Blogging for Christ - Sheldon Traver's mission adventures

So where do you put the body...

2011-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

So where do I begin??
My apologies for not writing. I've spent the past week in Leyte and East/West Samar and trying to piece together what I have learned from so many pastors in this region. For those that don't know, I've been working with Jim and Allene Latzko, missionaries with New Life Baptist Missions in Tacloban, Leyte.

Allene and Jim Latzko

More than 25 years ago, they planted a new church in this city and since that time have grown to more than 20 churches across the region.
The pastors they are training and sending out are incredible trailblazers in so many ways. They move into small accomodations, often with their families, and work to bring people to God in areas that are rife with poverty. One pastor has tithes of 4,000 pesos per month to run the church. That is less than $100. Others have significantly less. One lost a battle with the Roman Catholic Church, who uses the public cemetery it operates to keep people from leaving. How? If you aren't a Roman Catholic, you can't be buried in the buranguy cemetery! This leaves Christians with the very high expense of taking the body to another buranguy for burial.

However, despite confrontations with the Catholic church, poverty, gambling, illness and other serious issues faced by the people in their communities, the pastors are still bringing people to Christ.
Today I met with Pastor Arnold, who is gifted with the ability to delegate church functions to members who are growing in their relationships with Jesus. With the support of the local health workers, his church is giving away free medications to community members with prescriptions. He has church members who are witnessing to family members high in the mountains where he is unable to go.
While some new church buildings are being built, others would be considered sheds in the United States. However, these "sheds" are filled with Bibles, music, art and people filling its walls each Sunday. Bible studies are being held in people's home and the work of God is being done.

My job over the next few months is to digest everything I have learned and turn it into tools that New Life Baptist Missions can use to promote its efforts to others, including future missionaries.
As I sit here listening to the barking dogs, watching the geckos and packing my bag, it's amazing and sad to believe I'm leaving the Philippines tomorrow. I've made many new friends and have a newfound love for a country that one year ago I really wasn't that interested in coming to. Now I can't imagine not coming back.
The hospitality of Jim and Allene, both Western Baptist Bible College/Corban University graduates, has been awesome. My thanks to Allene who accepted my U.S. dollars and gave me pesos( I ran out) so I could buy some sweet Islander flip flops (yes, I guess I'm a true Filipino now). I resisted buying copies of the new Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars 2 movies on BluRay for $1 and Ray Ban or Oakley sunglasses for $2 so I hope I'll get a great discount from the real manufacturers when I get back for being so honest!
Once again, I would like to express my thanks for your support, love and prayers during these two missions. My hope is that I have been able to play a role in God's grand plan and that all of you will consider your own roles in His plan too.
God bless and I hope to see you all when I get home this weekend.
Sheldon

Mending Nets in Dagar

Sheldon, NOT going in the water!

Fundamentalist Baptist Church in Lawaan

Bible study in Lawaan, East Samar

Evening Falls in the Philippines

Fiesta in San Jose, Tacloban

Home Bible study

A return trip to paradise and on to Tacloban

2011-05-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

There are few things greater for me than waking up in the morning and seeing a YouTube video of my youngest daughter singing Jesus Loves Me to an appreciative audience. That just made my day. My grin is 2-km wide right now!
My apologies for the delay in posts. I decided to take the weekend and relax and reflect on the medical portion of the mission I am on. As it is on any mission, the experience is truly unique and watching God work in so many ways is uplifting.
On Friday, we saw our last 90 patients. While we saw much of the same types of conditions, we also saw some medical conditions that we ask you to pray about.

This girl is six years old and has an eye condition. We don't know what it is, but she is losing her sight. Don believes it can be rectified to an extent with surgery, but we need to ask the right people and pray for guidance. We'd love to be able to find someone that has the ability/resources to help her.

We also met a man whose leg had been broken in the past and had a metal rod. Somehow, he re-broke the leg and bent the rod resulting in a deformed leg. It has an open wound that hasn't closed in a very long time and is infected and seeping pus. We gave him antibiotics, but he too will need prayer and possible surgery to close the wound.

It is always hard on the last day to say goodbye to patients. We did leave a lot of medication on the island in hopes that we can encourage a doctor to come and follow up with some of the patients and refill prescriptions as they are able. As I've said before, one of the biggest problems in the Philippines isn't a lack of doctors and nurses, but the inability for patients to pay the deposits or for the medications they need.

We spent out last day on Limasawa in a large pumpboat touring the island, snorkeling and eating more than our fill of freshly caught flying fish, clam pulled right out of the water, rice, noodles, squid and other delights. We also had an opportunity to swim and snorkel. We saw a school of dolphins. Many fish, two sea turtles, some VERY large bats and jellyfish. I saw one very large jellyfish as I rose out of the water. My face inadvertantly came within inches of its tentacles. I didn't get stung, but was just amazed at how God could create something so simple and so beautiful.

We also said goodbye to our many new friends. There is no doubt we will see them again. Limasawa is on the World Mercy Teams radar as a place we can make a difference in. It may not mean sending another medical team, but working with local non-profits to help send medications. At this point, no decisions have been made, but we have a lot of praying to do as a team.

On Sunday I transitioned into my next adventure with New Life Baptist Missions. After riding in a minivan with 17 other people for several hours, I made it to Tacloban. I will be working with a group that is dedicated to planting new churches in communities around Leyte. Right now there are about 20 such churches with many great things happening. There is even an outreach to the deaf in several.
My job over the next four days will be to learn as much as I can about New Life and record the stories. I will do interviews, take photos and video and basically find a way to share what they are doing with others as well as create material they can use both here and when they return to the United States to share what they are doing and raise funds to continue.
Please pray that I will be able to capture the stories and find a way to tell them that will bless their ministry and God.
I also ask for your prayers as Mary continues her mission with Pastor Wen in the tribal regions of Mindanao. It's a very dangerous place for Americans, but Mary knows God is calling her to witness to and encourage believers in that region.
Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement. You are such a blessing to each of us and I'm glad to have you on my team during this trip.
God bless,
Sheldon

Day 10 - Mission Accomplished...for now

2011-05-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

There are many things you learn while on the mission field. I learned an important one today.
When you find a beautiful shell on the beach, don't assume its inhabitants have left the building. If you put them in your camera bag, they will die, but before they do, exact their revenge with a near toxic odor that penetrates EVERYTHING it comes in contact with. I wonder if the Tamrac lifetime warranty covers stench?
Today was a fantastic day. I don't have exact numbers, but if we haven't seen or met nearly everyone on the island, I'll be surprised. Our day began with our little baby boy from Monday. The situation is different and complicated, because we just learned he is peeing from the umbilical cord stub. I took plenty of photos so Don can consult with some pediatricians once we get back to see how to follow up.
We have one young girl that broke all of our hearts. She has an eye condition that is very difficult to explain. I'll post photos in the morning. We hope to be able to tell people her story in hopes we might be able to provide the corrective surgery she will need to fix her eyes and hopefully prevent blindness.
We also saw a young boy with ringworm. It was right on his forehead and more advanced than I've ever seen. Just to note, ringworm is a fungal infection, not an actual parasite living in him. It is very treatable once it is discovered.
Once again, God provided everything we needed right until the end. We even have leftover meds to give to a local doctor. When a doctor has access to meds, they are likely to bring them to the island and use them on the patients. One of the biggest problems doctors have is a patients inability to pay for care. Most hospitals won't even see a patient without a $150 deposit.
Tomorrow we will once again return to Limasawa to say goodbye to our new friends, do some snorkeling and munch on my new favorite fish, marlin. We've also heard there are whale sharks that like to meander around Limasawa so we would love to see one. No, I won't have my camera in the water, so I'll just have to describe it if it happens.
I hope to write a more thorough followup tomorrow and post photos. Right now I need to get some rest.
Thanks again for following the World Mercy Teams portion of this mission and hope you'll continue to follow my adventures as I switch gears to work with New Life Baptist Missions based in Tacloban.
God bless and I really look forward to reading your comments.
Sheldon

Day 8 - Giving much from very little

2011-05-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Day 7 Blog post "Day 7 (whatever it was) contained several factual errors. First, the word nanook is not the one for chicken, it is manook. I must have had Mork and Mindy on my mind or something when I wrote this.
Due to the insult to the local townsfolk, this will be my last blog. I am to be boiled with seasoned spices and served to the tiger sharks, in the way that the local squid are served to us.
Secondly, We did not treat and minister to 60 people, it was 90. So again, my apologies go out to anyone that may have been offended by my remarks. Please not, this is a blog of opinion and the facts may not always be perfect, but the quips and quirks, observations and personal experiences are very much from the heart.
Today we visited Barangay Tiana, which is the town that sits directly next to the one we were in yesterday. Many of the 89 people we treated had the same types of chronic health problems we have been seeing on Limasawa - goiters, diabetes, high blood pressure and others. We've speculated the cause is genetic and not diet so there isn't a lot we can recommend on diet and lifestyle, however we have been able to give them medications that would have cost them several months wages to buy on their own.
The good news for those mothers out there, is that the baby boy is on the path of healing. Don's treatment yesterday and today has made a very noticable difference and we believe a third treatment tomorrow will have it well under control.
Speaking earlier of heart, I have failed to mention the people we are serving with. Out team is composed of six volunteers from Oregon and nine volunteers from the Philippines. This does not include the scores of people who live on Limasawa who have blessed us with their time and talents.

Pastor Wen and Orlun

I'll start with Pastor Wen. He is a traveling missionary who founded the Nazarene Church in Tacloban. He now spends his time traveling across the Philippines reaching out to the tribal regions to bring Christ's love. His heart and focus on who he serves are incredible and I am blessed to work with him.
Pastor Wen's wife Inday (pronounced N-dye) is working with her sister, Phebe.

Phebe

Phebe checks people into the clinic and to keep an orderly flow while Inday is working with Don as an interpreter.

Inday

Elena is working with Lea, pronounced like Princess Lea, as her interpreter to start a chart on patients.

Lea

Amber's nursing team of Shyne, Sherds and Wendy are a wonder to watch in action. You can see their confidence grow every day and their smiles are contagious.

Carol, Leslei and Jade

Leslei and Jade

In the pharmacy, Carol's team of Jade (the Cake Boss) and Leslei have been keeping the meds intact and delivered using full health standards. They are often the last faces people will see before they leave the clinic and have such a heart for the people. Leslei was great as she took a woman's baby and just walked around the clinic with her today.

Mary and Pastor Ruben

Mary and her team of Pastor Ruben, Anianito, Rei and Wen (today) and Pastor Glen (Monday and Tuesday) may pretend they are bringing the gift of sight, but they are our front line soldiers against the enemy. Together they have prayed for many people and brought several into new relationships with Christ. Even today, they prayed for more than one hour over a very ill woman who was dabbling in witchcraft. She gave her life to Christ and we hope that a spiritual healing will develop as well as a physical healing.

Lemuel

Lemuel has been my personal assistant and photography student. When he isn't following my various whims and playing goiofy games, he is learning the art of photography in order to take better photos when he is on missions in this country. Our jack of all trades is Orlun, who when not flashing a great smile at everyone is praying with people, interpreting, keeping the crowds orderly or serving in any other role he is able. Juliana has been our prayer support team leader and like you, has faithfully prayed for our day-to-day missions and safety.
Last but definitely not least, there are those who prepare our very tasty meals and even spend their days fanning the medical staff to keep them as cool as humanly possible. They will do this for hours every day without pay - it's simply amazing!
Tomorrow we will hold our last clinic. The reality of this is setting in as we see our supplies dwindling and suitcases that are starting to be given away. We will return with very little if anything. Most of what we don't use will be donated to a local doctor who will distribute them among barangay (town) health workers to be given to the people.
Just so you know, it won't mean the blog will end on Saturday. I will take a day off and then start on my second mission in the Philippines as I work with Jim and Allene Latzko, Western Baptist Bible College, now Corban University, graduates, '77, who have spent 30 years in the Philippines helping establish new church plants around Tacloban. My hope is to capture their work and through the power of visual communications, be able to spread the news about the good work they are doing with others in this nation.
I've gotta get some sleep, but before I do I'd like to make a few prayer requests. First, please continue to pray for our safety and health. We are all strong and would like to finish that way. Please pray for my family at home. Maddy had a bit of an emergency today. She's doing fine now, but just lift them up as you are able.
Please pray for me as I make the transition from one mission to the next. Help me identify the best ways I can use my gifts and talents serve the Latzko's and their call to full-time missions.
God bless,
Sheldon

Day 7 - My playdate with the children

2011-05-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

If I've learned nothing else on the various missions I've been on, it's that a smile is the universal language.

During this trip, I've been able to play with many children, which is one of the many things I truly enjoy doing. As many of you know, I have a big black floppy hat, which I've proven beyond a doubt can be used as a frisbee, futbol, basketball and more. All I have to do to break the ice with both kids and adults is throw this hat at them and watch the smiles and the laughter begin.
Adults playing with children is a rarity in most parts of the world, so I'm always asked (in good humor) how old I am. I even managed to get Lemuel and Pastor Ruben to play (work with me here) Nanook, Nanook, babow, otherwise known in English as Chicken, Chicken, Pig or Duck, Duck, Goose. Unfortunately the extreme heat drove most of us to the closest shade we could find where we sucked on lollypops and communicated as effectively as we were able using facial sign language!

Just so you know it's not ALL fun and games, the team had a tremendous day. We saw more than 60 people. Between those with knee and back pain and a very high rate of diabetes, Don was able to surgically remove a 1-inch coconut barb from a man's foot and continued to treat the baby with the infected umbilical cord. The infection is subsiding and Don tried a new course of treatment to burn the cord to promote healing. We will see the baby again tomorrow and determine whether he should go to a hospital.
Amber has developed quite a team with Sherds and Wendy, the two local nurse graduates and Shyne, the nursing assistant who are all getting quality hands-on training and are also teaching many people how to care for wounds, take medication and use the diabetes test kits.

It's a great team to watch in action. I'm doing far less medical work and more video and photography. I was able to help Don on that minor surgery (by help meaning I held the scalpel in the package and tried no to sweat on his sterile field), but for the most part, I am documenting this mission in hopes we can encourage others to participate with us in the future.
I'm going to keep this short tonight. I've got a few other projects I need to accomplish before bed.
We would like prayer for our continued safety, primarily as we cross the sea between Leyte and Limasawa. Today we had a bit of wind and the sea was quite choppy. No Dramamine was needed, however it was a wet ride. Also continue to pray for our patients, both the ones we've seen and will see tomorrow and Friday.
As I've said before, you are a valuable member of our team and all of us express our deepest appreciation for all you are doing back at home.
God bless,
Sheldon

Day 6 - What we CAN give them is Jesus

2011-05-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

Celsa was waiting outside of our clinic location well before we arrived around 8:30 a.m.
Paralyzed from the waist down, her husband had wheeled her to the clinic and waited patiently as numbers were called, one...12...15.
Just before noon, she was called to the top floor. She was carefully carried up the flight of stairs to the clinic and placed back in her wheelchair. She first saw Elena and Lea to check in and screened by Amber, Sherds and Shyne. Next, she was wheeled to Don, who did an assessment on her and found she had no feeling in her lower extremeties and couldn't move anything below her waist or have control of her bowels.
One year prior she slid down something and damaged the means of communication between her brain and her lower body. While she was treated for a urinary tract infection, only God would be able to restore her legs.
Not willing to accept defeat, Mary and pastors Ruben and Elmer and our multitasking volunteer Lemuel learned she was a believer and had visions of Jesus restoring her. They prayed...and they prayed...and they prayed. For more than one hour, they touched her body and prayed in earnest that God would intervene and heal her.

Many tears were shed. And then, with Mary telling her to make her brain move her feet, she wiggled her toes. It was a small amount at first, them more. They rejoiced and continued to pray over her and carefully brought her to her feet. She wasn't able to stand on her own, her legs were too weak and atrophied for that, however she did lock her knees.
The power of God and prayer is amazing and anyone that says miracles don't happen...come with us and see them for yourselves!
Today was an amazing day for each of us in different ways. Mary and her team have prayed with people and several have accepted Jesus. Others have recommitted their lives. With local pastors helping us, we are certain they will have followup spiritual care to go with their physical healing.

The community we served in was Magallanes, and it's people are especially proud of its history as the first island Magellan landed on in the Philippines and the site of the first Catholic mass in that country.
They too are fishermen and spend the early mornings fishing and the afternoons huddling under any shade they can find before going out for the evening catch.

The community also presented a large number of patients with serious ailments. Most were treatable, but some were not. One woman in her 80s had fluid building in her lungs. The only way to help would be to send her to the hospital to have it drained and have her tested for the cause. We offered to pay for the costs, however she refused because the pain had been so great the last time she had that procedure.
Another man, just 37 years old, has a brain tumor and debilitating seizures. He is low on seizure medication, which we don't have.

We also saw a 6-year-old boy who has a heart valve that hasn't closed completely. Normally it is something that heals at birth or with medication, however at this point, he needs surgery to fix it. It isn't critical now, but could be later.

Please continue to pray for these patients and those we haven't seen. Please pray that we will be able to provide the care they need and that resources we may need to provide for ongoing care will be donated. Also pray for people who need to know who Jesus is and invite Him into a relationship with them. Ultimately, we can heal wounds, but God heals hearts.
Please continue to pray for our team as well. Each of us is riding a spiritual high, but it is exhausting and we feel it at the end of the day. Please pray for continued good weather. While my ankle feels fine, it is swollen and black and blue so prayers are always welcome for that to be healed with no prolonged problems.

Thank you so much for being part of our team on the other half of the world.
God bless,
Sheldon

Day 5 - Barangay Lugsongan

2011-05-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

What a day! I don't even know where to begin, which is unfortunate, because I can't go to bed until I get a beginning, middle and end written.
Today was an awesome day, which began as we drove by one very large sow and ended up on Leyte's southern tip awaiting our transportation. Bear in mind, it seems as though everything drivable or floatable on this island is miniaturized and our ride to Limosawa was no exception.

Unfortunately I decided to break the ice and bring the first mission injury upon myself. (Selfless? I think so!) I ran to catch up to our "ferry," a very small outrigger canoe with a motor that perpetually sounded as though it would die and leave us floating between two islands praying the current would get us back to one or the other or that the sharks would eat us quickly should we go mad from all the sunshine.
Anyhow, I digress. So as I run to the boat, I managed to roll my bad ankle and snap, there went at least one ligament and we had barely begun.

I wasn't going to be a burdon so the team got me some ice and ibuprofin and I made it to the island with very few shed tears.

Today our clinic was held in Barangay Lugsongan, a community of about 1,200 people. As we set up, people started gathering at the door waiting to be seen for various injuries and illnesses. Our first patient was barely newborn boy whose cut umbilical cord was badly infected.

Unfortunately Don was unable to drain the pus, but he was given antibiotics and asked mom to return with her son before Friday.
Additionally, there was one young man who came in with a thyroid disorder. His blood pressure was sky high, his neck was swollen and his eyes were bulging.

All told, none of these are good signs and he will need surgery to have his thyroid removed. If not, he will likely die. Please keep this man in your prayers. We may try to fundraise to help pay for it if possible, but for now, he needs God to intervene and either perform a miraculous healing (not out of the question,) or that God may bless us with the ability to help him get further treatment.

There are two things we also noticed. In general, there are a lot of thyroid issues on this island and Leyte. This is likely from a lack of iodine and vitamins. Also, there is an eye condition on Limosawa that many people have. I don't have the details on this now, but will find out more. All told, we treated about 60 people. There has been discussion about us staying on the island so we can have time to treat more patients. It takes about 3 hours to get back and forth and we have to depart well before nightfall. If so, I won't have access to the Internet...or likely electricity, so we may be out of touch for a few days.
I was fortunate enough to be able to explore the town and learn more about the people living there. The primary income is through fishing for various local fish, such as tuna, and squid and selling it for about PHP 40 per kilo. That is less than one dollar.

Most of the fishing is done with a drag line. The squid is caught by dropping a barbed basket into the water and pulling it back up with about 10 small squid. They are left to dry in the afternoon sun before they are sold to buyers.
The island was struck by a tsunami in 1984, which wiped out all of the waterfront huts and decimated the community's fishing lifeline, which took time to rebuild. Many moved to higher ground, including this woman and her husband who found the highest property they could afford. Not a bad view in my opinion.

Of course the entire island is simply gorgeous. You could look at it from the water and imagine it being a tourist haven. However, most of the population lives in poverty and many of the elderly have never left the island.

I have a LOT more i could say, however I must get my foot elevated and get some rest. Anyone that knows me, knows I won't let something like torn ligaments in a major part of my body hold me back. Today I managed to play duck duck goose, Simon Says and do the Hokey Pokey with the local children. They somehow seemed to flock to me like the Pied Piper. Maybe it was award winning personality or my pocket full of sweets and toothbrushes. I prefer to think the first one is true. Now my ankle is swollen like a small orange. I'll have to let you know tomorrow whether it was worth it.
All of us are feeling incredible, although perhaps a bit dehydrated. Please continue to pray for our health and safety. Pray also that people will come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through this mission and the earnest prayers of Mary on several local pastors.
I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us on the rest of this adventure.
God bless,
Sheldon

Dong Dong and a long ferry ride

2011-05-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

So far our mornings in the Philippines begin with coffee and a meal. It’s a nice way to begin the morning. Throw in a little prayer and some tasty squid and fish heads, and I might as well be at home.

Well, maybe my family hasn’t quite developed a taste for tentacled creatures or food with eyes still on it, but our World Mercy Teams family is enjoying it.
This morning started like normal. As Mary sits down and is presented a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, she is very quietly trying to pawn her drink onto Pastor Wen or me. She likes her coffee black, but didn’t want to make the waiter feel bad so she worked out this elaborate scheme and would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids….anyway, we convinced her to let the waiter know she preferred black coffee and I think all was well.
For those who don’t know Mary, she is a prayer WARRIOR. I use all caps because she deserves it. This morning she tells us she had a vision of a Filipino man who has a sick daughter. She is certain she needs to pray for and with this man, however she has no idea who he may be.
Mary decided to return to who room and see who showed up between 8 and 10 a.m. If God had a task for her, by golly she was gonna make it happen. As I took the stairs to the fourth floor, I was suddenly engaged in conversation with Dong Dong, a long time hotel employee. He was pleasant and curious and I didn’t think anything of Mary’s vision. He too was headed to the fourth floor to clean rooms so we parted ways.
About 30 minutes later, Mary comes knocking at my door and begins to tell us how she met this man named Dong Dong who came to her room. She asked him if he had a sick daughter and sure enough, he has a daughter with diabetes who is regularly ill. She asked if she could pray for him and his daughter and he said he would appreciate it.
After prayers for healing, they too parted ways. Upon hearing the story, I quickly unloaded the van, which our porters had so carefully loaded with our 20 bags, so I could give Dong Dong a diabetes test kit. However, we reminded him he wasn’t going to need it long and to trust that God meant for healing during his time with Mary.

We spent the remainder of the day, at least eight hours of it on a ferry to Leyte. We rode tourist class, which meant we had an interior room with the only AC available. To be honest, the breeze on the top deck in “economy class” was much nicer than below and the view was great.

I did meet one woman who insisted I help her find an American husband. If you know anyone that is single and would like to marry a 50-year-old Filipino woman who can apparently cook some great food, but would like maid service, have them chat with me ASAP.

Although long, we were treated to a magnificent sunset, with brilliant reds in the clouds as a backdrop to Leyte in silhouette. Although I don’t do a lot of landscape photography, I could change my mind with a few more nights like this.

Tomorrow we will hold our first clinic and if Dong Dong is any indication, we are in for quite an amazing experience. Please pray first and foremost that we as individual team members are prepared for battle. Not just with patient illness and injuries, but the devil doing everything he can to disrupt our thinking and our health. He wants us to be tired and discouraged and we don’t want him to get that kind of a foothold in us.

Also pray for Carol. She is amazingly tough, but we can tell she is also tired. The ferry crew was fantastic and found her what must have been the only chair on the ferry and brought it to her. Pray that she has energy and endurance to complete the tasks before us. As our pharmacist, she will play a vital role in the care of these patients.
Well, it’s after 10 p.m. and I can hear a gecko chirping outside my window. I’m also starting to nod off. Please keep us in your prayers. We also love your words of encouragement through the blog, Facebook and email.
God bless and look for our first clinic post tomorrow.
Sheldon

Day 3 - Pill Popping and Fondant

2011-05-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

If you’ve ever seen the show “Cake Boss,” you’ll know it follows master cake designer Buddy Valastro as he creates these elaborate works of edible art and has to transport them from his shop to the client’s party without the cake breaking or otherwise getting destroyed in some grisly fashion.

Today I met the team’s own “Cake Boss” and although he may not have the cameras following him 24/7, he is an impressive artist in his own right.

However, you’ll have to wait to hear about him.

Today we met the other team members who flew from Davao to Cebu to help us. They are a collection of nursing school grads, a pastor, a teacher and others who are ready to serve in any capacity they are able.

While we spent much of the day today adjusting to the new time zone, we also ventured out to the local megamall to do some shopping.

While this mall would make Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills look like Lancaster Drive in Salem, it also had a supermarket in the middle as well as plenty of pharmacies. While Don searched for meds, I exchanged currency (you learn just how weak the dollar is when you find taxicabs have to think twice about whether to take them.)

Once we got back to the hotel, we used a conference room to sort through the meds and pack them into bags specific for what the pharmacy needed. During the process, bottles were marked with various color stripes indicating their primary use. Red was for painkillers, blue for cardiovascular meds, etc.

We also started to create individual packs of vitamins from a garbage bag filled with 25,000 of them. It was a tedious task, especially given that our bodies were screaming fro sleep, but we had a few laughs.

One of those laughs came as our “Cake Boss,” Jade Gallardo brought Mary her own special cake for her birthday (May 15). He made the cake in Davao and managed to keep it safe during the flight, a taxi ride (which doubles as a scary Disneyland ride) and to my room where it stayed until dinner.

Mary had a great laugh and even intends to keep her topper until she returns to the United States. Apparently the fondant will keep a cake fresh without refrigeration for two years (kinda like a Twinkie).

Tomorrow we will catch a ferry to Leyte and to Maasin City before we make the journey to Limosawa Island on Monday. We appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement. Please pray that we will get all the rest we need tonight and that we will continue to have good health, safety and good weather.

Have a great Sunday – make sure you sing extra loud in church just for us.

God bless,

Sheldon

Greetings from Seoul and Cebu

2011-05-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

May 13, 2011

Greetings from Seoul and Cebu

After 12 hours, even a plane that is luxurious even in economy class, a 12-hour plane ride is just about three hours too long.

Amber, Carol, Don, Elena and I arrived in Seoul at 5:30 p.m. local time. Mary joined us after taking a flight from Seattle. We are 16 hours ahead of PST, which means we traveled into the daylight the entire trip. I feel like they must in the most northern regions with 24 hours of daylight. However, we are all in good spirits, if not in need of showers, and enjoying a quick layover before we leave for Cebu at 8 p.m.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet some interesting people along the way. From a young man escorting his elderly Chinese grandmother to customs (as far as he could go) with her looking like a wide-eyed child as she prepared to go to Shanghai. We’re sitting with an American who works with a Dallas, Texas shipping company who spends most of his time in South Korea.

I’m also excited to meet the people we will serve with on Limosawa. I’ve been watching Facebook and seeing how they are preparing for this mission. I love watching God pull everything together. It’s a symphony with many instruments coming together to play a grand concerto giving glory to Him.

I don’t have a lot of news to relay today. Please pray for our health and safe travels. Pray for our families at home. Pray also that our medications arrive in Cebu and that the pharmacies will have plenty of everything we need.

……..

Well, I wasn’t able to post to the blog in Seoul, but I’m in Cebu City in the Philippines now. It is 2:30 a.m. on Saturday May 14 here making it 11:30 a.m. Friday in Oregon. I guess I really am a closer to Liz in age now.

Tomorrow we will meet the rest of the team from the Philippines and get things started. As I said before, please pray for safe travels and health. Oh, and maybe wish me luck finding a tarantula exoskeleton for Maddy. I assured Liz I wouldn’t bring home a live one.

I anticipate being able to post more news and some photos tonight. God bless and thanks again for your support.

Sheldon

Mission Philippines - Here we go!

2011-05-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

With just four days to go, our World Mercy Teams group of six is nearly ready to embark on the latest medical mission.
It's amazing that I'm now preparing for my third mission with this team. In 2007, I would never have thought I would be part of a missions team and yet, here I am. What's amazing is how God has taken seemingly random components of my life - Army Medic, Phlebotomist, Writer, Photographer and videographer and choreographed them into a unique way for me to serve Him. It never ceases to amaze me.

Last week we packed the medical supplies we will take on the plane. This includes antibiotics, specialized medications, medical equipment and clothes/toys/toothbrushes for the children. For anyone that has never been on a mission like this, we each carry two bags and a carry on. One bag is packed to its near limit of 50 pounds and within specific dimensions based on the airline. The other bag is packed with personal clothes/hygiene and other items. My bag will have about 25 pounds of these items and another 25 for supplies. Additionally, my carry-on will have photo and video equipment, notebooks, my computer and stuff for the plane such as a good face mash, headphones with airline adaptor and plenty of Clif Bars.

We will leave Thursday morning and arrive in Cebu in the Philippines 24-hours later. From there, we will spend two days buying additional medications and preparing our pharmacy bags before we ferry to Maasin City on the Island of Leyte. That will be our base as we ferry back and forth to Limosawa Island for medical clinics.
The medical mission officially ends May 23 and I will continue to Tacloban in the center of Leyte Island where I will connect with Jim and Aylene Latzko, Corban University alumni who have established a Baptist missionary group on Leyte. I will serve them as a writer, photographer and videographer for their website and to help them spread the word about their mission. I'm very excited to meet them and to serve in this capacity.
Our team includes Don and Elena Ives.

Carol Pemberton

Mary Muhlhauser

Amber Hoover

and me, Sheldon Traver

I've gotta get to church, but I wanted to let everyone know this blog is active and your prayers are greatly appreciated. This blog is completely interactive, so please leave your comments. We love reading them each morning and it is an encouragement and blessing to each of us.
God bless and thank you for your love and prayers,
Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Toilet seats, chillis and home

2010-01-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

There is something about the band Third Day that I love – Especially when a tune I need to hear comes on the radio.
I made it home early this morning, 1:30 a.m. to be exact, and it has been a breath of fresh air for me to see my beautiful wife and daughters again, even if it comes with tantrums, Awanas memory verses, signing yet another 2-year cell phone contract and listening to Wiggles videos in the background of my life. It is just plain nice.
As I’m sitting here typing, I’m listening to Air 1 radio and Third Day’s “Light at the End of this Tunnel” just finished. As I prepare to share my final mission thoughts, I thought the lyrics were so appropriate given the people we just served.
“I won’t pretend to know what your thinking.
I can’t begin to know what you’re going through.
I won’t deny the pain that you’re feeling.
But I’m going to try to give a little hope to you.
There’s a light at the end of this tunnel for you.”
Third Day
THANK YOU JESUS
To be honest, we didn’t see nearly the numbers of people I expected. We didn’t see a lot of major problems by United States standards. We had long drives compared to the time we spent on the ground working and I got sick. However, it’s amazing what has happened over the last few weeks.
A little girl will likely be able to continue walking on two feet instead of hobbling on one. A woman will be able to sit, bend over and live a life without the pain of a bullet lodged in her body as a daily reminder of her husband’s murder. She told us she feels she has been given a second chance on life and doesn’t plan to waste it.
What truly astonishes me is the pastors working in these communities where poverty, drugs, prostitution and kidnapping are commonplace. They are abused physically and verbally, yet they continue to preach the good news, if only to a few huddled in shanties without Bibles.
When I went to Guatemala in Sept. 2007, it was a very personal experience to watch God work in dramatic ways. It left me profoundly changed. This time, the impact was very different. My heart leapt out of my chest for those who face such persecution for simply loving and sharing Jesus and knowing they could be killed for it. I’m ashamed to say that even when God presented me with clear opportunities to share without fear of being impaled by a machete, I failed to take them. Something changed this trip and God tested this in Phoenix.
As Rob and I ate salads and chatted about life, out of the blue, our waitress begins to tell us about her boyfriend, Leon, whose mother took him to a Honduran witchdoctor to cure arthritic aches and pains. Leon chose a chicken egg to determine his ailment, was cut by the witchdoctor, bled out, given a variety of toxic herbs and told he was healed. Today he is worse than ever. On top of all this, she just discovered she is two months pregnant with Leon's child and is scared and excited all at once.
Hmm, what do we do now? Although she was working, we offered and she accepted a discrete prayer and said we are the only ones who had EVER done this for her. THANK YOU God for newfound boldness.
I also discovered new friends and we had plenty of laughs. We learned to cope with life without toilet seats and how much water it takes to get a good bucket flush.

We chuckled as Jessica learned she had been prescribing three chilies (pasillas) per day instead of three pills (pastilles) per day. She is also a much better writer than she gives herself credit for which I thank her profusely.

Rob and I became the dynamic duo of Chato y Chewie. We had some great conversations as travel buddies and roommates during the trip. His skills added so much to the team and his gentle heart never failed to brighten my mornings. Thanks Chewie!

We discovered never to take Page into a bookstore near dinnertime and that she REALLY doesn’t like giving shots, especially to team members. It was awesome seeing God reunite her with not one, but two patients from Oregon during this trip. The love she has for the Oaxacan people shines brightly and warmly.

Marilee could be counted on as our portable personal pharmacist whether we needed something for a bug bite or nausea or Mad Libs to cure boredom. I thoroughly enjoyed prying apart every detail of her son’s adoption and the impact it has had on their family.

Don is absolutely unafraid to tackle even the most complex procedures with a smile and still make time to pray with anyone in need. Elena (photo soon) was our mother hen, always doting over every detail, making sure we were all safe with paperwork in hand and ready to provide encouragement when we felt low.
THANK YOU World Mercy Teams – I love you all!

From the Valley Vineyard Church in Reseda, CA. Pastor Bill Dwyer and his wife, Anamarie shared fantastic stories and were encouragers when we were down. They gave these regional pastors hope that people in the U.S. care for and are praying for them daily.

Big Joe could tell you anything about bananas (including the store bought varieties we love now may soon succumb to fungus) and plucks lobster from the California shores with his bare hands with the scars to prove it. We enjoyed long conversations about the perfect meals as we meandered up windy mountain roads.

Glenn shared much wisdom and wit for being just 22 and never complained despite spending each and every clinic bent over patients’ mouths with a flashlight as Rochelle inspected and cleaned their teeth.

Martin and I became good friends, partly because it is good to be friends with the guy who holds your, life in his hands day after day as a van driver, and partly because we share a love of photography and people.

From the Baja Mission in Baja, Mexico, JoseLouis skillfully drove the old school bus to and from clinic sites with a few passengers and all of our supplies. He was a man of few words, but quick with a smile and as a 3-year-old Christian, had an amazing story of salvation to share.

Raised in the Baja Orphanage run by Foundation for His Ministries, (look them up and sponsor a child, you won’t regret it), Raquel is a dental student and had a perpetual smile that lit up even the darkest days. Although she didn’t speak a lot of English, she too was an encourager, always asking how we were doing.
Mari (Photo soon) is also a former orphan, now reconnected with her mother and both serving the Lord. The respect she has earned from local town leaders helped make this mission possible. I don’t have the time in 20 blogs to tell you about the impact she has made in this region.
As pastor of a church in Juxtlahuaca, Pastor Martin (pronounced Mar-teen) and his wife Karen (photos soon) have worked with Mari to make inroads into the tribal regions surrounding this city. He was a valuable source of information about local customs and has made incredible inroads as a resource to pastors in those communities and helping them bring teams like us in.
Minerva (photo soon) is a local doctor who donated her time and energy to each clinic and helped familiarize us with local problems such as intestinal bacteria, worms, high diabetes rates and other issues. Additionally, female patients from the region trusted her skills and knowledge and for good reason. She is a skilled physician and wonderful Christian woman who understands how a healed body can lead to a healed spirit.
I really don’t know what else I can say to wrap this up. Please, ask those you helped pray for and sponsor about the impact the trip made on them. We’ll share photos (100s and 100s) and video and really show you what it was like for us.
Also, pray for where God may take us next. As Don and I traveled to Oaxaca, we discussed Haiti, which has been on my heart for many years. All of us have followed the devastation that followed 2-days later.
I’ll close with two quotes, including one my dear friend and pastor, Jerry Stevens, uses frequently from St. Francis of Assisi. “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
The last is a personal quote for anyone reading this blog. If you are struggling with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your life because of finances, health, and addictions...any burdon you need to have lifted from you, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and his name is Jesus.
“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A quote from Jesus in Matthew 11: 28-30
Thanks to each of you for sponsoring us and praying for us and reading my rambles day after day. Your support was pivotal to our success and we look forward to seeing all of you again.
This is Chato – signing out from Mission Oaxaca!
God bless,
Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Day 8, Liquid sunshine

2010-01-17T21:02:00.003-08:00

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn...” Isaiah 61:1-4

Well, you are stuck with me again tonight as our blogger extradorinaire, “Chato” was ill the last day of our clinic.

So, I’m sitting outside tonight in t-shirt weather, listening to the sounds of Oaxaca City and fireworks.

Thinking back on our last day of clinic I’m thinking we should have started the week In Santa Rosa. Everything else after would have seemed easier! We were in Santa Rosa, a community set 15 minutes outside of Juxtlhuaca. The church pastor opened up his home for us to hold our clinic, and when I say “home”, I use the term very loosely. We were in the pouring rain under tarps so we had to be very creative in our set up. It all worked out, despite the mud and turkeys wandering about our clinic! Even in his great need, the pastor gave over all he had in order to serve God and His people. How humbling is that!

Even in the midst of my doubt, and I hate to admit, my complaining, God was faithful. I was quickly put in my place as patients trudged through the mud and rain in order to receive some medical care. Of course, their sweet, humble spirits shone through and their kindness was so evident.

A house call took Don, Rob, and Elena 50 minutes away to the home of a very elderly lady who lived alone up a very muddy path. Don needed to reduce a fracture in her wrist as a result of her falling in her home. She was really grateful and very brave since the procedure was done without anesthetic. Every Saturday she heats her bath water over a fire so she can bathe for Sunday church before hiking down her hill and trying to find a taxi that may happen through. Man, how man times have I been too tired to get up for church? Yikes! No excuses for me!

On the medication side of things it is always so confirming when we have some odd medication that one particular patient has need of. It is a great reminder of how God ordains each trip, each person, patient, and medication to bring Him glory.

I am burdened for the people of Oaxaca and so I pray that dark, hardened hearts would turn towards peace, that lives would be restored and God’s mercy would be extended to this very needy people, both spiritually and physically.

Another thing that stood out was Page ran into yet another one of her patients in the Santa Rosa community. I actually discovered this little girl in our pharmacy area who spoke fluent English. I thought it was kind of neat because it is so rare for the area we were in. Anyway, on her way out, she sees Page and says, “I know you, you are my Mom’s doctor!” So, Page was able to treat her family as they were visiting Oaxaca and heading back to Oregon soon. Yet, another extension of God’s perfect timing.

I just want to say the pastors we have met over this week have literally given their lives over to serving the Lord and His people. The pastors were so burdened that their tears ran freely down the faces. We heard story after story of violence, hatred, and denial of Christianity. Our prayers will continue for a movement of God within these communities.

Jesus es el Camino, la Verdad, y la Vida!

Blessings and Peace,

Jessica

Mission Oaxaca - Day 7

2010-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

I’ve got some exciting news! I have no travel adventures to report – Whoo hoo (at least that is what Liz is saying tonight)!
Today we headed into the lower elevations to the nearly tropical Gregorio Alvarez Putla de GRO. The countryside surrounding this town was simply breathtaking and we thoroughly enjoyed the people, which were a mix of Triquis and Mixtecans.
I wanted to tell you a little bit more about the types of problems we are treating in this region.
In this area of Oaxaca, disputes are often settled old-west style - at the end of a gun. Today a woman came in because she had been shot six months ago. She and her husband were driving when some people that had a grudge against them over a land dispute murdered her husband and shot her through her car door.

Don and Rob were able to make an incision in her back and pull out the fractured slugs that had scar tissue forming around them. The surgical site was cleaned and she was stitched up. She apparently still has bullet fragments in her leg, but Don decided not to pull them out because he wanted her back to heal first.

While Mexico has surprisingly good infrastructure in these remote regions, water quality has definitely been an issue. Many of the people we are treating have intestinal issues related to bacteria from the environment. We are prescribing a lot of antibiotics and antimicrobials in order to treat these folks.
Additionally, Minerva, a local physician who has donated her time all week, recommended all children be treated for worms. There are many different parasites living in the people’s bodies and the medicines are prohibitively expensive for most. Fortunately, World Mercy Teams received a donation of this medication and have treated hundreds of children through these clinics.
The people here have a strong work ethic and they labor hard. This is evident in the premature chronic back problems and numbers of arthritic patients we are seeing, often in their 40s. Additionally, we have treated a large number of people with reflux disease. This comes from the spicy diet most live on.
Genetics also play a role Oaxaca. High blood pressure and diabetes are common in this region despite a relatively healthy diet.
I’m going to keep this short tonight. I am starting to battle some intestinal issues of my own and hoping some sleep will improve my situation.
We have one more clinic tomorrow, fortunately less than a 30-minute drive from Juxtlahuaca along a main road. We are all road weary and looking forward to a little R & R Monday before we return home.
Please continue to pray for our health and also for the churches that are hosting us. Remember, the Christian church in this region is just being established and the pastors and congregations need constant prayer from the persecution they face too often. Pray for peace in this region where drugs, alcohol abuse and prostitution are major issues and where women and children are all too often abducted, raped and held as sexual and household slaves.
My goal tonight is to try to upload a video of Don and Page talking about Mission Oaxaca. If it does load, I’ll add it to the blog tomorrow morning.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. You are all blessings to each and every one of us.
God bless,
Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Day 6, My name is Chato!

2010-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

Warning – Graphic content not suitable for the feint of heart!

As any day in Oaxaca goes, we will start with a pleasant drive down a crumbling road.

Today we encountered a landslide as we made our way to San Juan Mixteco, where we held our third clinic. A backhoe was moving away debris as the hillside continued to crumble in small chunks. After a 10-minute wait, the vans and car made it across the improvised dirt road next to a cliff with sweeping views of the valley. Well, we definitely can say life in Oaxaca is never dull.

Just a note, San Juan Mixteco is 12,000 feet in the mountains and we are based in Juxtlahuaca at 5,000 feet. These are truly cloud people. The Mixteca tribe is another one of Mexico’s beautiful, and short people with the elderly women wearing these beautiful blue shawls they make by hand.

Today’s clinics went smashingly. We were housed in a community building with plenty of room (and kid control) so we were able to do the work we needed to very efficiently. We treated a lot of general aches and pains and a few diabetics and injuries. Rochel, our wonderful volunteer dental student and Glenn, not a dental student, cleaned teeth. I’m not sure how many we treated, but all were very gracious and appreciative.

One highlight for me was seeing team members pray with people. When someone would request prayer or we felt the Holy Spirit leading us, we could go aside and pray with them. Bear in mind, that the Christian church in this region has only been recently established and there is no Bible in the Mixteca language. Our presence and medical care helped move the church in this community forward.

I nearly became a casualty myself this afternoon. As I took an afternoon bathroom break, I failed to remember that the biggest person in this region is well...Joe...and then me. Each doorway is sized appropriately (I swear it can’t be more than 3’9”) and I forgot this fact as I rushed out of the bathroom and WHAM, my forehead hits the doorjamb, my knees hit the floor and the woman taking change for the bathroom laughed as though I was Curly from the Three Stooges. Oh the pain!

It never ceases to amaze me as I watch God in action and this trip is no exception. Although my bag of meds was confiscated in Guadalajara, our sponsor church has a supply of medications that went well above what was taken and had additional meds that have been truly needed. God’s provision has been well above what we expected and that has been awesome.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

God is also using us in remarkable ways. Yesterday, Rob treated an extremely nasty burn on an 8-year-old girl’s foot. Left untreated, gangrene likely would have set in possibly leading to an infection that could have killed her or left her with an amputated foot. Please pray for her continued recovery.

God was very evident today as we departed San Juan Mixteco during a short burst of rain. After local church members laid hands on us and prayed for us, (AWESOME) we departed on the same roads we came in on. As we climbed, we came to a section of road where four dump trucks were sliding as they moved away from a construction site. We were forced to turn around on a narrow road, the clay filling the tread on our tires.

We did manage to turn around and find a return route home although the wet roads and steep terrain made even me, a very stoic driver and rider, nervous at times. Marilee took out the Mad Libs and we took our eyes off the road for a few good laughs. Who knew firefighters hosed hydrogen peroxide into wet diapers?

I’ve probably already overstayed my blog time so I will finally tell you the meaning of my blog title, “My name is Chato.”

Pastor Bill in his wisdom decided I needed a Mexican name. Apparently Sheldon just wasn’t working. After brainstorming a few options, we decided Chato was manly enough and common enough to work. So now when someone says “CHATO” I strike up a masculine power pose.

Well, maybe we have gotten a little too much sun here.

We LOVE your comments and have started reading them each night. Your words of encouragement are great. Keep them coming.

Please continue to keep us in prayer. Elena was very sick last night unbeknownst to us, but was fine today. Please pray she stays healthy as well as the rest of us. Please pray that each clinic our last two clinics will really allow us to impact lives for Christ and that they run as smoothly as today.

And if you would, please pray for my forehead – it still smarts pretty good.

God bless,

CHATO

Mission Oaxaca - Day 5 The Triqui peoples

2010-01-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to take some time off and my friend and teammate Jessica graciously decided to pick up my slack. We had a great day today and treated many illnesses and injuries and met some of the most beautiful (and little) people I have ever seen.Sheldon

Today our journey brought us to Tierra Blanca. It was a Triqui village where the people spoke in their own dialect. English was translated into Spanish and then translated into Triqui.

We were greeted by switchback trails, (excuse me, I mean roads), and a herd of goats. We were grateful the roads were dry. Once we reached the town, the patients were lined up ready to be seen.

The Triqui women dress in traditional black and red huipil, a poncho style woven garb. The women weave the huipil on looms and each can take up to a year to make.

Mari, an outreach minister from the church that is hosting us, along with Rob, our team RN, took a supply of Mebendazole (used to treat intestinal parasites) to the local, bilingual (Spanish and Triqui) school. There they treated 180 students!

I will admit this morning was difficult for me. I was feeling a bit emotional. I miss my family and was discovering my role within the team. We had team devotions this morning and given an opportunity to share how we were holding up. The encouragement and prayer I received from such a lovely team meant the world and I felt blessed. I have been feeling some attack from the enemy on this trip. I wanted to share a couple of verses with you that were shared with me this morning (thank you Raquel and Page.)

“Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – If anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians’ 4: 8-9

A neat point was brought up in the van today, compliments of Marilee. While our visit and service fills a temporal need, God’s love isn’t temporal. It is eternal and it stays in the town we leave behind. Our hearts and prayers continue for the Triqui, Mixteca, and Zapotec tribes we are coming in contact with.

We are beyond blessed to have your prayers and support. What a beautiful thing. The support given to our families while we have been away has been wonderful. They are serving their own mission at home! Many thanks.

May the God of peace be with you,

Jessica Griffin

Mission Oaxaca - Day 4: Old faces in new places

2010-01-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

The circumference of the Earth may be roughly 25-million miles, but it’s amazing when we are reminded what a small world we truly live in.

Today we ate a late lunch in a town roughly halfway between Oaxaca City and Juxtlahuaca. The Restaurante Yosocuta specializes in pescado (fish) dishes with fish that are caught in the lake directly behind it.

After we ordered our drinks and meal, Page is chatting with the group when she hears a faintly familiar voice saying “Doctora Griffin.” She turns and is suddenly face to face with Dominga Cruz, a patient of hers at the Salud Medical Clinic in Woodburn, and her son, Aden.

Both were in this town visiting her husband’s family. Dominga lives in Silverton and Aden attends Eugene Field School. I got a shy, Aden to say hi to his teacher, Heidi (sorry, I didn’t get her last name) and some classmates.

It’s amazing when God reminds us of the impact we can make on those around us and brings us together.

As you may have guessed, we are arrived in Juxtlahuaca following a harrowing climb up El Diablo, better known as The Devil’s Spine. The road wound up a large mountain as we slowly climbed, avoiding crater sized potholes along the way. As with any road, single lane or otherwise, cars, busses and other traffic would take any chance they could to pass us, seemingly mindless of the bus wreckage near the bottom of the mountain. There were no skeletons waving at us, but there were plenty of crosses and makeshift memorials along the road.

Along the way, we stopped at a 16th century cathedral in the mountains. It was being restored by the government and had the most amazing paintings. I am awestruck by the passion artists of that era had and how beautiful the art is. I took an art history class and slides can never do justice to the true beauty of this work.

I’ll keep this short and sweet in the hopes I may be able to get some food and rest in order to prepare for the clinics we will hold tomorrow through Saturday. God has been very gracious to us in regards to health and safety. Please continue to pray that he further blesses this mission and the people we will serve.

We miss you all and look forward to sharing with you in the coming days.

God bless,

Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Day 3

2010-01-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen those test tracks in the commercials for fancy sports cars? The Ferraris or BMWs or other cars making their way up a curvy mountain road with the agility of a fox make it look so nice...and maybe it would have been if we were in those cars.

Today we traveled to Ixlan, Oaxaca, a town 2-hours from our base at Cristo por su Mundo and unlike the swift sports cars, we were riding in passenger vans. Rob and Jessica clung to each other in the hopes that they could keep from becoming sick as the road hugged the cliffs where we could imagine other 12-passenger vans filled with missionaries lay at the bottom.

The experience was only amplified when trucks laden with all manner of goods would pass us on double curves, the drivers with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a cigarette or cup of coffee. The minivan holding part of the Vineyard group did have to stop after the brakes began touching the floor from overheating. We let them cool, shuffled most of the passengers to other vans and away we went.

Who said missions trips were never fun?

Today the entire group of Canadians, Californians, Mexicans and Oregonians worked together to treat many many people. We don’t have an exact count, but our dentist and her assistant took the brunt impact of the work as they cleaned and pulled teeth. I won’t post the video of that – you may be eating breakfast.

While I won’t say it was a well-oiled machine, many people were treated for all kinds of conditions and thanked us profusely. I love to see their smiles, especially the older, toothless ones, and just see how big an impact you can have by giving a hug, taking a temperature and letting them see a doctor who genuinely listens to them, treats them and prays with them. It doesn’t take much to really show God’s love in very tangible ways.

We arrived home around 9:45 p.m. and tomorrow we are on the road again, this time to Juxtlahuaca, a 6-hour drive with more of the same of today. On Wednesday, we will begin clinics in various villages around that town.

Just a note, villages in Oaxaca bear no similarity to anything in the U.S. They are groups of homes built in an area along dirt back roads. While they have basic utilities, there are no grocery stores (unless you like Coca-Cola and junk food). Many of these villages predate the Oregon Trail or other substantial events in U.S. history and families will live there for generations and never leave.

More recently, young men will leave their wives and children and venture out to find work in agriculture. If they are lucky, they will make it into the United States for seasonal farm labor, especially in Oregon, which has a large number of Oaxacans living there.

As for us, we all need a good nights sleep and a shower, but hopefully will be refreshed and ready for Wednesday. Please continue to pray for our good health and that we will have a lasting impact on those around us. Please pray that we will be able to make each clinic run smoothly and that we will have all the supplies we need. (Would it be too obnoxious to as you to pray for our blood pressure machine and thermometer – these gave us some serious grief today and I almost threw them down a cliff on the way home?) I’ll let you decide.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. You are all blessings to us and your words of encouragement have been awesome.

God bless,

Sheldon

Tes Blog

2010-01-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone - sorry, nothing to report. e are just waking up and I needed to test this blog to see if something is working.
God Bless

Mission Oaxaca - Day 2

2010-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here was today in a nutshell. We woke up, had a great 3-hour praise and worship session, I ate a grasshopper. Whew, I’m glad I got that out of the way.

OK, so you aren’t here to ready the nutshell version so I’ll give you the entire skinny on Day 2 of Mission Oaxaca.

As an update, the entire team made it to Oaxaca and Cristo por su Mundo, the Orphanage we will call home for two more days. Rob, and part of the team from a Vineyard Church in L.A. had most of their luggage delivered today although Rob, from our team lost his bag of clothes. His meds made it through. He is in good spirits given his inaugural mission trip has been a challenge, but the two of us are roughly the same size so I’ll give him half my clothes. I knew there was a reason I packed four pairs of brand spanking new underwear!

Today we worshiped at El Roco, a church pastored by Omar, who is quite a character and the one who laid the groundwork for our medical mission in the highland later this week. The church had garage doors, which opened up and I’m sure the entire neighborhood was feeling the spirit of the worship band and the people in the church. It was simply awesome to say the least. I highly recommend that more churches open up their windows and let the spirit flow into the streets.
Page, who will never be a day over 29, had her birthday here in Oaxaca today and the church gave her a rousing Happy Birthday and a hands-on blessing, which was awesome. I have video, but will have to upload it when I have more bandwidth.

After the service we took spent some time in the center of Oaxaca City enjoying the food and people. Page, Marilee and Jessica had a great time with the Churros and we all ended up with the ingredients for the insanely good hot chocolate they make down here.

Me, I ate a grasshopper, fried I think, and apparently made a brilliantly funny face although nobody could get it in a photo. And they wonder why I like to be the one behind the lens.

Tomorrow we will drive two hours out of town and hold a medical clinic with the Vineyard group and a group of YWAM folks from Canada. I made a few Canadian jokes and they are now demanding restitution for my apparent insults. Who knew Canadians were so touchy eh?

Fun aside, we need plenty of prayer as we begin the real work of healing bodies and spirits. Please pray that we will be well rested for tomorrow and that the melding of two medical teams with different ways of doing things will be smooth.

Please pray that we will have the supplies we need to treat everyone that comes through our doors or that we will find a place to buy what we need. Pray for our health and safe travels as we move from place to place.

God is working here, that is evident. There have been some early trials, but we know all of us will have an impact for the Kingdom of God and that lives will be touched. Always remember, you are as much a part of this team as the people here on the ground. We need your prayers and encouragement and we thank you for giving up so much to help us serve.

God bless,

Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Day One, Adventures in travel

2010-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Mission Oaxaca is off and running and although we have already lost 1/8 of our medical supplies, most of us are all smiles as we sit in a Mexico City terminal waiting for a flight.
What started as a routine trip through customs in Guadalejara turned into quite an adventure. I was selected for a bag search and my 50-pound bag of medical supplies raised plenty of eyebrows. I gave them the appropriate forms, however I was taken aside and told I would have to pay a "Broker" for the supplies, primarily over the counter meds, to travel with me.
Forgive me for lying, but when the customs agents asked where the rest of the supplies on our list were, I told them they arrived a day ahead of me so I didn't give away the fact that three of our other med bags had made it through. Poor Elena said she was pretty worried, as she and Don could only catch glimpses of me as the sliding exit doors to customs opened and closed.
I was eventually able to talk to Don and we decided to leave the bag of supplies there. I guess God had someone else in mind for them.
We had sent Rob, our nurse, ahead of us and in the confusion and chaos of the entire ordeal, everyone missed their flights. By this time Rob is alone, looking for Don, Elena and I, his first time in a foreign nation and he doesn't speak Spanish. He ended up booking a flight separate of us and although we know he got on the flight to Mexico City, he is currently in a terminal, 1-mile from us. I guess we'll see him in Oaxaca at 4 p.m..
Don, Elena and I added a leg, and 7 hours to our voyage, but we believe it should be smooth sailing from here to Oaxaca.
We are tired and a little hungry although there is no shortage of chain restaurants in our terminal. Please pray that all of the misadventures for this trip are now complete. Please pray that Rob will continue his trip safely and that he gets some rest. Also pray that the rest of our medical supplies make it to Oaxaca for those who need them.

Our Team - Part One

2010-01-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

With just three days left until our team leaves for Oaxaca, I am continually blessed by the generosity of others.

Yesterday Maddy unpacked 152 toothbrushes and put them in little plastic baggies that we will give to children we encounter. This is in addition to the 100 or so that have were donated by a dentist in Silverton and individuals.

Together, we were able to raise nearly $1,400 that will not only pay for travel expenses, but medications and other needs we may encounter. I also truly appreciate your prayers as we get ready to go.

One of the biggest questions I am asked is who is going on this mission? I'll try to introduce them along the way as I get to know them. One person I love to work with because her heart is so full of love for the people she helps, is Dr. Page Griffin Jossi.

Page works as a family physician in Woodburn through Silverton Hospital and will be one of our docs. She is fluent in Spanish, which is a tremendous blessing to the team. This will be her seventh mission and her second with a medical team. I worked with Dr. Page in Guatemala in Sept. 2007 where she helped treat hundreds of women and children. While she was there, she was able to visit Carlos, the baby her and her husband Pete were in the process of adopting from that country and who now lives with them.

This trip will carry special significance for her because half of the patients she treats at her clinic in Woodburn come from the Oaxaca region of Mexico. In preparation for this mission, she chose a verse from the Bible book of John to carry her through.

"These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:31.

"Just as John's purpose was to bring people to faith, I am praying that through our ministry of love through providing medical care, we will encourage the people we are serving to know truth and put their faith in Jesus," Page stated.

Thanks again and keep coming back. I am really looking forward to showing you know good God is to his people.
Sheldon

Mission Oaxaca - Jan. 2 Packing Party

2010-01-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

We're down to six days before the World Mercy Teams crew takes a red eye to Oaxaca, however none of us are sitting on our laurels just waiting. It takes a lot of preparation...and prayer. Please continue to pray that we remain healthy and strong before we leave. Pray that we will make it through customs with everything we pack and that the people in Mexico laying the groundwork for our arrival will have everything they need.
Today we inventoried medications and supplies before packing eight bags to the airline's 50-pound weight limit. All of our supplies are donated or purchased through financial donations to World Mercy Teams.
There will be five clinics in various locations, although we will be based in Juxlahuaca about four hours north of Oaxaca City. There are two docs, a nurse, a pharmacist and assistant and two medical assistants traveling with us. Another doc and a dentist, several translators and other mission support folks from Mexico will also be there to help.
Please continue to pray for our team as we prepare to leave our families, work and other parts of our lives to help treat hundreds of people. Pray for our health and that we have all the supplies we will need. Also pray for the people who will serve with us and the people God will bring to us for healing.
Many blessings and thank you for your prayers and support.
Sheldon
Don Ives talks about Mission Oaxaca

Mission Oaxaca - Dec. 28

2009-12-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings and salutations to all my friends, family and supporters for Mission Oaxaca 2010.
I am once again working with World Mercy Teams, a Christian medical team of volunteers that travels around the world twice per year providing health clinics for people in need and the needs are great.
On Jan. 8, we will begin our journey to Oaxaca, Mexico where we will hold several medical clinics throughout the Mixteca region, where we will be above the clouds in many places. It will be a lot of work, but with your prayer and support, we hope to treat hundreds of people while we are there.
I will attempt to use this blog daily while we are in Oaxaca to let you know how the team is doing and allow you to send us you words of encouragement. If you look back at my blog from Mission Guatemala, you will see what I will attempt to accomplish. I don't know what the Wi-Fi situation will be just yet, but I will do my best.
Please pray for our team of volunteers as we prepare for this trip as well as during. We need to stay healthy and that all stresses of our day-to-day life will be taken from us as we mentally and spiritually begin the trip. Also pray for those we will come into contact with and treat. Pray that we can heal their wounds and their spirits through this ministry.
God bless
Sheldon

2009-02-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

Mission Guatemala – Final Day

2007-09-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Praise God for his goodness and love and tender mercy.
Praise Him for his compassion and creation.
Today my words are those of praise.
When I came down to Guatemala last week I had a vision of what God is and what he would accomplish during this time. Since then, I have found myself awestruck by how limited my vision was. I'm ashamed to say I put God in a box.
Working with this team from Living Stones and the medical team has shown me so much about God's goodness and what he hopes to accomplish in my life if I just open up my heart to him. To give him full control and say use me as you will.
There are so many things that are going to change once I get home tomorrow. I don't know how it will play out in the end, but I'm asking God to use me and my family in a mighty way.
This entire trip has been a lesson in how the body of Christ can work together. Each person on the team played a unique role just as the keys, sting and wind instruments in an orchestra play a role in a concert. We are fine, handcrafted instruments carefully crafted for beauty but also for work. God is softly working the keys or fingering the strings in a wonderful symphony. He doesn't want this just on overseas missions, he wants this in our everyday lives.
While today, this instument is being put away, God's music will never end. Each of us will return to our homes and normal lives and be challenged to keep tuned and ready for God's next concert.
It was sad to leave so many new friends today but I know we are going to meet again. Tears were shed but we all praised God for his glory and power and that is an awesome way to end a mission.
Thank you again for you words of encouragement, prayers and love while I was gone. I've decided to end today with some pictures of my new friends and adopted father and mother – Rolado and Naomi.

Rolando and Naomi

Oscar and Lidia

Josue

Wendy

Ricardo

Suzie and Vickie

Mission Guatemala Day 7

2007-09-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Looking out over a ravine an Gaujito, you could pretend you were in a remote section of Guatemala.
The ravine forms a bowl and at the beginning of the bowl is a waterfall. It is easy to imagine as beautiful, except for the cascade of red it forms from chemicals dumped at the top.
"The Hole" sits at the bottom of a long steep road and ends a sea of rusty tin, garbage and a of course a creek contaminated with raw sewage and industrial chemicals. The roads end in trails that take people to a variety of self built shanties that house many people.
Today we were invited into one of the homes. It consisted of two rooms with two beds each. The floor was dirt toys and other objects were lying around. In front of the home was a small kitchen area where they burned garbage or small pieces of wood for a cooking fire. There were two ducks ties to stakes and several hens and a rooster wandering around.

Most of the families in this area live on less than $1 per day. It is amazing to see what the people have to work with and why they need the help we provide. We met one young woman today dressed in a dress suit and high heels. Everyday she walks up and down the hill where she lives to go to school to become an office assistant. Another woman, about nine months pregnant slowly ampbled her way down the hill. She was unable to come to the clinic, however Rolando is going to give her some prenatal vitamins on Sunday.

Today we served many needs and the entire team is tired but being filled by the Holy Spirit every morning. Today we started seeing some of the people checking back in and showing signs of improvement. It is such a blessing to hear their thanks because they were sick and and are now beginning to get relief. For many this is the first time they have felt free of their ailments in m any years. God has been so good to us and the people here. It is simply amazing.

We have one day left and I have seen God show up in so many places. To know we are touching people in such an immediate and important way and through this showing God's love to them.
Tomorrow I'm being filmed for a promotional video about the mission. One of the questions I will have to answer is What have I learned about myself that I didn't know I had. I would say compassion. I have never felt like a very compassionate person and often found myself looking down at people. I don't know why it took a trip thousands of miles away to see this but I'm glad it has happened. I pray that through this I am a better man and servant than I was before I left.
I've also found myself growing closer to God in this process. To take away the chaff and really learn what it is God is asking of us is something not to be taken lightly. I don't have all the answers, but I've got a seeking heart.
I want to keep this short because I promised pictures and I have plenty. Please forgive me if this is getting hard to read. I am truly exhausted and need sleep for tomorrow.
Speaking of which, tomorrow is our last day of clinics and we are tired, sore and a little bit sick but each of us has a smile on our face and is ready to ask God to bring us many people that need to be healed and ministered to.
Please pray for us on this last day and as we prepare to leave. I am sad to leave so many new friends, but I see this becoming a lasting realtionship with more opportunities to serve in the future.
God bless all of you

Mission Guatemala Day 6

2007-09-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Matthew 20: 30-34
30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Do miracles really happen today? Who is it that is really supposed to see and receive the miracle?
On Friday, a man named Alan came into the clinic. He was blind and wanted to believe that the American doctors could help restore his sight. He has been blind for quite some time. Before he went blind, he owned a laboratory in Guatemala City with employees that helped him. Gradually, his sight began to diminish so he went for eye surgery to restore his vision. That surgery made him blind.
He lost most of his family, except his beautiful and loving wife, his employees and much of the life he enjoyed. He came and Don was able to give him some medicated eye drops. It was a chance, although not a great one.
Today he joined us during our devotional time and Praise GOD, for the first time a long time he could see light. By the end of the day, he was walking around mostly unassisted.
Was it a miracle? To a man who had practically given up hope of ever seeing the face of his wife again, it was.

Matthew 10:8
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Alan was the first part of a big day of blessings for us and others. A cancerous growth was removed from one woman's face and another woman, sick with infection and needing very specific medication was able to get treatment. There were other God moments as well. I heard two people rededicated their lives to Christ. Russ and Sharon and the interpreters prayed with many people. God was working through us and our local team in a mighty way.
PRAISE GOD
It was an exhausting and wonderful day. Today our resident videographer was able to get a lot of footage that she will make into a video that will be shown to many people. I can't wait to get a copy and show it to you once it is complete.
For me, it was a good day in many ways. While working in the medical arena in the past, I wasn't able (or chose not to) pray for my patients. Today, I was challenged to do some things I haven't done in quite a while and in the midst of it all I found myself praying that mt past training would come flooding back to me and praying with the people as I did treatment. In some cases, I was near tears because it was just so awesome. This experience has been unique, challenging and spiritually rewarding to me in so many ways.

Tomorrow we are going to "The Hole" to visit many of the people we are serving and to pray with them. As I said in an earlier blog, this area is about as impoverished as any in the world. The conditions are deplorable and getting worse. Please pray that God will open our hearts to truly see what is needed and that we may be able to provide encouragement to these people.
I'm not sure how many people we treated, but it was a lot. Enough that breaks were non existant other than a quick lunch.
Please continue to pray for my family at home and thank you so much for the love and support you have given them. Without them by my side, I wouldn't be able to do this.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. Your comments and e-mails have been a big encouragement to me.
Que Dios de bandegos

Mission Guatemala Day 5

2007-09-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Because it is a day of rest, I want to keep this short, but I wanted to share a worship experience we had tonight.
We took our rest day in Antigua, which is a touristy little town about 40 miles from Guatemala City. There were many vendors in colorful, traditional clothes and it was fun to go through and barter for trinkets to take home.
Back to the worship...
We were invited to worship and share testimonies at a small Nararene church in the area we have our clinic set up in. The congregation loved on us from the moment we walked in the door. One man, with a smile nearly as broad as Rolando's came up and offered each of us a toy motorcycle. He had a pocket full of them and we could tell he felt so blessed to be about being able to give them to us.
One important point, the unemployment rate in Guatemala City is nearly 40% and the minimum wage is $150 per month. Many in this area are living under these conditions. For Esteban to give us these toys meant giving up something else. His heart was all about pleasing God, which was so evident as we watched him with us and others.
The worship was awesome. People jumped up and sang praises and danced and were on their hands and knees crying out to God. People responded to the testimonies enthusiastically and would randomly shout out halelluahs and praises to Jesus.
Mary, one of our team members has this just awesome gift of being able to speak the word of God. The words God gives her were so poinient and relevant regardless of what culture we are from.
Russ delivered the message and started off with the encouragement for married couples and had each stand up while the congregation layed hands on them and prayed. There were many tears and afterward, you could see the couples sitting closer together and holding hands.
He also spoke words of encouragement about the daunting task of reaching out to millions of Guatemalans and said we need to focus each day and finding God given opportunities to reach out to our neighbors and friends and co-workers. One person at a time is all God asks of us.
My prayer is that I will open the eyes of my heart and find those opportunities and make the most of them.
It was clear the Holy Spirit led the service and after 2 hour of clapping and singing and enjoying the very presence of the Lord, I was exhausted. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?
Because it is past 11 p.m. here and I need my energy for clinics tomorrow, I will keep this short and without pictures. I hope you don't mind.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and blessings as we cross the threshold into the last half of the trip. Please continue to pray for our health as a virus seems to be creeping its way into our team. Also pray for the patients we will see during the next three days.
God Bless –

Mission Guatemala Day 4

2007-09-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that I have a twin!!
Amen
I have struck up a wonderful friendship with a pastor here in Guatemala named Rolando. He has a kindly face and a smile as broad as any I have ever seen. Thoughout the day, he goes through and prays with and for people and his kindness and love reaches out to so many people.
Although he speaks no English, his love of God is a universal language. If anybody has seen me around with my well-traveled blue camo hat, well it now has a new owner. He wore it all day and everybody, including people on the Starfish team, kept calling him Sheldon when his back was turned.
Throughout the day, we played and we shared laughs. On Tuesday he is taking us into the community Living Stones is directly working in. A creek runs through the community translated as "The Hole." In the video I was shown, the creek is red with industrial chemicals and kids play in it. The shantys are hobbled together with pieces of tin and sometimes cardboard and will house many people in a very small area. The matresses(if they have them) are on concrete blocks so when the rains come and the creek rises, the beds don't get AS wet.
We treated 94 patients today Praise God. There were so many children. One of our first patients was a baby with a high temperature and his eyes were dull and he just wasn't well. I dodn't know what Don (Team Leader) treated him with, but the family was so thankful.

I also met a woman named Clara and I ask you to pray for her. She is 28 and has three children. Her husband died four days ago and she was left penniless. A tragic situation in Guatemala. I prayed with her through a translator and hope you will do the same. We have tried to remember that we may be treating ailments, but our first mission is keep our hearts open and find opportunities to treat the soul.

Pastor Jerry e-mailed me tonight and asked me a fair question. What is God showing me personally while I am down here. I thought it was a straightforward question, but I wanted to give it some thought. Because you are part of my prayer team, I thought it would be appropriate to answer this for all of you.
His question to me while I have been here is "Why not at home?" I have found it easy to break the language barrier and joyfully serve. I wish people "Que Dios de Bandegos" meaning "God bless you." Why can't I do this in my own back yard? It is something I am wrestling with and I can think of several reasons why.
One, I have cluttered my life with so much stuff that I have forgotten where my priorities are supposed to lie; #1, with God, #2, my family and #3, my church family and community. My job is important and God has closed doors when I have wanted to leave making me go hmmm.
Unfortunatly, I haven't neccesarily placed all my priorities in order all of the time. When I see the men and women who are just pouring out their heart to these people, it is a reminder of what I need to do at home. When I see Russ Barth spent hours (plural) praying over the entire church and medical team from a balcony above us, it shows me what I need to be doing for my home and family daily.
Well, I wanted to keep this short and give you lots of pictures. You have all blessed me so much and I thank you for your faith and support on this mission.
Que Dios de Bandigos

Day 3

2007-09-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

This morning I awoke to the sounds of Angels singing to me and it was beautiful.
Last night I set my alarm to the first radio station that had reception. There weren’t any English stations, not that I minded so I figured this one would work.
My radio went off at 6 a.m. and I woke up to “Draw Me Close to You,” sung en espanol. It was beautiful and I started singing and praising God in English along with the song.
I hope the Angels weren’t offended by my singing!!
Day three was an absolute blessing from beginning to end and I pray each of you receives the gift of joy I received today. We saw 75 patients with various degrees of ailments and they were so happy we were there.
What amazes me is that we often complain about this or that when they go see a physician, myself included. (No offense Dr. Walker) Here they will wait hours and are just so happy to see you. Many were in tears, because they had been sick or injured for so long. It takes 4-6 months to see a doctor here unless you are critically ill or injured. They were simply overjoyed that we could try to end their suffering.

We also had plenty of opportunities to pray over others, which was a humbling and beautiful thing. For me, as I worked, throughout the day I would feel a hand on the back of my head and the pastor would be there praying for me. I’m almost in tears thinking about it.
OK – I don’t want to short circuit the computer.
I met many young mothers, 16 and 17-years-old and it was awesome to be able to see their children and babies with the smiles on their faces. You may have thought I was Santa Claus when I was passing out toothbrushes and that was very very cool. We saw people of many ages and received many hugs and kisses.
I will add we are eating like kings here. In fact, tonight we were still full from an excellent lunch and they brought fresh made tamales for dinner. Not wanting to dismiss their hard work and blessing to us, we ate…and ate…and, well, you get the picture. I’m telling you, it’s painful to do the work of the lord!!
As we waited to eat dinner, I played soccer with an orange inflatable ball with a group of children, probably 9-12 years old. I wasn’t very good and insisted I could only see in black and white. A translator told me they thought I was a loco gringo. Actually he described me as a clown. I guess I didn’t leave my clown face at home for this one.
To close, tonight is the Night of the Torch in anticipation of Guatemala’s Independence Day tomorrow. There are drums and singing and of course, children leading large processions while running with torches. Tomorrow there will be many celebrations throughout this city of 2 million people.
Please continue to pray for the health and welfare of the medical team, the people we are serving and also our hosts. They are so gracious and wonderful and it has made our work so much easier. Also, pray for my health. My throat has a tickle, hopefully it’s just my wounded pride from getting stomped the 9-year-olds and not a virus
God Bless – Que Dio de Bandego

Mission Guatemala Day 2

2007-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hola mi Amigos-
Well, that has just exhausted all the Spanish I know at this point. What is so awesome is that the language of the Lord overcomes all verbal barriers and His work gets done. I'll explain this later.
After a very tight squeeze in airline seats and 1 hour of sleep, I arrived in Guatemala on time and in one piece. Along the way, I met some interesting people including one couple flying from Tampa Florida to adopt a 13-month-old baby girl. Their joy was so evident and they were so happy that this door opened when God closed the door on them having one on their own.
We made it through customs with all of our medical supplies intact and after meeting Living Stone Ministries at the airport we checked in and went right to work.
The clinic has now been set up and we will see about 60 people tomorrow. The whole team is excited and the Living Stones ministry team is so grateful and accomodating. We have been well fed and the clinic looks great, complete with plastic lining for exam room dividers.
The church building above is in a warehouse and like Creekside, they set up and tear down most of their chairs and sound equipment each week. The building serves not only as a church, but also a school. Once you get beyong the walls of the compound, the church's main door is a sliding barn type door and there are no glass windows. I'm sure the sounds of praise to the Lord can be heard throughout the community.
The community we are serving is impoverished and actually a stark contrast to the center of the city where our hotel is. Many of the buildings are decrepit with some missing roofs altogether. The people subsist on little, and we saw many scavenging through the trash where farmers had tossed their rotten produce.
The truest views of the city came from above as we flew in above shantytowns in nthe midst of modern accomodations. It reminds me of Haiti in many ways.
Please continue to pray and e-mail and comment to this blog. If you ask questions, I will try to get them answered for you.
God Bless

Mission Guatemala: Day 1

2007-09-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just remembered why I don't like late flights. The wait is almost unbearable.
It's just after 4 p.m. and my flight leaves at 11:45 p.m. This was done for a reason. Originally we were supposed to go to the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala and do clinicals in various villages. Seeing as God's will is not our own, things changed and now we are staying in Guatemala City and working with Christian Aid.
I've been asked at least three times today whether I am nervous or scared and I have to say no. One thing our entire team has had is peace. It's not that there haven't been challenges with illnesses and family situations that have arisen, but as we packed our bags on Saturday, we were just having a good time and ready to do His will. I can feel the excitement building and I'm sure once I meet Russ and Sharon before we get on the plane it will really kick in.
On Sunday, Liz, Maddy, Birgit and I took a short hike to the top of Mary's Peak just outside of Corvallis. It has the most amazing views for 360-degrees. When I think of what God has given us, it is simply amazing. Like Jerry said on Sunday "It is Good." I am looking forward to telling you more about what we are doing in Guatemala and more specifically, the people. I pray that we touch just one life in a way that they scream and shout for the joy of the Lord.
I'll keep this short, but please feel free to respond to this post. Please continue your prayers for my family, our medical team and my health.
Oh-Yeah, pray I don't snore on the plane tonight. I don't want to get thrown off mid-flight. :)
Sheldon