a peculiar skin infection over the past 4 years. The doctor and nurses came to the house to visit, and were just in tears at the sight of Temo Josiah, or Josiah Temo. They call him Temo. His skin is all mottled, sorta freckled. I've seen other Fijians like that, but he had the most awful sores and infected bumps all over his face, some larger than a half dollar (US). The infection is in his eyes, or affecting his eyes, so that he can't see out of one eye, and it hurts too much to open the other. The doctors here aren't even sure what it is, but he looks like something out of a sci fi movie, or a germ warfare espionage movie. John Hawksworth, dentist from Gisborne, is very very involved at this point, as he is here scouting out the possibility of bringing Ruel Foundation to Fiji. (John was deeply moved by our sharing about Joshua and the Joshua outreach. It turns out, 16 years ago, his daughter?son lost twins that were conjoined and shared one heart. There was no hope of survival, so the parents terminated the pregnancy, and basically have regretted that decision ever since. ). John just hugged me, and cried when I shared about Joshua. So…….he is very invested in this little boy.
Saturday 10 May, some of us went back to take pictures, and a blood sample from Temo. It was my first time seeing him, but it was definitely overwhelming. Poor little guy can't really see, and when Fijian grandma starts yelling in Fijian, and strangers come into his house, he was terrified, and cried and wailed something fierce. Taking a blood sample was terrifying for everyone. He is able to eat, although limited I think, and initially Dr Lars Hult thought he might only survive another 6 months because he's not eating much. Things seem a bit better than that, but still, the infection could easily become life threatening. John and others are pursuing getting a visa to get him into New Zealand for treatment. – a real challenge in itself. So there will be a continuing story about Josiah Temo. However, this is what the Joshua outreach is all about. Like this is what we're here for…..
B. The lay pastor at the AOG church Dad and I went to, Villiame introduced Dad to an old missionary, Vula, in the village who needed help with his house. It's kinda sad that this man has served God all his life, and now is a widower, and basically has nothing. He's living in his brother/ cousin's house??, and has almost no furniture, and is bedridden all day long. He's skin and bones, but he's so content in God, and so appreciated people coming over to try to help him. The DTS students and Dad painted the inside of his house, and did some repairs on his stairs outside. How he gets up and down, I don't know, but his only toilet and shower are a shabby little corrugated enclosure outside, and down several steps. His wife died back in the 70's. He has a son pastoring in Hamilton, NZ – go figure.
On Sunday, Dad felt some of us should go over to sing some songs for him, and share communion, so about 20 of us went on Sunday afternoon…….and it was such a God moment. The presence of the Lord was so……………special. It was like in humbling ourselves, and giving time to this old, forgotten man, a faithful servant, that God honoured it and sent his blessing more than all the other stuff we had done. It may be the last time this old fellow is able to participate in any sort of a church service, and it was really a honour to be there with him. I was in tears thinking he might get to hold Joshua for us soon. Everyone that was there, felt the same way about the Lord's presence. We still don't really understand what was happening there. I felt like this was the breakthrough we were waiting for------but in such a small and seemingly insignificant way…….funny how God works that way.
C. Now, we're here in Cicia. Another Fijian day……things going off schedule from the word go, and things getting moved around, including having to move the ship from where we had just gotten docked because a freight ship came in, and we HAD to move even though we had dental patients on board, and half the rest of the team on land.
I was up on the aft deck in the mid-afternoon, and noticed the nurse running down the road/path on the beach. I could spot her from the distance because their uniforms are white blouses and bright blue (color of the Fijian flag) skirts. There were 4 or 5 others running with her. It wasn't until later that I realized they were all running toward the "hospital" – medical clinic….(you think Waihi Beach Medical Centre is small). Let's talk about small and archaic. Suddenly Catherine Balo was rushing off the ship to go "see a delivery". Cool, we have a baby coming…..that would explain all the people running toward the hospital. Suddenly Esther Aalberse came running back to the ship scooping up extra medical supplies. She gasped out, we have three babies, but one has already died. We were just getting ready to take up the gangway as the ship had to move for the incoming freight ship, and Esther said, "don't take up the gangway until I get off again!" Off she ran to the medical clinic, asking us to pray. Later, out in the bay, Andy Swanson had to take the "Emergency Bag" by Zodiac back to the medical clinic……more frantic requests to pray.
The "rest of the story" is that the mother, age 25, realized she was in labor, perhaps waited a little too long to start toward the clinic, and literally dropped the first baby "on the footpath"at about 3:45 pm. She made it to the clinic in time to deliver baby #2 at 4:00, but it was very small, and not properly developed, and apparently stillborn. Catherine later said she was trying to rescitate the 2nd baby when she looked up and realized another head was appearing. The 3rd baby was born at 4:15. The first and third babies are fine, weighing 2.5 kg and 2.8 kg (between 5 and 6 lbs). The baby that didn't survive probably only weighed 2 to 3 lbs – about 1.2 to 1.5 kg. After the third baby was delivered, the placenta wouldn't deliver, and Catherine said they worked on the mum for 2 hours trying to get the placenta out. So Catherine who had never really worked in maternity, delivered two babies, and had to also get the placenta to deliver. Dr. Lars Hult ( Ears, Nose and Throad specialist) was also there directing, but Catherine's hands were "smaller".. Let's hear an amen for female OB's and attending nurses.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR MISSIONARY MEDICINE!!!!
The sad side of the story is that the funeral for the second baby was this morning, only about 18 hours later because there is no mortuary or embalming here…….so about 11 am this morning, I saw a whole troop of people walking down the beach, (toward the cemetery it turns out). Mumma couldn't leave the medical clinic…….
Catherine spent the night at the clinic with the mum so the regular nurse could get some sleep. There is ONE nurse for the whole island – no doctors. It really was a God event that as all this was happening, we were there with a doctor (albeit an ENT specialist), several nurses. It took a whole team. Dr. Lars said we realistically probably saved the mother's life. The only other hope would have been to have airlifted her to Suva (which does happen courtesy the Fijian govt.)
Catherine, Guns, and I walked down to see the mum and babies this afternoon. I even got to hold them. I just got back 20 minutes ago…..I'm still "processing". Those are the first babies I've held since Joshua.
Mum is 25, and already has a 5 year old son, a 3 year old daughter and now 2 infant daughters. It's kinda sad to me that they are already referring to them as "twins", not triplets. ON the other hand, there is an acceptance of the situation that probably comes with the living conditions. Mum was expecting twins, and not realizing she was carrying triplets.
OK, Dad is wanting the computer, so I need to wind up for now. Susie, feel free to ask for lots more details, but I'm not sure what else to tell you. I did share Joshua's pictures with some of the Fijians on board this morning, saying I understood how the mum and dad felt. That created quite a stir among the Fijians, and EVERYONE wanted to see the family pics.
We have pictures of all these situations.
I may get to add to this e-mail before Suva. Things are going pretty well. The last couple of days have been more restful for me, but ironically not for crew and Jeremy with sailing and moving the ship and extra time, and not for the nurses either.
My foot is getting a bit more rest….I'm not counting on getting to check email until late Thursday or Friday…..well dah……you'll get this when I get in.
One last PS – 14 May 2008
We'll be leaving Cicia in about an hour, and probably next writing will be from Suva.
The above stories, esp. the triplets, I don't feel I gave due time. It was pretty moving, and emotional for me that we were here for the birth of these babies, and all that surrounded. Catherine Balo was with the mum when the women in the family came to the hospital to prepare the baby for burial. She said it was really neat that they really valued this little one, and did a whole tradition for the infant, and then went to the church for a funeral, etc.
Some real God moments already in this one outreach. Some real frustrating moments too, but that's culture and maybe marching to different drums, and maybe more – like Fijian frustration at white (palungi) "interference".
One last cool story from Cicia. Dad discovered a high school here on the island – built only 5 years ago. He took me out there today, and we gave away some books that had been donated to the ship for just such a place. We had a nearly full set of Collier's Encyclopedias, notebooks, pens, pencils, a few other bits and pieces.
When we got out there, I was really …….wishing I had found this school sooner – but then we were only here 3 days. They literally have cleared the land, and built the school from NOTHING in 5 years, so they are still really needing lots! The headmaster was of course grateful for the books and stuff, and was saying that in many classes, the teacher has the only book, and teaches from that. They do have a photocopier, and they photocopy a lot. The grounds are beautiful, looking right out to the beach.
I had brought two large books of homeschooling books that we were safely done with, and had thought about bringing some to this school, but they were kinda buried. Plus, you don't want to give everything away at one place. But I really felt I should go get the "science" books. So when the pastor drove us back to the ship, I had just enough time to go dig out the boxes and give away a lot of the Sonlight science books we used for 7th-8th grade – all those biology experiments, Earth, Earthquakes, Microscope, Human Body with all the graphic pics, etc.
What a rush – passing on homeschooling books!!!
