I had a great Birthday!  I really didn’t think anyone could surprise me very much, as there aren’t that many options for surprises on the mountain!  So I was completely clueless when Chris called on the radio with a bogus medical emergency.   He said there was a lady that had been in labor for 4 days in Tebud. It was nothing unusual so I didn't think anything of it. And then I was really thrown off when we got a real call immediately after from Nikson in Kensuli saying there was a very sick lady near Amas who was apparently on her death bed. I grabbed the medical pack and OB pack (which we didn't need because that was for the fake emergency!) and flew off to the real emergency. The lady had a respiratory infection and Malaria, but was not on her death bed, so I treated her there and left medicine for her. I then started treating everyone else in the village who was sick. Time was ticking by and I thought I had a lady in labor waiting for me so I hurried to finish the most sick people and then we took off. We were on the top of the last ridge of the mountains above Brooke's point and the ocean. It was a beautiful view. I asked Dwayne if he knew where we were going and he assured me he did and then we took off—straight out towards the ocean! I was confused and said, "I thought Tebud was that way—and pointed back towards the mountains", and he just grinned. Then I realized what was going on. I said, "There's no lady in labor is there?" He just smiled and shook his head and then he took me out over the ocean and along the coast and around the edge of Brooke's Point and over to a landing area near Brooke's.   It was a beautiful day. The ocean below , with the mountains in the background, was an awesome site. The rice patties were a brilliant green that day as well. Chris met us at the landing spot with the motorcycle and Dwayne and I took off on the motorcycle for a nice ride through the back roads leading to what appeared to be nowhere. We came to a point where all we could see ahead was a huge flooded path ahead of us—a rushing river coming straight towards us—you couldn't even see the dirt road underneath the water in most places. Neither one of us had been to this place before so we didn't know how much farther we had to go, but luckily Dwayne had no fear, so we kept plowing through for quite a while longer 'til we finally made it to a beautiful little resort and gardens place. We ordered some food and ate in their gazebos built up around the trees. It was a nice place for Brooke's! We didn't have a lot of time so we headed back soon after we ate and Chris met us again, this time with groceries and ice (to make ice cream!) for my party they had planned for that evening. We got back to Kemantian in time to shower and head down to the Georges for some potato stacks! Yum! It was a very fun day.

The helicopter had a rest for the last week or so until yesterday when we got to make a medical run to Amrang.  Dwayne also went out to bring some gutters and metal roofing in for the new clinic. I found the patient in a little better condition than was described but definitely needing some attention. Again, I treated the whole village (everyone had hacking coughs and malaria) so it took a few hours. The patient and his wife (an older couple) were very grateful for our visit and they gave us a whole bag of rice, freshly pounded, from their fields. I had prayer with them and instructed them to send word if he wasn't better in 4 days. It was another fun day, and a great change of pace and scenery after a couple really busy weeks in the clinic. We've had several inpatients lately needing day and night treatment.  The daily outpatients have been increasing steadily too with the change in weather (rainy and "cold"--low 70's)

I praise God for continued health and another miracle. I haven't had any headaches or other malaria symptoms but I have had trouble sleeping which often leads up to the other symptoms of Malaria. After a week of very restless sleep and waking up at 1 and 2 a.m. for no reason, I finally realized things were getting serious so I asked everyone to pray for me Sunday night and if I didn't sleep well that night I would take a blood smear the next day (which ultimately means I will have to take Chl oroquine because it will no doubt be positive! Everyone's blood has Malaria up here.)  I slept great that night for the first time in many days! God is good! Last night was much better too, though I still woke up before 4 I think. But it was great sleep before that, and not restless at all. It has now been over 2 months since I had to take the Chloroquine poison!

I enjoyed all the responses to my last email and hope to get some responses back to you one of these days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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