Participants:
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000006
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00:50 I was a nurse before I was a pilot. And I love nursing!
00:53 But I also love flying. And so to keep up some of my nursing 00:58 skills, and also to reach out to the community and just get more 01:02 involved with the people, I like going out to different 01:04 homes and taking blood sugars and blood pressures. 01:07 And just making sure that everyone's ok. 01:09 It's just a good way to get to know the people better. 01:12 In order for Laura to reach these villagers, she must travel 01:15 a minimum of thirty-five minutes by the only transportation 01:19 she has available to her, their families' dirt bike. 01:22 Today she is going to the village of Tobago. 01:25 The clay roads she must travel are not maintained and create 01:29 a tricky commute. They are riddled with pot holes, washouts 01:32 and many hidden dangers. 01:34 Laura is determined to reach these villagers. 01:37 She has many excuses that could hold her back from making this 01:40 journey; yet, she dismisses them all and drives on. 01:45 Tobago is a small village and they all hear her approaching 01:48 motorcycle and start gathering to see who their visitor is. 01:52 Laura has been to this village multiple times so she is no 01:56 stranger to them. She knows many of the village members and 01:59 as soon as they see her, they invite her 02:02 into their humble homes. 02:04 Good afternoon Auntie! John you're here! How are you? 02:15 I am here. We are at the village of Tobago and I am going 02:18 to be checking some sugars and pressures. It's hard for 02:21 them to get to the hospital because most of them can only 02:24 walk and it's about a half an hour motorcycle ride so to walk, 02:27 it takes a long time and they can't afford a bus fair 02:29 I come out here to do this every now and then. 02:32 Immediately, the villagers start appearing. Since she visits 02:36 regularly, the people of Tobago know that she is here to check 02:40 on their health, an offer them free blood pressure 02:43 and blood sugar screenings. 02:45 The villagers aren't shy about getting their checkups. 02:48 They quickly pile in to visit with Nurse Laura. 02:52 Like does it hurt here? Or over here? No 02:55 More that side? Yah... 02:58 Anything else wrong? Or just head ache? Head ache. 03:01 Do you own any shades? 03:03 Huh? Do you have shades upon your eyes? No. Eyeshade. 03:09 Eyeshades? You got eyeshades? She said if you got them. 03:12 Yah me get one. You should wear them anytime you're outside. 03:17 Sometimes you get head ache because the sun is so bright 03:19 upon your eyes. YES! YES! Yah so you need to wear your eyeshades. 03:24 The next thing is, do you read? Do you read books? Do you read? 03:31 No? Yes read. You read? Yes. Sometimes if your eyes are gone 03:39 bad like when you're reading or something, 03:41 maybe you need glasses to wear. 03:43 Yes. But you'd have to check with an eye doctor for that. 03:48 There is one next thing that causes your head to hurt and 03:51 that is not enough water. 03:54 How many glasses of water do you drink every day? Yes. How many? 04:00 How many you drink every day? 04:06 Like how many glasses of water a day? 04:08 Two 04:10 Oh two! How many should you drink? 04:13 I've told you right? How many glasses of water 04:17 should you drink every day? 04:22 Eight. Eight! Yay! She's right Eight cups of water every day. 04:29 Now do you drink eight cups? Yes. 04:32 Are you lying? NO You drink eight? 04:35 You drink eight? Yes. Good for you! 04:37 Do you get head ache? Yes. You get it still? 04:42 You should drink more water. Because your blood inside is 04:49 like water right? If you don't drink water, 04:53 your blood gets thick - thick like mud. 04:55 If you take a straw, and stick it in some mud, can you suck? 05:01 If you take a straw and you stick it in a glass of mud. 05:06 You know what mud is? What's mud? Water and dirt. 05:09 Can you suck? No. So when your blood gets thick - thick, 05:15 its hard on your heart. You have to drink more water. Okay? 05:21 So like tomorrow or today, I want you to drink three glasses. 05:28 The next day I want you to drink four. 05:31 The next day, five. Every day add one more glass. 05:36 Or like this is what I do. Take a bottle, fill it up and every 05:44 day, drink the whole thing. Alright? So then you'll know 05:49 how much you drank. And then you'll feel better. 05:52 It's good for your pressure it's good for headache. 05:55 Good if your bones are aching sometimes. Okay? 05:59 Alright, your pressure's good. Your pressure's good. 06:04 By the time she is finished with her first patient, Laura already 06:08 has a very curious audience. Because Tobago is so remote, 06:12 it doesn't often get visitors. So when it does, 06:16 they become quite the spectacle. 06:18 I don't find a whole lot of hyper-tension 06:21 out in these areas. 06:22 Certainly not as much as in the States. And you actually find 06:26 more, interestingly enough, with the town people who have 06:28 more access to fattening foods. 06:40 102 over 58. That's low. how low? Not too low. It's ok! 06:46 Does your head swing? No. Okay. You're doing good. 06:51 Are you drinking lots of water? Yes. How many glasses a day? 06:54 One cup. That's not plenty! You need to be drinking eight 07:03 or ten a day. A day? But don't start with ten in one day 07:09 cause you're going to drown. But if you start today, drink two. 07:13 If you usually drink one, today drink two. 07:15 Tomorrow drink three. The next day, four. 07:19 Everyday just add a little bit more. 07:21 Not drinking enough water is one of the main problems that I've 07:24 seen here. And that just inter relates with so many other 07:27 medical problems here. 07:28 I'll ask someone "how much water do you drink?" 07:31 And they will say "Oh I drink plenty plenty!" 07:33 But then when I... How many glasses, when I ask them exactly 07:37 how many glasses do you drink. They will say "mmm... one or 07:40 two" and these are moms who are pregnant and they are only 07:43 drinking one or two glasses a day. So, I've been doing a lot 07:46 of education to drink more water It's hot. It's humid here. 07:49 And I think there is a lot of problems that could be solved 07:53 if they just drink a little more water. So I've been trying to do 07:56 a lot of education with that. Along with education about 07:59 diabetes, hypertension and eating. 08:03 Because the main diet here is white rice. And so we've been 08:07 trying to implement ideas so they can eat more fiber 08:12 and more fruits and more vegetables. 08:14 Everyone from young children, to the elderly, come and 08:18 investigate all the commotion. 08:20 Laura spends a few hours seeing patients. She doesn't turn 08:24 anyone away and checks blood pressures 08:27 on every outstretched arm. 08:29 Thankfully, everyone seems to be in good health today. 08:33 Before she leaves, Laura has one more task for this morning. 08:38 She has goodies for the young children. Donors from North 08:42 America often ship down barrels of supplies for the missionaries 08:46 This often includes clothing, small stuffed toys, 08:50 shoes and books. 08:53 Laura likes to document all the gifts that she hands out so she 08:56 can send pictures back to the donors and they can see what 09:00 an impact they have made. She also sends her images back to 09:03 AWA headquarters in Wisconsin to include 09:07 in their quarterly magazine. 09:09 Despite their typical stoic nature, the children can't help 09:13 but crack a smile as they hold their new gifts. 09:16 They don't often have opportunities to get toys. 09:19 Most of them only play with things they create themselves 09:22 from rags and twigs. So a new stuffed toy is quite a treat. 09:30 Even the adolescent boys can't mask their excitement 09:33 over their new book. They crow together and immediately begin 09:37 scanning the pages. Since most of them do not attend school, 09:41 they aren't able to read well at all. But they don't let that 09:45 stop them from trying. They all crowd together to sound the 09:49 words out and begin to decipher the story within the book. 10:09 Laura finishes her tasks for this morning. 10:11 Her backpack is empty and the townspeople have smiles 10:15 on their faces. But they aren't just smiling because of 10:18 the gifts that the children receive. 10:19 The people of Tobago are very fond of Laura. 10:23 She has built relationships and friendship with these people. 10:26 Before she leaves, she encourages a group of boys 10:30 that she gave a book to. 10:31 A cassava farmer? What you wanna be? Well you can't be pilot or 10:38 doctor or pastor, none of those things if don't study your math 10:41 and English. Right? You got to be in school, study hard. 10:46 Cause you guys look like you're smart. You look smart. 10:50 Let me see... Actually you look really smart. What about you? 10:54 Let me see. Wow you look really smart! And you're not even 10:57 in school? I know! You can grow up to be a teacher. 11:01 You can come back and teach everyone. Wouldn't that be cool? 11:04 But you can't do that if you don't go to school right? 11:08 Alright. 11:09 It's been a productive visit here in Tobago. 11:12 She has checked many blood pressures 11:14 and tested for diabetes. But there is still much to do 11:17 today so Laura climbs back on her bike and begins her journey 11:21 back to Mabaruma to see what 11:23 the rest of the missionaries are doing today. 11:35 Guyana is a third world country. 11:37 a lot of them, how they survive around here 11:40 is by sustenance living. So they plant cassava 11:43 and maybe a little bora, which is this long green bean. 11:47 They have little gardens, they do fishing. And then they try 11:50 to sell whatever they can in the market. 11:52 And that's pretty much how they survive out here. 11:55 The villagers come together on Tuesday and Saturdays to sell 11:58 produce from their gardens as a source of income. 12:01 The missionaries come to the market almost every Tuesday 12:04 to buy goods for their families, but also to interact with the 12:07 neighbors and village members. They like to use every 12:10 opportunity possible to interact with the Guyanese and these 12:15 weekly markets are just one of the many 12:17 opportunities they have. 12:18 The fruits and vegetables here in Guyana are very different 12:21 from those found in the local grocery stores in North America. 12:25 Bora are green beans. Long green beans. 12:29 It took a while for the missionaries to become 12:31 acquainted with them and familiar with how to eat them. 12:34 Even after being here for some time, they still very often see 12:39 new produce in the market that they have never seen before. 12:42 And so they ask the vendors about them. 12:45 This is edoe right? This, you have to cook a lot 12:50 or it makes your throat itchy. 12:56 Is this tina? Yes. See, this is tina. This is a great big leaf 13:01 like that, and they cook it like that. 13:05 They skin the... they take the great big vein out. 13:09 And then chop it up and cook it. And it's one of their greens. 13:13 Does it grow in the river? Yah, it grows a lot of. 13:16 It's by my house. So it grows in, just grows everywhere. 13:22 This often makes the local Guyanese laugh when they have to 13:25 teach the white ladies how to eat and cook their local foods. 13:29 But the missionaries don't mind. It's a way for them to bond 13:33 and connect to each other. They get instructions on how to 13:36 prepare the produce, recipes and they even let Karen and Chrystal 13:41 sample the fruits, they are not familiar with. 13:45 Okay, I haven't seen this one then. Is this like kuru? No no. 13:53 We just eat that? Yes, the same except the skin. Nice. 14:03 Do I shallow the seeds? Yah yah... I like it. Sour. 14:11 Sour and sweet at the same time. The seeds are crunchy. 14:16 And it's all slimy. Summatu. Right? Summatu. 14:21 Yes, did you like it? Yah, I do. I think my kids will like it. 14:28 Ok akuru, you are familiar with akuru, ok my son burst it open 14:35 the other day and it's like a coconut, it has a nut inside, 14:38 but the nut is no the nut is no good. You can't eat it? 14:40 No, it's too hard. We were like... I was like I want to 14:44 taste it but it was... It is very hard. 14:46 So it's not related to coconut or anything that you know. 14:50 Because I'm thinking, because I don't like akuru, 14:52 I don't like eating it, I'm thinking maybe, it's the nut 14:56 we are supposed to be eating and not the outside. 14:59 This is karila. Which is very very very very very very, 15:03 I can't go on enough with verys bitter. How do you eat it? 15:09 You burst it, scrape it out, and you chip it small. 15:12 And you need to soak it in vinegar, a little salt, 15:15 and you mash it. And then you squeeze it out dry. 15:21 You eat that? Like once a week? Yes, some people eat it green 15:25 just like this. 15:26 They say if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger right? 15:28 Yes, it does, It does. Alight. 15:31 That's akuru. Yah. This is yellow inside. 15:36 And they spread it on cassava bread. Like butter. Right? Yes. 15:41 There's not a lot of flavor, like butter doesn't have a lot 15:44 of particular flavor. This doesn't either. 15:47 But some of them are sweeter than others. 15:55 But you can't just bite into all the fruits here in Guyana. 15:58 See it's got a nut right in the middle. A pit. 16:02 And just eat it off of that. 16:04 Many of them have thick hard shells or large seeds in the 16:07 middle, some of the foods in the market are even poisonous 16:11 unless they are properly cooked. 16:13 Oh I see, I didn't do it right. So she is going to show us 16:15 how to do it right. Oh Akuru? 16:17 So Karen and Chrystal ask plenty of questions 16:20 to make sure that they are going to safely feed their families. 16:29 The pilots usually do all the shopping when they have 16:32 a layover in Georgetown, but if there aren't any med-evac's or 16:36 layovers for a while, the wives have to stock up an make do 16:40 with what they can get at this local shop. 16:43 Every trip to the market is an adventure for these ladies, 16:46 and their families never know just what kind of treats or new 16:50 foods they are going to bring home for supper. 16:54 Produce isn't the only thing for sale on market days. 16:57 There are also small shanties filled with clothing, 17:00 house wares and even a mini grocery store. The market is 17:05 flooded with unique items for sale today. 17:08 The missionaries don't have the option of going to a large super 17:11 market and buying food so instead, they must shop around 17:15 from vendor to vendor finding the items they need. 17:21 I'm going to make pepper pot tonight for Ray. 17:23 Actually I'm not going to make it. 17:24 I'm going to have my neighbor come up and help me with it. 17:29 Cassava water has cyanide in it. And so they'll boil it, 17:35 and they'll skim off the foam. And they will keep doing it 17:40 till it doesn't foam up anymore, and then it's safe to eat. 17:45 So they tell me. 17:47 But you never know just what you will find on market days. 17:51 The ladies explore around town this morning. 17:54 Today is also fish market. All these fish however are unclean 17:59 and unsafe to eat. 18:01 There are many gold mines in Guyana which are unregulated. 18:05 These mines use mercury in their refining process 18:08 and then just dump the mercury right back into the river. 18:12 The fish are then poisoned with the mercury 18:14 and make it unsafe to eat. 18:16 The Guyanese however continue to eat them and do not know 18:20 how much they are hurting themselves by 18:22 consuming these fish. 18:25 Karen talks to local fishermen, but their warnings 18:28 often go un-heeded. 18:30 The last stop of the morning is the grocery store. 18:33 Here they can buy any dried foods, pastas and packaged foods 18:37 With their arms and bags loaded with food, the ladies are 18:41 finally finished grocery shopping. 18:44 As you can see, it takes much more work and it is much longer 18:48 then just stopping at a local supermarket 18:50 to feed their families. 18:53 While the ladies are in town grocery shopping, 18:56 Jud Wickwire is also picking up supplies. 18:59 However they are not for him or his family. 19:02 One of the services the AWA team frequently helps with 19:07 is delivering supplies to the remote regional hospitals. 19:11 Jud is in Georgetown, the capital, where they distribute 19:14 supplies to smaller hospitals in the remote jungle facilities. 19:19 Jud will be delivering supplies to the hospital 19:21 in region one today. 19:23 Delivering these supplies is a huge blessing to the medical 19:27 facility in Mabaruma. 19:28 These hospitals are stocked with supplies to handle 19:32 and treat minor injuries. 19:34 More critical emergencies require patients to be 19:37 medi-vaced out to Georgetown hospital. 19:42 So this time we have a load of supplies for the regional office 19:48 Some medications for the hospital, 19:51 a few things for our own team. 19:59 And a staff member for the regional administration. 20:02 As always, Jud prays for protection on this flight. 20:06 We ask for protection as we fly. We ask that You bless the cargo 20:10 as it gets to the intended use. We just pray in Jesus name, 20:13 Amen, Amen 20:14 With their plane fat with supplies, Jud turns the plane 20:19 towards the runway. He is in a hurry today. 20:22 In Guyana, you cannot fly after dark. 20:25 So he must be quick so that he is able to reach his destination 20:28 before sundown. 20:30 It takes roughly 2 hours to fly from Georgetown to Mabaruma, 20:35 if all goes as planned. 20:37 Well the main issue with not flying at night, is that there 20:39 only one airport in the country, that's lit. 20:43 That has lights for night operations. 20:44 That's the international airport in Georgetown. 20:46 So well in theory, you know we could, we could, take off 20:50 and fly in dark, you know with just the lights on the runway 20:53 runway to take off and fly into that airport, your still looking 20:56 at flying that entire length of distance over terrain 21:01 that has no lighting what so ever. 21:03 There's no navigation aid, no emergency help, and in a single 21:08 engine at night, it's just, it's not good practice. 21:11 The two hour flight goes by quickly and soon Jud 21:15 is circling the Mabaruma air strip. 21:17 The run way is clear and he is ready to make his approach. 21:21 He coasts towards the pavement, with all the much needed 21:25 supplies and at last his tires touch the runway. 21:28 Now it's time to unload. Unfortunately, 21:32 there is a serious theft problem here in Guyana. 21:36 To insure that the supplies make it from the plane 21:38 to the hospital, armed personnel are assigned 21:41 to travel with the supplies. 21:43 Jud and the men begin to unload the plane. 21:46 Bags and boxes of supplies are loaded into the back 21:49 of a pickup truck under the watchful eye of the guard. 21:54 But one by one the boxes are unloaded. 21:57 Even Jud is amazed at how much he is able to 21:59 squeeze into the plane. 22:06 Although it seems like a long day for the AWA missionaries, 22:09 it still is not over. 22:11 To finish off the day, Greg and Chrystal VanFasson open up 22:15 their home for Bible studies with the local Guyanese. 22:19 The VanFossons have multiple Bible studies 22:22 throughout each week. Sometimes in their homes, 22:25 other times they travel to the villager's homes. 22:28 For them this is one of the most important mission opportunities 22:33 that they have, to be able to read and teach the scriptures 22:37 with people they have move to Guyana to minister to. 22:42 My husband and I came to Guyana because we felt like 22:44 God was asking us to be here. 22:45 My parents are missionaries because they are helping 22:49 the community and stuff. 22:51 I think my mom and dad enjoy being here 22:53 because they're helping people. 22:59 Well while we're down here in Guyana we live on people 23:02 hiring us, essentially, to do things that they can't do. 23:05 So when someone sends monthly support down here, to help us, 23:10 it's like hiring a missionary to go and do 23:12 what they cannot do themselves. 23:15 The transition from Greg having a consistent income and we 23:22 knowing what we were getting every month, to coming to Guyana 23:26 and being faith based is definitely faith building. 23:32 It's not necessarily easy, but God has never failed us. 23:37 The pay. The pay is not great when it comes to monetary goods. 23:43 But the pay is VERY good when it comes to spiritual goods. 23:48 There are two and three quarter billion people in the world, 23:51 according to the Joshua Project, that have never heard the gospel 23:54 of Jesus Christ. Eight hundred million of those can be reached 23:58 only by airplane. AWA is about bringing the gospel 24:03 of Jesus Christ, into the interior of Guyana to people 24:06 who are difficult to reach. We use airplanes as a tool 24:10 to do that. 24:12 Airplanes are a tool that we use; 24:14 they are not the primary activity. 24:18 One of the most important things to understand is that, 24:20 even though Adventist World Aviation is about aviation, 24:24 aviation is only a background item, honestly. 24:26 The whole idea, is leading souls to Jesus Christ. 24:30 And the airplane opens the door, but in order to be able to share 24:34 the message, we need people and we need materials. 24:38 We need books and Bibles and these types of things 24:40 to hand out. Tracks, any of those items that we could use. 24:44 Although the team is limited to materials and supplies, 24:47 they do not let that stop them from being generous 24:50 and sharing everything they have. 24:52 They fully believe that God will provide them with more, 24:56 and faithfully bless others with any materials they receive. 25:02 As a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian, we all understand 25:04 that time is very short. 25:06 We understand the prophecies; we get all of that, 25:08 that we are very close to the second coming of Christ. 25:10 Yet, when we read publications that are put out missiologist, 25:15 or those that study missions, we get this conflicting number 25:18 that even though we're living in the last days, forty percent 25:20 of the world, thirty-five to forty percent of the world, 25:22 is still considered unreached with the gospel message. 25:25 Of that forty percent, we're told that eight hundred million 25:29 people live beyond geographic barriers, where the only way 25:34 that they' re ever going to hear about the gospel message 25:36 is if somebody actually goes there to share it with them. 25:38 They may not have access to electricity, they don't have 25:41 internet, they don't have phones, they don't have TV. 25:43 And in some cases they're so difficult to get to that the 25:45 only way to get there, is by aircraft. And that's why 25:48 aviation is going to play a very important role in reaching the 25:52 unreached in the last days just before Jesus comes. 25:54 I'm a seed planter. I don't know what the effects are exactly, 25:59 what the impact. I see evidence when I ask questions 26:03 for examples of the individuals I'm doing Bible studies with. 26:08 I see very, I get very positive responses. 26:13 It's a little bit humbling when somebody tells you that God has 26:19 sent you to give them Bible studies. 26:21 It is undeniable that the entire team is making a profound impact 26:26 in region one in Guyana. 26:28 Almost every direction they turn there are people whose lives 26:32 they have touched, be it with the airplane and medi-vac's, 26:36 or medical services or simple day to day ministry. 26:40 They have transformed this region 26:42 by showing the love of God. And they feel blessed to be 26:45 called to this opportunity. 26:47 One of the things that, I really had my eyes opened to when 26:51 I first came to Guyana. I always thought of missionaries 26:53 as being people that are out there, pounding on doors 26:56 and just shoving Bibles down people's throats. And you know, 26:59 trying to get their message and their agenda across to them. 27:02 And after I got down here, I really realized that really 27:04 isn't necessarily what mission work is all about. 27:06 It is about sharing the gospel message. But a lot of times 27:10 a sermon lived, is worth much more than a sermon preached. 27:14 And when you go down, and you live among a people, and you 27:16 show them love, you will show them Jesus Christ. 27:20 By living among them, helping them with their difficulties 27:23 and their problems, they will want to know more 27:25 about what you know. 27:26 What makes you this way? Why do you come here and do these types 27:28 of things for us? And it gives you a chance to tell them about 27:31 the love of God, and then Bible studies just follow naturally 27:34 because they want to understand more about what you believe. 27:37 It's the greatest joy on earth, and I can't imagine why we 27:41 as human beings don't do more of it. But I can guarantee you, 27:44 coming to the mission field and working in an area like this, 27:47 you get opportunities to do it every single day. 27:49 Your happiness batteries get recharged each day you're here. 27:53 You know, sharing your faith like that, strengthens 27:56 your own faith. And each day you discover more victory, 27:59 and more, more success in your Christian walk. 28:03 Jesus said in the great Gospel Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 28:07 that we are to go into all the world! 28:09 Well, Adventist World Aviation is dedicated to doing just that! 28:13 There are between six and a half and seven billion people 28:16 now living on planet earth. And two billion of them have 28:19 never heard of Jesus. 28:21 Of the two billion, eight hundred million 28:24 of them can only be reached like means like aircraft. 28:27 or through aviation support. 28:29 We go into the un-reached areas of the world. 28:33 What we find when we go in there 28:35 we find death and disease and despair. 28:39 What we bring them is hope, health and life. 28:42 And a great Gospel message that Jesus loves them. 28:45 That there is somebody out there, who does care. 28:48 They often ask, why do you do this? 28:51 We say, because Jesus loves you! 28:53 And so the message that we bring them is absolute hope. 28:57 Since it's inception, 1995, AWA, or Adventist World Aviation 29:02 has been able to relieve over thirty five epidemics. 29:04 We've literally flown millions of missionary miles. 29:08 We are relieving the pain and suffering of those who live 29:11 in these remote parts of the world. Helping them. 29:14 Will you pray for us! We need prayer more than anything else! 29:17 If you like more information please contact this station 29:20 3 Angels Broadcasting Network, or call the number on the screen 29:24 Thanks for watching! |
Revised 2014-12-17