Living the Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:02:44 +0000

I haven't updated this blog in awhile but when I have more pictures and such to share than can fit in a newsletter, it seems like the best way to share those.

So at Bethesda Nursing Academy we recently went through an accreditation site visit for LAM-PTKes (Indonesia’s independent accreditation agency that evaluates and assures the quality of higher education programs in the health sciences, such as nursing, medicine, and public health.) We are accredited by two organizations, with the second one being from government's education ministry. Both of these accreditations last five years and they both need to be done this year.

The accreditation process starts by submitting documents through an online portal. That has been in process since late last year. Once those are all submitted and reviewed then they scheduled a site visit by two assessors. We expected that to happen after the Ramadan fasting month but our lead assessor was from Bali and Hindu, so he went ahead and scheduled it sooner. Our second assessor was from Palembang and Muslim, so she was fasting during the day.

This process is very formal in Indonesia and we spent a lot of time getting things ready. Every five years they change the process slightly, so each time you have to be ready for something slightly different. For me that meant making sure our skills lab was as ready as possible, as I am in charge of that. We don't actually use our skills lab in the way it is in the standards because we are short on space. So that meant we had to do a lot of shifting things around and getting things ready. Thankfully, I had some help from other staff and some students.

So here is the process in pictures:

Ready and waiting to welcome the assessors

The formal welcome from our director, Nora.

They then toured the campus, including the skills lab. There I and the director answered their questions about our facilities and programs. They were less than impressed with some of our old equipment and lack of space. They even at one point suggested we open a museum with some of our equipment 😁

The following morning we had an official opening ceremony with speeches etc.

They spent the rest of that day interviewing different groups, from the leadership and the secretary of our board, to teachers, alumni, and current students. They also interviewed people from our local government clinic and hospital that work with our students. This is the newer model of accreditation that focuses on qualitative methods.

The follow morning they reviewed our documents with us. Each group had to go forward and show their documents and explain them.

The assessors then met together to discuss their findings and type them up. Following that they shared their findings with us and gave us a chance to respond to them. Then we had a closing ceremony and took our final pictures together.

But we also did manage to have some fun together in the midst of it all!

And now we wait for results. It will take about a month for committee to review all the documents and also the results from the site visit. There are three possible outcomes:

Unggul (Excellent Accreditation): This is the highest accreditation level, meaning the program demonstrates excellent quality in education, faculty, facilities, clinical training, and outcomes, and exceeds national standards.
Terakreditasi (Accredited): This means the program meets the national standards for health education and is recognized as providing acceptable quality education, but it does not yet reach the highest level.
Tidak Terakreditasi (Not Accredited): This means the program does not currently meet the required national standards for health education and must make improvements before it can receive accreditation.

We are praying at least for accredited and would love an excellent score but also know that we don't meet some of the standards. In the final speech from our assessor who was Muslim, she acknowledged the effort we had made by not eating and drinking in front of her and said felt welcomed and respected by this despite the fact we are obviously a Christian institution. It was a good reminder that we can share our faith and care through our actions.

A Borneo Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 12:10:00 +0000

Well somehow it is now December but I still thought I would post a few pictures from my Thanksgiving celebration. Thanksgiving of course isn't celebrated here in Indonesia but I decided to take some time off that week and travel about 5 hours by road down to the city of Pontianak. There is a guest house run by Ethnos 360 there for those serving in Indonesia. It gives us a place to rest and fellowship across our different organizations. So many of us gathered to celebrated Thanksgiving together with a potluck. Anyway onto a few a pictures...

Some of the kids wrote and performed a finger puppet show on the first Thanksgiving

Actresses revealed

Several of the kids had fun making the fruit look like a turkey

Well they weren't turkeys and maybe not chickens. Honestly we have no idea what they were but they looked nice ;)

Loading up plates

Don't forget dessert! Yum!!

An art project for the kids

One of the fun moments of my time out was connecting with Lina again. You might remember the picture below from November 2016 when I did a rather unexpected home birth in Salatiga for a fairly newly arrived family. The second picture below is myself, Lina, and now two year old Lias, plus a few extras who wanted their picture taken during our Thanksgiving potluck :)

All in all it was a good chance for some rest, fun, and fellowship. Now it is back to work though and the final push before Christmas.

Appointment Ceremony for our New Directors in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:32:00 +0000

On September 28th we held an appointment ceremony for our new board members and also for several new unit directors. We like to do ceremonies up big here in Indonesia, so it was quite formal but it was also very special. Just to clarify a bit we have a board (called a yayasan here) that is primarily Indonesian run. Wendell and Paul Geary also hold positions. Under this board, we have four different units -- the hospital, the nursing school, the village health program, and MedGo (an Indonesian missionary sending agency). Also under the board's oversight is a preschool and a ministry that provides care to families with special needs.

So on the 28th we welcomed new directors at the hospital, nursing school, and village health program. The director of MedGo was reappointed for another term and we also appointed an assistant director at the village health department. So here is how the morning unfolded in pictures...

We started our morning with a chapel service. Pdt (Pastor) William Herjinto shared an encouraging message from Isaiah 40:28-31.

Then a special choir sang Menjadi Terang Hu (Be My Light). This was the first time I had heard this song and it was really good. I will put the translated lyrics at the bottom of this blog post or they are also available as part of the description on the YouTube page.

Next we began the official ceremony with the reading of the letters officially stating who are our new foundation board members and directors.

Our new directors and assistant director pledge their commitment to the ministry here at Bethesda

And of course the paperwork has to be signed. This is typically part of ceremonies here including weddings and such.

Then we heard a special video message from founders Wendell and Marge Geary in Minnesota

And the chairman of our Board gave some special encouragement

And then our ministers and chaplains prayed a special blessing over them

And last but not least it was time for pictures

So meet our new (and one renewed) directors...

Director of the hospital - Dr. Kristiyan and his wife Dr. Karina. They have two young children. He is also currently our only ob/gyn, so is on call 24/7.

Director of the Nursing School - Ibu (Mrs.) Rossiani and her husband.

Director of MedGo (serving another term) - Donda

Director of the Village Health Program - Dentist Muktar and his wife Dr. Esther

Assistant Director of the Village Health Program - Pak (Mr.) Niko and his family

And one bonus shot, in case you couldn't tell Dentist Muktar and Dr. Esther are expecting baby #1 shortly. They were married early this year, after meeting here at Bethesda.

Please be praying for these new directors. Pray for wisdom as they balance many challenges and needs. Pray for strength for each long day. Pray also for their families, as you can see many of them are young and/or have young children that also need their time and attention.

Lyrics to the song "Be My Light"

Your call is higher and honorable

because Jesus' resurrection is the assurance

His power is given to us to be the witness of His resurrection

Let's prioritize God's work

fulfilling His perfect plan

Our family and work are used as a light to glorify Him

Oh happy are those who are loyal

share the gospel of salvation in the world that rejects God

Let's be His light, testify for Him

and bear the cross willingly to follow my Lord

Meet our Newest Class

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 14:59:00 +0000

September is here again which means we are welcoming a new group of students at our Nursing School.

Say hello to the 2018 freshmen

There are 41 students total. 17 young men and 24 young females. So now I am working to learn 41 new names and tell them all apart. All of the young men had their heads shaved, the girls are required to wear their hair up and they are all wearing black and white; so that is not an easy task.

They completed four days of orientation to life on campus, the academic program and also general topics like healthy living.

With teachers and staff during the opening session

With student leadership during the opening session

They also practiced for the weekly flag raising ceremony with one of our local police officers

As I write this they have survived the first week of classes. They will be taking 22 credits. I will be teaching them English for three hours every Wednesday and also Fundamental Nursing Concepts (topics like nursing theories, nursing process, and critical thinking) for a couple of hours on Monday afternoons, several times this semester.

For four of them I am providing academic counseling, mentoring, and discipleship. More on that in another post to come.

Please be praying for them and all of our 138 students as they live together in the dorms and complete their classes. Pray for our teachers and staff as we work together to educate, disciple and shape these young people to be good nurses with a heart to serve those in need. Please also continue to pray for the addition of at least one more nursing teacher as we are definitely short-staffed right now.

Our freshmen class singing during our chapel service.

The song they are singing is Mujizat Itu Nyata which can be translated Miracles are Real

Disaatku tak berdaya

(When I am helpless)

KuasaMu yang sempurna

(Your Strength is perfect)

Saat ku percaya

(When I believe)

Mujizat itu nyata

(Miracles are real)

Bukan karna kekuatan

(Not because of strength)

Namun RohMu ya Tuhan

(but your Spirit Lord)

Saat ku berdoa

(When I pray)

Mujizat itu nyata

(Miracles are real)

A trip to WorldVenture Home Office

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 19:17:00 +0000

There is nothing like the blessing of being surrounded and prayed for by those who have walked a similar journey before you. What a delight it is to be amongst those understand the joys and griefs of serving internationally. The unity and community is like a little taste of heaven. That is what it was like last week when I visited the the WorldVenture office outside Denver, CO. Along with four other couples we have served with WorldVenture for a total of 104 years! I was definitely the newbie in the group, although I did celebrate 10 years of service :)

Worldventure recently relocated and downsized their offices (if you would like more info on the why of that decision, I am happy to share with you), so this was my first visit to the new office. There has also been turnover since I last visited almost exactly 5 years ago, so it was good to get meet the new staff.

We spent several hours each day hearing from different departments including but definitely not limited to leadership, finance, health, and communications. This gave us the opportunity to hear and understand the whys of the many changes and also get our questions answered. We also had an opportunity for a couple of hours each day to debrief and reflect in our group. This was led by the member care staff at the office. We laughed and we cried and then we prayed.

So here are a few pictures from my time in CO...

The new WorldVenture office located in Inverness, CO

What a view! The back windows overlook a golf course and mountains.

Each day at 11:30 am they office staff meet to pray for a country and those serving in that country

Sharing with the office staff about my ministry in Indonesia

Receiving a certificate for serving with WorldVenture for 10 years (this includes previous trips to Indonesia and time in the US doing training and partnership development)

On Friday we visited each of the offices to leave a little love and appreciation for all that the office staff do. We also had the opportunity to pray with several of the staff members.

And I left just as it began to snow and was only 12 degrees :)

Christmas 2017 in the US

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 19:46:00 +0000

There is nothing like a white Christmas at home with the whole family! Such a special time filled with memories made. Our family is expanding with the addition of Laura's husband, Shalom and our exchange student from China, Andy, who is now at university but spent Christmas break with us.

Just a couple of pictures from Christmas...

A concert in Portland the Friday before Christmas with Kristin and her boyfriend

Games, games, and more games! We are a competitive family :)

Snow! Our only few snowy days this year came that Christmas weekend.

Of course I had to take a picture in the snow and send it to Indonesia for those who have never experienced snow :)

Kara comes to visit

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:12:00 +0000

What fun (and a bit of crazy timing!) it was for my sister, Kara, to come visit. She showed up just one week before I was scheduled to leave on Home Assignment. A week that was crazy busy as I wrapped up my responsibilities and said my see you laters to teammates and friends in Indonesia. She spent a week with me in Serukam and then we spent a week exploring the island of Lombok and its beautiful waterfalls and beaches. Here are a few pictures of our time together...

She is here! A long trip by yourself!!

Enduring one of her many "paparazi" moments when everyone either wants to take her picture or take a picture with her.

And then we were off to enjoy some time on the island of Lombok (next to Bali)

We stayed at a lovely AirBnB with a pool and we were the only guests for most of our time.

We also had several beaches in walking distance

And there is nothing like sunset on the beach!

We also explored the jungle and some waterfalls.

And fed peanuts to some hungry, loud, and bossy monkeys

And then with a transit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan (with its many fun decorated lounges) we headed home to the US

Graduation 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 14:54:00 +0000

With much joy (and a sigh of relief) we have wrapped up another academic year. We celebrated at our Graduation Ceremony last Thursday as 37 new nurses graduated. They started as a class of 45 with one withdrawing, one taking a year off for financial reasons, and the remaining students have not yet passed all their classes. Some might consider having students who didn't pass a bad thing but here we have been working really hard to make sure we hold our students to a high standard and having teachers willing to fail students is a good thing. Many of these students come in with a very weak academic history and just need to take the program at a slower pace with some extra help and tutoring.

Join us as we celebrate these 37 new graduates. The video below contains a few highlights of the singing, dancing, and speeches that make up a graduation ceremony here. Pray for them as they take their Nursing Board exam in October. We have the highest pass rate in our province but it is still far from 100%. Five of the graduates with the highest GPAs will be able to continue their education and have their bachelor degree paid for by our local government. Pray for us as we continue to strive to hold our students to a high standard in the knowledge that as a nurse they will be responsible for patient's lives. We will be having a meeting sometime this week to discuss several of our students who are struggling.

For those reading this in your email program, videos sometimes aren't visible and you will need to click the link below to go to the blog to watch it or watch it on YouTube here (https://youtu.be/5CKwgGxAeDw)

Ujian Akhir Program - Final Program Exam

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:19:00 +0000

We just wrapped up our Final Program Exam for the senior class. This is the second time I was a test examiner. This exam is a three-week process and includes a practical portion, a written paper, and oral presentation/defense. A lot of work for a diploma!

Week 1 - the students cared for a patient for three days in the hospital shadowed by an examiner and graded on their patient assessment, intervention skills, and patient teaching.

First morning - after they picked a card with their patient room number and diagnosis. Before that they didn't know what type of patient they would have. It could be anything from a pregnant woman, to a child sick with pneumonia, to an adult admitted for a medical reason or a surgical case. They had two hours to complete a full assessment and write up a nursing care plan before they were quizzed. They were not allowed to look at any books or resources during this time.

Some were happy at their assignment :)

Others not so much :(

Phew - first day over! But before they found out how much homework they had to prepare for their shift the next day :)

Sometimes your nursing intervention test of giving a nebulizer treatment to a young patient with pneumonia can result in cuddles. (I had permission from the patient's parents to take a picture)

Our team of Nursing Teachers and Examiners. We can be all smiles or we can leave you searching for the right answer for many long minutes ;) Both of these teachers are leaving us next year.

Week 2 - they wrote up a nursing care plan and paper on the disease process their patient was experiencing in consultation with their assigned nursing instructor. I consulted with 7 students.

This what the final result was at the end of the second week. This is a nursing care plan and case report for an adult patient with typhoid.

Week 3 - they did a presentation on the paper they have written and then faced questioning by three examiners for around forty-five minutes. Only after successfully passing this three-week process are they officially considered graduates of our program.

First day of oral exams.

One of the students doing her presentation. They are limited to between 10-15 minutes.

This is followed by answering the examiner's questions and defending their nursing care plan.

I think we were all glad to be done with the process. Final results will be discussed and announced tomorrow morning. In the afternoon they receive an official letter stating they have officially passed the program. This letter can be used to a a position contingent on passing the nursing board exam. Graduation will be next week, on August 3rd.

The end of the academic year is in sight! I still have a lot grading for the other three classes I taught this semester and grades are due August 2nd but am making steady progress. A big prayer request for the Nursing School... we have recently lost three teachers, leaving us with just four nursing instructors for 130 students. We do thankfully have several masters of health teachers to help out and we also work with several nurses from the hospital, but still that is a tough loss. One of the teachers will be returning though in a few years after she completes her master's degree. To my understanding, there is not a single program in all of Indonesia that allows you to get a master's degree in nursing while also working anything close to a regular schedule. All require at least partial relocation for at least several weeks at a time. Pray we can fill those vacancies with experienced nurses with a passion for teaching and serving, preferably before the new school year starts September 4th.

Going Grocery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 12:14:00 +0000

So you want to go grocery shopping with me? Shopping is a bit different here, although probably not as different as some might expect :) So what's on your shopping list today? Many things we can get locally because although I live in a village, it is on the main road between two bigger towns and has the hospital with many employees living in the area.

Need fruit? We got several choices but probably different choices than you are use to. You can almost always find bananas in all shapes and varieties - so far have counted 16 different types. We even have ones that you are suppose to eat while they are still look green and yet are ripe. Pineapples are also frequently for sale (and we have several plants near our houses too). Oh and oranges are actually green here and have seeds, so watch out. In our village area though you can't find apples, pears, cherries, peaches, berries or grapes etc although we can buy apples in Singkawang (more on that in a minute). There are days I really miss some of those fruits especially being from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Locally we also have a small canteen that sells ready-to-eat food. No McDonalds here though! For a little less than $2.00 though you can get a nasi bungkus (rice package to go) with some meat (or other proten source depending on how much you pay), vegetable, and rice. Oh and don't forget the hot sauce! You can also get fried rice and noodles here. Most of my students eat here on a daily basis. Our patient's families also buy food for themselves and the patients here.

Don't have time for a trip to the market in town. You can order many things from your motor sayur (vegetable motorcyle - although they deliver more than vegetables). These drivers head into town in the middle of the night and load up their bikes at the market and then have different areas and times when they deliver to different villages farther out. Some go to the morning market and then deliver in the late afternoon. They usually have the basic favorites like green beans, a several green vegetables, peppers, sometimes fish. Your best bet is to develop a relationship with one who you can order food from and know what time he arrives in your area. Course delivery is still hit and miss based on what he can find at the market that day.

Last shopping option near us are several smalls stores down front. Their selection has really improved in recent years, especially one Chinese family who seems to have a pretty good supply chain including things imported from Malaysia. You can buy lots of things including rice, flour, eggs, soap, noodles, umbrellas, buckets, water, liquid propane gas, sandals, towels, and the list just goes on and on. That said things are more expensive than going to town usually. I try to buy the majority of my big shopping in town but then supplement with things from here as needed both to support them and for the convenience. Most of this local shopping is done by my helper. She cooks me an Indonesian lunch daily with usually rice, some meat, eggs, or tempe, and a vegatable. Today for examples that was chicken in red sauce that she calls ketchup with some green beans.

Once a month or so though I head to the town of Singkawang, which is only about 45 km away but takes a little over an hour to get to thanks to the curves and potholes. I don't drive here (yet) so have a car and driver that takes me and I usually make a day of it, eating lunch in town and enjoying the break. Singakwang is considered a town by Indonesian standards but it has almost 200,000 people living in it. About 3 years ago they even got their own mall with a supermarket that has many things that before we would have to travel to the city 5 hours away to get. So I can now get fresh butter, milk, cheese, (although both are expensive so I don't get them very frequently or in limited quantities) and many other things. It even has a bakery that sells hot dog and hamburger buns. Things it doesn't have though include any frozen microwave meals, a good cereal selection, the normal snacks and treats you would have in America. Here are a few pictures of shopping in Singkawang...

These use to be the only supermarket type stores in town before the mall opened and selection was much more limited. They have no refridgerated section, so powdered milk and canned butter were our only options for example. They also do not have any sort of carts and so instead you fill baskets you carry in very narrow aisles stacked with stock. I make quite the spectacle as I only go shopping here about once a month and buy a lot more than the average Indonesian family as most Indonesians only buy enough supplies for a couple of days or at the most a week.

Singakwang is located on the coast of our island, so there is good supply of many types of seafood. I usually try to go to this market and bring a cooler with me to stock up on vegetables and fish. After my monthly shopping trip there is little room in my freezer :)

And then about three years ago after long months of waiting for construction to finish, the mall finally opened. In Indonesia it is popular for a nice hotel to be attached to the mall and that is still under construction but some rooms opened early this year. At first I thought that was a strange idea but now I like the idea. Most places in Indonesia like to have a soft opening first where just a few basic services or stores are available. For this mall some of the first stores opened were the supermarket and the department store. For awhile there those were the only stores open though and there was fears the mall would fail. Then though the movie theater, KFC and a donut store opened and things started to look more hopeful. Now there is quite a good selection from a bakery to kids stores, to cell phones. Just this month several new stores opened. This place can be completely packed when they have one of their special events (like a basketball court in the center having a tournament) but I like to go on a weekday early enough in the day that kids aren't out of school yet. It is a lovely break in the AC, with some yummy food and there aren't long lines at the supermarket.

Hypermart is the name of the supermarket and while its stock can vary a lot and they can be months where there is very little in stock, it is a refreshing change to shop here. I am actually really impressed that they can keep things like fresh butter and cheese in stock although in rather limited choices. At the most we have two different brands of butter and usually only one. Cheese here is $50 a pound. Yikes! Hence the need to put myself on a food budget once Hypermart opened :) They also have baskets and wide enough aisles to get through, although they do like to stock in the middle of the day, so sometimes if they have just gotten a shipment, it can be tricky. I definitey make quite a spectacle here and frequently despite other cashiers being open everyone will line up behind me to see what all is on my cart and commenting on it. Most days I can take it in stride but there some days I have to admit the getting stared at and all the comments can be quite frustrating. By the way even at the big Hypermart in the city 5 hours away they still don't have belts of any sort leading up to the cashier so you have load and then push forward all your purchases.

The final stop on our way home is usually the fruit stand. The family that owns the one I like to shop at use to have a regular motor sayur route out in Serukam and we developed a good relationship with. He then stopped coming to Serukam but opened this fruit stand. It usually has a good selection, including Chinese grown apples, watermelons, papayas, and lots of other fruit in seasons. I have now developed a relationship with this man's daughter and we always enjoy catching up briefly when I stop for fruit. They frequently give me some extra oranges or a discount and it is just nice to shop where you are known and they know what I like.

And to end up on a funny note, this was the cereal aisle at Hypermart in the not so distant past. How does the variety compare with the US? All that to say I am looking forward to my Home Assignment in a few short months and enjoying some of those things you can only get at home in the Pacific Northwest!

Capping Day 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 05:02:00 +0000

It was a special Friday at the Nursing School on March 3rd as our freshmen class who had just completed their first semester had their Capping Ceremony. This is an old tradition (pretty sure it was imported somewhere along the way) where students get to wear their white uniforms for the first time. Female nurses still wear caps here and this is their first time wearing them, hence the name the of the ceremony. One of the best parts is we got to meet their parents and families. There is no parent orientation at the beginning of the school year here, so we do a meeting on Capping Day for them.

This ceremony also signifies that they will be allowed to do clinicals in the hospital this coming semester. We were talking in the office at the Nursing School this week how just wearing the white seems to give them more confidence. It was a really rough first semester with more students failing more classes than ever in recent years, so we can hope that will change this semester as they continue to mature. I don't teach them in their first semester, so I am looking forward to getting to know them and teaching them Nursing Fundamentals this semester like how to take a blood pressure and do a physical exam.

Ok time for the pictures and a couple of short videos (for those reading this in your email you might need to click the link to go to the blog to watch the videos).

Our freshmen class. The student dressed in yellow in the center represents the Florence Nightingale Pledge they take

One of the parents shares that they are entrusting their kids to the Nursing School, which is important culturally here

Dr. Paul shares some words of wisdom about surviving school and the responsibilities of being a nurse

The three students with the highest grades

This is our official Nursing School song that talks about how the school was founded by God and they want to be students here to be shaped and educated by teachers and staff who will lead well and give them lots of work so they can be professional nurses.

They then sang a second song about our motto that is from Ephesians and speaks about how we were all created by God, so that we can do the good works He has prepared for us.

The final song was for their parents. It is a classic Indonesian song that talks about how their parents raised them, loved them, and cared for them and how they are the best. As you can see, we lost "Florence Nightingale" to tears before we even finished the first verse and most of the first row and many others were crying by the end. For some of these students it was especially hard because their parents weren't present because they have passed away already.

Please be praying for us teachers and the students as we seek to not only help them become knowledgeable nurses but model a servant's heart that has compassion for others.

Field Fellowship 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 15:38:00 +0000

Oh what fun it was in late January to gather with our whole team for our annual meetings! We have a growing team, which included three new arrivals - two long-term women and one short-term young man. While we serve on different islands and in different ministries it is so good to get together, share our joys and burdens, and pray together.

For those able to, we spent the first day and a half just enjoying time relaxing, shopping, and eating fun places together. Then the remaining few team members joined us and we spent three full days in meetings and wrapped up with a time sharing Communion. I didn't take a lot of pictures because I was just enjoying being with everyone but here are a few taken by other members of our team...

We spent the first evening praying for the unreached of Indonesia, each other and our ministries

We also took time to pray for our two newest long-term team members. They are settling in and tacking language and culture study.

We also spent time with men and women meeting separately to do some more in-depth sharing where where we focused on hope.

And I got to spend time with some of my favorite people - the young members of our team.

Hanging out and taking selfies with Beatrice. Her big sister Annie is behind her.

Hanging out with our youngest team members. I was present at all of their births here in Indonesia.

Please be praying for the baby I am holding in my left arm. There were concerns about his development during our time in Jakarta and further testing in Indonesia has shown what may be a major problem. He is being evacuated to Singapore in a few hours for further testing and possible surgery. His name is David and he is two and half months old.

Christmas Celebrations with Students

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 15:20:00 +0000

*Very late post :) *

One of my favorite parts (but also very time consuming) of the Christmas season here in Serukam is the opportunity to invite the Nursing School students to my house before they leave on Christmas vacation. This year because of the accreditation visit things had to be moved up by a week leaving me scrambling a bit to get enough food baked but in the end it was fine. So for three nights I hosted an open house at my place. Here are some of the fun pictures from those open houses...

You can tell where the party is by finding the house with all the noise and shoes outside

A necessary requirement is a lot of food! 100s of cookies and at least one cupcake and can of soda per student required.

And after that is all about fun, singing and eating...

I keep busy keeping food on the table and taking a lot of pictures with all the different students. By the they are ready to head home my smile is wearing a bit thin :)

These two young ladies (Dolina in the center and Gusniati on the right) are two of my "anak PA" or students that I provide academic counseling for. In this case they are both 2nd year students. We meet regularly through the semester to make sure they are doing well physically, spiritually, emotionally, and academically. Both of these young ladies consistently get the top grades in their class. Unfortunately, my other student from this class, Nimrod, routinely receives some of the lowest grades in his class and is struggling to pass. Please pray for all of our staff and teachers as we seek to teach and mentor these young nurses-to-be.

Christmas 2016 in Serukam in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 08:35:00 +0000

Bethesda Board Christmas (Hospital, Nursing School, Village Health Program, and MedGo).

Hospital Chapel was decorated with a waterfall and snow (cotton). The theme this year was "One in Christ"

What Christmas celebration is complete without cute kids singing :)

These kids also wanted to get in on the action when the adults were on stage

Candle Lighting. This is staff from the Nursing School and we were all a bit tired as we had just finished day one of accreditation.

Nursing Students with their candles

Christmas Eve service at the church. The theme this year was "Good news for a world full of fear" which seemed very appropriate to me. This year because of an increased level of discrimination against Christians by some Muslim groups, including the stopping of a Christmas service in one of the big cities, all churches were guarded by police officers on Christmas Eve and Day.

On the way back to the hospital I took a picture of the hospital Christmas tree which was made from recycled plastic IV bottles.

After the Christmas Eve service a group of us, including mostly young doctors and staff, gathered at the hospital to go caroling and give gifts to any of the patients in the hospital. This year I think there were only 11 or so with the majority being children.

All dressed in our Santa hats and ready to go

Each patient also hears the gospel message, if possible from their primary doctor

Then it is off to one of our senior doctor's house for a meal and fellowship. By now it is getting pretty late and it is usually past midnight by the time we get home and officially Christmas

Christmas day we headed to church again, which of course fell on a Sunday this year, followed by a lot of visiting. That first day in the first round (until about 4 pm) we went to 7 houses. I was fighting a bad cold though so that was the end of the visiting for me. Most went out that evening and again the next day.

Our car full for visiting. I think we had 9 adults and 2 kids with us

One of things I did this year was some special Christmas baking and cooking to help celebrate the season. I haven't done this before because it has seemed so busy already. I couldn't have done this without help from my Grandma who sent a package filled with fun things like peppermint candy and Christmas sprinkles.

One of my favorite Christmas recipes - Peppermint brownie bars

I also for the first time attempted making lasagna here with some homemade ricotta cheese, which was actually easier than I thought it might be. The hardest part was getting my hands on fresh milk.

Letting the curds and whey separate

Yum! Fresh ricotta cheese

All ready to bake.

All done! It was an expensive but yummy special meal

For those reading this in your email, this is one of those blog posts with videos and you should click the link below to watch them.

Graduation 2016 at the Nursing School

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:14:00 +0000

On August 9th, the Nursing School held its 2016 graduation ceremony. 47 students graduated. 40 from this year and 7 from last year who had to make up some of their classes. As you can imagine graduation is a formal ceremony with lots of pomp and circumstance. It technically is convened as a Nursing School Senate meeting, or council meeting. Also those participate in the ceremony and graduating dress up a lot - so much so - I sometimes have a hard time recognizing them! The ladies spend hours in the morning doing their make-up and getting their hair done, usually with extra hair added to create quite the up-do. So here is the graduation in pictures...

It starts with a traditional Dyak tribal dance performed by younger students

We all stand for the entrance of the flags and the graduates

The Senate members enter and sit at the front

Dr. Kristiyan (Nursing School director and also our hospital's Ob/Gyn) opens the graduation ceremony

Three students representing the three religions of those in our graduating class go forward to take the nursing pledge. We usually have three of the six religions recognized in Indonesia represented in each class. They include Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic.

The rest of the class also repeats the nursing pledge.

Then short (we hope!) speeches are given by several government officials. This the Chairman that runs the Board responsible for the four ministries including Bethesda Hospital, Bethesda Nursing School, PKMD (Village Health Program), and MedGo

The fifth and final speech is made by the Bupati, the man responsible for our Kabupaten (county). He is an elected official who is responsible for a large area and budget.

Awards for the top three students in the class

The valedictorian, Eunice, gave a speech

Post ceremony comes picture time! This is one with all the graduates plus teachers and staff at the Nursing School. FYI Indonesian custom has you not smile during photos like this :)

Several teachers and staff together after the ceremony. It is a chance to get dressed in your best :)

After the ceremony and pictures, the invited guests and government officials eat together. This is separate from the graduates and the families.

I do wish the families were more involved in the ceremony. They have worked hard to get their student through the program and many have had to sacrifice a lot to pay for it. This year I attended as an invited guest, maybe next year I will be up for attending as one of the teachers/staff, which means leaving early in the morning and returning late in the afternoon. We are a small school, so they are in charge of set-up and take-down of everything and they all get dressed and do their make-up together. First though I will need to get a kebaya (the long tops the ladies are wearing) sewn. So that is something to look forward to next year. I should also thank my teammate for the majority of these pictures and the video. As an honored guest, he was sitting farther forward than I was, so was able to get a better view.

Next up for these 47 graduates will be a nursing board exam held sometime in September. To work in a hospital or with the government they must pass this test. The test is new in the last three years so still a work in progress and quite difficult to pass. Please be praying for them as they take their test and transition to the workforce or consider further education to get their bachelor's degree in nursing.

(This is one of those blog posts with a lot of pictures and a video. If you are reading this in your email chances are you will not be able to see everything, especially the video. If you click on the link to read the post on the blog itself, it will all be accessible)

A Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:13:00 +0000

How can it already be that time of year again - time to celebrate another birthday?! As an adult, birthdays are different but I have to say this year it was more like being a kid. I got spoiled from beginning to end and thanks to the time difference, beginning to end lasted several days :) I am so thankful for a team that knows that sometimes the days that should be the happiest can be the toughest when you are far from my family and friends back home. So they kept me busy, kept me laughing, and made me feel loved. So my birthday in pictures and videos...

It actually started the night before, when our expat Serukam team got together for dinner to celebrate our two July birthdays.

A cake for the two team members with July Birthdays. Ignore the fact that the banner caught on fire before we could blow out the candles :)

Then came a yummy birthday morning breakfast from my teammate. I was busy Skyping with my parents and grandparents when she brought it by.

Then it was off to the Nursing School office for at least part of the day. Here the birthday guy or gal supplies their own treats for the office staff. This year I had my helper make cinnamon rolls with frosting. They were a hit! But first the birthday gal had to give a little speech. I talked about how much I felt like the staff was becoming part of my family and I felt honored and privileged to work with them. I also mentioned several prayer requests. Then it was time for the birthday song. I should mention that this is the end of the academic year, we are all tired and busy (you can see the graduation invitations we were all busy folding in stacks on the table), and oh the camera didn't record the first time so they did it again for me so it could be recorded :)

This is the traditional Christian Indonesian birthday song they are singing. Translated it means this:

I wish you happy birthday, my dear sister

I wish you happy birthday, may Jesus Christ bless you

I always pray for you

That you'll always stay faithful

To serve Jesus Christ as your Father & King

And I thank Him for your life

That He guided your steps

For you my dear one

I wish you happy birthday

Then we prayed together for the things I had mentioned in my speech.

And then we ate cinnamon rolls :)

After lunch I headed to our nearby town (one hour away by car) of Singkawang with the Underhill Family, my other teammates. We enjoyed some shopping, dinner at KFC and then a movie in the newish theater in town. It was my first time to a movie theater in a long time!

We got to watch Jason Bourne before it opened in the U.S. :)

I should say the guys (and me) enjoyed this movie but their youngest kiddo and mom went to see the new Ice Age

We didn't get home till late and it took me days to respond to all the Facebook, What's App, email etc greetings. In fact I still have some emails I think I need to respond to. Plus the birthday gifts are still arriving :) All in all it was a good birthday!

Medical Missions Course XI

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 13:32:00 +0000

"We see God's love for the people of Indonesia through those willing to come here to serve and love Indonesian people."

This is a rough translation of what was said by one of the MMC participants during their sharing time before they left Serukam.

One of the exciting programs that has grown out of the mission and vision of the hospital here is the Medical Missions Course (MMC). This was the 11th year of hosting MMC in partnership with OMF and other organizations. This program is for newly graduated Indonesian doctors, dentists, and for the second year nurses, who are seeking God's plan for their life and to help better prepare them for serving in remote and difficult areas. Over the years the program has changed and become longer and now includes two weeks in Jakarta (the first and last) for briefing and debriefing with OMF. The remaining 11 weeks are spent based here in Serukam where they have the opportunity to participate in both classes and skills training on many different topics. Their teachers are local Serukam doctors and staff as well as people from other parts of Indonesia. Each year we also have visitors come from Malaysia, Singapore, America, and England to help teach special topics like trauma training and share the latest updates from their specialty area.

During the program the participants also spend time in daily devotions, hear evening Life Sharing sessions from guests that week, and spend time each week with a personal mentor processing what they are experiencing and learning. They also teach Sunday School and help with church services in several area churches (some several hours away by iffy roads and bridges). Last but definitely not least they spend a week each in two different villages. One is where a clinic (and soon a hospital) serves an area of the majority religion and the other is interior in a village with many animistic beliefs. In each of these villages they spend time putting what they have learned into action by developing programs to help improve people's health both physically and spiritually. Usually these weeks are some of the most challenging but rewarding of the whole experience.

So let me introduce you to the 11 young people who were part of MMC this year through their own testimonies that they wrote at the end of MMC...

Dr. Christy Abigail Wulandari

Anggie, as we know her, hopes to serve on the far eastern edge of Indonesia on the island of Papua. She shared this in her testimony:

I remember the Bible verse Ms. Iin shared with us during the opening session of MMC in Jakarta about John and James, sons of Zebedee, who came to ask something of Jesus. Jesus’ question for them was a staggering one for me, “What do you want me to do for you?” It’s actually a simple question, but God used it to help me recheck my motivation to come to MMC. He exposed all of my ambitions, self-pride, and self-reliance. In the very beginning of the MMC, God helped me to purify my desire to seek only His will and not mine, as an obedient and faithful servant.

Drg. Deo Develas

Dentist Deo was our one lone male participant for MMC this year and one of only two dentists. He shared this in his testimony:

I learned so many lessons from the local doctors in Serukam, as well as the foreign doctors who came over from their own country to give lectures and life-sharing with us. I was very curious about what motivates them to come all the way here. Based on my observation, the doctors that have committed themselves to serve in Serukam obviously have knowledge and skill not inferior to those in big cities, yet why do they dedicate themselves to people’s health in poor areas like this? In Serukam, we learned that for missionary doctors, there’s a sacrifice, there’s a price to be paid to follow Jesus and become His true disciple. I can feel the joy they have as a missionary doctors, which will never be bought with money. I see them as living examples of missionary doctors. They encouraged me to make a commitment, that I will live my life as a missionary doctor.

Dr. Esther RH Sherwani

Dr. Esther will returning to serve at Bethesda Hospital the end of July. Here is part of her testimony:

“If you have Love, you should not fear.”

This was the advice I heard from one of Serukam’s security guards as I was preparing to leave Serukam on May 21st. It was simple advice but it meant a lot to me. He reminded me to have no fear in everything, because God’s love is in me and there’s no fear in love. That morning, I felt like the universe was shaking and God was giving me such strength to walk bravely on the path of my life after MMC.

Dr. Fitriyani Simangunsong

She hopes to become a pediatrician. Here is a short bit from her testimony:

A verse from God's Word that I memorized during pause and pondering and while doing mentoring with Ms. Donda which became an affirmation for me is from James 4:14-15: “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”(NKJV). God's Word taught me to always include the Lord in the planning and my struggle. I was also taught by God to be faithful in waiting for God's answer.

Dr. Gantarini Rianna Panannangan

is from the city of Cirebon on the island of Java where Islam has a very strong hold. She hopes to return there to serve as a doctor. Here is part of her testimony:

I saw how the Lord sent the ones He wanted to come all the way from abroad to serve MMC. We were served by a team from Pantai Baptist Church in Malaysia, Adams Road Presbyterian Church in Singapore, the Kuching Team, and the UK Team. I was very blessed with the presence of these people who gave an example for me even though they are a very busy doctors. I saw how they love God and I’m sure that they have a close personal relationship with God as it is well reflected in their understanding of God's Word as they always shared with us in the morning devotion.

Dr. Grace Duma Mawarni Hutahaean

is from the city of Palangaraya in Central Kalimantan. Here is some of her testimony:

Each session during MMC really equipped and prepared me as a missionary doctor. There were several sessions of MMC that were memorable for me. MMC taught me the importance of the Sabbath, to restore my relationship with God, to evaluate myself, and give my body rest. In addition, the session by Pastor Adrin during morning devotion give about God calming the storm (Mark 4: 35-41). I was truly blessed by verse 40 "...Why are you so fearful? Why do you not believe? " I was reminded that we usually have fear and worry when control of our life is not in our hands but, we should not be afraid when our life is in control of Jesus. As an independent person it is very difficult for me to surrender control of my life to God. MMC taught me about surrendering to the sovereignty of God.

dr. Jane Andrea Christiano Djianzonie
was born in the city of Bandung and raised in the small town of Bau-Bau in Southeast Sulawesi, which is a predominantly Muslim area. She hopes to do her internship year in Kendari, Sulawesi.

The most valuable experience during the 3 months was to be able to jump in and share the gospel with patients and in the communities where we did our live-in experience One memorable experience was at the live-in in Sukadana, where we were guided by Mr. Bruce's story telling method of sharing the gospel with ASRI staff in Sukadana that were from the majority religion. Here I learned that sharing the gospel is not as difficult as I imagined with using tools such as story-telling and praying for people.

Dr. Linna L.J. Minggu

Here is a bit of her testimony:

Arriving at Serukam, it became clear that there were several parts of my character that God wanted to change. It became clear to me that the teachers were able to serve the Lord with enthusiasm, counting the cost because they already understood God’s vision for them. All this is only because of God’s grace in my life.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”

Matthew 6:33

This verse has become real in my life. Thank you to the Lord and all praise and honor to Him.

Drg. Marcelina

is the other dentist that joined MMC. Here is some of her testimony:

The longing to serve unreached people had been in my heart for a long time. As time went by, I saw it more clearly when I attended the National Medical Camp in 2012. Seeing the unreached people from remote areas, their life far away from medical facilities and more importantly that they hadn't heard about salvation in Christ.

After I finished my dental school, that longing became increasingly stronger but I wasn’t ready to do that mission yet. I didn’t know how to do it, nor did I have any experience. That is why I really wanted to attend MMC, although I struggled with the cost and my family’s expectancy to work as soon as possible after graduation. I am really thankful to God that He provided help for me through many people, so I could attend this MMC.

Dr. Marisa Perucana Sinambela

is from a small town in North Sumatra and she hopes to serve in East Indonesia. Here is a bit of her testimony:

To have a compassion for the unbelievers, just like our heavenly Father, is my desire and it will be life-long process. I am strengthened by one of the verses in the Bible (Romans 10:14-15) "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how will they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written. How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good thing!"

Ns. Tantri Mawarni Rambe

was our only nurse this year and I was her mentor. She is also from Sumatra. Here is a bit of her testimony:

Every night we had a life-sharing session from a mentor. I saw how great is our God who chooses, uses and takes care of the life of those who do His calling. I also see that doing mission through our profession in a remote area is not an easy thing, that they need a good community to help them survive in their calling. I thank God that I can listen to their testimony and that they are good examples for my faith.

These 11 young people from across Indonesia - from the big cities to the small towns are each on a journey. It was expected by their families and friends that as soon as they had graduated they would start working in positions that would help them make money and secure a stable future for themselves. Instead they took 3 months "off" to prepare them to serve in areas of need and desire to serve as doctors, dentists, and nurses who serve through their professions as missionaries. Pray that they will clearly see God's will for their future and remain true to the call of God in their life. It will be a struggle that is many times not support by their families and friends. Pray that they will use what they have learned here to more effectively minister to the physical and spiritual needs of those they meet.

A Wedding to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 14:10:00 +0000

*Late Post*

So we recently had one of our doctors get married.... to one of our other doctors! It was quite the fun and busy month with a wedding ceremony and receptions in two cities (bride's and groom's). Dr. Dewi and Satria officially tied the knot on May 7th in Pontianak (the city 5 hours to our south), which is the city where Dr. Dewi is from. Here are some pictures from the big day...

You're invited to a wedding to remember

Dr. Dewi walking down the aisle with her dad. Check out that dress and veil! Typically here in Indonesia the bride rents her dress, so it doesn't quite fit right and they are always worried about it getting damaged or dirty so they carry the train everywhere instead of letting it flow out. Dr. Dewi bought this beautiful dress though. The next picture shows some of the bead work on the shoulders, which was gorgeous but then then really the whole dress was beautiful.

Saying their vows

You may now kiss the bride - on her forehead :)

Presenting the newly married couple

Our local Serukam Vocal Group sang the special music

The new couple with their immediate families and the pastor (and another view of the dress).

I just love the way the groom looks at the bride shortly after they let go of their balloons. So in love! Made me want suggest it was time for a kiss, but that isn't really culturally appropriate :)

The groomsmen - pretty in pink! Dr. Agus (left) is one of our general doctors and Dr. Muktar (right) is one of our dentists.

Traditionally the reception is much better attended than the wedding and so a lot more time, effort, and money is spent on the reception. Their reception was poolside at a local hotel. Thank goodness for good weather!

The reception with the Serukam Vocal Group singing in the background. In the pink-lighted tent the new couple greets people who came to the reception and takes pictures with them.

Latest Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:21:00 +0000

After a lovely more relaxing March with our annual team fellowship, the students on their semester break and Easter break; the new semester is here and April is coming hard and fast. Here are a few of the things keeping us busy in pictures...

We have enjoyed having Wendell (Opa) Geary here for a month.

We are enjoying (and very busy with!) Medical Missions Course XI. In this picture I am hanging out with the nurse I am mentoring. More coming in another blog post.

Mondays and Tuesdays I am busy in the skills lab teaching 2nd year students pediatric and maternity skills. This semester I will be also spending time in the skills lab with the 1st year students as they learn the very basics like wound care and taking vital signs.

Practicing pediatric chest physiotherapy. It isn't all seriousness :)

Freshmen learning the basics about wound care

Yesterday we spent many hours on how to help a mom give birth and initial baby care

Obviously not very realistic but it helps them think through and visualize the process plus do a little role play on how the will talk with their patients and families. Favorite role on this day is always the birthing mom with her moaning and groaning and excitement at meeting her new baby :)

One of the more fun skills labs we get to do is infant massage. We don't have enough infant mannequins so the students get to practice on each other! I just wish it would be culturally appropriate for me to volunteer to be the patient :)

Seed of Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:04:00 +0000

Recently we had one of our couples return from school in Java. When they first came to Bethesda as young people, Mr. Lidaniel served in our chaplain department and Dr. Hanny served as a dentist. They met here and fell in love :) Then they joined MedGo which helped pay for their further education with the help of financial support of faithful donors. While they were away at school they also had a baby. Dr. Hanny returned to school for a Master's Degree in Oral Health and Mr. Lidaniel got further education in caring for children with special needs. This combined with his training as a chaplain perfectly gifts him to help care for some patients and families we have struggled to help. Here in Indonesia having a child with special needs is very difficult as there are few programs or helps in place.

When Mr. Lidaniel returned we were not sure exactly how God would open the doors and fund the program he hoped to start. But he found a place to call home for now in our old mission school (he is sharing the space with one of our missionary couples) and funding was found from a number of sources. He got to work ordering the supplies he needed and getting the word out. Patients were referred by our general doctors, our pediatrician, teachers in the area, our village health program and some just kind of showed up through God's provision. He already has 20 patients and I imagine that will continue to grow. He has even made trips to some of our remote villages where obviously it would be hard for families to make the trip here. Some of these families tell stories of their children having challenges since birth but many started experiencing their challenges after a severe infection like TB meningitis (when tuberculosis infects the lining of the brain).

So last week we celebrated the opening of his space - he calls it Seed of Hope. We dedicated and blessed it together knowing that it will bring hope, help, and comfort to many families who desperately it. Here are a few pictures from the dedication time...

Lots of equipment to help kids with motor development that is also fun

Kids and adults had fun exploring it

This big ball was especially fun for one of our doctor's kids

After some play time we gathered to hear more about the planned ministry

There was a blessing by one of the chaplains

Pictured are just a few of the kids the program hopes to help

Please be praying for Mr. Lidaniel as he starts this program that he will be able to reach those in need. Pray also there will be no problems causes by sharing the space with our missionary couple.

Nursing School Accreditation

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:32:00 +0000

It is time for me to play catch-up on the blog. There has been lots going on that I haven't gotten around to posting about. Sorry about that! So here is the first post of several...

I have been talking about it for awhile and asking you to pray about it for a long while too. Both our hospital and nursing school were due this year for accreditation. The process here (and it is similar in the US) involves preparation of many documents that are then submitted to the accreditation team and reviewed by them before a site visit. The site visit for the nursing school happened on February 5th (which also happens to be my sister Kristin's birthday!) but there many many hours of work and late nights before that, starting with the deadline to submit the documents several months ago and then again in the final days before the site visit. Here are a couple of pictures of many meetings held in the days prior. You can see the stacks of documents being prepared and finally shaping up to look quite nice in color coded files in our conference room ready to be shown to the assessors during the site visit.

The day of the site visit dressing up in your official Nursing School uniform was required. It is all polyester with long sleeves so it doesn't come out of my closet very often :) The school also got dressed up with a nice banner welcoming the assessors, some new paint, and trees trimmed.

The scheduled visit is suppose to last 3 days including travel time but our assessors were hoping for a quicker trip so we did it all in one day with travel the day before and after. That meant an early start and a late finish. It was after 9 pm before we were done and they were stressful hours so everyone was quite worn down by the day's end. Following introductions (and barely waiting for those to finish) the assessors went for our jugular which is our lack of master's prepared teachers. Those who actually have a master's in nursing is one - me. We have one in school and plans for at least two others to go back if they can pass the entrance exams. We also have several with master's degrees in health or related field but technically not enough and I don't even really count as a foreigner. It felt like that put us on the defense from the beginning and caused people to be more nervous resulting in several missed steps. One assessor in particular kept asking the tough questions and pushing for the documentation to prove it.

The assessor is on the right. One left are three of our staff explaining some of our documentation.

By the end of the day we all looking a little worn around the edges!

Our final grade was issued last week and we got a C. We had been hoping for a B but based on what I saw of the standards I think a C is fair. I could however probably argue that the standards are based on a developed country (I think there is a strong chance they are pretty much borrowed from somewhere in Europe or America) or at least a nursing school in a big city. That said they focused on some significant weaknesses we have and improvements that need to be made. We have been putting in a lot of work based on their recommendations that day and now that the grade is final with more feedback there is more work to do. Please be praying for us as we implement these recommendations to the best of our abilities and specifically that we would be able to focus on those that will truly help our program improve and our students be better nurses when they graduate.

Field Fellowship

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:57:00 +0000

I just recently returned from our annual team meetings and time of fellowship. This year we were hosted by our teammates who serve in Southeast Sulawesi here in Indonesia. It was my first time to that area of Indonesia. It is always fascinating to visit another island.

We kicked things off with a night of worship and prayer but thanks to some late planes and my need for a quick stop in Jakarta for an ultrasound of my leg the Kalimantan team missed the first evening activities. We were incredibly blessed by a special speaker and a team from his church who came out to help care for the kids of our team. Much of the time our team members are the ones leading, preaching, and teaching so it was a blessing to be on the receiving end instead. We were also blessed by the presence of one of the founding team members of WorldVenture Indonesia. He was able to share wisdom from his years of serving here. Each family/unit also had a chance to share an update of what is happening personally in their life and ministry and be prayed for by the rest of the team. There was also of course time for business updates and discussion of legal issues. Finally we ended with some play time. We took a couple of boats out to an uninhabited island with some great views, swimming and snorkeling. It was so relaxing and beautiful to enjoy the warm water with friends.

Here are a few pics from our time together...

Listening to our special speaker - Dave.

Listening to updates from each family.

Hearing video updates from those who have been appointed to join us here in Indonesia and are in the partnership development process.

Spending time with those who have walked this journey before and listening to their wisdom.

And then there was the fun times! A night of parlor games and a fun night. Apparently I have a real skill for pulling kleenexes out of a box one at time as fast as I can as that is the only game I won :)

Our final day together we went snorkeling and swimming at a beautiful island.

Nope that is not pool - just a beautiful white sand beach!

Some of my teammates getting a lesson on snorkeling before they head out. Note to self bring contact lenses next time so I can see while snorkeling.

The best part though was spending time with friends...

Plus I got to catch up with the little ones of our team who I helped welcome to the world last year. Little Josiah is growing so fast!

And Miss Charlotte has hit her stranger anxiety age but we still managed to have some fun together. At 11 months old she is an expert satay eater :)

All in all I came home tired and a little sunburned around the edges (missed a couple of spots with the sun screen!) but with some sore laughter muscles and a lighter heart.

Going Home!?

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 14:04:00 +0000

I always though my first reaction to hearing I needed to go back to the US for a visit would be one of excitement and joy. I was sure I would be excited to see family and friends, visit places and do some shopping etc. When I heard that my Grandma was sick though I realized going home to the United States this time is very much a mixed blessing. Yes I am excited for all the reasons listed above but I was also sad and tired just thinking about the long trip and the details to be arranged. Honestly, I thought if I needed to go home it would be for a good reason - a sister getting married or something.

So it took awhile to process it all and finally book those tickets. It became a daily question for awhile from the teammates I was staying with - so have you booked your plane tickets yet? And my answer was always "belum" which is Indonesian for not yet. Maybe it was because they were expensive, maybe it was because they were on airlines I didn't prefer (United), maybe because time and weather difference in December is a physically hard adjustment for only two weeks, and on top of that reverse culture shock is mentally hard work too. Mostly though I think it was because I didn't (and don't!) want this to be the last time I see my Grandma on this earth.

As things have settled though and those plane tickets have finally been bought I am finding joy and excitement in the idea of being home for Christmas. There is so many people I want to see and so much I want to do! In reality though most of that will have to wait for my next home assignment scheduled for the end of 2016 or maybe the beginning of 2017 now. For now I plan to focus on being with my family and friends. Enjoying these moments with them and making memories.

You will probably need to have a little extra grace for me as navigate life in a place where I haven't lived for two and half years but is still considered home. I am sure I will occasionally say a word (or an entire sentence will pop out!) in Indonesian. I will most likely also be confused as what side of the car the driver sits on and which side of the street the cars should be on :) And there are places guaranteed to send me into reverse culture shock like Wal-Mart and grocery stores!

Please do be praying for the trip. It is never fun and more stressful to travel alone. Pray that I can be fully there despite the jet lag and manage to recover from reverse culture shock long enough to do a little shopping :)

The Haze Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 15:14:00 +0000

And purple use to be my favorite color! In this case though it means the air quality is in the dangerous zone. This is from the city 5-hours away. Farther south it is above 2000.

A video from the southern part of our island:

. . . . . TABRAKAN BERUNTUN DI BASARANG KAPUAS . . . KARENA JARAK PANDANG BEGINI . . . KADANG HARUS BERHENTI . . . KARENA JARAK PANDANG KURANG DARI 1 METER . . . DI_AMBIL JAM 06.10 WIB . . .
Posted by Marcos Tuwan on Sunday, October 18, 2015

Not only is the haze dangerous to drive in, it is dangerous and even deadly to breathe in, especially for such a long time. The Indonesian government estimates that 325,000 people have become sick with respiratory illnesses like asthma and pneumonia from the haze. And that statistic is over a week old now and only counts those who have been seen at government health facilities. They also estimate that around 3% of those people have died. That may not sound like many until you do the the math. That is almost 10,000 people killed. And I see the effects through my Facebook feed almost every day. It is customary here to take pictures of the bodies of family and friends who have died, so I will be scrolling through my feed catching up on news from friends and then suddenly there is a picture of a dead body, very frequently a child or baby. Their smaller airways and lungs are not as able to handle the haze.

Check out this BBC video on the health effects of the haze, especially on children.

Help is on the way though as Indonesia has finally accepted help from places like Singapore and Australia who are lending manpower and airpower to help fight these fires. Unfortunately, all of that help seems to be going to the island of Sumatra instead of Kalimantan. There are more hot spots there and it is closer to Jakarta, Singapore, and Malaysia making it the more visible problem. The air quality however has been worse in Kalimantan, especially Central Kalimantan. As I write this it has passed 2000 psi again in the city of Palangkaraya (I am not sure how far past because the gauge stops working at 2000).

Please continue praying for rain, that wise decisions will be made by the government of Indonesia as to where their resources should be allocated and how to best punish those involved in starting the fires. At this point I am needing to use inhalers frequently to keep my asthma under control, so I am thinking about relocating to another island in Indonesia for awhile to give my lungs a break.

Time for a little R&R

noreply@blogger.com (Calista) — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 10:13:00 +0000

The week between graduation and the start of the new school year, I took a little break away to Malaysia. This island (3rd largest in the world) of Borneo is shared by three countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Indonesian portion is called Kalimantan and is separated into 5 different provinces. With just a 5-hour car trip and 45-minute plane trip or 12-14 hour car trip you can get yourself across the border to Malaysia, specifically the city of Kuching. We go there for visa work but we also go here to shop and enjoy things like Indian and Thai food or yummy McDonald's french fries :)

So what does a little R&R look like...

Look tall buildings! With multiple well-stocked malls and fun places to eat within walking distance or short taxi ride from my 14th story hotel room

Look its a bathtub! Ok so I wasn't a big bathtub person in the U.S. but I love a good soak here. Unfortunately for 3 of the 5 nights my hotel didn't have hot water (which they apparently didn't think was a big deal). I will confess that one night I resorted to filling the tub with mostly tepid water and then adding several of the kettles of hot water from the kettle provided in the room :) It wasn't great but it did work.

I am not a huge fun of McDonalds in the U.S. but sometimes a girl just needs some french fries and a chocolate milk shake.

I am not usually one of those girls who takes pictures of their food usually, but I also had a delicious seafood meal at TopSpot and some pretty delicious Indian food plus Pizza Hut and McDonalds. There are also numerous much better stocked stores in Kuching including places to get a large amount of cheese. Yep I was that girl with 5 kg (11 pounds) of cheese in her carry-on plus bacon and ham! The poor customs guy just about had a heart attack when I told him that there was pork in the box. Pork is considered unclean for Muslim people, so he had to go find someone else to inspect my baggage. Anyway, all in all it was a good trip. I am ready for my next vacation to have a little more adventure though - maybe Bali. There are definitely benefits to living in SE Asia! Anyone want to join me?