Recent Updates

Here are my most recent updates. To see older stories and updates from previous trips, click on "Older Updates" in the menu above.

Off to Kenya! Friday, April 11th, 2008, 10:15 PM Tomorrow morning I leave for Kenya with a medical team organized by Genesis World Mission here in Boise. I'm even more excited than usual about this trip because of the way I'm seeing God work. I don't have time to post much before I leave, but please click on the link below to read details on our team's blog site. Please join me in praying for each person we will meet on this trip. Pray that our Kenyan patients see much more than free medical care. Our heart is that they see the love,  compassion, and freedom found only in Christ.

Missions - a life of contrasts My energy and enthusiasm when I get up at 5am to pack up medications for the day's outreach. My grumpiness and exhaustion when I collapse into bed 17 hours later. Greeting the tree frog that lives in the toilet in the morning. Chasing a big hairy spider out of the sink at night. Laughing at the antics of my teammates. Crying at the injustices of poverty. Snow, wind, and 2 degrees (F) in Boise. Humidity (90%), stifling stillness, and 95 degrees (F) in Bolivia. Delighting in the beauty of South American plants and butterflies. Staring in horror at a village's muddy, sewage-contaminated drinking water. Rejoicing with a patient in the Boise ER as a clot-busting drug restores the use of his right side. Then suddenly  grieving for the Filippino lady with a similar clot I was unable to adequately treat. Through all the contrasts, all the joy, and all the pain, God is there. He isn't affected by jet lag or time zones. He doesn't have to worry about cultural barriers. He is simply there. Loving me. Challenging me. Protecting me. Guiding me. Everywhere. Always. In a life of contrasts, God is my consistency. And He wants to be yours. In the ups and downs of life, what are you clinging to?

A train into the jungle O.k. So we weren't exactly in the Amazon jungle - just blazing a track along the edge of it. A train track, that is. We couldn't reach the Manacho village by truck because heavy rains caused excessive flooding this rainy season. Instead, we traveled by  railcart - a short train-like object that travels about 25mph through tall grass and overhanging brush as it rattles into the jungle. The front car is covered with recycled tin, a nice, hot oven in the Bolivian sun. The heat, cramped quarters, and engine exhaust convinced the Americans to try riding in the open air back cart. "But what about the branches?" the Bolivians asked. "We'll duck," we replied. Famous last words. Imagine shrinking yourself to six inches tall and then riding just behind the string of a weed whacker as someone blazes a trail through a field of grass. Add to that a beautiful but  HOT and humid day, hilarious teammates who make every adventure fun, and low-hanging branches that require a quick duck every two minutes or so and you have an approximate picture of our 3 hour railcart ride. The railcart driver stops the cart every hour or so to add some sort of fluid to the engine. The rest of the time he sits watching carefully for railcarts traveling in the opposite direction. There is only one set of tracks, so when we meet up with another cart we have to pile out and  lift one cart off the tracks while the other passes by. An adventure indeed! My afternoon was spent dispensing prescriptions to Manacho villagers. It was hot work, but then I watched a few villagers plucking and preparing chicken for our evening soup and realized my job was comparatively easy. After dinner I filled a bucket with water from the pump and took one of the most refreshing bucket baths of my life. My dark bathing corner turned out to be the wall of someone's home (abandoned buildings in the third world are rarely truly abandoned - you'd think I'd have learned this by now), so my bath was NEARLY a big embarrassment. I'll never know if that family really didn't see me or if they're just polite. Oh, well. I was clean. The people of this village were extremely poor - subsistence farmers whose houses and fields have been flooded for months. It is amazing how many levels of poverty there are.  I find my definitions keep changing - I now consider a villager who earns 2 dollars a day quite well off. It was a true blessing to provide a little healthcare and hope for these desperate people.

San Juan Project Summary Most of my time in Bolivia was spent in the San Juan area. My team, coordinated by Medical Ministry International (www.mmiint.org) came from all over the United States and Canada. Two surgeons, two medical students, a family practice doctor, a pediatrician, an RN, an LPN, a paramedic, and me (the pharmacist). Plus a retired CFO, a retired school teacher, and some wonderful Bolivian volunteers. Lots of diverse backgrounds and personalities but we blended amazingly well. Thank you to those of you who specifically prayed for team unity and bonding - your prayers were answered! The medical team traveled to villages throughout the area and saw over 1000 patients. Our surgery team stayed closer to San Juan to perform surgeries but sometimes joined us to provide consults. In total I handed out more than 3,100 prescriptions. Every patient who came through our clinics heard the gospel message. I preached on Sunday. It was humbling to watch God use my words and actions to work in the hearts of both Bolivians and Americans . I had the usual stomach issues from time to time and my flights were delayed coming home, but overall this was a really smooth trip. God blessed a lot of Bolivians during our two weeks in Bolivia, and we were definitely blessed in return. Thank you for your prayers!

A day in the life... I wrote a description of A day in the life of a missionary pharmacist based on one of my days in Bolivia, then decided it was too long to post here. To read it please click below.

Bolivia Pictures! Sunday, February 17, 2008, 7:15 PM I just uploaded some Bolivia photos. This is my faithful pharmacy crew. I'll add stories and other updates soon.  Bolivia Photo Album

Off to Bolivia Friday, February 01, 2008, 7:05 PM I'm sitting in the Miami airport waiting for my overnight flight to Bolivia. I took pictures of the snow in Boise yesterday just so I remember to appreciate being hot in Bolivia. I was blessed with lots of help this past week as I frantically prepared to leave. THANK YOU everyone who came over to print medication labels, sort medications, pack boxes, and feed me! I have a wonderful support system and I'm grateful for each of you. Please keep praying - in 8 hours we'll be in Bolivia and needing to quickly bond as a team. If I find an internet connection somewhere I'll post an update - otherwise I look forward to sharing pictures and stories with you when I return!

Arizona Sunshine Sunday, January 27, 2008, 9:51 PM I just returned to Boise from Arizona. I spent most of the past two weeks in front of my computer working through the first half of an on-line Physics II course at lightning speed (I'm going to be in Bolivia for two weeks right in the middle of the semester so I had to get ahead). I seriously spent many hours each day on Physics - ugh! I also spent lots of time  preparing medication lists and medication labels for Bolivia and working on a website project for my employer. However, I managed to spend a few lovely afternoons at the pool (the temperature was 62 and the natives thought I was crazy, but it seemed warm to this Idaho girl!) This weekend my family went exploring and managed to find water and greenery in the Arizona desert! A link to the pictures is below. Zion National Park and Arizona (Castlerock Springs) Photos

Bolivia Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 10:33 PM In a few weeks I'll travel to Bolivia with a Medical Ministry International team. This is my first time working with this organization. This particular team of doctors, surgeons, medical students, and nurses did not yet have a pharmacist, so I've been hurriedly organizing medications and getting prepared to run a mobile pharmacy. We'll be working in San Juan, an area in southeastern Bolivia. The surgery team will stay in town, and the medical team will travel into nearby squatter communities and villages. Only a few hours from the relatively prosperous city of Santa Cruz, most people in this area are unemployed or underemployed and have no electricity or running water. The World Health organization reports approximately 40% of the children in Bolivia have stunted growth due to malnutrition. We will be working the local church to provide healthcare, health education, and the love of Christ. Please pray for our team as we serve the people of Bolivia - and for me as I take on a very busy pharmacy role! (Click on the map to enlarge it)