Sunday, December 20, 2009

Heavenly Bodies

The teaching department at Hospital Vozandes recently had a Christmas dinner in which the doctors in training acted out the nativity scene.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." And he will be their peace. Micah 5

On October 31, Dick’s mother, Nada Douce, went to be with the Lord. She had suffered for the last two years with dementia and recurrent infections. It is a relief to know that she is no longer suffering. We made an emergency trip to Ohio to be with Dick’s family for the funeral. We had a very enjoyable celebration of Nada’s life. Over 100 friends and family came from all over the US. All of her descendants were there, including two great grand babies. Louise, Pat and Dick combined Nada's articles that she had written in assisted living with what she had written describing her life in Austria after World War II into a book that was given out at the funeral.

"There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly
bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." I Cor 15.40-44

Nada is no longer limited by her physical body. She is enjoying the mansion that Jesus promised us that he was preparing for us. She requested cremation and we spread her ashes near the graves of her parents and ancestors in a graveyard that was spared from the strip mining that destroyed the community in western Ohio where she was raised. Her ancestors were some of the first settlers in that part of Ohio around 1800.

Marian and Dick returned to Quito on November 15. Marian completed leading the first on-line course of Camino de la Luz on December 16. The class was small but much was learned and the guides are motivated to start another course soon.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Home?

Our biggest news since arriving home in Quito is that Dan and Lizzy got engaged last week! Dan is in an Internal Medicine residency in Tacoma, Washington, and Lizzy is two hours south in a Pediatrics residency in Portland, Oregon. Their future home will be somewhere in between!


August 5th, we left Malawi, where many homes look like this one - it provides basic shelter.

After leaving Malawi, we visited Joshua, Kristen and Cassia Gee in Bradford, England. They are settling in well!

Josh oversees IT security for HCJB Global, and together with Mick Leggett do IT work for several of HCJB Global's regional offices. Josh has to "mind his head" in some parts of the office.










Then, we stopped in Ohio to see family. Our son Tom spent some of his vacation with us there. It was great catching up with him in person.

One day, we drove by Marian's grandparent's old house and saw that it was for sale. The Realtor kindly showed us the house. With 4,448 square feet and a lot of rooms, it was a wonderful place for hide-n-seek with the cousins as kids! As an adult, I see that every room in the house is a work of art, with carefully-crafted details. As beautiful as the house was and is, only being part of our grandparent's family made it home.
The living room in 1962. Marian is the little girl wearing purple.











The foyer and living room today.


"Don't let your heart be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you...When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me..." Jesus said that in John 14:1-3. When He talks about home, it isn't just "basic shelter," it's the "lovingly-crafted work of art" kind of home! Still, it will only be our home if we belong to Jesus.

Are you part of Jesus' family? If you aren't sure, please ask Him to be your Savior today; invite Him to be at home in your heart.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Picture this!

It is difficult to put into words even our observations of life here. But maybe our pictures can give you a bit of an idea.

In Malawi, a child is considered to be an orphan if just one parent has died. There are many orphaned children here. Many orphans live with their extended family.


This past weekend, we visited a village near Lake Malawi. Family Practice residents from Quito - Jose Luis Vivanco and Marco Pesantez are working at Partners in Hope with us this month. Jose Luis is taking the picture and Marco is holding an orphaned baby as we visit with the baby's family.



We picnicked near beautiful Lake Malawi.













The guys also visited a feeding program for poor and/or orphaned children in Lilongwe. And, ah yes, that would be Jose Luis taking a picture!


This time of year, when corn fields are being burned, folks collect mice, kill and boil them and sell them along the road. Mice on a stick anyone?







I still prefer North and South American cooking. Friends Eliana, Jose Luis and Jessica (HCJB Global missionary) are sharing Locro (an Ecuadorian potato soup) with us in our dining room.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

LIFE in Malawi

When we were here in Malawi three years ago, one of the streets that impressed us most was what we called "coffin row." This road is where the furniture makers sell their wares, but the majority of the stalls had only coffins.

This time back, we've been happy to see more signs of life! Like more furniture than coffins on display.

Three years ago, Partners in Hope was just starting to see patients. They now treat over 3,000 HIV/AIDS patients, bringing hope and life to many in the area. We've been delighted to share patient care, computer work and Bible study with the dedicated staff there.


Saturday, June 6, 2009

Travleing to Malawi

Three weeks ago we left Ecuador. Since then, we attended Elizabeth Levine’s graduation from medical school in Miami (Lizzy is Dan’s girlfriend.)



And we did a Footsteps of Paul tour and cruise celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. On the tour we visited Athens and Corinth in Greece and the cruise took us across the Agean Sea to Ancient Ephesus in Turkey. We really enjoyed getting a glimpse of the Apostle Paul’s world.


Now, we are in Lilongwe, Malawi, helping out at Partners in Hope Clinic for the next two months. This is our second time here. We have had a great welcome from old and new friends.

This experience makes us feel young again (or, at least, inexperienced). We are learning to speak (some Chichewa), Dick is learning to drive on the left hand side of the road, medicines and treatment protocols are different from the US and from Ecuador, and we easily get lost as we learn the new geography.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

On the Radio


When there's an epidemic, Dick gets involved. He does research, works along with Ecuador's Ministry of Health, sees patients at Vozandes Hospital, and since HCJB has radio stations, he usually gets to be on the radio. With H1N1 flu, Dick's been on the radio several times already.

Wednesday, he was on a live talk show in Spanish over HCJB Global's satellite network. Listeners from all over Latin America sent their questions in via chat. Dick answered questions, shared facts to calm our listeners' fears and quoted from Psalm 91 about trusting God in times of pestilence.

Speaking of epidemics... This summer, we have the privilege of returning to Partners In Hope Medical Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi for a couple months. The medical centre is treating over 2,000 AIDS patients a month now. Dick will be helping to provide medical care for the more complicated patients. Marian will continue to do her Global Information Technology job from there, though being 7 to 9 hours away from many of the people she works with will be a challenge. On the way to Malawi, we will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, and on the way back we plan to visit family in Ohio.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91: 1,2

Friday, April 10, 2009

Teaching Opportunities

For eight months we have had a monthly Bible study using the Navigator's book, The Adventure of Discipling Others: Training in the Art of Disciplemaking. This has been a big source of encouragement for Dick the members get excited about discipleship. It has also helped with accountability, spiritual discipline, and motivation in prayer.

For three Saturdays in March, Dick taught a seminar to some of the surgeons at Hospital Vozandes. The course took place in the hospital library. In this evidence based surgery course, we practiced creating "answerable" questions about patients. We then did various searches on the library of congress website called PubMed. Then we explored other free search engines on the web, and discussed how to criticize the literature and apply it to the clinical problem at hand. Finally we talked about self evaluation and what stimulates doctors to keep learning.

Camino de la Luz ("Way of the Light") Bible study started again in January. Dick and Marian help lead a group studying an overview of the Bible. God brought together several of the Ecuadorian leaders in Camino with an interest in putting the course on the Internet. Marian had an enthusiastic first planning meeting with the group! Please pray that the Lord lead us as we put a pilot course together, that God willing, will start in September.

This summer, we will be back in Malawi at Partners in Hope Clinic. More on that in the next blog!