MY LAST BLOG......

because I am leaving from Guam tomorrow to go home and see my children and wonderful companion, Roxy, my miniature schnauzer. I can always tell you what I have seen and done but I don't know how to share my emotions and feelings. I cry when I tell my co-workers, corpsmen and sailors goodbye because I know I will never see them again. I have missed my family so much but would do a mission like this again in a heartbeat. I have met such resilient, beautiful, humble people in all the countries I traveled to. I wish we Americans could fully appreciate what we have, not be so self-centered, materialistic and unappreciative. I love my religion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for without their support I would not have been able to be a part of this project. I thank Heavenly Father for giving me the strength and health to have climbed the stairs over 20,000 times and, most of all I thank my children for their support of my desire to serve on this project, for the love and respect I feel from them and for them choosing me as their Mother. I hope I have set a good example for them and that in their lifetime will choose also to serve a humanitarian mission. Thanks to all my friends who have followed this blog and remember that when I get home I will post many more photos on a better internet system but this same blog address. I love you all.....Rachael, Mark, Sarah, Grady, Bobbi, Lindy, Rebecca, Matthew, John, Allen and Robert and Lyle. Oh, and Roxy, Kone' and Zac, my companions who don't talk back to me.

SEE WHY I CAME ON THIS MISSION.....

I don't even have to explain these photos....they speak for themselves. Every day I thank Heavenly Father for this experience. I am so blessed to have been able to be a part of this experience. I am so grateful for the health of my family and the availability of health care in this wonderful country of mine, the USA.

I HAVE WORKED HARD

at trying to lose weight...climbing stairs, eating healthier and less.....exercising. I have lost 30 pounds but then I injured my hamstring and have not been able to exercise for the past week but, for my friends who know me, this is what I look like now. Still fat, mind you, but I feel so much better. In this pic I am carrying a 40 pound bag of ice. We were cleaning the soccor stadium in Timor Leste so our military could play their military. The game was tied. The photo where I am bent over is an out door bathroom. Here they just squat and go. The spot in the center is where the stuff goes into the steptic system. There are only 7 days left and I fly home. I am so excited to see my dog (and of course kids). I have missed everyone so much. I am also looking forward to the next phase of my life and am excited to see what Heavenly Father has in mind for me. Take care.....be safe and be happy.

TIMOR LESTE....THE COUNTRY

I had never heard of before hearing about this mission. It is less lush and tropical than Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam but has beautiful mountains, beaches and people. But, they also have saltwater crocs. The women do a lot of beautiful weaving of purses, scarfs, etc This country has a recent history of war with Indonesia so there are still a lot of bombed-out buildings that have not been repaired or removed. The UN has a huge presence here and roam the streets constantly in their SUVs. The food was somewhat like India with lots of curry and I even ate squid. Blaaaaaaaa. I didn't like it. We have 6 more days of surgery and then head home. Time has gone by so quickly and other than having my children and my Church, I do not believe I will ever receive greater blessings than meeting, touching, hugging and loving the people of south east asia. When I get home and the internet is faster I intend to download many more photos of the trip so please continue to check this site. I love and miss you all and am excited to almost be headed home.

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH

I just totally skipped Darwin, Australia. I think it is because it felt like home. People had money, things cost a lot and whatever things there were to do cost a lot. So, I only went on liberty once and spent $20.00. The beaches were lovely but qfter we were warned about saltwater crocodiles I changed my mind about swimming or even wading. Oh, and some beautiful indigenous music.

AS YOU CAN TELL.....

I don't get off the ship very often because I am in one of those positions where my work is performed onboard....PACU. A lot of my photos are redundant so I don't post many of the surgeries because they are the same...cleft palates and lips, hernias, etc. But what I can do is tell you about the people. Each patient must have an escort to get on the ship and I just assumed it would be the Moms but I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of fathers involved in the care of their family, especially the children. I have never put much though into the people of south east asia but I have come to have a lot of respect for them. They have a tough time trying to make a living and when I think about our American teenagers I wonder how they would survive some of the stuff these kids go through. The mode of transportation in Indonesia is motor scooter and there are many accidents. The other day we had a 16 year old boy who, 10 months ago was hit by a bus and broke his right leg. He suffered a compound fracture with an open wound and has been in a hospital all this time with a non-healing wound. The the treatment of choice was to put some type of powder in the wound, probably sulphur. He weighed 41 kg. which is less than 100 pounds. We operated on him and placed an external fixator and cleaned out the wound. His right leg is now 4 inches shorter than the left and he will always walk with a limp. When he woke up from anesthesia he was all smiles....never complaining about anything and we had to make him take pain medicine. He was just so grateful to have had the surgery and he got out of bed the same day for the first time in almost a year. Through our education we are performing miracles for these wonderful, resilient people....people that Heavenly Father loves just as much as he loves us. My family and I are so blessed I love and miss you all. May God be with you.

CHILDREN

are the same the world over. They boys play rough, the girls giggle and act shy and they enjoy learning new things...especially games. We went to an orphanage today and the boys learned how to play american football. They had never seen a ball the shape of our football and had difficulty catching and throwing it at first but caught on fast My friends and family....if you ever have the opportunity to do humanitarian work please do so. Traveling will only take you to the tourist areas and you will see only those things that please you. You have to get out into the more remote areas to see how the common person lives. What a blessing this mission has been in my life....I will never be the same again. Material things no longer mean anything to me. I love and miss you all and God bless.....

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT....

miracles and how they happen. When we do surgery here on the Mercy most of it is just ordinary surgery that we see and perform every day in America. Cleft lips and palates, hernias, birthmark removal....all every day stuff to us. But to the people of South East Asia, we are performing miracles because these surgeries are otherwise not even remotely available to them. How many of us in America see adult people walking down the street with unrepaired cleft lips or huge ugly birthmarks on their faces or 10 pound tumors in their abdomens? Well, we saw about 10 of them this week at a surgery screeninghe and that was in just one small community. We should all be so thankful for what we have in America and I wish everyone could experience the things we are seeing and doing. We are on an island with over 100,000 people and there is a general surgeon and an OB/GYN physician. 90% of these people have never seen a physician. So, the things we are doing here are not really miracles.....to us.....but they are miracles to the people we are treating.

I ALWAYS GET EXCITED WHEN....

I think the internet us up and working and I am finally going to get to post something to you guys and then I sit here for 1 1/2 hours just trying to log in. Yes....it is the truth. We can talk to robots on Mars but can't keep the internet up on the USNS Mercy.' Anyhow, I wanted to let you all know that I am learning so much about our brothers and sisters here in Indonesia. When I first saw the Muslim women wearing their 'Jilbab' or Burka, or head covering, I thought of it as an enslavement of sorts....kinda like...why don't the Muslim men have to wear something that looks so hot and uncomfortable. But, I have a new respect for that article of clothing and for the women who wear it. As a member of the LDS Church the garments that I wear remind me of the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father. When the Muslim women put on their Jilbab they are also reminded of their religion. And, they are really beautiful in them. They adorn them with beautiful pieces of jewelry and the Jilbab matches what they are wearing. The women are so humble and polite and kind. Each time I pass through a country I think to myself, WOW, I really loved those people and it can't get any better, but it does. I loved the Vietnamese and the Cambodians and now I love the Indonesians. I just don't know how I am going to leave all these beautiful people behind without tears. They are so special. I love and miss you all...Dolores

A most interesting fruit....

I have eaten a lot of things on this trip that I never dreamed of eating and most of them I don't even know the name. For instance, this fruit. The outside is hard, like nut and when you peel it it cracks like a nut. Inside is a soft white fruit that has the consistency of a grape and then there is a really hard nut-like seed in the center. It is really good and sweet. Not much happens when we are at sea like now but we arrive in our first of three destinations in Indonesia tomorrow morning (Tuesday) and will actually have several surgeries that day. As usual, I am excited about our work here and continue to appreciate how blessed I am to be a part of this Remember that I will blog as much as possible but the next 16 days will be busy so no promises. I miss you all.....

You may not find this funny but....

Today we anchored outside Jakarta, Indonesia to pick up medical supplies and translators. One of our LDS team members was taking some of the translators on a tour around the ship and stopped to introduce them to me. I shook hands with the first guy who introduced himself as Camay, then the second one said his name was Harry. I said "Harry " ??. What kind of Indonesian name is that? He said 'a common one'. I laughed and went to the next guy who said his name was 'Mike' and the next was 'Ed' and the next was 'Tony'. I said, "what is going on here? One out of nine guys has an Indonesian name". They just laughed and went on their way. Now, I think thats kind of amazing that I travel half way around the world and find western names on the young men. Some pcs attached are an Indonesian warship and its flags hooked up to the side of our ship, unloading supplies and a photo of its guns. And...no....I was not afraid. LOL. Love you guys and miss you all so much.

Dolores

Pagoda in Singapore

These are photos of the Pagoda I climbed in Singapore. What it looked like from a disttance, the down the stairs and up the stairs...maybe in that order...I never can tell until I've posted them. LOL.

A sign advertising cooked duck neck, some flowers on top of a hotel and an open street marked.

Singapore Sunrise

This is a series of sunrises coming into Singapore. I hope that their beauty can been reflected on this site. It is difficult for me to tell. Hope you enjoy. They are out of order but I don't know how to change that.

July 4, 2010...Church in Singapore

All of us, 33, went to one of the Church wards on Sunday which was fasting testimony meeting also. The cultural mixture was amazing with Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese being just a few of those represented. It was amazing. One member, about 20 years old got up and spoke about how, when he attended University in China recently, out of 96 students in his class, 90 of them smoked, drank alcohol and did drugs. I don't understand how they can pass their classes. I am so grateful for my church standards We me a sister on the train going back to the ship who told us her conversion story and I want to share it with you. She is Indian (from India) and had joined a Christian church many years ago. She and her family had been struggling....spiritually, emotionally and financially for several years She couldn't seem to get any satisfaction from the leader of her church so one night she says she got down her hands and knees and prayed like she has never prayed before. She cried and begged the Lord for guidance and help with her family. The next morning on her way to work guess what?...there were two missionaries standing aoutside her apartment building passing out literature and I hope you know the rest of the story. She has been a member now for 3 years. Gosh!! I wish my prayers were answered that quickly!!! If there were another place in this world that I could live besides America it could certainly be Singapore. I love it here! I loved Vietnam, I loved Cambodia and its people and then I loved Singapore even more. I can't imagine that Indonesia could be even greater but it might. Oh, what a blessing this trip has been for me. It has opened my eyes to things that I never dreamed existed. My dear friends and family...you should strive to experience something like this in your lifetime...not just the travel but service to our international community. We are so blessed to be Americans...to have the things we have...the commodities, the freedoms, our homes and automobiles...not having to travel by bicycle or walk to everything. I believe that service to others, especially internationally, can really open our eyes to appreciate what we have. I love and miss you all.

Your friend, Dolores

Singapore

Some strange looking vegetables......those are stringbeans and about two feet long!!!! Not a good picture but the top of a religious shrine. It was actually very colorful.

Cambodia

I know I have a duplicate but don't know how to take the extra one off....?The water pic is of the first wave of medics into Cambodia and I was on that team. The pic with a line of people...they are waiting in line to be seen by us. There was probably a thousand people. An AIDS clinic in English and Cambodian.

More photos of Cambodia

Some more photos.

I am going to just post some random photos for you to see without explanation because the more information I attempt to post the slower the system becomes. I love and miss you guys.