Continued Connections to LAMB
Hello to you all: no, I have not gone back to Bangladesh, but am serving in a different way here in the States. My last letter described a bit of how I continue to connect to LAMB and Bangladesh during this season, so I’ll update a bit on what has been going on.
First, to report back on an opportunity I talked about in my last letter, I did teach at an Ohio State University global health short course this past summer. It was only for 1/2 day, but the contact with students was great!
I also had a meeting last week with Samaritan’s Purse (the organization of the doctor and nurse who contracted Ebola and were brought to the States this summer). LAMB hopes to receive medical volunteers, so we talked about our set up. They sent a survey including questions such as what our electrical supply is (often generators), whether we have ventilators in the operating room (no), how do you get to LAMB (sadly the only airline that was flying to the airport nearby went bankrupt).
I also continue to be in touch with future medical volunteers, to talk about everything from nearest ATMs for cash to what the food is like!
These photos are from the most recent LAMB Annual Report (available online at http://www.lambproject.org/?page_id=1489). Our nurse’s training is in full swing (above) and our community health workers (documenting neonatal health (weight, growth, feeding practices) via tablet computer! (below)
This is the link to a short video (3.5 min.) from our InterserveUSA national director, Dr. Pat Krayer, describing the work my organization does among the ‘Unseen 1/4’. It is a new way to think of what had previously been described as the ‘10/40 Window’, the geographic area located from 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, from West Africa to East Asia. It is where Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists live, 1/4 of the world’s population, among whom only 3% of Christian workers serve.
Pat Krayer says: “Why is this so tragic? How did you and I come to know Jesus? Most of us came to faith due to a series of ongoing relationships with followers of Christ. Since this is the case with most people, and since such a small number of Christian workers live and work among these 3 billion unreached people, most have little chance to discover what Jesus has done for them.”
I’ve been asked why I am studying more. Basically, to serve well when I return to Bangladesh, with fresh insights from a deeper relationship with God. The program is for 3 years.
I started classes at Fuller in June on Christian Ethics and Church and Mission in a Global Context. The first (ethics) was as I expected, learning to construct an approach to various ethical issues based primarily on the Bible, with tradition, reason, and experience as secondary resources. I wrote a final paper on giving/lending in Bangladesh, with MY message being that I must give (from Jesus’ words ’give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you’ Mt 5:42), but best when in the context of a discipling relationship.
The second (Church) was quite unexpected, sort of an overview of church history through to ‘fresh expressions’ of church. It led me to experiences of Orthodox, Catholic, Pentecostal, and most outside the box: street church! That was a regular Sunday morning service held on a street corner outside a boarded up convenience store, with all the neighborhood invited: disabled, single moms, some suffering from mental or physical health issues. I got to give first aid to the one whose hand I held during prayer when I found blood on my hand from a wound on his arm...
Film Recommendation: Weapons of the Spirit: a documentary story of a French town called Le Chambon of Huguenots and a few Catholics where many European Jews found shelter and survived the Holocaust. ‘A conspiracy of goodness.’
World War II Vets to Too Many Pets...(Door to Door Doctor)
Well, too many pets is probably in the eye nose of the beholder. I have enjoyed my work, driving home to home to assess and teach preventive care to elderly and disabled persons on Medicare (WWII vets have great stories).
I am sent by an agency to see clients (of insurance companies) in a 4-county region (1st OH, now IN). I may be in a central hotel for a few weeks, radiating out to various small towns or cities for a day. My favorite days are when I am more rural, driving from farm to farm talking to characters who are usually still working in their 80s.
But there are sad stories: 90 yr. old ladies taken advantage of by neighbors, or even their own family. I am glad to bring a listening ear, and do just a bit of teaching about everything from what is a living will, to why it is a good idea to get an eye check (fall risks) or a colonoscopy (cancer risks). My plea: get to know your isolated elder neighbor, offer a helping hand!
On a Personal Note...
I spoke to a group of Minster Mission Commission ladies a month ago, telling of LAMB’s work. Someone asked ‘How long are you home?’ I paused, then responded, “Well, I usually serve there, and now I am serving here for however long it seems right.’ By that I meant I, along with my Dad and siblings, will help care for my Mom during her illness. She is newly on hospice, after deciding to stop chemo with continued slow progression of metastatic disease (especially bones and around the lining of the lung cavity).
I feel odd in terms of not really having a fixed timeframe, but I keep busy, as the rest of this letter describes. I have sometimes frittered away too much time on the internet...but really want to be available in the moment, just taking what comes and not trying to fix things. I’m working to pay tuition, but I am grateful for those who continue to support me through Interserve, covering my health insurance as well as giving me a bit more flexible time to serve in this different way.
