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