Boxes, iPads, and More Boxes

 This latest post is going to be really fun for me to write, and hopefully for you to read, because I have lots of practical accomplishments to report!

Contrary to popular belief (that's a lie, I don't know if it's all that popular), I haven't been on holiday in Hawaii for the last four months, aka "writing policies". I've been working really hard, and I've got the proof! I have been prepping, dreaming, and building new systems and processes to implement when we start outreaches in July! 

Due to Covid, it's been over a year since we've run a medical outreach. That's been tough on my heart (see every previous post since March 2020), but it has given me and the rest of the team lots of time to take a step back, evaluate our processes, and implement new things for the great reset, if you will. I can tell that God's hand is in this, and I'm so excited to share what I've been up to! So without further ado:

1. I was able to source and purchase a portable Ultrasound Machine! The Butterfly IQ is a hand-held ultrasound machine that plugs into an iPad, so we can ultrasound any body part anywhere! It has settings for all kinds of different things, from cardiac echos, to antenatal sonograms to soft tissue settings. This will have so many different applications in PNG, such as pneumonia/TB diagnosis, chest pain, arthritis, lower abdominal pain, and of course, antenatal check-ups.

2. I designed and created an app that we will be able to use to collect patient data during our clinics in remote areas. In the past, our clinic flow involved tiny scraps of paper, lots of double charting, and a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to who has been registered in what order, and what is the urgency of their visit. This new system will completely eliminate all those hiccups, make the process so much smoother, and also much easier for me to report statistics at the end of the outreach!

3. I got to dream and plan and purchase TONS of things to be sent in our Oral Bible Translation container, then organized and colour-coded all the boxes so we'll be able to find things when it gets to the other side. This is our one opportunity to have free shipping, so we have absolutely STACKED this container full of boxes. Everything from fuel filters to medical supplies, to board games and light bulbs. It will be a huge blessing for everyone on board the ship.

4. I've been recruiting volunteers! My dream is to have medical professionals who have done a DTS who are committed to the ships ministry, so that we can rotate going to and from the Liberty, and then begin to go out to other island nations, supported by the Flotilla department. We've already got SIX people who are interested!!

Right now I'm looking at flights to PNG for the end of May. Things are falling into place for us to be able to start outreaches in July, but our biggest obstacle at this point is still the closed borders. We can't get surveyors, medical volunteers, or DTS students into the country without a two week quarantine, which will jeopardize our ability to deploy. Please be praying for an opening for us to be able to continue to move forward!