Mongolia 2013 Part 1

I was recently at a retreat where one of the speakers made this statement: "True joy has faced the harsh realities of life and still come to the conclusion that God is with us." God was very much with us in Mongolia this year. Our week was both challenging and rewarding; we experienced joy and relief, but also grief and sadness. About the only thing that was constant during the days that we were working in the hospital was God. Everything else changed by the minute adding to the stress and challenge of the week. Through it all He was with us.

"Whatever will come our way, through fire and pouring rain, we won't be shaken."

You Can't Surprise God

There are now only a couple of days before my trip to Mongolia with For Hearts and Souls. The hospital we work at in Ulaanbaatar has been undergoing construction recently. They are remodeling and upgrading the operating rooms, ICUs, and the catheterization lab (all areas which we use during our time there). We are excited to see these improvements! Most projects appear to be coming to completion, but we are cutting it close. Please pray that the work is done well and completely, but quickly, so that we are able to complete the 10 open heart surgeries and 20 heart catheterization procedures that are currently planned.

A few Prayer Requests:

-That the patients, their families, and all of the staff that we work with would see the love of Christ in our words and actions.

-Completion of the construction.

-For the Mongolian customs agents to allow our medical supplies through without extensive questioning or requiring payments to release from customs.

-Safety for the team while traveling and during our time in Mongolia.

-Health for all of the team members as well as the children scheduled for surgery. They cannot undergo heart surgery if they are sick.

For the week starting Sunday the 22nd, when you are sitting down to dinner we are starting our day of surgeries, so say a little prayer for us when you bless your food :).


On a personal note, my Grandma is not doing well. She has been living with Alzheimer's for the last several years. I am grateful for the extra time that I have been able to spend with her as I have been in Texas more often over the last year. I have said my goodbyes and don't want her to suffer anymore, but I wish it wasn't happening when I was about to leave the country. I am reminded by this, as well as things like construction, that even though I can be surprised by sudden changes or information I didn't previously have, God already knew. He knew how the timing of these events would unfold, and He knows what surgeries and procedures need to be done and exactly what we need to have available to accomplish them. None of it is a surprise to Him. I have learned over the last couple of years, and continue to learn, that interruptions are often an opportunity for God to work if we will let Him.

I am so glad you can't surprise God.

Sprinting Through Seoul!

I've been home for a couple of weeks now, but still wanted to post about my latest trip to Mongolia. Better late than never :). I went to pick up a precious little 8 month old, Enguun, and her mom, and bring her to the U.S. for heart surgery.

After saying goodbye to her family and the CHP staff at the airport in Mongolia, we boarded our first leg of the trip to Seoul, South Korea. For some unknown reason, we got bumped up to First Class!! Of course this was quite a nice experience, but I had to explain to them all the flights would most likely not be this way. We definitely enjoyed that first flight :). Despite having a 4 hour layover in Seoul, we BARELY made our flight. I'll spare you all the boring details, but we had some ticketing issues and spent most of our 4 hours at the airline ticket counter, and getting through security and immigration. When we made it through and were headed to find our terminal and gate, we had exactly 8 minutes until the gate closed. Not 8 minutes until they started boarding, but until it CLOSED. At the entrance to the train that would take us to our terminal, there happened to be an airport information person, and she had a phone. I asked her if she could please call our gate to tell them we were coming and to not close the door. She didn't question me at all, dialed the number, and handed me her phone. I actually think that she was an angel and probably disappeared when I turned around and walked away :). When we took the train and got off the elevator, I tried to inspire urgency in my group as best I could, and off we went running down the hallway toward our gate. We had exactly 3 minutes. It was ridiculously close, but we made it! 

Everything went smoothly after that. Our 12 hour flight went by fairly quickly and before we knew it, our traveling adventures had ended. Enguun took it all in stride, slept most of the way, and had a successful open heart surgery one week after arriving in the states. She is recovering well and will soon go back home to her family.

Here is the link to a few more pictures: CHP-Mongolia

It's That Time Again!!!!

And what a glorious time it is!

It is July and that means it is time to plan for my annual trip to Mongolia :). This will be my 4th trip with the For Heart and Souls team, and of course, I can't wait to get back! This year has been pretty quiet for me on the overseas traveling front. This will be my first team trip for the year and I can hardly contain myself while waiting for September to arrive!

The team is planning on completing 10 open heart surgeries, as well as 20 heart catheterization procedures, in the week that we are there. There will not be a Searching week preceding the surgery week this year because last year we completed screening the entire country of Mongolia. Because of this, the cost is down from around $4000 to about $2800, but I still need some help. Please prayerfully consider helping me get to Mongolia this year. If you haven't had the opportunity to read my blog, please look over the previous entries. I want you to know what you are giving towards and why. It is a very worthwhile investment. 

I would also ask that you mark your calendars and pray for the team while we are there. Last year we had at least 2 children who we literally prayed out of the operating room when things looked grim. Both made full and miraculous recoveries, and many of you were part of that by praying from all around the world. Your prayers are extremely important to us and we feel them when we are there. We will be in-country from Sept 21-28th and operating the 23-27th. 

Thank you for all of your support over the last few years. I couldn't do it without you. As always, I am happy to answer any questions, and if you would like to commit to pray for the team, feel free to e-mail me at smyle2@hotmail.com. Also, if you would like to contribute financially, contact me via e-mail or facebook and I will get you the information you need.

Feed Your Soul

Recently someone at worked asked me, again, when I would sign on as full-time staff. And again I explained how I just couldn't give up the flexibility that travel nursing gives me to be able to go on trips. We have had this conversation 3 or 4 times a year for the last 3 years, and although I love it there, I love that I can have the best of both worlds; a few months working in the US and a few months of world travel. This person looked right at me and said, "You have to do what feeds your soul." I have a feeling we probably won't have that conversation again. She gets it. Not to get extremely deep and serious, but this is what feeds my soul.

Darlin and Christian

I guess you can't be too serious when you look at those faces :). I fell in love with these boys as soon as I saw their pictures in an e-mail, and couldn't wait to meet them in person. These boys are young enough that they really had no idea what was going on, but watching Christian's mom say goodbye to his dad at the airport broke my heart. As we boarded airplanes and airport trams and escalators, the boys and their moms had wonder in their eyes at all the things they had never seen before. But when they were just sitting, quietly, you could see the anxiety on their faces. One of the moms was frequently holding back tears. They have left their families and all that they know to come to America and live with people they don't know and let someone do heart surgery on their babies, hoping that all goes well. What an amazing reunion it will be when Christian runs into his dad's arms and is no longer blue and tired.

If you want to see some more pics from the trip, click here.

Time to Travel...

I have now been in the states since November without taking a trip. Almost a whole 5 months! As much as I love my time at home, I am always itching to travel. Next week I will head to Honduras to pick up these 2 adorable little people.

As always, I'm counting down the days until I leave. I LOVE doing transports for CHP. It never fails to be a fun, challenging, and rewarding adventure! I'll let you know how it goes :)

More From Juba

Just a few of my favorite before and after pics...

This is Miriam

Peter, "The Tank"

Sweet Waro

Doctor

Rosiline

Baby Grace

Said

Sanyal

"Diva"

Buli