wfn.org | [LCMSNews] Team brings care to 1,128 in Indonesia

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>3.27.2009		
>	LCMS News	 	
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>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod  	 	
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	March 27, 2009 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 25

'Mercy' team brings care to 1,128 in Indonesia

>By Kim Plummer Krull

>"Since the tsunami, I've been feeling ..."

That's how nearly every Indonesian who visited clinics operated by the
LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) Mercy Medical Team (MMT) in
Banda Aceh in February began the explanation of their symptoms.

More than four years have passed since the tsunami, one of the deadliest
disasters in modern history, and people in this hard-hit city "are still
dealing with a lot of emotional and physical fallout," said Maggie
Karner, WR-HC's director of Life and Health Ministries and one of the
MMT program leaders.

"We saw people who were stuck in the water, and nearly everyone we saw
had lost loved ones," Karner said.  "We spent a lot of time listening to
their stories, which, I think, for them, was just as important as
treating their medical situations."

Nine medical volunteers (all LCMS members) and four staff team leaders
from WR-HC participated in the first MMT to travel to Indonesia.  The
team treated 1,128 Indonesians Feb. 15-25 at clinics in the impoverished
communities of Banda Aceh and Jakarta.

"We got to go and be the hands and feet of Christ," said Janet
Sandersen, a registered nurse and member of Messiah Lutheran Church,
Longmont, Colo., who used vacation time to take part in her first
short-term medical mission.

Sandersen had been looking for a way to "give back" as a medical
professional.  As a Christian, she also appreciated the opportunity to
care for people "and show them that the outside world has not forgotten
their plight."

Many Indonesians who visited the clinics still live in barracks built as
temporary housing after the tsunami.  Most suffer from problems such as
high blood pressure, diabetes, and ailments stemming from poor
sanitation and nutrition.

But before discussing health concerns, the Indonesians wanted to talk
about the life-changing disaster.  MMT volunteers met a woman who lost
all her children in the waves.  The team's bus driver said he was the
only survivor from his family of 11.

"We heard about losses that we can't even fathom," Sandersen said.

Despite the pervasive tragic shadow of the disaster, MMT members also
saw hope. "When we talked, it was just like when we talk with patients
here.  You see their expressions change and their eyes light up, knowing
that someone is listening and cares," said Lauryl Smith, a pediatric
nurse practitioner and registered nurse in Boston, Mass.  Her home
congregation, Faith Lutheran Church, Oak Ridge, Tenn., raised the funds
to cover her MMT expenses.

Darin Storkson, WR-HC regional director for Asia, based in Jakarta since
soon after the 2004 tsunami, laid the groundwork for the MMT visit,
working with local church partners involved in confessional Lutheran
renewal.  The clinics provided two opportunities -- to address medical
needs in poor communities mostly overlooked by other relief agencies,
and also to strengthen relationships with and build the capacity of
those local partners.

Helping Lutheran partners adds to the value of short-term medical
mission trips, Karner said.  "Some people may question the good in
parachuting into a community for two weeks," she said.  "But we see this
as a way to serve people and also help establish the presence of the
local churches while we assist them in serving their own community."

This was the ninth MMT trip.  The treks are primarily designed for LCMS
medical professionals.  Team members cover their own expenses, which,
after a "good faith" estimate, run about $3,000.

The next MMT leaves April 13 for Kenya, with a follow-up scheduled for
July 3-12.  A second trip to Madagascar is set for Oct. 21-Nov. 1.  To
learn more, contact Jacob Fiene, WR-HC manager of medical and material
resources, (800) 248-1930, ext. 1278, or visit www.lcms.org/mercyteams
<http://www.lcms.org/mercyteams> .

Kim Plummer Krull is a freelance writer and a member of St. Paul's
Lutheran Church, Des Peres, Mo.

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If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact
Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

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