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Nov
30, 2005
Enjoyable week at Sidikalang,
Nias
It was a very good one
week at Sidikalang. Though we were told that there were
50 teachers, we ended up training 60 teachers instead.
Lectures were held in the morning and workshops in the
afternoons. On the last day of training, 600 children
from various villages were invited to a party at the
Bible school where the teachers did a “Good Samaritan”
stage performance and a puppet show. We even had a small
surprise birthday' celebration' for Elizabeth.
Overall, we all had a lot of fun and
you can say that everything was good.
Our host has requested for us to go
back next year to train 200 teachers in Sidikalang and
another group of teachers in Aceh. Elizabeth William
enjoyed that 1 week and said she doesn’t mind
going back next year to do the training. Same with me...
that is if CRS has no problem with us going back there
again.
PAULINE KWAN |
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Nov
13, 2005
Nias Medical Team 2 Experience - by
Jolyn Chua
CRS MEDICAL TEAM 2 RELIEF TRIP TO NIAS,
INDONESIA (18-23 October 2005)
CRS Team 2: Dr Jamie Phang (Leader), Loh
Chin Siew, Diana Wong, Doh Kah Uei, Jolyn Chua
We were the second of two
teams sent by CRS to set up mobile medical clinic in Nias
Island, Indonesia.
Nias is an island off the west coast of Sumatra, and it
was struck by the Dec 26, 2004 Tsunami and later hit more
severely by a series of major earthquakes since Mar 2005.
Many parts of Nias are very badly affected. The only hospital
on Nias island is located in the town of Gunong Sitoli,
and half of it was in shambles. It was very primitive
and underdeveloped. Most of the people are also unable
to afford the medication that was prescribed to them. |
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Some reconstruction work has begun at the hospital, slowly
and steadily. Temporary tents which were set up by the
NGOs after the earthquakes were still standing as contingency
wards for use in case of another earthquake. The patient
wards were very cramped, with 3 patients in one small
room, coupled with very poor ventilation and poor lighting.
CRS worked with a great local host (YWAM - Youths With
A Mission). Together with YWAM, CRS set up mobile medical
clinic over three days in numerous remote villages and
saw about 300 patients. The people had poor hygiene and
were ignorant of healthcare and their own health conditions.
Some even had Malaria, Thyroid, Kidney Failure, Stroke,
High Blood Pressure, Severe Skin Infections and did not
seek any treatment. There were several patients with Tuberculosis
and Cataract problems, and we took down their particulars
so that future visiting doctors and specialists could
attend to them.
Many were also traumatised by the earthquakes and had
difficulty sleeping at night. The people in these remote
villages were poor, uneducated and had no access to medical
treatment. They had poor hygiene, evident in their black
hands and dirt-filled fingernails. Many of them also smoked
and chewed betel nuts, both are cancer causing habits.
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The Nias people were very nice and it was evident from
their expressions that they were very grateful for the
free medical help we rendered. Every patient who came
to the clinic was there by divine intervention. When
we got busy or tired, it became even more important
to remember to make a deliberate effort to greet, smile
and to make a connection with every patient in the clinic.
It really opened our eyes to the needs
of the poor and uneducated. The world really needs help.
In any disaster situation, it is often the poor who
suffer the most, plus they also do not have the knowledge
and resources to escape from the disaster-hit areas.
Contributed by Jolyn Chua
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Nov
8 , 2005
Nias Medical Team 1 Mobile Medical Clinics to Villages - by
Trisha Chan
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October 2005. Written by Trisha Chan. 2
Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having
all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
As a first timer on a relief trip, this
verse certainly rang true for me. Nias Island was affected
by the 26 Dec '04 tsunami and an earthquake on 28 Mar
'05.
The plan was for the team of 5 of us, of which only one
is a doctor, to meet up with Derek Allen, a doctor with
ICM, to conduct mobile medical clinics in villages in
Nias. Unknown to us, upon arrival, God was marvelous to
provide us other co-workers to work alongside us: a New
Zealander nurse, a Filipino surgeon, local interpreters
and Malaysians who were there under YWAM. Our small team
became a bigger team who attended to 300 patients over
4 days in remote villages.
I learnt that God does not leave us friendless when we
go in faith to serve Him in a cross cultural situation.
We never work alone. There are others that God will call
to play roles you are not good at. In my case, others
in the group were more familiar with medicine or better
in communicating with the locals than me. But I found
a role I did not know I would play in the team, that of
saying things to make people laugh, providing comic relief!
Indeed, different people form the Body of Christ and work
together to reach out to the poor and needy.
Alone we may think we aren't very useful, but collectively,
we can make a difference! So if you have a heart to help
those hit by disasters, trust God that He will strengthen
you and help you…to help others…together with
other co-workers in Christ. May God bless and use you.
Jo V checks on the Local
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Dispensery Room |
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service with a smiler 
Trisha & Bron |
foot note--article reproduced in its original form written by
author |
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