Before we get into the story of the Mentawei Venture short-term medical trip, something happened that came by total surprise. Remember me mentioning my nephew Kent? On February 14^th I get a call from him, the first one in over 2.5 years. He asked to speak to Jean and she was at my son Tim’s house with the grandkids. So I gave him that telephone number.

When she got home I was informed that my nephew Kent and my 1^st interpreter Khairini are now married and living in Maine. What a surprise and joy. I had talked to her and had dinner with her last November and she did not say anything about it. I had asked her if she was planning a wedding and she said no. I was told by another friend in Indonesia that she was planning a wedding all the way back during the summer of 2003. I was elated but kind of subdued. Here I was the one that introduced them to each other and saved her life twice and they did not want to tell me first when Kent called me. The next paragraph tells you probably why.

Then in this March trip which is just a few weeks later, I find out that a person does not get married in a Muslim home unless both are Muslim. I found this out with two Muslim friends in Padang telling me this. Later Kent confirmed this so I ask for prayer now for both of them to seek out the teachings of Jesus and turning their lives over to Him as their savior. It will need to be an ongoing prayer request. Now, back to the rest of  the story.

What a trip this was. I had enough flying miles built up that I flew free from Denver to Singapore. Normally I fly United but the United ticket person put me on a Singapore Airline plane from Las Angeles to Singapore, and there were no in between stops. It was 14.5 hours in the air. I also used my excess miles to fly in business and 1^st class. So I also got to get on the plane first and able to store my baggage before other came in. What a difference that makes. We got to use real silverware instead of plastic. The food was much better and the service was great, if you did not ask for something they would come by and ask if you needed anything.

Instead of landing in Singapore at midnight and leaving at 1 pm that next day, we got in at 7 am and so did not have to get a Transit Hotel Room at all. Just had to find a place to get a shower which cost about $5.50 (S$8 Singapore dollars). I kill time and after getting my boarding pass I go out to the area where the plane was to leave and no one there. As I was sitting reading a little, I saw the man that was to go with us who had come in on United. At least I thought it was him so went up to him and asked if his name was Ray. It was so we had a nice visit and we went back through the concourse to get something to eat at Burger King.

Then back to the loading area we went and it was open. Singapore is a little different than DIA or other airports in America. You go through screening prior to going on the concourses which is similar but then you go through screening again as you enter a seating area waiting to get on the plane starting one hour prior to the plane leaving. We get on the plane to Padang and off we go. It is right at an hour flight.

Remember in one of the previous chapters I mentioned that when the plane gets parked, we walk down steps that are covered? Well I did not mention about the covered part but it was there and then on a bus we get for the 200-foot distance to the door that leads to customs. When we get inside this time we find out that we have to pay US$25 for a visitor Visa. I think this was done because America has people get an American Visa even if they fly over the USA. They were very selective as to the condition of the bills they got. I hand them a $100 bill and they rejected it because it had a worn crease in the middle of the bill. So I gave them a $20 and a $5 as they do not have good exchange value anyway when doing money exchange for rupiah, saving my other $100 bills for the main exchange.

After getting through the Visa fiasco, we go through customs and we are whisked right through. John was waiting for us as he got to Padang on Wednesday. He immediately told us that we had 2.5 hours to take a shower, pack our backpacks, and eat. For we were to leave Padang on the steel boat now instead of Monday or Tuesday like I had thought. It carries large and heavy cargo as well as passengers. He had made arrangements to have beds to sleep in as it would be an over night trip. Angel was selected to carry out the duties of overseeing the monetary part of it.

We get to Traupejet at 7 am and we unload our stuff after getting permission to have a short storage for all of it in a building as it was sprinkling. All the water had been shipped prior to us getting to Siobon so we did not have it. We did not know when the carved out boats (2) were to get there to pick us up. We had to wait about 2 hours and there they were. We got them loaded and off to Siobon we went and got there in a little over an hour.

The plan was to have one clinic each day starting on Monday and an evening Bible study. The only ones staying at the Perulian’s this time were the two cooks. My cook was Maria. Wati went with John. Angel and her sister Indy were to go with me. And Suzi, who you remember lives in Siobon, is to go with John. Then we found out that Mrs. Perulian was going to go with me. It sounded okay at the time.

John, Ray, Angel, Indy, Rev. Perulian, and Jack go to Mara to talk to them about putting in a water purifying set up. After talking it over with them, they came to the conclusion that the village of Mara had to build a building 10’ by 20’ to put the equipment in and out of the weather and out of sight for theft not to occur easily. The generator needed for the project would be a prize catch for anyone wanting to have electricity for their home.

The next morning we loaded our boat up and off we went being the first one out. I wanted to stop at Nemnemlelu, send a runner to Sagici (Sa gee chi), stop at Sao, send a runner to Bosua and let them know when we would be having a clinic. Then I wanted to go to Katiet and stay at Antionio’s house and have a clinic and Bible study. I guess I am too easy, it did not happen like that, at all.

We get to Nemnemlelu and Mrs. Perulian says to go ahead and have the clinic. So we did and finished by 3 pm. So now we just stop at Sagici and let them know when we will be coming, wrong. Then she said that we needed to do Sagici right away. I had not caught on yet.

Some waiting in one of the rooms. Pharmacy on the right with Angel keeping up with all of what she need to do.

So off to Sagici we go and get there in 15 minutes by boat. We get unloaded and thank goodness that the house was on the beach. We did not get the clinic started until about 7 pm. I kept the medicine on the table and took many pictures. At 10:30 I could not keep my eyes open and off to never, never land I went. And then ........................

On the left is the nurse doing diagnosis. On the right are just a few waiting to be seen by the nurse. Some waited up to 3 hours to see the nurse.

Indy and Angela are always with a smile on there faces .................... well most of the time.

Indy was a silly, fun loving young lady also and while I was sleeping I was probably snoring and all in the other room probably got a thrill from the music coming forth from me. Indy got my camera and took a picture of me lying on my back with the shirt flaps at the bottom, opened up to the first button, exposing my hairy body and that stupid looking navel. Only about 6 square inches were showing but she thought that picture is a gem. I suppose it will end up on the web site also.

And as you see to sleep I went. I think they thought they needed to see my sexy naval. I do not remember opening the front of my shirt but then again, maybe my naval was hot.

The clinic ran until midnight. Then they all went to bed and we all were up at 6 am. Now Mrs. Perulian said it was okay to go to Katiet. She said it would be okay to stay there overnight also. Good, I thought, I can do a Bible study. I had a new Bible study all ready on the subject of the 23^rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer.

We had the clinic in Antoinio’s house with the waiting room on the porch and the nurse’s diagnostic station inside the door and the pharmacy to the left in the living room. Antonio was not there but his wife was. He had done a lot to his home since we were there in March 2002. The porch was larger and it was covered. The block house was the same. There was a breeze way between the block house and the older house when we were there before and now it was enclosed into an eating area and open area. Furniture existed of a few plastic chairs, beds in the bedrooms, no closets, table in the eating area and the old house was the same with a table that held cook ware and food items. The kitchen was the same (pictures on the web page), with a ground cooking area at the outside wall with wood storage above it that was there to keep the wood dry from the cooking heat.

This is a modern bathroom. Notice the toilet molded to the floor in the far corner. You use the green pot for flushing the toilet and then you also use it  for taking a bath by rinsing down,  and then use it again to get the soap off. Sorry now wash basin or mirror. Oh, yes, this also serves for the clothes washing area. 

The waiting room is actually the front porch seen on the left.  The exam room was inside the front door and the  pharmacy was on a small table to the right in the living room.

As you see we have waiting mothers that the little ones took advantage with mom sitting down.

Many mothers with their children come to the clinics. They typically do not have enough money to purchase a small bottle of children's aspirin.

The back of the house area is now different in that when we were there before, remember Khairini came running out to draw the water for my bath, pour it into a bamboo pipe to the tub inside the bathing area. The toilet area was the beach. (See the picture of the modern bathroom above) Now he had a block enclosed area with the typical floor toilet that you straddle and a water storage area for flushing the toilet by hand, taking a bath, and for them to do the wash (pictures on the internet).

Angel and Indy her sister on the beach relaxing.

We had an hour before lunch and then continued the clinic. It lasted until 3 pm. My two girls were told by Perulian that they could go ahead and have some fun on the beach. About 45 minutes later she rushed us into getting the boat loaded and explained to me that the church in Mongan Bosua and the church in Katiet had some personal problems and the people did not want to come to the clinic where we were. It is a 10 to 15 minute walk. So the girls cut their swimming short, wet clothes and all, got into the boat and to Mongan Bosua we went.

We got there about 4 pm. Once we got all the stuff into the house I finally understood what she was doing. She is running for the job of being a senator representing the Mentawai Islands in the Indonesian Government. But too late now.

Again we start the clinic at 7 PM but this time it only went to 11:30 pm. We are out of a number of medicines but have enough of some kinds so keep going. That is a hurricane like two days for all of us. We had lots of patients, and this night we have a large abscessed area on an ankle. I could not watch again, as per usual. We all go to bed about midnight and back up again at 6 am.

 A few children were intrigued by my white skin and arm hair.  To the right I was teaching them a song called "The Lord's Prayer". In the back of the group is our boatman helper.

These children would repeat the words as I sang them. Then the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time through they were singing right along with me. I had also given them each on baby wipe. They thought it was neat to wash across their arms.

Off to Sao we go. We go this time to a very large home but still minimal furniture. We conduct the clinic on the covered-front porch. I handed out tooth brushes to all the school children that were there. The school teacher is a Christian and dismissed classes when we got there. At this clinic we had a 4 year old girl that had a round burned area on her stomach that was probably put there by the end of a small branch that had been burning. Maybe a loving brother did it. You could call it a brand and the nurse had to remove all the dead skin. She screamed and yelled because of the pain. I tried to take a picture but could not do it. I broke down and cried for just listening to the pain she was going through. I went into another room to get away from it and asked Indy to take the picture.

At noon we broke to eat and Mrs. Perulian came up with something to smooth over the hard moments by getting some fresh fish to be cooked. I do not think that worked as well as she had hoped, as Indy was very upset with her.

We finished the clinic about 3 pm and went back to Siobon and that took about 1 hour. We unloaded all our stuff and settled in to relaxing. It is now Wednesday and we did not leave until Sunday morning to go back to Traupejet to catch the steel boat. Indy was still upset with Mrs. Perulian and would not go to her house to eat.

Angel became emotional and went outside. I went with her and I tried to console her while we walked to Perulian’s house. When we got there I went in and got Waty the cook so Angel could talk to her. Angel did not want to show the others in the house of her crying. Waty and her talked and calmed Angel down. So From then on until we left, Angel brought Indy  food to eat for each meal.

I was disappointed that I did not get to do one Bible study but I did get to witness to the nurse that John had with him. He is a Muslim and normally witnessing will land you in Jail but this went very well. He wanted me to tell him some about the teachings of Jesus. I talked to him about God, Jesus, his birth, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. He listened attentively but did not make a decision. Maybe next time or someone else will lead him to open his heart to Jesus.

Here you see children on their way to school on the left. Notice the uniforms warn. Japan, Indonesia, and others all have uniforms for the children to wear up through 12th grade. On the right are grade school age kids and the school was right across the street from the Siobon medical clinic.

This man is the mayor of Sao. He has a tumor on his left back shoulder blade. The operation to remove it took about 2 hours. 

On Friday afternoon we conduct the last medical clinic with the medicine that was left along with some from the permanent medical clinic in Siobon. It is in a new building with tile floors and was very nice. It had one doctor and 3 nurses along with a couple of clerical ladies.

This is a new modern medical room. There is no air-conditioning anywhere in the building.

Ray became a friend to a new teacher to the island. He is an English teacher, the first one in the Mentawai Islands. Ray witnessed to him and he accepted Jesus as his personal savior. I went to Mrs. Perulian and asked if she could help with an Indonesian Bible. She gave me both an Indonesian and Mentawai written Bibles to give to him. John gave him an English written Bible. So over all, I believe this whirlwind trip was very good and profitable not only for the blessing bestowed upon us but for the honor and glory that was done before Him.

 Hand made rice powder. Here we have a young man and woman, crushing rice into powder.  Then the ladies below make a batter and make cookies.

After making their sugarless cookies, the dishes needed cleaned.

I asked Jack's wife why she did not put sugar into the batter or sprinkled them with sugar and sell them at the restaurant they own to the right of their home.. She just said that they would not sell very good.

Here I am beating on two tom-toms that are used for special Mentawai dances.

On the right the locals are doing an eagle - snake dance, but I am not the drum beater.

The sunset on the last evening in Siobon.

After getting home I heard on a news item that over 35,000 people in Indonesia have been infected with den gee fever between January 1 through the middle of March 2004. It is a decease that is similar to malaria but has a tendency to reoccur more than malaria does. It does not have a vaccine yet that will kill it totally. Will this stop me from going, NO WAY, not unless Jesus shows me that I need to stop.

Take a look at the new project that Joe Burke is doing to help children in Medan, Indonesia and you can help too.