Life Hits Home

These last few days have been quite difficult. I have hardly had time to stop and think. But when I have, I have continually been struck with the reality of life and the faithfulness of God.

Most of you are aware, by now, of the tragedy that occurred on Wednesday night. A van with several Taylor students and employees, all banquet workers, was returning from Fort Wayne when a semi crossed the median and hit the van. Four Taylor students were killed, as well as a Dining Commons employee. To my knowledge, one other remains in critical condition since then. The most up-to-date information I have is from Taylor's website: http://www.taylor.edu.

However, one of the details you won't find on that website is that Whitney Cerak, one of the girls who was killed, lived just down the hall from Kelsey. She was a friend of both of ours. I had coached Kelsey's intramural soccer team this past fall, and Whitney was on the team. I figured I would have at least have known someone who was in the van, but little did I know how close to home it would hit, especially for my sister.

I've struggled these past few days as I've been so far away from Taylor's campus. I really wish I could be there with my friends, and especially with Kelsey right now. I was thankfully able to call her on Thursday, but what can words do? Very little, I'm afraid. I wanted to be there. I prayed for God to reach down and stretch my arms from Ecuador to around Kelsey and Taylor's campus. Thankfully, we serve a big enough God to do that.

It has also been a bit difficult, as well, for me to be in a land where I am generally surrounded by strangers. I have been extremely thankful for your prayers, thoughts, and emails. My family here has also been quite supportive. And I've also been able to receive encouragement indirectly from the Quito missionary family around here. That same day, Wednesday, one of the beloved secretaries from the English Fellowship Church (Marta Flores, I believe) also died. As I understand it, she has been struggling with certain health problems, but this was still quite sudden and difficult nonetheless. This morning's service at EFC had, as part of its focus, an emphasis of the celebration of life, and of lives well lived in Christ. While most of the congregation was thinking of Marta, I was thinking of Whitney, Betsy and the others. Praise the Lord for lives well lived!

Finally, Uncle Bill, who was, in fact, my mom's uncle, passed away this past week as well. I was unable to be there for the service on Friday, but he and his wonderful life were in my thoughts and prayers. Uncle Bill's health had been deteriorating for quite a while now, so his death did not necessarily come as a surprise to us. However, it's always hard. I have such wonderful memories of him, as we would often stop by their home in Flint, or they would come to visit my grandparents. I'm thankful, though, that now my Grandpa "Papa" Claybrook and Uncle Bill can now talk and laugh and joke again like they used to. Only now, it's in the presence of the King.

God is faithful. His ways are beyond our ways, and His thoughts beyond our thoughts. Oftentimes, we do not know what He is doing. I look forward the time when I arrive in heaven and I'm able to understand in awe the incredible ways God is building His kingdom on this earth. Although I don't know what He is doing in every situation, I am thankful for the many examples we do have of God working out the best in every situation, whether or not the "best" is what we would have chosen or not. He remains in control.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." - Job 1:20

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By the way, I will be on a medical caravan in Punin, a village south of Riobamba, from Monday morning until Friday, so I will not be able to post new information or respond to emails until the end of the week. As always, thanks for your prayers.

English as a Second Language

I know I mentioned it briefly a couple weeks ago, but today I was again able to help out with an English as a second language class held at the local English Fellowship Church. Today I was able to get a picture with my group, so I decided to post it.

The program here is a wonderful opportunity to accomplish two goals: teaching English and introducing people to the truths of Christianity. When the Ecuadorians arrive at the church, they first sit in sections labeled "basic," "intermediate," and "advanced." They then listen to a story read in English while they follow along on their handouts. The story generally has a Christian theme. While listening, they are looking for words or phrases that are unfamiliar and are developing questions.

After the story, we divide into groups based on skill level. I had a basic group with me this week, which meant they were people who needed a bit more help with their English. I did have to interject or explain things in Spanish a couple of times. We were a little short staffed tonight, so I had a group of 18 (not everyone could fit in the picture. I have the other half and will stitch it together when I get home). It was a little difficult to hear at times, but over all, it still went well. We went through the story and identified words people didn't know and came up with different ways to say the same things in English.

Afterward, there's a snack/coffee mingle time. It's always neat to talk with some of my "students" afterward. We still try to talk in English to allow them to practice. We also invite the people to attend the Sunday church service. I'm not entirely sure, but I think the pastor has a special handout to help those for whom English is not their first language. It's a really neat ministry, and I'm glad I can be a part of it.

Mark 10:17-22

How many times have you had someone run up to you, fall on their knees, and ask you, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Well, that happened to Jesus (Mark 10:17-22), but it hasn't quite happened to me yet. Still, today was about as close as they come.

There was a Norwegian who came in to the hospital today, and she didn't speak much Spanish. I was once again called to help. Her situation wasn't bad, and was treated fairly quickly. Actually, the doctor who saw her spoke very good English (I was pleasantly surprised), so i didn't need to do much.

We were talking a little while before she got in to see the doctor, and the topic came up of why I am here. I told her I am here to serve, to learn, and to have an adventure--three things God created me for. She grabbed onto that and asked me, "So, are you one of those people who goes to church?" "Yes, certainly." "If you don't mind me asking, why do you go to church?" I kinda gave a small answer, because then we were called in to see the doctor. But that wasn't the end of things.

After we had received her medicine and paid her bill, she brought the topic back up. She was curious. "Why do you go to church?" "Why are you a Christian?" "You seem to be pretty logical; do you feel Christianity is logical?" "How do you know Christianity is true?" "Do you think I'm a bad person?" And more. I was able to explain to her what Christianity is all about, why we need to have a savior, why Christianity makes sense, how we were all sinners in need of repentance, how I am no "better" of a person than she, that we both were in the same family once: destined for everlasting punishment as payment for our sins, but the difference is that I have accepted God's free gift of forgiveness, of payment for my sins, and of and of adoption into his family. We ended up talking for about an hour simply about her questions. It was amazing to be able to talk to someone so bluntly and openly about exactly what I believe, and what she needs to believe to inherit eternal life.

In Mark 10:22, the man who came to Jesus went away sad because he was not willing to give up what he felt was making him happy and follow Jesus. My story, as well, did not end in a commitment to follow Christ. She went away with many of her questions answered, and also my email address in case she were to have any more questions. I will continue to pray for her, and I hope you will too. Perhaps something we talked about today will begin to sink in. She said she had never talked to anyone like me, someone who could articulate his faith and could answer some of her many questions. I was reminded of the words in 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

Fútbol

I have just had an absolutely wonderful day. A couple of weeks ago, one of the ER docs asked me if I play "futbol" (soccer). I said I certainly do, and so he asked me if I'd like to be on their team. I paid my $5 admission fee and my $10 for my uniform, but I didn't know what to expect. Well, today was the big day.

I suppose I hadn't known how big of a deal this was going to be. All the teams were from various parts of the hospital, which was fun in itself, and I was on team "medicos" (doctors, a few interns and residents, and me). Each of the teams had uniforms, and a queen. Apparently, they have a "queen" for everything here, much like we have a homecoming king and queen, except it perhaps isn't quite as big a deal for them. We marched out with our teams and our queen for the opening ceremony. For me, it was just so much fun to me to see how much everyone got into the day.

We played heartily. Actually, we had no choice. The oxygen level is so low here our hearts, and especially mine, were pounding! However, we lost our match 2-0. The one thing I am a bit confused about, though, is whether this game actually counted. This might have just been a placement game for next weekend when the real challenge begins. I'm not sure, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.

While completely unrelated, I also had the opportunity to talk a bit more with my friend who had the appendectomy and his family. He was let out of the hospital today, but they're going to be here a few more days while he rests and whiile they wait for an airplane to England. I've invited them to come to the English church tomorrow if they would like to, but it will all depend on how he feels. I'll call them in the morning tomorrow to see how things fare. Thank you for your prayers.

A Meaningful Difference

I love the emergency room. It's quite an adventure. Yesterday, I had no idea when I came into work where my adventure would take me. I had a fairly busy morning, but then around lunch time was when my main adventure started.

I was actually doing the admission and triage on a patient in the E.R. when I heard someone talking English a couple of rooms over, and then I heard "no Español." I knew what my next job would be. A boy had arrived in the ER with his mom, neither of whom spoke any Spanish.

The boy came with complaints of abdominal pain, a symptom we see often in the ER. Actually, the reason they came in was because they were planning on returning to England this morning and didn't want to fly with him feeling bad. After a physical exam, blood test, and ultrasound, it was determined that he had appendicitis and would need to have surgery that afternoon. I spent the rest of the day with him and his family, helping them figure out what they needed to do and also what was going to happen. I even went into the operating room and watched the appadectomy and then was there when he woke back up to help talk with him and answer his questions. Then we went up to the inpatient floor where his family met him and where he is currently staying for the next few days (no, travel was not an option).

I went up to his room a couple times today to see if I could help out at all. It's been really neat to build a relationship with this family. I know God placed me here in Ecuador for many reasons, and I believe I've found one more of those with this family. They were simply tourists who had the circumstance of being caught in a country where they don't know anyone and where they don't speak the language. I'm thankful God has given me the opportunity to reach out to them, befriend them, and show them His love. Please pray for me as I specifically am interacting with this family and am showing them what it means to follow Christ and to have had him transform my life.

Med School Made Early

I'm so thankful for the way God organized my trip here. I began in Shell, where I was surrounded by wonderful, patient people, a fairly calm environment, and many native English speakers. It was there where I was introduced to the Ecuadorian environment and where I was able to build my Spanish skills, yet was still able to fall back to English if necessary.

Now, I am in Quito, a rapid, complex environment, where I am pretty much alone as a native English speaker in the ER. Praise the Lord, though, that he's helped my Spanish to improve so much! I'm now at the point where I'm able to help out the docs and others in almost whatever they're doing. I appreciate your prayers, as I know this understanding is not on my own strength.

I'm also learning a ton here, too. Although I've worked at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital the past 3 years (and I'm very thankful for that time), I haven't been exposed to many of the parts of primary care. Here in the ER, I see a little bit of everything. The most interesting to me have been the trauma cases, including skin lesions and similar injuries. I've been able to learn quite a bit just by observing.

I've also been able to connect with several of the interns here, and they've been able to show me new cases and explain them as well. Perhaps the most interesting case this past week was a patient with a ruptured diaphragm. I was able to look at some of the x-rays while one of the interns explained what happened and what we were looking at. The picture here is of me in the imaging department while one of the docs explains to me what we're looking at.

Today, I received a bit of a surprise. I was talking with one of the doctors about who I am and why I'm here. A few minutes later, he asked me to come with him to see a patient. As we were walking, I thought I understood that I would be observing while the doctor made his observation. However, when we got into the room, the doctor signaled for me to begin my examination. I all of a sudden became a bit nervous. I have never actually been trained to give examinations; I've only observed them, and even then, without knowing everything that was going on. However, the doc helped walk me through it a bit, and I was able to do it. Of course not perfectly, but I think the doctor had already performed his examination. Afterward, we talked about it and made our diagnosis. I of course realized things to which I should have paid better attention, but it was a great experience to be able to learn a bit more.

I am incredibly thankful for the expriences God is giving me here. I have been able to see and experience so much. It all helps raise my excitement about starting med school. When I do begin my formal training, I expect I will be able to learn much more quickly and in depth because I've already experienced quite a bit, at least to some extent. One key to training in medical school is to repeat the information to ingraine it into our minds, and I'm already getting my first encounter with it.

Thank you for your continued prayers. On Wednesday I started volunteering with a weekly English class offered at the English church for Ecuatorians. The time acts as both a class and a time to teach the attendees about Christ. This week, we present the gospel quite clearly to those in attendance. It was very neat to be a part of.

Blessings,
Kevin

A World of Difference

(Oops, I meant to post this on the Blog and accidentally sent it to everyone via email. Anyway, here it is a well.)

It's amazing to think I'm in the same country. Quito is incredibly different from Shell, especially since I'm living with a missionary family. I think I mentioned earlier that it was probably like going from Upland to Chicago, and I was basically right. In some ways, it's been difficult to remember that I'm not back in the States. Of course, constant Spanish at the hospital is a pretty good reminder.

The hospital here in Quito is basically an American-style hospital. Hospital Vozandes Quito (HVQ) has specialists in all sorts of fields, modern equipment, and is continuing to expand. I'm working in the emergency room right now, where I get to see all sorts of cases. I wasn't sure quite how it would work out, but it's turning out to be very fascinating. As people have begun to recognize my face, they have begun asking me questions, so most know that I'll be attending med school this summer. They know I'm a student who wants to learn and help out wherever I can. Yesterday I even hooked up with an intern who would like to go to the States to practice. His English is pretty good, and he's been able to explain to me some of the cases. He also had some material for me to read. He likes practicing his English, and I like learning. It's a great combination.

Today was a very busy morning in the E.R. I got to help out the plastic surgeon who was repairing several lesions and even closing a thumb which had been severed by a machete. All was quite fascinating. I went home in the afternoon, got a nap, and will be returning to work the night shift. HVQ is one of the few hospitals in Quito with 24 hour emergency care, so we should get some quite interesting cases tonight.

I hope everything is going well in Grand Rapids, Upland, or wherever else you are. I always love hearing what's going on, so feel free to drop me a note if you have time. May God richly bless you with his presence each and every day.

¡Muchos Gracias a Todos en Shell!

El mismo de esto (más or menos) está abajo en Español.
[The same as this (more or less) is below in Spanish.]

I've now been in Ecuador for a little over a month. My time in Shell was incredible. Thank you so much, doctors, interns/residents, friends, and especially, the Hidalgos. I received a wonderful start to completing my 3 goals while I'm here: to serve, to learn, and to have an adventure.

I especially want to thank the Hidalgos (Enrique, Viena, and David) for accepting me into their home and allowing me to be a part of their family. As far as I know, they didn't change for me. They accepted me as an adopted son for a month. I ate what they ate, went to church where they went to church, and visited friends when they visited friends. It was wonderful.

This last weekend, I knew I was part of the family when we went to Viena's sister Alba's university graduation. On Friday we went to the graduation ceremony, then that night I hung out with Viena's family, 7 of us piled into that little car. We then spent Saturday getting ready for the graduation party. The highlight of the day was seeing the pig go from running around in the morning to being served on our plates in the evening. The whole weekend, I felt part of the family. Thank you!

On Sunday, Anita, the Hidalgo's daughter who is studying in Quito, and I traveled to Quito where I will now be until I leave mid-May. The family I'm living with is a missionary family, Alex and Lynette Weir, and their two sons, Craig and Matthew. Things have been going great so far, although I've had to get used to living more or less like an American again. It seems that the Lord has blessed me with two great families.

En Español
Ya he estado aquí por un poco mas de un mez. Mi tiempo en Shell fue increible. Muchos gracias, medicos, internos/residentes, amigos, y especialamente, los Hidalgos. Recibí un marvalloso empezo para completir mis 3 mayores cosas los que you quiero hacer mientras estoy aquí; servir, aprender, y tener una adventura.

Especialamente, yo quiero dar gracias a los Hidalgos (Enrique, Viena, y David) por acceptandome en su casa y pudiendome para ser un parto de su familia. A todo lo que yo sé, ellos no cambaron para mi. Ellos me aceptaron como hijo adoptivo para la mez. Comí lo que ellos comieron, fuí a la iglesia donde ellos fueron, y visité los amigos cuando ellos visitaron los amigos. Fue marvilloso.

Esto fin de la samana pasado, yo sabí que yo fue un parto de la familia cuando yo fuimos a la graduación de una hermana de Viena, se llama Alba. Viernes, fuimos a la ceremonia, y entonces en la noche yo estaba con la familia de Viena, 7 de nosotros en un caro pequeño. Entonces, el Sabado estabamos preparando para la fiesta de graduación. El mas buena cosa del día fue viendo el chancho ir de corriendo en la mañana a en nuestros platos en la noche. Todo el fín de la semana, yo sentí como un parto de la familia. ¡Gracias!

Domingo, Anita, la hija de los Hidalgos quien está estudiando en Quito, y yo fuimos a Quito donde voy a estar hasta el medio de Mayo, cuando voy a salir. Estoy viviendo con una familia misionera, Alex y Lynette Weir, y sus dos hijos, Craig y Matthew. Todo está bien hasta ahora, pero necesito recordar como vivir como un Gringo otra vez. Aparace como el Dios ha me bendido con dos familias buenas.