There and Back Again

 It's hard to believe that I've been back from my outreach for over a month already! Time really flies. 

Just in case you missed it: I took a team of nurses from Kona to Papua New Guinea at the end of August, and joined our medical outreaches happening there for two weeks. After that I flew to Fiji, where I joined the YWAM Koha (a vessel operated out of New Zealand), and served as a nurse and supported their clinic leaders for five weeks!

It was such an incredible time spent in PNG. I was really nervous to go back, because of how things had gone last time, being so difficult and covid restrictions, etc., but I feel like the Lord really redeemed my time there, and I felt the joy of the ministry and the love for PNG that I had first had when I joined staff in 2019, and I was actually sad to leave and only be there for ten days. 

It was such a precious time of connecting with the staff there and encouraging them, building relationships and blessing the people through the medical clinics. It was so encouraging to me as well, to see first hand how far things have progressed since the last time I had gone to Madang, when the base plant was only three weeks old. God is doing incredible things in that place.

In Fiji I had a really great time just enjoying being a nurse! I served in the medical team doing registration and triage, as well as supporting, teaching, and encouraging the clinics leaders there. This is only their second year doing outreaches, and I was involved with the development of their medical programs in 2020, so it was so exciting and encouraging to see the progression since then.

It was also interesting to learn about a new nation, and the difference in the health challenges there. Even though it is in a similar location and climate to PNG, the illnesses are so different. Fiji is further developed than Papua New Guinea, more people have jobs and there is more infrastructure to support the rural areas. The rural population is more educated when it comes to water and sanitation, so you see less of those types of illnesses. The major problem in Fiji is chronic illness, such as hypertension and diabetes. It was interesting to be able to brainstorm and come up with ways to do education and evangelism around those topics!

I'm back in Kona now, back to serving in the fleet support office. I am currently helping train two new nurse staff who will be going to PNG in December for two years, and another nurse who will go to the ship for four months.

 I'll be sticking around here for the holidays, as I went home last year, so it's my turn to let my colleagues in the office go home this year while I hold down the fort. It has been such an incredible year, and I was able to see so many aspects of God's faithfulness. I am so grateful to God and to all of you, my supporters, who have made the work that I do possible. Have a blessed holiday season, and I'll be in touch in the new year!