Last Note from Kemantian

This will be my very last e-mail to you written in Kemantian, Palawan Phillippines. This marks the end of my 9-month stay here as a missionary nurse working in a jungle clinic. Its really not as excotic or as scary as it sounds. Its been a challenging and also rewarding year (feels like one anyways although only 9 months). Its been a time of growth and trials. God has been with me through it all and its only because of Him that I've made it through. I have learned to trust and depend on Him in new ways. I hope I have learned all the lessons He has sought to teach me here. However, even if I haven't, I know that He won't give up on me and will continue teaching me.

I already wrote about my vacation with my Dad here on Palawan. After my 2 week vacation, my Dad accompanied me back to Kemantian and stayed for about 1 and a half weeks to visit me here. It was really fun to have him here, to meet my friends, both local and missionary, to see where I live, work and go to church. Also, to see and eat the kind of food here! I really enjoyed our time together.

Project wise, lots has been happening here the last few months. In March, the Georges, Niksun, a few local Kemantian church leaders and the high school students, Dyillin(Jillin), Kalbu and Dyinie(Jinie) went on a trip deep into Palawan jungle to meet the Tawt Deram, a native people group, rumored to be cannibal. They had been asked by a member of this group to come and provide health care and a school. So they made the very arduous journey, 20+hours, by foot into the even more remote mountains. They made contact with descendents of the Tawt Deram, and decided to leave Niksun (who volunteered) behind with them as a missionary to provide some basic health care and to teach once they built a school. To this date, a school has been built already by the local people and Niksun with his friend Nusi (volunteered to join Niksun for company and support) have been back to visit us here and give updates.

When my Dad and I got back from vacation, the very first ever campmeeting was held up here in Kemantian for all the churches that have been started by this project. The three churches are Kemantian, Kensuli and Malis (Ipayu). They set up tarps near the landing strip (for the helicopter) to provide shelter for all the people who came for the campmeeting. Over 150 people were present and most of them slept right there on the ground with a blanket. It was a time of fellowship, singing, stories and testomies.

There also was a small graduation for Niksun and his sister and adopted daughter of the Georges, Dyillin (Jillin). They passed the national elementary completion exam which is quite a feat as its all in Tagalog. The local language here is Palawano and not much Tagalog is spoken. So a nice graduation was held for them and they even wore white graduation gowns, the kind we are used to seeing in North America.

There has been a lot of baptisms also. From here in Kemantian 4 youth were baptized: Hilin, Kalbu, Dyunie and Dyinie. From Kensuli 6 youth: Mauri, Dunuy, Dinaru, Meribil, Bilin and Nurlinda. Also 2 adults from here: Silin and Maliling and 1 adult from Malis: Bini. Its very exciting to see the decisions for Christ, especially among the youth. The day the youth from Kensuli were baptized, the Kemantian church went there for church. I was able to go as well and really enjoyed church in Kensuli with all the members there and Sunday's family (the Philipino missionary family to Kensuli). Kensuli is a very vibrant growing church. I also realized a lot of our patients that come from Kensuli are going to church there.

The PACTeam (Palawan Adventist Construction Team) arrived in the first week of May to spend about 10 days working on finishing up the new clinic. The team consisted of 4 young adults, one of which was Christina, the Georges daughter living in the States. I need to mention that we have had a couple new missionaries here since February. One of them is Kiana, a recently graduated teacher, who was a student missionary here for two years previously. The other is Ben, a young 19 year old who came to help finish the new clinic. So he has been working on it since then but the PACTeam came to give the work a final thrust and help with a new project for the clinic, a bathroom complete with a flushing toliet for the back porch. The PACTeam also did a lot of exterior rat proofing for the clinic. Rats had gotten in and chewed electrical wires so they refinished the exterior with plywood flown in from the lowlands. So it was fun having some new people here to chat with in English! They were a very nice group and lots of fun!

A funny story that happend while the PACTeam was here. We had a patient come to the clinic saying that he shot himself in the hand about 6 weeks ago and that the bullet was still in his hand. We were worried about lead poisoning. He had a huge lymp node in his armpit but no other apparent problems. They use some kind of air pressure guns around here with bullets the size of about a pellet gun. So we were really busy and it was late, plus we had Christina here, an ER physician's assistant who does procedures like this all the time, so we had her deal with his hand; cut his hand open to take out the bullet. So she takes out the bullet and pokes at it with her instruments. And it crumbles a little bit... So she asked the patient what it was and he replied "fruit"! So this guy shot himself in the had with a dried berry! Crazy! At least he didn't have to worry about lead poisoning!

During the time the PACTeam was here, I experienced my first death here in Kemantian. A patient was carried here from Kensuli area, but she was already too far gone. She likely had typhoid and maybe cerebral malaria as well and had been sick for a week already and unconscious for nearly 2 days before she was brought here. But she arrived breathing still so we put in two IVs and gave lots of IV fluids but her heart stopped beating anyways. We did CPR and even gave Epi (this info for you nurses reading this) but there was nothing we could do. A young woman with several young children and a 6 week old baby. What a senseless preventable death. Its hard to initially understand why they would wait that long to bring her for help. I still don't really understand but as I learn more about Palawan animistic culture I can see why they might not have brought her sooner. They often belive there is a spiritual/spirits related reason for sickness and thus seek their “witch doctors” of sorts to help first. They don't come for our medicine because the sickness isn't seen as being physical but spiritual and caused by the spirits, so they go to someone who knows about the spirits. Then if that doesn't work they might bring the patient to us. In the case of Pindita, her own brothers didn't want to help her husband carry her to the clinic but instead have their suppers. It seems so heartless but again, they might have been thinking, she's already dead, and that the spirits are too powerful so what will carrying her to the clinic accomplish. From our western perspective, how heartless and foolish. But to them, its how life is. That's what is so powerful and amazing about knowing Jesus. We don't have to live in fear of the spirits (who really do exist) and can experience freedom in Jesus Christ. I don't want to tell stories about things spirits do here because I don't think its necessarily helpful nor do I want to focus on them. But the majority of people here really do live in fear of the spirits and satan. Its a blessing to see the freedom people experience in Christ. Its interesting to me how in North America satan works to convince people there isn't such thing as God or himself but here he manifests himself and desires to keep people in fear. Here, they believe in God, satan and demons/spirits but have a small and twisted concept of God and live in fear of the spirits and satan. Praise to God that He has lead people here, like the Georges, to teach Palawanos a true picture of His character and love for them.

So the interior of the clinic was finished last Monday and we moved into the new clinic on Tuesday! We have spent this week moving, counting things for inventory, arranging things in the new clinic and seeing patients there as well. Our first patient Wednesday morning has become our first inpatient today as well. One of the school girls, Rusma! Its so nice to be in this lovely new clinic. The old place was a small little hut with two rooms and a large porch. We really did practice porch medicine. The new clinic is a western style house-like building with plywood walls and floors with real doors! It is much more spacious with shelves and room to keep all our supplies within easy access. It even has plumbed in running water and lovely white formica counter tops!

The other thing on the go, is a bridge over the river that people have to cross to go or come from Kensuli! A civil engineering student volunteered to come and build a modest suspension bridge over the river! Very important during the rainy season when the river floods and people have a very difficult time getting to the clinic or to school. He has had some help but mostly has been building it all by himself. So the bridge was finished on Friday with some local help for putting bamboo slats on the walking surface of the bridge! A dedication for the bridge was held Saturday afternoon. After everyone had left and some of us missionaries were there only chatting, us 3 girls decided to try bridge jumping into the river/creek! Right now its not very deep but deep enough! It was Kiana's idea and Danelle was really excited to do it too! I don't think I have ever jumped off a bridge before but knew this was my opportunity! They went first though! It was really spontaneous and fun!

So I leave Kemantian in one week! I am excited, sad and nervous to go home! There will be lots of adjustments in store for me! I have never done this before, been gone for so long from western culture, so I imagine there will be a fair amount of adjusting! I know God is good and will see me through it all. I am very excited to see family and friends back home! I have missed you all and am really looking forward to talking with you in person! I leave Kemantian June 8 and I arrive in Edmonton, Alberta Canada June 10 and fly the next day to my home town! About a week later I will hopefully be going back to work at the hospital.