Tuesday, August 16, 2011

First Medical Flight for Ga’dang People

Last night Christina learned that our good friend Analyn (she is 19 weeks pregnant) started having some cramping and bleeding.  Analyn has become a good friend to both Christina and I over the last year.  We were so excited for her when she became pregnant as her and her husband had been wanting another baby for about 2 years now.  They have 2 children already.

After talking with Analyn this morning we decided that it would be best to take her out to the hospital and have a checkup.  Christina having been home for just 2 days was happy to accompany Analyn to town.

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It is possible to get to town by land.  But it is a 2 hr hike, if you walk yourself.  She would have needed to been taken out by stretcher.  Then it is a 1 hr bumpy ride to the nearest town.  The hospitals there are not good.  It would then be another 1 hr drive to a town with a good hospital.

It was obvious that it was best to fly Analyn by our NTM helicopter to that town with a good hospital.  That is what we have the helicopter for. 

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The saddest thing for us is that we had to think about whether or not we can afford to pay for this flight. We do not have extra support to cover these medical flights.  It cost us $180 US for the flight alone.  Then there will be the hospital and doctors fees on top of that.

We decided to trust the Lord to provide for this expense.  We know He is faithful to take care of all our needs and the needs of the people we are ministering among.

If you would like to help us with this medical expense or any other medical expenses for the Ga’dang people, please let us know.  We can direct you the information you need.  Or go to www.ntm.org/canada/give  Make sure to include a note for Ga’dang Medical Fund.

Please be praying for Analyn and her baby.  We will keep you updated as we learn more.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Water

It’s finally done!  There is now a fresh supply of water for our village thanks to all the hard work of both the people living there and the recent NTM SUMMIT team that came from the UK.  It was 3 years ago when we promised the people that we would provide a fresh water supply for them and we are very thankful that the Lord allowed us to come through on our promise.  Here, with pictures is how it all played out:

Before the SUMMIT team arrived we needed to get the water as far as the village.  This meant laying 1 km of 1” pipe from the spring up in the hills down to the tank just above the village.  The men of the village helped me cut the trail, lay the pipe and pour the pad for the the tank. 

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When the team arrived, they got right to work digging.  We also had help for the village people for this as well.  They came up with the idea of using the plough to break the ground.  What a great help that was!

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It was hot, and every day of the first week with the team there it rained in the afternoon.  Rain or shine though, they kept working hard.

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We set up 6 faucets in the village, each complete with a cement pad.  The team worked on these as well.  The village guys thought it was amazing to see the SUMMIT team ladies right in there mixing cement and getting dirty!

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By the end of the 12 days, we were able to bury all the water lines in the village and hook up all the faucets, as well as Christina’s and our water tanks at our houses. 

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To say thanks to the SUMMIT team and to all the people in the village who helped us with the water project, we hosted a ‘blow out’ (party), complete with pig, pancit and dekat (sticky rice dish).

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We are very thankful to all who have given financially to make this project happen, as well as all those who prayed for us during this time.  A lot of other things happened that could have set us back but the Lord saw us through and we are blessed as a result.

By Chuck