This and That

Hi all,

I have a couple of things to share with you quickly. One is a new video on YouTube about the 50th anniversary of the Hospital Vozandes del Oriente. This will show you some of the history of the hospital. You will have to open your web browser and then copy and paste the following link into your browser. The video can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUpUBODssBw&sdig=1

Second, we often get questions about the HCJB Global Technology center in Elkhart, IN. Well this week an article came out in Radio World, an industry newspaper, which I thought some of you might want to read. You can click on the following link to read that article....

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0049/t.15789.html

Finally, please be praying for the people of Ecuador as they go to the polls on Sunday (Sept 28) to decide on whether they want to adopt a new constitution for the country or not. This is an important decision that will influence the direction that the country will take in to the future. Obviously everyone wants the best for the country, but it is difficult to know how decisions made today will affect our lives years down the road.

Thanks,

Doug

HVO 50th Anniversary

Hi all,

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 50th Anniversary of our Hospital (Hospital Vozandes del Oriente) in Shell, Ecuador. We arrived on Friday afternoon just in time for an official civic celebration called a "Ceremonio Solemne". Dignitaries from surrounding towns were in attendance including a Mayor and several councilmen and councilwomen. In the evening we also attended a dinner nearby in honor of the hospital. In attendance were some of the Hospital's very first patients, including patient with chart #10.

Hospital Vozandes del Oriente started in the small town of Shell as a simple clinic. It was the dream of Nate Saint, missionary pilot at the time, to have a clinic where habitants of the jungle could come and receive medical care. That small clinic eventually grew to be a hospital that was built right across the road from the airstrip used to bring the sick in from the jungle. Both Nate Saint and Roger Youderian helped in the construction of the hospital before they were killed in the Ecuadorian jungle.

Later, through a gift from the Swedish government, a new hospital was built within walking distance of the first building. The new facilities were larger, more spacious, and modern. It even included a tuberculosis lab, one of the first in the jungle region. The old hospital became a guest house for the many tourists who visited the region until it had to be torn down a year or so ago, having lost its battle against the jungle termites.

We praise the Lord for the many years of service the hospital has enjoyed in the region. Many people have come to the Lord as a reuslt of this important ministry to both the physical and spiritual needs of Ecuador's jungle dwellers.

Doug