Monday, January 17, 2022

1 Year Update

This weekend I was able to get away up into the mountains around Mount Hagen. I had time to rest and reflect on the almost full year that I have been here in Papua New Guinea. Thursday marks that first anniversary.

 

Waterfalls from a hike with my friend Matt

 

 

In my time here I have seen incredible darkness and incredible light. I have seen the victims of domestic violence, the women burned for accusations of sorcery, the boy with debilitating osteomyelitis in his arm and leg who had been abandoned by his parents. I have also seen families with almost nothing sacrifice to take care of another child whose parents couldn’t, seen communities help surround and encourage those who were hurting and broken and seen the tireless work of our staff to help the endless need here.

 

The last month I have been taking more time to be still and to listen, to be mindful of what I have seen and how it affects me. It has helped me to be more intentional and to see where I still need to grow. This weekend helped me to bring these reflections to God.

 

Singing for the Christmas Eve service

 

 

My retreat was at a place called Rondon Ridge, an area up in the mountains with a lodge and a labyrinth of trails through the surrounding forest. My first day I started walking on these trails for what was supposed to be a short trip, however, a miscued shortcut found me walking deeper into the forest without a clear sense of where the lodge was. I wandered for an hour with an increasing sense of panic as one after another trail failed to lead me back to the lodge or to anything that I recognized. I began to contemplate calling out for help or trying to call the lodge from my phone as clouds came in and the sun started to go down, but I felt God tell me that I would get back to the lodge by 6pm, 20 minutes from then. I started down one trail, only to have it dead end. I tried another trail feeling a sense of helplessness. When there was only 4 minutes left before 6pm, I stumbled across a radio tower with a ladder. Climbing up, I was able to see the lodge, just 100 yards below me, a totally different direction than what I expected. I walked down the hill into the parking lot right as my watch showed 6pm.

 


 

Too often I try to do things on my own. I’ve had to learn a certain humility and trust in God in my work at the hospital where I often pray for help. But there are other areas where I fail to trust God and walk in faith.

 


 

 

***

 

Every morning for almost a month I greeted Naomi (name changed) as she sat on the edge of her bed at the end of Medical Ward. She was probably in her early 70s, although very few people that age here know their true age. Naomi suffers from epilepsy and had been without her medicine for a few months. One day in her haus cuk, a small traditional house made from bamboo and kunai grass, she had had a seizure and fallen into her fire, burning her entire right arm. Burns can be difficult to manage here without all the resources of a burn center, but with daily dressing changes, her wounds were slowly healing, showing in which areas she would eventually need skin grafts. The Thursday before Christmas I asked her if she would like to go home for Christmas and come back after the holiday, as she had already been in the hospital for 3+ weeks without any family with her. But she stated sadly that her family was gone for the holidays, she would have no one to return to. She wanted to stay in the hospital for Christmas.

 

On Christmas Eve, all the missionaries go to sing Christmas carols on the Wards. Seeing Naomi’s smile and wishing her Merry Christmas filled me with joy. Even though I was sad she could not be with her family, I was glad that she was not alone, that we could be with her. Beyond the medical care we were providing, I knew that God desired to show his special love for her through us.

 

Caroling with Naomi

 

 

This next year I am hoping to live with greater mindfulness in each moment and faith to follow God into loving and caring for the people here in deeper and more meaningful ways, like with Naomi. I know that if He cares enough to help me find my way out of the forest, He has special and incredible plans for those who have suffered so much. I want to be a part of what He is doing in deeper ways. Thank you too for joining me in that work. 

 

16 comments:

  1. Your stories warm my heart and lift my faith! I'm grateful for a God who meets you in the mountains and guides your every step! So glad you will stay there to do God's work. It's a sacrifice to be away from your family and culture, but I know your parents are proud of you and thrilled to see your faith grow and to see you so selflessly serving others! How exciting! Love you!

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    1. Thank you Mrs Brau! I'm grateful for God's provision as well

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    2. Brother Dr. Daniel,
      I pray for you and your ministry daily.
      I loved your lost in the woods story & can relate to that sense of panic as the sun descends. God is with you ALWAYS to show you His path.
      May the LORD continue to bless you and keep you.
      With you in His almighty grip,
      Rev Vince Alig

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    3. Thanks Mr Alig! I appreciate your encouragement and prayers

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  2. Very inspiring Daniel! Keep up the good work.

    God bless!

    Mahmoud

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! God bless your important work as well

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  3. Daniel, Your work measures beyond words. You are in my thoughts and prayers - as you give so selflessly for others.

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    1. Thanks Patty, for your words and your prayers

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  4. Daniel God is blessing you and the people you care for. Your compassion and prayers are gifts. I will enjoy watching you grow in faith and wisdom in this New Year and am so glad I get your blog. Prayers continue and Jesus is by your side. All is good here in little LA. We enjoyed having Sonja and Sam along with Sheriden and her friend Dan for Christmas.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Mrs Smith! I do miss LA. I'm glad your family was able to get together for Christmas.

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  5. Thank you for your continued updates and wonderful service! You and all those there are in my prayers.

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  6. Dear Daniel,
    I am finally taking the time to read and listen to your hearts experience of the last year. Being mindful. Being present. Growing compassion for the hurting. Trusting God. How is it that the same needed lessons the Lord teaches us no matter where we find ourselves on this planet?
    We have had a steep learning curve in Trusting the Lord this last year, too.
    Just in the last month we have faced a dark time with our 17 year old son who has been cutting himself with knives. Last week he slashed his beautiful face! We are seeking help for him, but he is resistant. He is not a professing Christian. He is struggling greatly in school. It has been a grief we have never faced before!
    I am not sure if you keep up on international news, but on January 2nd, the country where our daughter and her husband and son are serving the Lord, experienced terrible riots and Russian troops were brought in to control the chaos. Hundreds of people were killed. Over 10,000 people have been detained by the government. Foreigners are being looked at with suspicion. We are praying that our daughter and her family will be allowed to continue their work and that it will be an impetus to a great harvest! Right now, things are incredibly unstable. It was my hope to visit them this spring. It is very sad to have them so far away and in a precarious situation.
    I am in Bible study of Exodus. It is the perfect book to study right now as it is continually pointing to the Lord as the God of Deliverance! I am learning to trust Him to deliver my children from evil strongholds. I am learning to believe that I can be delivered from fears and anxieties that plaque me. I am witness to God's faithfullness and power that is at work every day in every situation! I have cried more tears than anticipated this new year, but I have also sang more songs in the dark of the soul and encountered God's presence profoundly. He does not leave us as orphans. He does come to us! He hears our cries and answers them!
    May you be strengthened to continue on, dear Daniel! May the peace and rest of God enliven your spirit!
    Sincerely,
    Love,
    Catherine Olson

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  7. Dear Daniel,
    Thank you for keeping all of us up-to-date on your amazing journey as a Samaritan's Purse Medical Missionary. What a joy to see how God has guided and directed you and to see your humble response to His leading. We have supported Samaritan's Purse for many years. This year the connection is even more personal because of your work and presently Jonathan Forte is in French Polynesia and helped to deliver Christmas Boxes to the local children through his YWAM mission.
    It has been years since we all worshipped together at FBC in Los Alamos, NM, but the Christian bonds God forged have made us a forever family. We share in your excitement to see how God uses submitted, available, frail humans to do extraordinary work in His Name and for His glory.
    You are shining brightly for Him. May He bless you today and throughout 2022. May He give you wisdom and insight as you treat your patients. I pray for you to have incredible joy in this journey. With love and prayers, Mary Beth Phillips

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  8. Dear Daniel,
    Thanks for keeping us up-to-date with all of your work and adventures as a Samaritan's Purse Medical Missionary. It is a joy to hear how God has guided and directed you to serve in His kingdom. We have supported Samaritan's Purse for a very long time. This year it is so much more personal because of your service and that of Jonathan Forte who has been involved in distributing Operation Christmas Child boxes in French Polynesia as part of his YWAM mission. Dennis and I got to help process Christmas boxes in Denver this year. Just a minute part, but very meaningful to us.
    It has been a long time since we all worshipped together at FBC in Los Alamos, NM. We watched you and Jonathan grow up in godly homes with mission hearts. Isn't it amazing to see how God uses human beings who are submitted, available and willing to do extraordinary things in His service?
    We pray He will continue to bless, guide and direct you. May He give you wisdom and strength as you treat your patients and share His love in such a beautiful part of His world. We know He delights in you.with love and prayers, Mary Beth Phillips

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  9. Nice place. Awesome blog! I like it a lot! Thanks and keep up the great work!
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