Off the Grid

Guyana: Remote Healthcare

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants:

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Series Code: OTG

Program Code: OTG000006


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!


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Revised 2014-12-17