All in One Day!

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Gayle

Today is, August 20, 2017. We bow our heads together and pray on the front porch before we begin our hike to LaGlah village in the rain. We have a late start because so many patients came this morning making it difficult to eat our breakfast and pack the medicine. Our backpacks are a bit lighter this day because now there are three of us to share the load!

Climbing such steep places in the rain make you too hot to wear the cheap plastic raincoat, but it is raining too hard to take it off. To carry an umbrella is too much for me to navigate the steep descents. At any rate you get wet inside and out on a day like this. The last half of our journey leads us on a steep downhill jungle footpath. As we push our way through the tangle of weeds overspreading the pathway, we become aware of hurrying leeches large and small, all desperately waving their way up our boots to our legs, or any piece of flesh they can latch onto. It is impossible to get rid of them all. Finally we stand in a stream and work on detaching and launching them one by one. But more take their place as we resume our hike. BletJhaw said it is safe to say that each of us got at least 30 to 40 leeches on this walk.

We pass a small green snake in the mountain rice.

 

By now we are all starving hungry because of the exertion, and it is already 1:30 p.m.

We never know how many people will be in this village. Many people go to their gardens and work all day. I am praying that we will get to have a Bible study with PahJew, but we are told that he went on a trip somewhere.

Many patients come for treatment as soon as they see us enter a house in the village. We are wet and cold, shivering in the breezes of the front porch where we are treating the patients. The grandma is cooking us a meal – how wonderful to eat the noodles, chili and rice that she has prepared – now we have strength to carry on!

We are asked to visit an old lady and her son who are too sick to come to us. Yes, they both have a dreadful case of amebic dysentery! The son is worse. His bloody diarrhea has continued for 9 days. His BP is 80/60. It is a helpless feeling to be faced with the critically ill when the rain and mud has you locked in. We cannot take him anywhere and I have no IV solution to help them rehydrate. We must try to coax them to drink the rehydration water (ORS). They are extremely poor, mainly because they are both hopelessly addicted to opium. My heart aches with pity as I see that the 2 sick ones are staying in a tiny shelter with a dirt floor.   A pot is sitting on a small fire on the ground, heating up some kind of didrty water with weeds in it. They will drink their ORS with that water, out of a dirty, bent, tin can that has been cut in half and black with soot.  (Can you see it on the floor picture)? Trash is all around. We stand there and pray for them. Oh if the rich could see how the poor have to live, if they could put themselves in their shoes. I am just now trying to do just that!

Now we go to PahJew’s house. He has returned and some of his relatives are also there. We can have worship with them all! My heart is cheered as I see how eager they are to learn more about God! We sing, we pray, and I review all the things that we have studied with them in the past. To my delight they remember and obey each one!

The Bible

The trinity

The truth about Satan

Second Coming and heaven

The 7th day Sabbath

The 10 Commandments

Baptism

Health (They have stopped eating unclean meats, they   do not drink, smoke, do beetle nut, or opium)

Jewelry (The wife has taken off all ornaments)

The state of the dead

I am listing all these things out here because it is so unusually awesome for these people to so readily agree and make the changes in their lives! How thrilling!

Today we talk about tithe. It is very positive. Because giving to God does not bring poverty. Malachi 3:10! We illustrate with a story of how God blessed a family when they gave a faithful tithe. Next visit we will talk about hell, and then I do not see anything else hindering them from being baptized!!

PaJew, his wife, and 2 children.  Beautiful little family.  Please pray for them.

The hike back home is just as strenuous, just as challenging, but I hardly notice it because my heart is singing all the way, and my voice is singing also:

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus my blessed Redeemer

Sing ye saints! His wonderful love proclaim!

Hail Him hail Him! Highest archangels in glory,

Strength and honor give to His holy name!

Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,

In His arms He carries them all day long.

CHORUS

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness,

Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

 

Oh Jesus! Dear Jesus! How wonderful You are! Some more people will join with You in heaven because You are doing such great things in their hearts!

 

 

 

 

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Cobra Face to Face

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Gayle

I did not take this picture

There is something quite warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting to be in a house, under a firm roof, with dry, warm clothing on, sipping hot water while outside a storm is raging, the clouds have you socked-in, and rivers of non-stop rain jet down in torrents. However, we have been, or (have been trying to be), on a motorbike ascending and descending breathtaking mud tangled slopes in just that type of weather, wondering if we will ever reach our destination. The oozing sucking mud, knee-deep ruts, cliff cambered roads, sprinkled with protruding roots, rocks, and gaping chasms, afford no room for slips and driver error. We spend a lot of our time leaping off the motorbike and pushing desperately trying to defy gravity and go up while sliding backwards! Then when emerging onto the highest altitude, we experience cold winds and driving rain! We are soaking wet because no raincoat can keep us dry in all our struggles. There is nothing warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting about this experience.

On one such a trip we are climbing up a mountain. I am ready to eject off the back any minute so BletJhaw can get the bike up, when suddenly he turns the bike sharply to the left into a large rock and we are pretty much dumped off. I wonder why in the world he did that, when I saw it – a large cobra at our right feet, head raised and hood out, posing for a strike! I have stumbled over snakes before, not really seeing if it is a cobra with the hood until after the danger is passed, but this one is so close, so threatening, reminding me of the devil himself laughing up at us. We are between a rock and a hard place (bank) and really cannot get away. We watched as that serpent slowly slithered defiantly behind us just like he knew that he was the ‘king’ of the jungle!

I never tire of Jesus red-letter words to me personally in Luke 10:19. Read it yourself, slowly, and meditate long and deep over each phrase.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Now this is warm, relaxing, satisfying and comforting! What a God we serve! How I love Him. I thank Him for His protection and pray that He will help me to always faithfully serve Him with my whole heart.

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Returning to BYT!

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Gayle

I am thrilled to be returning to BYT after my 2-month stay in America, even if I do step off the airplane and dive into constant rain and mud!

The rainy season leaves all the foliage bright green, and as our motorbike slowly grinds uphill, the smell of damp freshness greets my nostrils. Water pours off the large leaves in the jungle like wide-open faucets, and the higher we go the more misty clouds envelope us making it impossible to see the beautiful view of distant mountains. In places it is even hard to see directly in front of us. We dodge huge piles of cow dung and blow our horn at the lazy cows, which do not even budge to let us pass by. We pass a few herds of fat water buffalo with big impressive black horns. They are quicker to clear the road for us to pass.

Mudslides cover the pathway in places and all along the way we must swerve to miss the small rocks and large boulders that have loosened up from the high banks. Some small trees have come down and I am thankful that for this trip, no large trees block our way.

Sometimes the water pours off my nose and stings my eyes. I am grateful to be the back seat passenger protected from the full force of the storm. I feel sorry for BletJhaw who has to constantly battle to keep going and to keep the motorbike in the upright position. Sometimes the back slides around to the left, other times to the right. I successfully hang onto the bars that surround the back seat, only jumping off when we cannot make it, leaving BletJhaw to slide, push, and struggle his way up the rest of the mountain. Downhills are even more treacherous.

Now we enter BYT, praising the Lord for our safe trip.   We still have to precariously cross a slippery, broken and dangerously tilted foot-bridge which is the only way to our house – the roaring river is way too much for a small motorbike to forge across. We praise the Lord for our safe trip!

We have a big job now to clean up our house. Mold is on everything – the smell is awful. The black tile counters are white with mildew. Our blankets to sleep on smell very bad. All the clothes and towels have the same odor. To wash them will take 3 days, possible never really dry. A bat is living in the patient waiting room; a foot-long DahBau is scurrying across the floor, (Whose sting is worse than a scorpion). BletJhaw uses our famous house stick to annihilate him. Oh so ugly!

Obviously we are hungry, however even our sealed bags of beans, nuts and noodles have bugs inside or look blue and sticky with mold. Our water filters are producing brown liquid for our drinking water, so we resort to the rainwater off the roof.

Why do we put up with such inconveniences? Oh dear reader, just read this and weep as I have:

“If Christ left the ninety and nice, that He might seek and save the one lost sheep, shall we be justified in doing less? God Himself set an example of self-sacrifice in giving up His Son to a shameful death. Is not a negect to work even as Christ worked, to sacrifice as He sacrificed, a betrayal of sacred trusts, an insult to God? The lost sheep is to be found at any peril, any cost!” PH004 15.1

 “If there was ever a time when sacrifices should be made, it is now.” MMR 9

 

 

 

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Blatant Attacks of the Devil

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Gayle

I am learning more each year about the blatant attacks of the devil and his evil host out here in these jungle mountains.  There are several wicked men that I shall call witch-men who have super-human power.  They cannot be called witch doctors, as their intent is not healing, but killing!

Just 2 months ago (This was written in March) a man came to our clinic desiring help with a doctor’s diagnosis of liver cancer.  Indeed one look told me he was a dying man.  I was surprised that he was so bad in such a short period of time. Two days later we visited him in his home in MooDooKey village.  I read his diagnosis in the medical papers that he showed us, and looked at the xrays.  Shortly after this the man died.

Today we learned that a witch-man, MooPa, had eaten in this man’s house on 2 occasions, prior to his sickness.  He was rude and did not wash his plate after eating, as is the custom among the Karen people, but he dumped his unfinished portion of rice onto the wife’s plate and told her to wash his plate.  The husband scolded him for this. Consequently MooPa became angry and flicked his fingers over the man’s liver area 3 times.  Shortly after this the man began to have pain there, consequently he died soon after.  Before his death he told his family to cut open his stomach after he dies.  The family did so and found that filling his abdominal cavity, were swarms of fish eggs moving about.  In other people who die of curses, they find a shoe or a fish etc.

In vengeance, the family immediately called a hit man from MaeLaCamp to come and kill MooPa.  The very same day the hit man came and smoked opium with MooPa in his house.  MooPa’s brother, MooHe, was also in the house.  Next they ate dinner together.  As they were eating the hit man said to MooPa:  “I was told to kill you.  You have to die.  I don’t know how he did it, but noiselessly while MooPa was washing his dinner plate he was killed.

MooHe

MooPa’s Brother, MooHe was in the house at the time, he also is a witch-man.  When he knew the intent of the visitor and witnessed the murder, he ran away and barely escaped with his life.

Soon after this MooHe visited us in the clinic April 5 and April 8.  He asked for an IV both times, but I did not give it because his vital signs were good and he was eating and drinking fluids just fine.  Today, April 8, he had an infected lower lip and chin with extreme pain.  I treated him for an infection and gave him some yogurt milk to compliment the antibiotic and a nice knitted hat.  He was very afraid because he knew there were people who still were after him to kill him.  BletJhaw and I prayed with him.

This also has solved the mystery of the man in MeDeLeeGwee village who had committed suicide 2 years ago.  He was a recipient of MooPa’s curse!  This curse was the kind that causes great depression.  It was so bad that this man went out at night and hung himself in a tree.  We had been shocked and dumbfounded about this terrible news, because this man had no reason for depression, he had everything going for him, above all of the other village people.  He owned a truck, had a nice big house with a lovely wife and 2 children, he owned water buffalo, his rice garden and coffee gardens were flourishing and he also got money from the government.  Now we know it was MooPa’s curse.

Oh dear Lord, if there were just more SDA missionaries who could help us in these mountains to tell the dear people about the power of the true God in heaven.  No curse can harm them when they worship and call upon Him.

What is wrong with us?  Why are there way more Baptist, Anglican, Catholic and other denominations all through these isolated mountains.  But the Seventh-Day Adventist people who have and hold the truth are not here.

“It is the duty of every Christian to strive to the utmost of his ability to spread abroad the knowledge of truth.” Maranatha 107

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Opening my Heart!

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Gayle

Due to lack of technology knowledge, I have been unable to access my web page to enter new stories for a long time – sorry.  Now, finally, I am in, and will begin with my return from America in July.  I love to keep this updated because it acts like a diary for me, plus  I love to share the wonderful news of how God blesses, enables, encourages, protects, provides, guides and does everything good for us when we give ourselves to His work!  I am so happy and overjoyed to be here in BYT where He has sent me!

Our hearts are really broken as we see the baleful results of division in His work among church members.  I know it is not only here in the mission field but all over the world, as it is Satan’s best tool to defeat the work of God.  The following quotes have resounded repeatedly in my mind.  I share them as they bring greater resolve to our hearts to work together, unitedly and in harmony:

“Never was He, (Satan), more determined than now to make of none effect the truth of God by causing bitterness and dissension among the Lord’s people.” CCh 291.3

“Take every proper precaution to avoid disagreement, for in every division of interest, resulting in disputation and unhappy difference in the church, souls are lost that might have been saved in the kingdom of heaven!”  2SP 139.2

“Press together!  Press together! In union there is strength and victory.  In discord and division there is weakness and defeat.  These words have been spoken to me from heaven.  As God’s ambassador, I speak them to you!”  ST 488.3

I see now that God had a purpose in leaving only BletJhaw and I to do this work.  I often marveled at how come He didn’t send me teams of workers so that we could cover all 50 villages, but BletJhaw and I have worked together in unison with the same heart to love and reach these people.  We have never been in disagreement or dissension. However we realize that we are never safe in trusting to ourselves and our constant, daily prayer is that we unitedly finish this work He has given us till He comes. That also is our prayer for all of God’s people in His SDA church across the globe!  Let’s press together!! What do you say?!  We are saving souls – we must not loose them!

Thank you for your support of our work!  My heart is filled to overflowing with love to all who are helping to keep the work going with your prayers and/or offerings.  I am totally unable to write thank-you notes to all who donate – impossible, but I really want to because every bit of it, large and small is going far to spread the gospel, God blesses every bit of it!  When we finally meet together in the new earth I will hug your neck for a very long long time!  Please sense my deep heartfelt thanks!

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No Time to Die – MeDeLeGwee Village:

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Gayle

“Blessed is he that considerate the poor.  The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.  The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive!”  Psalm 41:1,2

 Just came out of MeDeLeGwee village after spending one full week with them.  What an experience is ours!  I could never tell it in full color!
First of all it was BletJhaw’s idea, a stroke of genius, to reach out to that village, and his idea was straight from heaven.  The week started out really rough, because we needed time to prepare, but had no time.  We had just been exposed to Meningococcal Septicemia, a deadly and contagious bacteria, and were trying to get everyone who had contact with this man to take prophylactic antibiotics including the children. BletJhaw and myself were the most at risk.  I realized this was another attack of the devil to dishearten us and hinder our work.
We were already weary from a relentless schedule of travel, patient care and Bible studies, but we arrived in MDLG Wednesday morning and immediately went to work cleaning up the large wooden house that we would stay in.
The floors were swept and scrubbed with water, the kitchen needed extra work. At least there was an outhouse even though the bamboo walls were shredded out!

Oh-Oh, no privacy here!

This house had been empty for quite some time, because of a death in the family, but it was the best house in the village and perfect for us. The villagers helped us carry in supplies.  They marveled over all the food and especially the propane tank and cook stove.  I had my box of medicine and intermittently treated patients throughout the entire time.

Thara Jerry and the food

We bonded with the children immediately!

Some need extra TLC!

Do you remember SoLaChi? He’s in trouble again! I scrubbed him down with lots of soap and started him on medicine.

We noticed that a few people were busy sweeping under their houses already because they knew we were going to help them clean up their village.  Wednesday through Friday we helped each family sweep and scrape under and around their houses.
Animal dung was thick everywhere. People were collecting tons of cow/pig/chicken dung for their gardens before we threw it all away.
I got my education about pigs this week – stuff that I really didn’t care to learn about!  Pigs were tied up under every house, others just showed up everywhere.  As we swept the ground they squealed a lot because cleaning was not a  priority in their lives!  Pigs carry flees and we got all bitten up!  What whelps and what itching!
We began cooking for the evening meal at about noon.  Thara Jerry, (BletJhaw’s brother-in-law) was the chief cook.  We assisted him.  The propane burners were not big enough for our huge pot, so we used the open fire.  Every evening the food was wonderful and the people came.  We had enough food for everyone – around 40 people.
After eating we had worship, which was the most important part of our program. The people loved our singing!  BletJhaw played the guitar and the 3 of us sang our hearts out, some songs in English, most in Karen. The people never heard singing like this before and they love it!  God helped me to speak each night on their level.  These people knew nothing about God.   What a delightful privilege to be the one to introduced them to God, The first night was: “Who is God, Why worship God?” followed with a brief health talk on the importance and care of the teeth.  The next night:  How to pray to God and the health talk was on water inside and out.  We were thrilled at their eagerness, fixed attention and interest.
We gave each family their gifts of basins, dippers, laundry soap, bar soap, hair shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Such excitement prevailed!
The next day we noticed that people had their fresh laundry all hung up on bamboo railings in the sun!
Mothers were giving their children baths with soap before bedtime!  They came to dinner and worship clean and sweet smelling!

I go to visit this sweet grandma making a fishing net . . .

. . . While her husband tries to clear the leaves out of his ditch with a straight stick.

Sabbath was disappointing.  We had announced that at 8a.m. we would go to church in BYT and would take anyone who wanted to go.  I had prepared a special sermon for them that would build on the topics already discussed.
We ate our meals at another house each day because this family supplied our rice. This village has no machine to pound the rice.  It is done like this for 40 minutes or more to supply a family for a day.
As we were opening our mouths to begin eating on Sabbath morning, a pig was being slaughtered by strangulation next door!  Oh the squealing and squalling!  The sights and sounds of the way they were doing it turned my stomach and I was unable to eat.  As the rest of the people were eating their breakfast, that big fat pig was placed on bamboo rails just outside and the people were scraping the fur off with their machetes – you see they use every part of that pig accept the fur. The big pot was boiling over open flames all ready to receive the flesh of that pig.  The smell was dreadful.  So this Sabbath day the village of MeDeLeGwee was planning a big feast! Someone’s relative had already arrived in a truck early to deliver alcohol and some of the men were drinking at 7:00a.m. Wouldn’t you know it.  . . . . . .Nobody got in the truck with us to go to church in BYT.
The next week was a lot more promising.  We got to know the people better every day and they became very dear to our hearts.  One lady followed me everywhere.  I really love her!
I don’t know if she was curious, or just wanting to help.  Later I found out that she was the village thief.  Nobody trusted her.  There was also a young man there who occasionally would loose his mind.
 The people told us that he would go into houses and just throw everything away so we tried to be careful with these two people.
Tuesday was our last day, and the people all needed to work in their rice gardens that day because the deadline from the government for burning the mountainside was Thursday and they had a lot of work to do.  Everybody asked us if we would help them.  We decided we could make closer friends with them if we worked along with them.  I was really not prepared for this kind of work, but I have always wanted to work on the mountain rice.
Off we went up the tangled jagged jungle mountains to work.  I was the only gulawah, (white person) of course.  At 64 years old I was more than twice as old as most of them.   I was the only one who did not wear pants, and I did not have the rubber boots that keep you from slipping on the steep mountain or sinking into the swamps.  The men kept telling me that the mountain is tall and I will be too tired.  They were all really worried about me going.  People my age stay home and don’t do this work, they are weak and tired, but BletJhaw told them I was strong, I could do it – no problem.  It is true, I am really strong and used to climbing the mountains, in fact I was not as tired as some of the other women, but I do not like the steep downhill grades. I found out that our job was to cut and clear a wide path around the mountain rice garden.  This would serve as a fire block when they burned all the dead trees that had been cut for the garden.  We did not have any fancy tools, but cut down lengths of tree branches and left some leaves on the end to be used as brooms.  a few people had hoes.
I was amazed as the men went ahead with their machetes, cutting down small trees, bushes and weeds.  The rest of us swept them away along with all the dead leaves on the jungle floor.  A wide clear path was made visible right before your eyes!  Of course the dust and bugs were thick as we swept vigorously with the tree branches. Everybody was itching all over and we had itch bumps on top of the already existing pig flee bites!  I really loved working with these people until we came to a steep escarpment.
The men and boys leaped right down it like mountain goats.  The women went around the side escaping the steepest portion, but still it was very steep and all the little trees had been cut down leaving hardly anything to wedge your feet on, only loose dirt!  My flip flops were so old and smooth on the bottom just like a pair of snow skiis!  At one time I lost my footing and went sliding down rapidly a long way on my bottom!  Quite amusing I suppose for everybody else.  I still had a long way to go straight down, but finally made it.
Many people were at the bottom watching, not making fun only feeling sorry and wanting to help!  Lovely people!  I wasn’t the only one with a mishap that day.  Some were stung by dangerous caterpillars, we all were itching quite a lot, and BletJhaw cut his finger badly on a long dry stem.  One man, we’ll call the jungle medic, grabbed a certain weed that I have learned stops the bleeding.

The jungle medic at work!

He scrubbed it in his hands until the green juice dripped out and then plastered it on the finger.  A lady took his machete and cut part of her shirt off at the bottom to be used to tie the weeds on.
Now at the bottom of this mountain was a tiny flow of water where someone placed a split bamboo. We got a cool drink, using leaves as cups. Then they cut down banana leaves and laid them down for a table and cut some smaller leaves for plates.
We sat down and ate rice and chili.  What a beautiful spot for a picnic.  Finally we cut and swept some more, every step is steep up, down, or sideways.
BletJhaw, Jerry and I hurried all the way back to the house to prepare the evening meal.  This would be the last meeting together.  The food was exceptionally good this time.
Also the worship was the final, most powerful, heart touching worship of all about Jesus loving us so much that He was willing to die for us.  A story they had never heard.  I wish you could have been there! The Holy Spirit surely was!   We ended with the health talk about the 8 natural laws of health.  Next we gave T-shirts to everybody and took their picture.
How happy they all were!  Our hearts were knit together in love.  I then used my computer to show all the pictures I had taken during that week, of the cleaning, the people, the children and the mountain sweeping!  Even some videos.  They love it, staying late to hear some more singing! We finally had to dismiss them to their homes.  I would like to think they hated to see us go.  We packed all our things up, gave away the remaining food and waved goodbye.  I can still see all those dear people wearing the blue shirts we had given them, hands in the air waving goodbye.
I stand amazed and breathless at the way God uses simple ignorant people like us with very little talent and makes something powerful out of it for His glory!
“He, (God) corrects our erring piety, giving the burden of the work for the poor and needy in the rough places of the earth, to men and women who have hearts that can feel for the ignorant and for those that are out of the way.  The Lord teaches these workers how to meet those whom He wishes them to help.  They will be encouraged as they see doors opening for them to enter places where they can do medical missionary work.  Having little self-confidence, they give God all the glory.”  CH  26.3
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Meningococcal Septicaemia

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Gayle

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Simply put this is a deadly contagious bacterial infection of the blood. BletJhaw and I came in contact with this disease when we cared for one of the teachers, ToMlaWah, age 46, at Sunshine Orchard Wednesday night March 15.  We … Continue reading →

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Busy Days and Late Nights

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Gayle

 

See how swollen she is. This is the second skirt, (Knee) that she has given me.

Her name is Be’Loo, she is 34 years old, hurting, swollen all over, feeling sick and unbearably tired.  As I examined her in my clinic I all too well knew the symptoms of Kidney failure, but she is so young and her symptoms have continued for a very long time.  Her husband has left her, she has one little 4 year old boy that she had to give up to the orphanage in Chiang Mai.  She has no home and is living with her Sister, however her sister’s husband and teenage son are using a lot of opium and are very dangerous, angry people.

We have no other choice than to take proper care of her and get her to the bigger government hospital in MaeSot.

We had checked a 9 year old girl from that village that I wanted to bring also.  This girl, NawPaPaw, had what I gathered from asking multiple questions, a series of seizures 4 years ago, then no problem until four months ago and again just 2 days prior!  This is no ordinary seizure we’re talking about, because they last sometimes over one hour other times over 2 hours!  I was determined to get them both cared for properly.

When you go to MaeSot gov. hospital you spend all day waiting, and for me running back and forth between the 2 patients praying that I will get a chance to speak to the doctor who finally sees them.

Poor Be’Loo has kidney failure and will go to surgery the next day for peritoneal dialysis tube.  This is tragic and only because the people won’t drink water!!  Another lady in GeGhah, if you recall has had this same surgery.  Now they both have to irrigate for hours 4 times a day for life in order to stay alive.  You see here it is impossible for a kidney transplant or dialysis for these people.

It is so hard for these poor, ignorant people to do this procedure 4 times a day in a little flimsy hut. Your quality of life is basically over.  This dear Sister is crying as she cares for BeLoo.

NawPaPaw needed a CT scan and the doctor was going to send us home until the appointment time.  This doctor misunderstood the girl’s Father who told him her last seizure was 4 months ago – ‘wrong’ it was 2 days ago.  I sent up a quick prayer that she could be admitted and they could do the tests and witness a seizure and believe what I was trying to tell them.  It is so difficult when you cannot speak Thai.  In answer to prayer I saw BletJhaw in the waiting room.  Contrary to what he thinks, he can speak a lot of Thai.  He came in and I explained the problem – praise the Lord the doctor understood, made several phone calls to the chief physician and admitted her.  A seizure was witnessed and the proper seizure medicine prescribed.  However, it seems the medicine is not working because now  the seizures are coming even more frequently.

I must give Be’Loo injection twice a week now to build up her blood, then we must take her back to MaeSot for a follow-up appointment.  When you care for everybody in many villages like you would your own family members you sometimes travel and get taxed beyond imagination! However I am so thankful for BletJhaw and all his skillful driving and for the providence of the Lord who always places us where we are needed.

Once again I plead for your prayers that God will work His good through these tragedies.

For new insights on the way God works please read Counsels on Health chapter 5 – The Outlook! I have read it again and again!

 

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More Visitors

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Gayle

Taken by the drone!

We recently had eight visitors from the Jesus for Asia team, whom we most affectionately call our ‘bosses.’  But this time they called themselves:  ‘Mission Trek 2017.’ They are traveling to all the JFA mission projects and interviewing missionaries in order to produce programs for kids on 3ABN!  This will hopefully inspire them to do God’s work!

They never had occasion to visit us before so this was a first.  As usual we had to do a lot of driving on the terrible roads.  Several of them were sick so this made it very hard on them.  I was simply amazed at the different type of cameras they had and the photography that they were able to do.  I never saw so many video supplies, cameras and ways to take pictures.  I was so amazed by it all that I forgot to take pictures myself!  The ones you will see here are simply their pictures that I took off Facebook. Hope they don’t mind!

First of all Jon Wood brought along his own motorbike, which helped because our truck was loaded.  He enjoyed the bad roads and would zoom ahead, get himself in position on a particularly bad corner, or horrible steep place and catch a video of it.  He had pictures from a go-pro camera mounted on dashboard inside viewing us, on the hood, on the bumper, and down by the wheels of our truck.  Another time he had it on his helmet, on the front of his motorbike, or held high in his hand while driving!  If anybody can realistically show you the intensity and difficulty of our roads it would be him!

What really stole the show though for the villagers and might I add for me too, was the drone.  I never knew about drones and certainly had never seen one working!  They told us that they had flown another white one at the Sharon’s village and the village people were scared thinking it was a ghost!

Cameras were aimed at BletJhaw and I constantly – we could not get by with anything!  I just pray that the pictures they made in BYT and in all the other mission projects that they visited will be blessed of God and more than fulfill the purpose of their trip inspiring young people.

Some of them were able to visit other villages with us and could see the poverty, ignorance, and the great need of spreading a simple life saving gospel.  Their prayers mingle with ours for the conversion of these dear people in the jungle and the dear children (and adults) who will later view 3ABN Kids time!

Jon spending hours on this motorbike!

Unfortunately the visit ended with us taking James to the Emergency Room. I had to turn him over to the nurses there.

BletJhaw and I finally said good-bye.  I learned he did soon recover! Praise the Lord!

Mission Trek has faced many problems this special trip.  The devil hates what they are doing so this means there will be great results for God’s kingdom!

Love and prayers to all of you!

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Miles Stafford

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Gayle

Once again, sorry, because this should have been posted in November.  It is difficult sometimes to keep up with all the events here on the web page, but it all is too important to leave out.

Miles Stafford, experienced Advanced Paramedic, Flight medic and Combat medic, visited us in BYT for several days.  How privileged we were.  His consistent cheerful attitude, strength, intelligence and adaptability to jungle life in our many villages, held me in amazement! He very easily carried the heaviest backpack to other villages, comfortably sat on the floor in the local’s huts, ate their food with his fingers and worked along with me in treating the sick.  BletJhaw and I really enjoyed his help and company!

Let me add that he is now doing the work that he came here to do:  The start up and operation of one of the world’s most remote ambulance and rescue operations in Myanmar. He works with a team providing the highest quality emergency medical care and training in this far away part of the world!   Please go to his blog site and check out his most strenuous, and wild adventures in India as well as Myanmar at:  memsmedic1.tumblr.com    He is a prolific writer and has great photography.  I know you will enjoy it.

But first he visited us in BYT!

 

I chose with his permission, to enter his own blog post describing his visit to BYT.  It is so interesting to hear other people’s thoughts about our mission project.

Miles Stafford wrote:

 

Ban Beyortah 11/15/2016

Finally we were on our way to the clinic! The truck was heavily loaded with the supplies we would need including food, medicine, and a motorbike as we started our 7 ½ hour journey. In addition to the nurse and I, Thara Blet Jhaw, a good friend of mine from when I was in Thailand before and the nurses invaluable clinic running partner, was with us also.

For the first half hour we drove south on the main road following the river. We took a short detour to stop at the market and pick up some vegetables, eggs, and our lunch, then we continued on until we came to a small road that looked more like a driveway than a road and drove into the jungle.

Up and down we went (mostly up) on an incredibly steep one- lane cement road past recently clear-cut swaths of jungle where fields of tapioca, mountain rice, and corn had all been planted by hand and is just now starting to be harvested by hand. Because the road is so narrow we had to honk at every plentiful hairpin corner in order to minimize our chances of a collision.

After a couple hours we arrived at the halfway point; a beautiful pagoda situated at the top of one of the many mountains. Although we were halfway to the village distance wise, we were hardly a third of the way there time wise, because the cement now ended and the dirt road with rocks and ENORMOUS ruts began.

The mountains are so steep here that in order to cut out a space for the one lane track (without a shoulder of course) the bank on the uphill side of the road is 30 feet high in places!

As we ground along in 2nd gear 4WD we kept our eyes open for wild elephants that are known to like this section of jungle and hate people. Every once in a while the truck would make a strange clanking sound from the front axle but it seemed to be driving ok so we kept going and hoped for the best.

After another hour we came to a shortcut, but we could not take it because it is so narrow only motorbikes can use it. Last year a bulldozer came out to try and widen the road to make it safe for trucks but fell over the edge himself!

Eventually we gained enough altitude that we drove into a pine tree forest mixed with thorn trees and bamboo thickets where we stopped for lunch.

Several hours later we dropped down into another valley and after crossing and fording 3 large streams (actually the same stream 3 times) we drove into the village the clinic is in. We drove through the gate, up one last steep hill, and arrived at our destination as the shadows were lengthening.

The clinic is in a remarkable location sitting on a hill overlooking the village. It is surrounded by fruit trees and has an amazing view of the valley below and the mountains above.

The rest of that evening we worked on unloading the truck and cleaning the dust, spiders, and jungle thorn sized centipedes out of the building and getting everything ready for the next day.

The next morning our first patients started to arrive! A few villagers from nearby villages had passed us on motorbikes on our way in and spread the word that the nurse was back so we had lots of work lined up for us.

Over the next several days we treated ulcers, rashes, anemia, blood pressure problems, headache, stomach aches, muscle pain, coughing, congestion, infections, skin problems, and a multitude of other complaints some of which were esoterically described such as “heavy head”, “rotting insides”, “fry smell”, or “swirling blood ”.

The villagers don’t have any money and aren’t expected to pay but they are so grateful for the care they receive that they give us small bags of freshly harvested mountain rice, pumpkins, giant cucumbers, and wild vegetables and herbs that they harvest in the jungle as gifts.

When there were no patients, there is plenty of other work to do. Thara Blet Jhaw and I worked on weeding the garden and flower beds and weed eating the grass. Thara Mu even dredged the mud and grass out of the drainage ditch around the building!

One morning we woke up and there was no water in our cistern! The rainy season had just ended so there should have been plenty of water for several more months. Fortunately we had two gravity fed water filters in the clinic so we still had a little drinking water and there was the stream nearby that we used for bathing. After cutting a path through the jungle following the pipe from our cistern to the water supply we found out that the pipe was packed full of dirt and sand!

After lots of hard work with no supplies, Thara was able to clear out the pipeline and then we jumped into the cistern and emptied out the muddy water and piles of dirt and sand that had accumulated in the bottom and scrubbed it clean before letting it fill up again.

Besides having patients come see us at the clinic, we visited several villages with backpacks of medical supplies also. One village required a long hike through the jungle up and down steep mountains and across several small streams.

One stretch of our hike to this village passed through what the nurse and Thara affectionately called “leech lane” because the tall, thick underbrush formed a long tunnel over the trail down a mountainside with lots of shade from the canopy layer and is always crawling with leeches who like to sit on leaves and drop down onto any passerby! We walked as fast as the terrain would allow, but when we got to the bottom we still found leeches on ourselves!

After we arrived in the village we were invited to set up our temporary clinic headquarters in a villagers bamboo house and all the villagers who were not out in the jungle harvesting rice came over to visit with us and get medicine for various illnesses. After treating all the patients who came for help the grandmother cooked us a meal of rice and pumpkin that we ate with our fingers sitting on the floor!

Finally, after many wonderful experiences, it was time for me to leave Beyortah and rendezvous with the Myanmar Free Ambulance team to continue setting up the groundwork for ambulance operations inside Myanmar!

On our way out of the mountains the truck started sounding worse and worse. Going around corners it would pop and grind and would hardly steer, Thara had to make skillful 3 point turns on some corners.

Suddenly there was an extra loud bang so we stopped to have a look and saw that the left front CV joint had broken!

Well we couldn’t just call a tow truck and we didn’t want to sit there and not do anything so we limped out the last 90 km at a snails pace straight to the mechanics shop with the noise getting louder and louder as the axle grease wore off.

After everything was squared away with the truck I said goodbye and went to meet up with my team!

 

 

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