Adventures in Outreach: Health and Wellness in Remote Villages in the Philippine

People have asked, so we’re delivering!

Here’s an episode longer than the 90 second reels we normally post. Now you’ll get a better glimpse of what it’s like to serve with us, especially if you’re still thinking about volunteering or you’re about to make the trip across the water to the Philippines. This is what our Mondays look like (not always doing the long hike though). I get that our work can confuse people. Do we spend our days in a business office, underwater, in a classroom, on the streets, or in the mountains? The answer is yes. On this day we had Dr. Paulina with us from Hope Alive Clinic along with medical students learning from her. And members of Hope Rescue were pushing forward too. The ambulance ended up getting stuck in the mud though. And we had to bring it to the shop this morning because it went kaput on us from all that off road action. We kind of really really need a 4x4 “rescue” truck if anyone wants to donate their old one to the organization. It’s never good when the ambulance is out of commission. Check out the video and take a trip with us if your attention span can extend beyond 90 seconds!

What you won’t see me talk about in this Youtube channel is that beyond the health and wellness is our priority to care for the spiritual lives of the people we meet. Sharing the Gospel and prayer happens with every patient and resident that we get to help.

Agricultural Seminar at the Hope Center

Post taken from the Samson Missions page (Facebook):

I wanted to share this photo of one of our most recent training sessions, particularly because of the back stories connected to it. What you’re seeing is a group of our Muslim friends preparing a presentation for the rest of the class. It’s an agricultural seminar hosted by one of our ministry partners that specializes in sustainable farming. Most notably, they have also figured out a way to present the Gospel to Muslims through this training. Our team members are also students in this seminar so that they too could learn how to cultivate the land at our ministry center. They also received extra training strictly for missionaries in order to learn how to teach this class as an outreach tool (when the non-Christians left of course).

What do you notice in this picture? In the background you can see the cross. That’s because we’re hosting the training at the church, Hope for the Nations. Often times we are hyper-sensitive to the people we are ministering to and try to avoid points of contention or offense. But we decided to keep the cross up because these people know us well. They know that we are members of a church. They know that we are Christians. And they are also aware of the fact that we conduct weekly outreaches at their mosque…their own place of worship. And we don’t ever give off that we’re offended by their religious traditions. So we felt that this situation was okay.

Our missions headquarters is at this building. It is called the Hope Center. It houses the church, our office, the Hope Kids Clinic, the Hope Playground, and the newly planted Hope Garden. We’ve hosted many Muslims and other non-Christians here for our outreach seminars and even to simply sleep over so that we could have a recreational excursion with them. We know that we are blessed because in our network, it’s not common practice to have Muslims enter a church or missions agency office or Christian dorm building. It makes sense of course, because of all the awkwardness. But with a vision to build relationships with Muslims and to take them to a place that our team would feel safest and most comforable in, we invested a lot of energy into ensuring that we had our own building. This picture represents just one of the instances of our vision coming to fruition.

The training is being hosted by a ministry partner organization. We became connected after serving one of their leaders during the pandemic. He was in a dire situation and we were told many times that he may not survive on the ventilator. But he won the Covid fight and was discharged after 3 weeks in the hospital. We were there to help with oxygen, transportation, and to pull some strings to get him a bed at a hospital when all facilities were full at that time. That leader was the guy that set this training up for us. And he was enthusiastic because he saw first hand why we have a team of first responders and an ambulance. To serve as Christ served!

Pray with us as our team continues to serve and reach people with the love of Christ. And rejoice with us as God opens more and more doors to bridge the Gospel to the unreached.

Computer Lab at Masjid al-Risala

From the International Service Corps of Asia page (Facebook):

We at the ISC are committed to delivering digital technology to our partner communities regardless of the prevailing industry, manner of living, or socio-economic phase they are experiencing. Years of experience has taught us that incorporating computer literacy to our projects is valuable for recipients no matter what age. The families belonging to the mosque pictured here are primarily farmers. However, they have identified the value of providing computer access to their neighbors. So, though our projects mainly consist of supporting their agricultural efforts, providing community healthcare, and tutoring school aged children, it was a pleasure to also equip them with a desktop computer.

Our tech guys, Francis and Eldrine, have worked hard to configure our existing supplies to build a computer station at this masjid’s multi-purpose room. We don’t just hand out computers to anyone of course. This community partner has exhibited an enthusiasm and commitment to learning that has compelled us to take this step (as we have in a number of other communities throughout the Philippines). Their hospitality and willingness for personal development has inspired our volunteers every single week we make the trek to see them.

We look forward to teaching more computer classes here and to seeing where the future will take this loving community.

Edwin's Testimony

This video was made for San Juan Bible Church’s missions month. It’s my brief testimony.

Working in the back

What I look like working on patients in the back of the ambulance:

Isolated on Josiah's Birthday

Last year on this day we planned to make Josiah’s 12th birthday one to remember…you know, to make it up to him because we were on a government mandated lockdown. Well, a full journey around the sun later, with a few sporadic weeks here and there where kids were allowed to see the light of day and breathe fresh air, and Josiah’s expectations are understandably at rock bottom. But what does that mean for a parent? Lowered expectations where the only place we could go from here is up! It means that he’s super happy and content with getting greetings from his friends via email, with getting presents from others through motorcycle couriers, with being excited to finish his Zoom classes so he could play a new video game. And my promise to hang out with him, even if in PPE gear so I could get closer to him to play Super Smash Bros., was fulfilled. I was even able to safely give him his birthday spankings, fully gloved of course! Take that Covid!

I tell you, Josiah is the sweetest kid ever who can find joy in the worst of situations. He’s the kid who pretended to be on a boat and sang when that super typhoon ripped our doors open and flooded the house. The one who broke his arm trying to show me a new trick on the monkey bars after having just flown an international flight, literally saying, “Look dad, no hands!” The child who would ride with me on my motorcycle tank to accompany me to a new computer class. That faithful kid who prayed for our broken down car to start when we were stuck in the middle of a moutainous jungle road with not a single home in sight. It started! My boy who religiously tells me before I leave for all my night shifts to, “Go save lives, just don’t die.” So many stories.

This kid is going to change the world…he’s already changed mine. Happy birthday to my little buddy.

Oxygen

I posted the following on the Hope Rescue FB Page on September 8:

Oxygen. The world is aware of the demands for oxygen that the pandemic has caused. Especially hit are underdeveloped nations that cannot physically or economically provide this essential treatment to suffering patients. For someone fighting the Coronavirus, the immediate relief that pure oxygen delivers is nothing short of miraculous.

We wish we could provide tanks to every patient in need. Treatments at home are necessary, regardless of a person’s failing condition simply because the hospital system is beyond capacity and cannot accept even the most serious of cases. So we will bring the tanks into your home and set it up based on your doctor’s orders or our own medical director’s advice. It’s an honor to do so.

However, we are also stretched beyond what we could handle. Please continue to message us if you’re in need of a tank because supplies may be available. As long as you know that we may not be able to fulfill your request. We promise to do our best.

***As a reminder to family members, please treat oxygen as you would medicine - as serious treatment that can have adverse effects. Contact a healthcare provider to confirm the need for it as well as to determine the flow rate and type of delivery system. If you don’t have a family physician, search the hundreds of available online telemedical consultants on your browser or social media platforms. Oxygen tanks are also dangerous and should be set up by trained professionals while following their instructions to prevent injury and harm. Stay safe friends!

Processing Suffering

Truth be told, I can’t speak on death or dying as if it’s something I have a right to post about. Someone’s parent or child or sibling. Loss and grief and weeping and wailing. Is it a subject that should be romanticized for the sake of producing something socialmedia micro-readers can consume? Should someone else’s tragedy be a reason to bring relevance to one’s own story; relegated to some sort of self-centered epiphany on life’s purpose or meaning. I guess it’s a yes to all those things because life is story and stories end…and those endings bring new beginnings or impact other people’s timelines creating an innumerable mess of narratives.

I’m just having a challenging few weeks and writing helps me cope or doze off at the bewitching hour, Philippines time. Eleven patients today. Using up all the fuel in the ambulance’s tank. Running completely out of oxygen for those in distress. Rolling out of bed before sun up to do swab tests, provide those green 02 tanks, transport patients, do home visits, resupply, and even meetings. And in all that bustle of life there is death. I have to literally stare it in the face to see if it’s true, to know whether I need to do CPR, attach pads, or call for further medical direction. Or to help find a funeral parlor or to transport or to reposition or provide cover to bring one final attempt at dignity. Then there’s the prayers. Wearing full PPE while interceding to the Almighty for our patients and family members is never easy, but it is powerful.

I hate Covid. I hate illness. I hate disease. I hate violence. I hate death.

Of course I see death and dying more than most because that’s literally the only reason why someone would call for our rescue crew. But repetition doesn’t make encountering it any easier. Someone once asked why we do what we do as a ministry, as volunteers, as community servants, as missionaries. I don’t have a good reason except that I know folks need people in the most hopeless moments of life. It’s in our name right? Hope Rescue. And it’s not an easy task that someone can do over and over again for friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers. But the team I belong to has somehow been gifted with the ability to do just that. Be there during horrible situations. I think that’s what it means to be like Jesus. Maybe I’m wrong. And we can go home, tired and emotional and fed up with tragic endings. But tomorrow is another day, a new day. And I get up, not bemoaning the terrible events that seem to be waiting around the corner, but instead rejoicing at another crack at life in all its messiness, for me or for another we get to help.

Sure, this post doesn’t make sense. But writing it makes me feel light enough to rest me eyes until my alarm gets me up in time to hear the kids play before school. Keep us prayed up my friends!

Staying Cool in PPE

In cool-down mode before the next set of patient swab tests, meaning no hood, face shields, or tape. Still, we’re absolutely drenched in the heat. We’re in a season where the requests for our ambulance, medics, and services are constant. It’s quite tiring because these activities aren’t like our other projects. Our computer classes and seminars have a start and end date and specific times. Our feeding programs are also on a solid schedule. Relief distribution depends on our own calendar. But EMS is nonstop and cannot be scheduled. And we can end up having to respond as we’re headed home to rest, like yesterday’s case with the child and the hit-and-run we happened upon at the exact moment they needed us.

Right now, Jerry and I are the only members of our team available to work for a number of reasons too varied to mention here. We consider it a privilege, but we can’t wait until our whole group is firing on all cylinders again. If we look kind of out of sorts it’s not because we’re physically tired. There are a lot of hurting and sick people out there and we don’t have the ability, resources, and finances to help them all. But we wish we could and not being able to do so is emotionally exhausting. So we pray for help so that we can help others. And I’m yearning to get in the ocean again wearing scuba gear…not PPE swimming in sweat.

Accidents are always unexpected

The following story was posted on the Hope Rescue EMS FB Page on September 2:

It’s not often that we get to see a patient’s progress from actually witnessing the accident, then emergency treatment, transport to two hospitals (2 hour ordeal), diagnostics, the surgical procedure, casting, discharge, getting dinner together with smiles, and finally the long drive dropping them home. Sure, almost eight hours with one patient. Certainly a far cry from EMS optimal efficiency. But the way we see it, we got to spend time getting to know another family. And we got to work with the rescue medics of the city of Taytay. Kudos to you guys if you’re reading this! And the best part, remembering the smiles of the patient and her family as opposed to the screams and tears and forceful grip of a victim.

Our team is actually on skeleton crew because of quarantine. That leaves just two of us available to respond. So today was supposed to be a light day for swab testing and Covid transport. We also picked up an oxygen tank we lent out and had just refilled three of them. But we accidentally left them at the car wash where we had the ambulance disinfected. Before we could make the U-turn to go back and get them, we happened upon the hit and run. Had we been carrying the tanks, there wouldn’t have been room to cater to a patient. I thank God for little mistakes like that.