Highlights from Short Term Medical Mission Adventures

The Mentawai Islands, Indonesia 

The Mentwai Islands

The epic of mission work began with a visit to the church I went to. Within 2 days of the presentation I had made the decision to go on my first ever, medical mission's trip. Once there the living conditions that the children had to grow up in, had to have someone care enough to help them live longer than 15 years. For up to 20% of the children die before they make it to 15 years old from malaria, tapeworm and cholera. So the following stories are of the trips that I began to go on to reach out to children.

The Mentawai Islands are part of Indonesia. There are three main islands with another 2 islands that are very close together. Then there are a myriad of other small islands. If you look on a world map or a globe, you can see where they are, so the main islands have some size to them

John Colvin was invited to come to Indonesia in 1993 to see the medical need in the Mentawai Islands by a Gideon friend, Huise. God spoke to John's heart and the next year began doing something about it. He incorporated into a non-profit organization called The Mentawei Venture. One mistake back home in doing it, he misspelled the word Mentawai. It gives us something to talk about from time to time.

By 1994 they had organized 3 women into making quilts. One lady taught the other two. Then the hand made quilts were brought back to America and sold for the purchase of medicine and other medical supplies. John found a company called "Cure, Inc" which gave him free medical supplies that were collected from medical offices and hospitals.

If you ever thought of a 2 or 3 week vacation that you could enjoy very much, reach out and touch a child, participate in a mission's program, and/or just see what a missionary does, contact us and let us know how you can be involved from your home or journey to Indonesia.