I am intrigued by this phrase as “running to stand still” is how I struggle to live this earthly life. I am either constantly “running” to improve myself for this world… be smarter, better, faster etc, or I am running to hide from all the chaos. Yet the more I strive for these things, the less ground I seem to gain. I see myself running a race, yet never making it to the finish line. The faster I try and run, the less ground I gain. My personal struggle is to see beyond this life, and run for the unseen rewards of a future, eternal life. Fortunately, I serve a gracious and forgiving God, who shows me the path to the finish, and loves me despite my running to stand still. He continues to shower this stubborn soul with undeserved grace and faithfulness.
Oh, may my eyes never fail to see what He has done, is doing, and will do! May my ears always be open to hear the beauty of grace that rains down on us all.
(Mark 8:17-19)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Winter Wonderland-NOT!!!!
This is me today at work in my scrubs, snowboots, jacket & gloves shoveling our sidewalk. We had a light frosting of snow here. That's a HUGE understatement!! First last week, our temperatures dropped down to -18. Yes you read that right. Now it's snowing and won't stop. 6 inches today and its not stopping. That only adds to the 2 feet I already have in my yard. Peoples, I like snow, but seriously. I'm over it. Really. Truly. Uncle.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Gathering of stuff
So basically we are just waiting for our packets from Medical Teams International. I'm doing ok in the funds department, putting away money every month for my trip. Just like my Cambodia trip, each of us, pay our entire way, airfare, all lodging, travel, food, you name it. So I started budgeting a few months ago to start saving up. I still have a ways to go, but I'm confident it's all going to work out. I really don't have to do that much to prepare for this mission. Since I traveled less than a year ago to Cambodia I'm good on all my shots. I will start my malaria meds a couple weeks prior to leaving.
In May, Darcy (my trip companion) and I will be going up to Vancouver for a team meeting/orientation. We are both very excited about this.
Stop and Think
I was recently asked what exactly what exactly does a medical missionary do on one of these trips. Wow, I had to stop and think. Because, honestly, the easy answer would be, we medically treat people. Duh. But really, do people really understand what a medical missionary is? I really was kind of awestruck by this, because I have such a passion for missions, and when I talk to people about it, if nothing else I want to convey that there is such a HUGE difference between our lives here and those in other countries and impact and devastation of poverty, disease, illness, and death on those people. For these people in other countries, basic needs are not met daily. They do not talk about side issues like health insurance or their children’s day care costs, like we so often hear about here in the U.S. They are simply grateful for food and shelter and so appreciative for ANY assistance.
My skills as a nurse really are opportunities to medically help those who otherwise would never received treatment and medicines, but it's also another opportunity. For using these critical skills to go places others can’t go and to touch people others can’t touch.
Every time Jesus sent out His disciples and apostles, He always told them to heal the sick and preach the Gospel, It’s not that we heal so that we can share God's word. We’re not ‘bait.’ We heal and share the Word together in obedience to the commands of Jesus. It’s like a two-handled plow: You heal, you share God's love and you push forward – and God cuts the path so He can plant the seeds of the Gospel through His power. Life isnt about proving God to others, it is not even my job to win souls (that responsibilty belong to the Holy Spirit) It is all about being obedient to Him. Loving Him above all else and letting that love reflect to the world around me. As I sit here and think about all the people in my life growing up who just loved me, that's it, it brings a smile to my face because I cannot describe the profoundness and awkwardness of receiving something your not used to getting from those around you, but yet you don't want to let go of. If God prompts me to share with others, pray for someone or speak His words, I do so in obedience, but my responsibility first and foremost is to love and obey Him. During my trip to Cambodia, to see how my medical peers allowed God to use them truly was inspiring to me.
Many of us feel secure in showing the acts of kindness. However, when God whispers in our ear or nudges our thoughts towards helping those outside our comfort zone, I have been known to freeze. It is too scary to contemplate it or it requires more sacrifice than I am willing to make at that time. I have said "no" far more times than I have said "yes". I easily thought of a million reasons to justify not serving, but in reality I only needed one to accept the call...because God asked me to. He didn't ask me for a resume of my qualifications nor does he care if I have to put aside my agenda in order to do as he is asking. He wants me to stop dwelling on my fear and keep my eyes on Him.
I have come to believe that we shouldn't be scared of the great acts of service that live within all of us. These acts are the ones that cross our minds and we quickly dismiss them as inconceivable or requiring some special power that we surely lack. They are the acts that would require us to take a leap of faith and go beyond the borders of our comfort zones. But what we need to remember is that God knows what we are capable of better than we do ourselves. He calls us according to our gifts and if he says we are qualified, who are we to argue?
So Many Die When You're Gone
"So many die when you're gone"
by Tracey Goldner
Joe and Linda Markee will never forget the cries of their Haitian friend, Elvire Bazilme.
"We always saved a few lives on our medical missions to Haiti and were excited to come home and share our successes," says Linda. Then one year, their friend Elvire came to visit them in the United States. "As she flipped through our photos from Haiti, she suddenly burst into tears," says Linda.
"You help so many people when you’re in Haiti, but you don’t know about all the people that die when you’re gone," Elvire wailed. "So many babies die after you leave us."
"Those sorrowful cries are still with me and they were our impetus for building a permanent health clinic for the people in Terre Blanche, Haiti," says Linda.
This retired couple from Vancouver, Washington, established Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH), a nonprofit organization committed to addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people living in or around Terre Blanche. Joe is a retired obstetrician with more than 40 years’ experience and Linda is secretary, organizer, historian, and a former nurse.
Medical Teams International has partnered with the Markees since Hurricane Jean devastated Haiti in 2004. The Markees, who speak French and Creole fluently and who have lived in Haiti for two years, spent seven weeks with Medical Teams International staff treating typhoid, malaria and dozens of other ailments.
"It was miraculous to see the impact we had there because typhoid is such a serious illness; but within three days, the infections cleared up with the antibiotics and IV fluids supplied by Medical Teams International," says Joe.
Since that time, the partnership has grown. Together, Medical Teams International and Haiti Foundation of Hope send medical teams with 8-15 members to Terre Blanche almost every quarter. Each team treats approximately 1,000 people that come from as far as eight hours away for medical care.
They see treatable conditions like malaria, skin diseases, diarrhea, parasites and infections, but also terminal illnesses like advanced cancer and AIDS.
Terre Blanche does not have electricity, running water or an economic base. ("There are a lot of tragic stories and people we can’t help," says Linda. But the Markees are committed to the Haitian people and say they are "right where God wants us."
Terre Blanche, or white earth, is a hot, dry town in northern Haiti. People there survive on subsistence farming and some years have to "replant five times just to get a crop," says Joe.
"This is a town without electricity, running water, buildings or any sort of economic base," says Linda. Until recently, no one there had ever received a paycheck.
But HFH is working to improve living conditions and bring hope to the people. Employing local construction workers and lay workers, the foundation built Terre Blanche’s first medical clinic this year.
The Clinic of Hope opened its doors February 2007. The clinic during construction.
Until the clinic opened, the closest care available to residents was more than two hours away. The Clinic of Hope, or "Dispensaire Coummunitaire l’Esperance" in French, has two full-time nurses, a pharmacist, a clinic chaplain and a record-keeper. The second story has sleeping quarters and a kitchen for visiting medical teams.
In addition to opening a medical clinic and sending ongoing medical teams, the Haiti Foundation of Hope has also assisted with the installation of two community wells, operated a primary school for more than 10 years, supported a women’s trade school, built a church for the community and supported the ministry of Pastor Delamy Bazilme. Joe and Linda have become familiar faces in Haiti over the 24 years they’ve been involved. Linda jokes with Haitians on her visits that she is so happy to see her son, Delamy, again.
"The Markees are such incredible and humble people," says Tammy Teske, disaster response project officer for Medical Teams International. "They could be spending their retirement with children and grandchildren and taking vacations, but instead they are committing themselves fully to Haiti. They’ve poured their lives into this project."
Already more than 100 patients a day. The Markees take time to look back and celebrate their successes but are quick to say there is still much to do. “Now that the clinic is up and running, we’ve got even more demands,” says Linda.
The biggest problem they face right now is meeting the increasing needs at the clinic. More than 100 patients show up every day, and the number continues to grow. HFH plans to hire a new nurse this year to meet the needs. "It’s great news and is a good problem to have," says Linda. "It means that the clinic has a good reputation."
Word spreads quickly through the countryside when medical care is available. Joe traveled to Haiti this spring to provide medical training to the clinic’s nurse and to educate staff on how to use the new ultrasound machine. But by the time he arrived, the clinic’s courtyard was so full of patients who had heard an American doctor was in town, that he spent the week juggling primary care with his training.
Incorporating community health in coordination with Medical Teams International, the foundation is also laying the groundwork for a community health project in Terre Blanche that improves the health of children and mothers.
"Our contribution to the community health project in Terre Blanche will work to reduce the number of people the clinic sees daily," says Mike Wenrick, Medical Teams International's program manager for Latin America. "We hope to prevent illnesses and promote health through immunizations, proper nutrition and other community-based education programs so that children will grow up healthier and not require so many visits to the clinic."
Medical Teams International has also helped HFH through donations of medicines and medical supplies. Each volunteer medical team carries a bag of much-needed medicines for their work in the clinic. Medicine is difficult to find in Haiti—yet just a small amount can save a child’s life.
In 1983, Joe says, "I didn’t really know why I was going, but I felt like I was being called." He’s quick to admit he didn’t even know exactly where Haiti was the first time he traveled there. "We realized after a few visits that if we really wanted to get serious about Haiti, we should go and live there."
Ten years and one permanent health clinic later, the Markees can serve in Haiti and leave knowing that medical care is available for the people in Terre Blanche. Finally, there is relief for cries like those of Elvire’s.
by Tracey Goldner
Joe and Linda Markee will never forget the cries of their Haitian friend, Elvire Bazilme.
"We always saved a few lives on our medical missions to Haiti and were excited to come home and share our successes," says Linda. Then one year, their friend Elvire came to visit them in the United States. "As she flipped through our photos from Haiti, she suddenly burst into tears," says Linda.
"You help so many people when you’re in Haiti, but you don’t know about all the people that die when you’re gone," Elvire wailed. "So many babies die after you leave us."
"Those sorrowful cries are still with me and they were our impetus for building a permanent health clinic for the people in Terre Blanche, Haiti," says Linda.
This retired couple from Vancouver, Washington, established Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH), a nonprofit organization committed to addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people living in or around Terre Blanche. Joe is a retired obstetrician with more than 40 years’ experience and Linda is secretary, organizer, historian, and a former nurse.
Medical Teams International has partnered with the Markees since Hurricane Jean devastated Haiti in 2004. The Markees, who speak French and Creole fluently and who have lived in Haiti for two years, spent seven weeks with Medical Teams International staff treating typhoid, malaria and dozens of other ailments.
"It was miraculous to see the impact we had there because typhoid is such a serious illness; but within three days, the infections cleared up with the antibiotics and IV fluids supplied by Medical Teams International," says Joe.
Since that time, the partnership has grown. Together, Medical Teams International and Haiti Foundation of Hope send medical teams with 8-15 members to Terre Blanche almost every quarter. Each team treats approximately 1,000 people that come from as far as eight hours away for medical care.
They see treatable conditions like malaria, skin diseases, diarrhea, parasites and infections, but also terminal illnesses like advanced cancer and AIDS.
Terre Blanche does not have electricity, running water or an economic base. ("There are a lot of tragic stories and people we can’t help," says Linda. But the Markees are committed to the Haitian people and say they are "right where God wants us."
Terre Blanche, or white earth, is a hot, dry town in northern Haiti. People there survive on subsistence farming and some years have to "replant five times just to get a crop," says Joe.
"This is a town without electricity, running water, buildings or any sort of economic base," says Linda. Until recently, no one there had ever received a paycheck.
But HFH is working to improve living conditions and bring hope to the people. Employing local construction workers and lay workers, the foundation built Terre Blanche’s first medical clinic this year.
The Clinic of Hope opened its doors February 2007. The clinic during construction.
Until the clinic opened, the closest care available to residents was more than two hours away. The Clinic of Hope, or "Dispensaire Coummunitaire l’Esperance" in French, has two full-time nurses, a pharmacist, a clinic chaplain and a record-keeper. The second story has sleeping quarters and a kitchen for visiting medical teams.
In addition to opening a medical clinic and sending ongoing medical teams, the Haiti Foundation of Hope has also assisted with the installation of two community wells, operated a primary school for more than 10 years, supported a women’s trade school, built a church for the community and supported the ministry of Pastor Delamy Bazilme. Joe and Linda have become familiar faces in Haiti over the 24 years they’ve been involved. Linda jokes with Haitians on her visits that she is so happy to see her son, Delamy, again.
"The Markees are such incredible and humble people," says Tammy Teske, disaster response project officer for Medical Teams International. "They could be spending their retirement with children and grandchildren and taking vacations, but instead they are committing themselves fully to Haiti. They’ve poured their lives into this project."
Already more than 100 patients a day. The Markees take time to look back and celebrate their successes but are quick to say there is still much to do. “Now that the clinic is up and running, we’ve got even more demands,” says Linda.
The biggest problem they face right now is meeting the increasing needs at the clinic. More than 100 patients show up every day, and the number continues to grow. HFH plans to hire a new nurse this year to meet the needs. "It’s great news and is a good problem to have," says Linda. "It means that the clinic has a good reputation."
Word spreads quickly through the countryside when medical care is available. Joe traveled to Haiti this spring to provide medical training to the clinic’s nurse and to educate staff on how to use the new ultrasound machine. But by the time he arrived, the clinic’s courtyard was so full of patients who had heard an American doctor was in town, that he spent the week juggling primary care with his training.
Incorporating community health in coordination with Medical Teams International, the foundation is also laying the groundwork for a community health project in Terre Blanche that improves the health of children and mothers.
"Our contribution to the community health project in Terre Blanche will work to reduce the number of people the clinic sees daily," says Mike Wenrick, Medical Teams International's program manager for Latin America. "We hope to prevent illnesses and promote health through immunizations, proper nutrition and other community-based education programs so that children will grow up healthier and not require so many visits to the clinic."
Medical Teams International has also helped HFH through donations of medicines and medical supplies. Each volunteer medical team carries a bag of much-needed medicines for their work in the clinic. Medicine is difficult to find in Haiti—yet just a small amount can save a child’s life.
In 1983, Joe says, "I didn’t really know why I was going, but I felt like I was being called." He’s quick to admit he didn’t even know exactly where Haiti was the first time he traveled there. "We realized after a few visits that if we really wanted to get serious about Haiti, we should go and live there."
Ten years and one permanent health clinic later, the Markees can serve in Haiti and leave knowing that medical care is available for the people in Terre Blanche. Finally, there is relief for cries like those of Elvire’s.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Needs in Haiti
I got this off Medical Teams International's website. A bit of interesting info about Haiti.
Needs in Haiti
Haiti is a chronically unstable country in economic decline, ranked by the United Nations as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haitian families are poorer now than they were 40 years ago, though food and drug prices are steadily increasing. The United Nations Development Program estimates that nearly 80 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 a day. Additionally, Haiti suffers the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence in the Americas at 5.6 percent. The average life expectancy in Haiti is just 52 years. The land is severely degraded and deforested, and civil conflicts have caused persistent political instability for decades.
Medical Teams International in Haiti
Medical Teams International first sent volunteers to Haiti in 1994 to assist the victims of a civil conflict. During 2004-05, we deployed six disaster response teams to provide health care services for those wounded in Hurricane Jeanne. In 2006, Medical Teams International funded a safer home-birth program through Catholic Relief Services and sent one midwifery team to train traditional birth attendants on effective ways to oversee delivery. In 2007, we deployed three primary care teams to work at Haiti Foundation of Hope's health clinic in Terre Blanche.
Plans for 2007-08
Medical Teams International plans to deploy four volunteer medical teams to work in collaboration with Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH). We will also work with HFH to lay the groundwork for a community health and development program in Terre Blanche.
Partner information
Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH) is an international nongovernmental organization that focuses on health care services in Terre Blanche, Haiti. The founders or HFH have lived and worked in Haiti for more than a decade and opened a permanent health clinic in February 2007 that will serve approximately 10,000 people a year. Staff at the clinic will help develop the community health program in Terre Blanche
Needs in Haiti
Haiti is a chronically unstable country in economic decline, ranked by the United Nations as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haitian families are poorer now than they were 40 years ago, though food and drug prices are steadily increasing. The United Nations Development Program estimates that nearly 80 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 a day. Additionally, Haiti suffers the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence in the Americas at 5.6 percent. The average life expectancy in Haiti is just 52 years. The land is severely degraded and deforested, and civil conflicts have caused persistent political instability for decades.
Medical Teams International in Haiti
Medical Teams International first sent volunteers to Haiti in 1994 to assist the victims of a civil conflict. During 2004-05, we deployed six disaster response teams to provide health care services for those wounded in Hurricane Jeanne. In 2006, Medical Teams International funded a safer home-birth program through Catholic Relief Services and sent one midwifery team to train traditional birth attendants on effective ways to oversee delivery. In 2007, we deployed three primary care teams to work at Haiti Foundation of Hope's health clinic in Terre Blanche.
Plans for 2007-08
Medical Teams International plans to deploy four volunteer medical teams to work in collaboration with Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH). We will also work with HFH to lay the groundwork for a community health and development program in Terre Blanche.
Partner information
Haiti Foundation of Hope (HFH) is an international nongovernmental organization that focuses on health care services in Terre Blanche, Haiti. The founders or HFH have lived and worked in Haiti for more than a decade and opened a permanent health clinic in February 2007 that will serve approximately 10,000 people a year. Staff at the clinic will help develop the community health program in Terre Blanche
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Acts of Kindness
What an amazing and humbling adventure this has been to prepare for this mission. I've always struggled with asking for help, and letting others help me. Here I've been thinking this mission is about me going and helping others. Without the love and support of my friends and family, I can quickly see that this mission would not be possible for me. I've had to sit back because I'm not the one in control. What a blessing and priviledge it is for me to be able to witness God's spirit and love in the hearts that surround me. It brings me to tears because, just as I'm so honored to be able to help those in need, but to know that my community, my friends and family are also helping those in need, and they are an essential and vital part of this medical mission.
Someone stated, "What difference does it make in the long run, it's all a drop in the bucket."
Yes, while that is true, it does directly help to relieve human suffering for some, even for just a while. I am a common person, and I will die a common person, but I was blessed to be born an American and have access to opportunity that billions in the world will never have. I have also been privy to multiple acts of kindness by strangers that made a lasting impact in my life. Many will never know the profoundness of their kindness. I have long since subscribed to the theory "pay it forward", if someone does something nice for you the best thank you that can be given is to pass it on by doing something nice for someone else.
Added to all of this, I am a Christian, and I believe unwaveringly, that it is my duty and privilege to use the gifts and talents that God has given me to help others. By looking at the example of Jesus' life and what He instructed His disciples' it shows that when you have a personal relationship with God your life focus changes from one that is self serving, to one that is outwardly focused and serving others.
God Bless and may He keep you in His breath always! :o) ~Mel
Someone stated, "What difference does it make in the long run, it's all a drop in the bucket."
Yes, while that is true, it does directly help to relieve human suffering for some, even for just a while. I am a common person, and I will die a common person, but I was blessed to be born an American and have access to opportunity that billions in the world will never have. I have also been privy to multiple acts of kindness by strangers that made a lasting impact in my life. Many will never know the profoundness of their kindness. I have long since subscribed to the theory "pay it forward", if someone does something nice for you the best thank you that can be given is to pass it on by doing something nice for someone else.
Added to all of this, I am a Christian, and I believe unwaveringly, that it is my duty and privilege to use the gifts and talents that God has given me to help others. By looking at the example of Jesus' life and what He instructed His disciples' it shows that when you have a personal relationship with God your life focus changes from one that is self serving, to one that is outwardly focused and serving others.
God Bless and may He keep you in His breath always! :o) ~Mel
Sunday, January 13, 2008
For all my sisters....
A friend sent this to me and I wanted to share
There comes a time in every woman's life when she has to take a close look at herself. Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or at who made you do it. She has to just look at herself in all her glory and perfection. Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up. Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.
Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi, the woman with an issue of blood, and Esther, to name a few. Women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, 'What's up with her?' ask yourself, 'What's up with me?' That woman could be my mother, sister, aunt, in-law, stepmother, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend, or
co-worker, etc. That woman could be ME. Women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death. Let's build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi. Pass this to all the women in your life. Encourage and love, forgive and forget, and trust
that the woman that receives this will be touched in some way.
May the peace and love of Christ be upon you!
There comes a time in every woman's life when she has to take a close look at herself. Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or at who made you do it. She has to just look at herself in all her glory and perfection. Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up. Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.
Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi, the woman with an issue of blood, and Esther, to name a few. Women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, 'What's up with her?' ask yourself, 'What's up with me?' That woman could be my mother, sister, aunt, in-law, stepmother, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend, or
co-worker, etc. That woman could be ME. Women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death. Let's build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi. Pass this to all the women in your life. Encourage and love, forgive and forget, and trust
that the woman that receives this will be touched in some way.
May the peace and love of Christ be upon you!
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