Wendy is a registered nurse practicing in the jungle mountains of the Philippines. She has been living in a thatched roof hut, overlooking a lush tropical forest, serving the Palawan people as their only medical caregiver, and as a friend. Everything about her life there is rural in a most primitive sense. Check out the pictures and watch for future posts filled with stories of her adventures. You'll be awed.

BZ: So, Wendy, you're a real live missionary. Tell me a little about where you live and what you do there.

I live in a remote village in the mountain jungles of Palawan, Philippines. I work as a nurse in the only clinic available for most of the whole mountain range. I work together with a team to help the very primitive tribal people with their health and spiritual needs.

BZ: Did you always know you would work outside of America, or was there an event or a person who inspired your mission spirit? Basically, how did you end up where you are now?

It was basically in Academy that I started becoming more interested in missions personally. My parents are missionaries and were raised by mission-minded families so that definitely got me started, but various mission trips had a big part in making me excited about missions as well. I went to a "Go" missions conference one year and that helped solidify my call as I realized the huge need out there and so few willing or able to go.

BZ: You went to Southern Adventist University and took nursing. Was this what you imagined you would be doing with your knowledge and skills?

When I was deciding what I wanted to do in college and with my life, I was pretty sure I would eventually do something with missions and I was drawn to the medical field so I started narrowing things down with that in mind. I decided on Nursing because I remembered seeing people come to my parents (even though they had little medical background) with their sick kids and all sorts of weird ailments and I decided it might be best to have an overall general medical knowledge rather than a specialized knowledge. As time went on I became more and more interested in remote medical missions and especially "unreached" areas (unreached by Christianity). I started working in that direction, taking medical missions nursing classes and going to every missions gathering I could. I also intentionally did my best not to accumulate a lot of stuff so it wouldn't be as hard to leave someday. I naturally made friends with other mission-minded people, including returned 3-year student missionary to Palawan, Michel Kelch. She was my hero but I never dreamed I'd actually work in her same village someday that I'd heard so many stories about! (I actually purposely avoided this place at first because I didn't think I could ever fill her shoes!)

BZ: Tell me what your "average" day is like from morning till sleep.

I try to be up by 5:00 for personal worship.

5:45 we have prayer with the other SM's/volunteers out on "the rock" between our houses.

6:15-7:00 I finish up my own worship and start cooking rice (to last for the day) and other food if I don't already have something cooked.

7:00-8:00 a.m. I shower, eat and clean up.

Every day is different but often I finish seeing the morning crowd of patients by 1 or 2:00 (but often after 3 or 4:00 or later). I eat lunch after everyone's been seen. I usually go back again after an hour or two to catch the afternoon stragglers and prepare meds and work on other projects etc.

I don't usually eat supper since my lunch is almost always late enough in the day that I don't need another meal, so I have the rest of the evening free to do stuff around the house or visit with people. When we don't have a team meeting or in-patients or anything else going on (which seems to be rare, but it does happen), then I try to have personal worship/study time again around 6:30 or 7:00 'til 8 or 9 when I head to bed.

BZ: What is your favorite part of this job?

Being in an environment and working with a team where we are regularly brought to our knees in prayer because we have no other place to turn. Then seeing God's awesome power and love as he answers our prayers and performs miracles right before our eyes.

Working outside basically (mostly on the clinic porch) in a beautiful and incredibly peaceful setting.

Visiting in people's homes and telling them bible stories they've never heard in their lives. Watching them so intrigued at simple stories like Adam and Eve, creation, and the flood. Singing songs for them and watching their eyes light up (they don't have singing in their culture).

BZ: What frustrates you the most about your job?

Probably not knowing when the next patient or emergency will show up or when the next epidemic might hit. Being responsible for every sniffle for a whole mountain range of people. Not having Weekends or Sundays free (being on call 24/7) (But that's changing soon now that I have help!)

Next to that, dealing with the poverty and needs all around and failing to listen to God on how he wants me to handle the daily requests that come. It's discouraging at times, but God's working on me yet.

BZ: I understand you have a difficult "commute" from town to your village. Describe what it's like traveling in your neck of the world.

It takes 3-4 hours to hike into our village (that's after a 45 minute drive from town to the trailhead). Trails are not maintained in Palawan (at least not much). If something is in the way they just chop it as they go, but just enough to get by. They go straight from point A to point B even if that means through the river and straight up the mountain (I have yet to see a switchback!). Everything is either up or down here. We live in the only flat place around, down in a valley. Rain and mud or even long periods of dryness can affect the trails greatly. The right foot ware makes all the difference, though. We use flip flops with traction on top and bottom and a pair of soccer cletes to manage the mudslide trails during rainy season (yes, it's that slick).

BZ: What is the culture of the people like where you're working? Have they been easy to get to know closely? did you have to build alot of trust initially? What are your relationships with the people of the village like now?

The Palawanos are very fun and loving people. I have the advantage of coming after 10 years or so of missionary influence and the people (especially those living close by) have had lots of experience dealing with outsiders. They've learned to be patient with our fumbling language and trust us quickly. The ones living a little farther away are still not so sure what to think of some of our strange new ideas we bring in that are so different then what their village elders and witchdoctors have taught them all their lives. When the first missionaries came, the people thought they would eat them and they all ran away! (they are our friends and church members now and they laugh about it too).

Cultural differences and language are big barriers to bonding. Even after four years surrounded by this language and culture I still feel like a baby in many ways. I don't expect to ever bond with the Palawanos like I would with an American, but I have already seen how a common need for a friend or a crisis in someone's life can bring you together despite those barriers. As a health worker I have little time or freedom to be able to go visiting so I feel that hinders me a lot, but I have made some great friends during the slower times. The church "ladies" (teenagers with kids) have been some of my closest friends, especially my neighbor, Lebin (happy, laid-back girl) and Ugil (dedicated Christian girl with an alcoholic husband).

I am always honest with the people when I tell them where I'm going and when I'm coming back or what medicine I'm giving them and how it will make them feel. They have learned to trust me and are not afraid anymore when I leave for vacation that I will not come back. And when I say a medicine is not bitter or will not make them dizzy they believe me because I've always been honest with them. Most of the church members and friends nearby trust us so much it's scary. They look to us for spiritual help as if we are God sometimes.

BZ: What have you learned from this culture and what do you think has changed you permanently about your experiences?

Wow, there's so much I've learned. I think I've learned more in the past 4 years then I have in half my life.

For one thing, I've gotten a healthy respect for the spirit world as I've been in involved with multiple demon harassment cases and it's opened my eyes and made me never want to put myself in positions where Satan has access to me.

I've learned that I am very very blessed in so many aspects. From material wealth to education to spiritual knowledge to health, the list goes on. I thought I knew that, but I didn't really understand it 'til I came here.

I have learned that I am very selfish. There is so much pressing need around me with multiple and often legitamit requests for clothes, soap, food, money, medicine etc. and I've become wearied and calloused by it at times to the point where I find myself turning people down as a standard response rather than praying about it first. (And then I think, if they can't come to us who have plenty and who are their Christian friends, then who can they go to?)

I've seen how even though it's hard to live without a lot of resources it makes you depend on God a lot more and therefore its actually a blessing in a lot of ways.

BZ: With your rediculously busy schedule, when do you find time to re-charge spiritually, or to have moments of quiet for yourself?

As much as I talk about my busyness here, it is actually quite peaceful a lot of the times come evening (especially when we don't have inpatients who need day and night care). And now that I have recently gotten some help in the clinic, I am for the first time in 4 years getting some time off once a week.

BZ: You're nvolved with AFM which is a well-recognized and respected organization. What kind of support have you felt from the General Conference and from local churches? Do you get letters, care packages, etc. from groups or people throughout the year?

I think AFM and the GC have been working together in recent years with the training of missionaries but other than that I'm not sure what else they are doing together. I know the GC supports AFM and vice versa, but they are completely separate. My parents are with the GC, though and everyone has been very supportive. As far as letters and care packages, those usually just come from family and friends.

BZ: If you could dream wildly, what would you want to have to make your life easier?

Regular, accessable internet and/or cellphone coverage

BZ: What foods item do you miss the most?

Bread, tomatoes, potatoes, hot dogs, vege-meat of all kinds.

Wendy, it's been great getting to know you, and we appreciate you taking time to chat with us. Now that you're one of our writers, don't be scarce around here! Keep us posted on the happenings, your stories, struggles, and adventures! Blessings!

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