Be As Flexible As Gumby

Be as flexible as Gumby” is a saying one of my teammates uses frequently when we work overseas. Nothing has been more true and we haven’t even left for Jordan yet. This year our hosts have recommended that it will be better if we go to Lebanon instead of Jordan. Same work, similar population, different country. Thankfully the agency our hosts work for has outreach efforts to  the Syrian refugees in both Jordan and Lebanon. Demonstrating our flexibility we are changing our plans and will head to Lebanon in February.

Our mission remains the same, a team of 14 will be providing medical and dental care to the Syrian refugees.  The refugees in Lebanon face very similar circumstances as the refugees in Jordan; they do not have access to medical care, they are prohibited from working and have survived atrocities that we cannot even imagine. The only difference, they live in Lebanon.

For me, it’s not about the location but the work we will be doing. The situation for the refugees pulls on the strings of my heart and I feel called to go and help. God has given me a skill set and I am excited for the opportunity to use my skills and minister to this group of people. 

Last year we treated over 700 refugees. Each so thankful for the help we could provide and the hope we shared. One of our patients was a 9 year old boy who was so badly burned on his legs that they didn’t bend properly making it very difficult for him to walk. His grandmother had to carry him around town. With the help of our host we were able to help him get a wheelchair. 

There is a significant expense involved with a trip like this and I am asking for you to consider contributing financially to this cause.

 As a team we are hoping to raise $15,000 to purchase the necessary supplies and cover the costs of the trip. I'm asking if you will consider making a $25 donation towards this trip. Like last year, any funds that are raised above the expense of the medications and/or the trip will be donated to our host group for the intent purpose of being used towards addressing ongoing medical needs.

If you are able to make a tax-deductible donation, please go online to this link and scroll down to select my name. 

https://vcbc.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=318

Clinic Days One and Two

Our first two clinics were in the town of Madaba. Madaba is mentioned in the Bible as a Moabite city and is referenced in the book of Numbers and the book of Joshua. One of the things you can do in Madaba is visit Mount Nebo. According to the Bible this is where Moses was allowed to view the Promise Land. On a clear day you can see the River Jordan, Jericho and Jerusalem. Moses is also reportedly buried on the mountain but the location isn't specified.

I have been to Mount Nebo on the last two trips to Jordan, the views are amazing. This year while the team went to Mount Nebo a few of us met with an Ex-Pat family to learn about some of their work. It was an interesting discussion on how their focus has changed from attending to the acute needs and moving towards more of a development focus. As the crisis in Syria continues, the hope of returning is much less. Most of patients talked about how they have lost their country.

One of the families I met with was a young girl and her father. The girl wore rose colored glasses. She had some eye problem and told me the glasses helped. I pray that after all her and her family have survived that she is still able to view the world as a happy and pleasant place. Her father came to the clinic with his wife's medical history. He wanted to discuss with the providers why three of his children died about a week after being delivered. Our suspicion was the children had a neural tube defect, probably from not enough folic acid  and/or B12. Being able to have children is an important part of a women's identity in this culture. We had a Jordanian pediatrician join our team for a few days, he is going to follow-up with family. I pray that her next pregnancy has a healthy outcome.

In total we saw 244 patients in the two days we were in Madaba. We offered more than just medical services. This year we had dental, physical therapy and eye glasses (reading glasses and sun glasses) plus a pharmacy that provided free medication. Many of our 244 patients visited all of the services we offered. Many were so thankful and felt loved and cared for. It is a privilege to be able to help and serve in this capacity.

Rose colored glasses

First Few Days

It was quite the adventure getting fifteen people to check in with 32 bags of luggage. We arrived tired and weary with all of our luggage and successfully connected with our hosts. With this being the third year I have made this trip, its more like reuniting with old friends.

Off to the hotel to unpack, shower and then dinner. We ate at this amazing place called, Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant. The meal was three full courses. The first course consisted of  appetizers of hummus, chicken wings, grape leaves and baba ghanoush. This could have been the main course. Then out came mixed grill with kebab, chicken and lamb platters with vegetables. All fresh and delicious. For dessert there was cream konafa, baklava rolls and fresh fruit.  It was perfection.

The next day we went to the Jordan Museum. The museum is worth a stop. For me the highlight was viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls. For lunch our hosts had arranged a meeting where they presented an overview on their ministry. It always interesting to hear what progress has occurred over the year.

Back to the hotel to organize our supplies for the clinics. We would be spending two days in each location. The supplies were equally divided; tooth brushes, tooth paste, reading glasses and sunglasses. We organized the dressing supplies, triage supplies and other items that we would take to each site. The dental team got their supplies together and with maybe six suitcases we were ready for the first day.

Appetizers

 

Dead Sea Scrolls

Returning to Jordan

In early February, I am heading back overseas to Jordan on another medical mission trip. This will be the third year I have participated in this trip and many of you have played a large role in making this opportunity possible. Again this year, we will be providing free medical care for the many Syrian and Iraqi refugees that have fled into Jordan. The refugees that we treat are facing a very difficult situation and have survived atrocities that we cannot even imagine.  Last year we treated 800 refugees. Each so thankful for the help we could provide. This year, because the needs are greater we anticipate that we will see more people. 

The situation in Jordan pulls on the strings of my heart and I feel called to go and help. Each year the needs grow yet I am excited for the opportunity to use my skills and minister to this group of people. 

Like in years past, we will purchase medications in Jordan to be able to serve in the capacity that we have been called. There is a significant expense involved with this purchase and I am asking for you to consider contributing financially to this cause. 

As a team we are hoping to raise $15,000 to purchase the necessary medications and cover the costs of the trip. I'm asking if you will consider making a $25 donation towards this trip. Any funds that are raised above the expense of the medications and/or the trip will be donated to our host group for the intent purpose of being used towards addressing ongoing medical needs. 

If you are able to make a tax-deductible donation, please go online to this link and scroll down to select my name. https://vcbc.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=218

You may write a check, make it out to Valley Community Baptist Church and in the memo section write - Jordan trip /J. Martin and mail it to me.

All donations need to be received by Feb 1st.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. If you would like, message me with your address so I can mail you note after the trip is over. 

Final Totals from Our Trip

Our final statistics from the trip.....we saw 799 patients. In the six days we had clinics, we treated 799 patients! That's amazing. That is about  75 more people than last year and we had one less provider. It helps that this was our second year, everyone was more organized and we had a better idea of how to set up and manage the flow. 

This is only a drop in the bucket compared to the needs. Since our trip last year I've been paying more attention to the events impacting the refugees, especially in Jordan. The Syrian crisis is the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era. According to the UNHCR in Jordan, as of February 2015, over 622,000 Syrians had registered with them. Some refugees live in the camps and about half a million live in host communities. As of 2012, over 150,000 people lived in one of the camps. Since then two other camps have been opened. In both living arrangements, the conditions are rough. 

The UN's report titled "Living in the Shadows" is based on home visits to the refugees living outside the camps in 2014. Almost half of the households researchers visited had no heating and a quarter had unreliable electricity.Rental costs accounted for more than half of households expenditures and many families shared accommodations to keep the expenses low. 

In addition to the Syrian refugees, Iraqi refugees have been entering Jordan since 2003. This number has increased over the last few months as more and more people are fleeing Iraq. According a study conducted by the UN, one in six of the refugees live in extreme poverty. 

I know to the people we saw, what we did made a difference. I know our hosts appreciated our help and our visit seemed to encourage them. I am grateful for Jordan and the other countries that have kept their borders open and have allowed the refugees to enter. I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to leave you house, your job and/or school and walk away with only what you can carry. I saw in the eyes of the people we treated what a toll that takes on your heart, your soul and your physical well-being. I am thankful for our hosts and their commitment to help the refugees. I truly saw that the workers are few and the needs are great.

    ...................until next year, when Lord willing we can return and help some more. 

Snow Day!

Not speaking Arabic can be a small barrier to getting an accurate weather report when you don't have internet access for most of the day. On Tuesday we heard snow was predicted for Thursday. As day went on it, it became Thursday night it would start and end Friday night. Until we got back to our rooms, we were at the mercy of those around us. One translator told us it was going to be the worst storm Jordan has ever seen. Our hosts told us not to worry. By Wed, the report was a little clearer and our hosts told us more than likely it would be a short work day. The translator suggested we stay at the airport Thursday night because weren't going to be able to get to the airport on Saturday. Later that night it was announced schools were closed on Thursday. I took that to mean, we'd either have a lot of patients or none.

Thursday morning as we headed out the sun was shinning and we joked about the universal struggle of being a weather reporter. A little after lunch time it started to rain. The site we had set up as the clinic, the majority of the waiting room is outside. We moved those who were waiting inside and everyone crammed in the hallway. The noise level rose a bit but other than that we kept plugging along. Our hosts recommended we finish up because we needed to get back before the snow started. We snuck in one last patient and finished for the day. Our final total for the last day, a record breaking 147!

Just as we pulled up to the place we were having dinner, the snow started falling. By the time we left, I could see why there was concern. A good comparison is probably when it snows in the south. It's not a normal occurrence so the level of comfort in navigating the hilly roads is less. There isn't much pre-treatment for the roads and the plows are not plentiful. By Friday morning, 5-6 inches accumulated, there was a travel ban and it was very apparent we were spending the day at the hotel.

It's been a little like college, hanging out in one another's rooms. Chatting, eating snacks and taking a nap. By no means has this been a hardship. We are thankful this happened on our day off and didn't impact a clinic day. And it looks like we will be able to get out on time tomorrow. Also very glad the translator wasn't accurate in his weather report.

Flat Tire

Yesterday we were working in an area that's a pretty decent drive from where we are staying. The area is poorest area that we have been to. The needs are overwhelming. This year a lot more people asked us if we had milk for their babies. It was hard to tell them that we didn't and somehow giving them a toothbrush didn't seem like enough.

We ended up seeing 142 patients, our highest for the week has been 143. It didn't seem like a lot, the pace was good but they came to triage as a "tribe." When the women managing triage poked her head in to see if we were ready for the next patient, she told me we have three families to see. I told that was fine, two triage stations were open and ready. She looked at me and said, one is a family of nine, the next has eleven and then seventeen. I didn't say this out loud but my inside voice was screaming, "17, 17, how in the world are we going to fit them in this room." I told her we can't have all those people in here at the same time and when I say people, the "tribe" was one parent and the rest children. Some how we did it. All three groups were triaged, seen by a provider and given the medications they needed. It all happened with as minimal amount of chaos that all those children bring.

On the way home, our bus got a flat tire. We pull over of the side of the road and our driver was amazing. Changed that tire relatively quick. We broke down in front of what turned out to be a some small military installation. It was up on the hill and we couldn't tell what it was. They drove down to make sure we weren't anything suspicious. It was a little bit of an adrenaline rush to have military truck rushing at you when you are in a different country. They were great tho. All ended well and we made it back safe and sound.