Every day, we are constantly reminded that we live in an environment and culture very different from the U.S. Things like having to stop our car to let herds of cows or goats cross the street. Seeing little children walking along busy roads unattended. Hearing the Muslim call to prayer five times a day from the megaphones of a nearby mosque. Seeing fly-encrusted pig heads along with various other meats laid out on market tables. Seeing patients riding their motorbikes home from the hospital with IV drips still feeding into their arms from bags lashed to sticks. There are so many fascinating differences we see every day. But one of the saddest differences is the lack of resources for sick people.

One day I got a Facebook message from Moses, the first Adventist convert among the Great River People. He sent me a picture of his friend Jantee who had an abscess behind her left ear. I went to her home intending to drain the abscess and put her on antibiotics as it healed. But plans changed when I arrived and saw how bad the infection was. The abscess was the size of a tennis ball. As I assessed her pain level and other symptoms, it became apparent that the problem was too big for me to tackle. I asked whether she had sought any medical help, and her answer was the same I hear from almost everyone: “I don’t have any money.” After I assured her and her husband that we would help with their medical bills, they were willing to let us take her to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor determined that Jantee’s infection was septic and life-threatening. He immediately put her on IV antibiotics, but she only got worse. They finally diagnosed the infection as melioidosis, a rare, resistant bacterial infection often spread by rats. This would require two weeks of special IV antibiotics that cost $80 per day, followed by several months of oral antibiotics. A day after they began administering the appropriate antibiotics, her condition began to improve, and her spirits lifted.

Our family went to visit Jantee in the hospital. After the visit, I asked this Muslim woman and her husband if I could pray for them. In my prayer I thanked God for helping her and prayed for continued health and healing. I concluded the prayer in Jesus’ name. As we left, Jantee’s eyes were brimming with tears of thankfulness toward God and our family for helping her through her ordeal. The doctor later told me that Jantee likely wouldn’t have survived if we had brought her in much later.

It is truly astounding how long people here have to wait before getting medical attention. I have seen horrible infections, missing toes and fixable issues that adults had been dealing with since birth. Medical attention is just too expensive for most. In helping people in these situations, we have been humbled and blessed.

For the last several months we have been sharing a truck with the Clay family, using it to haul people to the hospital. Sometimes it’s three or four people, other times 10 or more that we squeeze into the five-passenger truck for a three-and-a-half-hour drive. We could really use a 15-passenger van to get sick people where they need to go. We also dream of using this van as a travelling clinic in neighboring villages to do health screenings, community healthcare training and educational programs. Having a vehicle that could transport a team of volunteers with the necessary equipment to offer such services would be fantastic.

Our country does not manufacture automobiles, and it has a 100-percent tax on imported vehicles. So the price of vehicles here is literally double what they cost in other countries. We are in the market for a used Korean-made van that will cost around $25,000. Would you pray about helping us with this needed vehicle?

Thank you all for your prayers and support as you reach out to the Great River People through us. As we join hands together, we hope that many Great River people will learn of Jesus in this field of great need.

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