GOYA Ministries Dec '08 - Jan '09 Team Blog

How are we doing?

2009-02-25T17:33:00.001-08:00

How are we doing mentally?
How are you do physically?
How are we doing spiritually, emotionally, financially?
Really how are we doing in our everyday life?

I find that the journey we went on has changed me, and will forever mold me into who I will become. This new journey is an adventure which I am happily embracing and cherishing.

Life in the States as we know it is at times mundane and boring. While at times life is filled with great joy, excitement, passion, and love.

We have no regrets going across "the pond" to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The only question is, Will we go again?

Keep the Faith.

Updates from America

2009-01-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

I would like to like thank everyone that has been praying for this trip. I was certainly one of the best mission trips I've ever been a part of. Obviously, everyone made it back safely with only small hiccup in Amsterdam (I thought we lost Kristi at the hotel). But other than that everyone has made it back to the US safe and sound.

Here is a quick overview of what happened in Kenya:

- We treated over 300 adults in Mitumba and provided medicine to all in need.

- We treated over 300 children in the school for worms along with a standard checkup and medicine for all in need.

- We provided a brand new pair of shoes for over 250 children in the school. They have never worn a brand new pair of shoes before.

- We left funds to purchase new shoes for the children who needed a shoes size other than what we had available.

- 15 people came into a relationship with Christ throughout the first ever GOYA Medical Clinic.

- At least 1 miracle happened...a child with several third degree burns came to us after falling into a pot of boiling water. The wounds covered about 5% of his body (mostly the left arm)...we took the boy to the hospital and everyone assumed a skin graft would be required...but incredible after only 4 days the wounds almost completely cleared up, the infection is nearly gone, the color is coming back to his arm and he is regaining feeling and movement in his arm. I will load photos later...it was truly unbelievable!

- We helped a recovering alcoholic start her own business to escape her current living situation and setup daily accountability for her so she can continue to know Christ and recover from alcoholism. We will treat the financing as a micro-finance loan that will be able to start other businesses for others in need in Mitumba once 50% of it is paid back.

- We purchased 40 beds for the orphans that will be living in the new orphanage.

- We opened the new orphanage.

- The new two-story dining hall is nearly complete.

- We significantly expanded on a medicine cabinet that was started by an Italian doctor to include enough medicine to treat everyone from the common cold to Malaria and there is about a 6 - 9 month supply of medicine now.

- We also built relationships with he Pharmacist that is giving us medicine at 1/2 price and Dr Elizabeth and Dr. Charles, who are planning to visit Mitumba 3 days a week to treat the students and adults with all of the medicine that we left.

And here a few things just for fun:

- A baboon jumped in our van, sat on the seat next to us and quickly stole a jar of peanut butter and bananas from our lunch stockpile. :)

- We slept in huts made of cow dung and dirt one night in a Maasai village (Chief John's village).

- We watched a Maasai ceremony where a goat was slaughtered to introduce a boy into manhood.

- We went on Safari to Lake Nakuru and saw: Zebra, Lion, Rhino, Giraffe, Warthog, 2 different kinds of monkey, Baboon, Water Buffalo, and a number of other animals. ...awesome!

- Jim saw the Lost Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, while the rest of of got our flight plans rerouted direct to Amsterdam, put up in two 5 star hotels, and received $500 flight vouchers for Northwest Air. Chad, Kim and Amy actually ended up with $800 in flight vouchers because our Bloomington to Detriot flight was rerouted on the way there.

Praise God for an absolutely INCREDIBLE trip! I will do my best to post some photos and videos to the blog soon!

Thanks again for all of your prayers!!

Dr. Chad 'Lamaiyian' Parker

Updates!!

2009-01-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be a trip if something didn't go wrong! This time it is more of a disappoint than frustrating...or it could be the other way around! The airlines did not allow them (Chad, April, Kristi, Kim and Amy) to go to Cairo so the team (minus Jim) all stayed in a 5 star hotel in Nairobi, left for Amsterdam and stayed in another 5 star hotel, so the team did not have the opportunity to go to Egypt. Please pray for their travel and be excited to see your loved ones changed for the better.

Joe (April's Husband)

Lake Nakuru

2009-01-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

Lions, and Tigers and Bears oh my!
We went to a HUGE reserve for animals in their natural environment. We were fortunate enough to see a male lion when we first drove into the park. Not everyone sees one.
To set you up with how this park is setup....There is an electrical fence along the outside so the animals cannot escape. Its just like Jurassic Park, where there are all these wild animals in the park, and there is a compound in the center with even more fencing and protection. People can stay there and camp! (why?, we have not figured that out yet!). The one day we needed our cameras 3 of the batteries had died and that left Chad's and April's camera...which means April gave up and Chad was deemed the photographer b/c his pictures are amazing!!! They can all be postcards, the Dr. sure has a talent and the patience for photography.

The greatest moment yesterday was when we were breaking for lunch. We are in a van that the roof extends from the top, like a convertible of sorts. This is so you can stand during the trip, yet you are still covered. Anyway we arrive at the baboon point. There is a group of people videotaping us. Chad and I waved to the camera and asked each other, why are they taping us?
Here are the seat arrangements in the van:
Peter (our wonderful guide in the front by himself)
Row 1 Jim (by the door) and Kristi
Row 2 Amy and Kim
Row 3 April and Chad

All of a sudden the door opens, Jim proceeds to get out..... Literally .2 seconds later the biggest Baboon jumps, and we mean jumps into the van. Sits there on the seat, and goes through our lunch bag, grabs all of the bananas and our peanut butter. He then runs off. All of this was within 15 seconds. So what are we all thinking you ask???
Let me tell you..
Peter...I told the Mzungus (white people) to shut the door, I am okay up here in the front b/c there are bars separating me from the baboon. I was really hungry!
Jim....HAHAHAHA....I hope Kristi doesn't hate me...
Kristi.....I hate Jim...If I sit here and not move, maybe he won't notice me
Amy.....If I crouch any lower in my seat, I won't be able to get up....She curled into a ball.
Kim....What am going to do if he jumps back here, can I fit through the ceiling without him pulling my leg off?
Chad....holy crap, holy crap, holy crap....
April....wow, that is a huge baboon. I have to study the animal and be an eye witness. Don't blink April, don't blink....I don't want to get rabies....chad and I are trapped back here, I might use chad as my protection...This is funny, its not so bad, this baboon has not looked at me yet!

That was truly how the moment went. None of us screamed, we all just dropped our mouths and laughed incredibly hard. There was a group from Croatia who had gotten their lunch stolen 5 minutes before and they videotaped the whole thing. She zoomed the footage of the baboon from sitting on the bench, going straight for the door, getting our food, sitting there, and running out! It was incredibly hilarious to watch. We asked her to put it on U-Tube when she gets home.

We saw lions, hippos, zebras, water buffalo, wort hogs, antelopes, and so much more. The rhinos were quite impressive. There were so many animals to look for.

We are off to Masai Land today. Please pray for us. We are all battling sickness from: colds, coughs, sore wrists, and stomach problems. Please Keep us in your prayers.
Thanks for following all of us along our journey!
GOYA Medicals.

The medical clinic has come to an end....we think!

2009-01-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Greetings-
People keep coming, and coming, and coming....They would not stop. The clinic was to end everyday at 3:30 p.m which in African time means 7:30pm. We ended at that time. We had to pack up our supplies with flashlights (torches). We were walked home with our bodyguards, b/c it was late at night! We feel very safe with the group of helpers, who are teachers in Mitumba, and friends of Pastor Shadrack.
In total we saw 363 people in the clinic. We did this without Chad or Jim. They were busy getting supplies we needed for the orphanage beds. We saw a child who was 3rd degree burned b/c he fell in a pot of boiling water. Chad took him and his mother to the hospital to get checked out. We did not want to handle this case, b/c of the environment we were in, and our Dr's were in agreement with us. We have some amazing pictures of this little boy. His name is Kevin and he is 1year and 8 months old. (totally violated HIPPA-no such thing here, so I don't feel bad!) Please pray for him and his mother.
Today we were able to hand out 179 pairs of shoes. This took several hours. We were told there were going to be 250 kids. Mothers and fathers who had not registered their kids early heard that kids were getting shoes at the REM School, they soon registered their kids so they could get new shoes for the first time ever! There were over 300 kids registered for classes on the first day of school. We have to buy even more b/c there are 31 kids who didn't get shoes today. The Dr. saw all 179 kids today and we gave them de-worming medicine. It was great.
We are all in a pre-burn out state. We have not had a day off since we arrived. Please pray for our strength to get through the rest of this trip. We are doing well as a team, we have learned when our blood sugars are getting low. Thank God for cliff bars, and gum!
We have accomplished more than expected, and the experience has been amazing and more exciting than we could have ever imagined. The work we are doing now is what Chad had envisioned for 2 years from now. We have been tackling so much. God keeps giving us strength to keep pouring ourselves, and our energy to the residents of Mitumba.
We are going to the mother-land for the next couple of days. I hope we don't get eaten!
Keep the Faith-
GOYA Medicals :)

Update from Sunny Kenya

2009-01-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

Jambo (Hello) Americans and beyond-
We are doing very well here in the mid 80's and bright sunny day! A couple of us may come home with a slight tan!
Jim is feeling much better, he thanks everyone for their prayers.
The rest of us have been able to not get his sickness. We are taking a lot of Claritin for the allergies to not flare up.
Day one of the medical clinic was amazing. We were able to see 60 patients. They have a lot of the same problems. The sun is frying, literally frying their eyes. They are getting cataracts, and they need to wear sunglasses. Most of the guys say they do not look smart (our way of saying "cool"). We are giving out 400 pairs of reading glasses. This has been so fun to see the people able to see for the first time in years with a simple pair of glasses. Dr. Parker's amazing moment was when he was helping a woman and she was not able to read her Bible for years and he fitted her with glasses and she began crying, so Dr. Parker was also overcome with emotion and cried and hugged her as well. These people are so grateful for the care they are receiving. WE worked out some kinks from the first day. We had the help of a wonderful woman, Dr. Elizabeth. She goes from traveling clinic to traveling clinic. She is friends with Pastor Shadrack and we are fortunate enough to have her help for 3 days! She is truly a God send.
Day two of the clinic was much much much better. We had a system and we had fun. Things ran smoothly, and the Chemist was our friend. They would see the Mzungu's (white people) walk in and know we wanted to place a 35000 KSH order. (Julie from FRH-you would love the quantities we were ordering :) ) We were able to see 80 patients on the second day. Kim has mastered blood pressures, and identifying worms, malaria, dehydration, and ameba's. She will make an excellent nurse. Dr. Jim is great with the children, a huge clown! Dr. Kristi is doing terrific at her Pharmacist knowledge, very helpful when we are wanting to order Tylenol and all they have is Paracetamol. Dr. Amy and I (Dr. Marz) have been helping with the check-in and triage. We have been having a great time. We had two girls from the local Chemist come and help us dispense the meds. Dr. Elizabeth (really a Dr) has been valuable beyond belief for us. Dr. Parker has loved every minute of wearing a stethoscope around his neck! He is learning how to take blood pressures. He even bought an Otoscope for future medical trips! Such a humble man Dr. Parker is...we must now refer to him as Dr. Parker all the time! We have given up trying to tell the people what we do in the states, we are all Dr's to them!
Please continue to pray for us. We are all doing well and loving it here, at times we miss you all, but realize we are living for today! We have to help these people who have so little and yet are so happy!
We are 9 hours ahead of you, right now it is 6pm here, and 3am at home. You are soon starting a new day, and we are ending one. We are off to have the same meal for dinner 5/6 nights! Gotta love the options. We are usually not hungry so we share our plates!
Please keep us in your prayers...
We will update you later.
Asanti Sana (Thank You)
Keep the Faith-
April

First Update From Kenya!

2009-01-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry it took us a little longer than expected to send a text message back to the US. We has some problems getting the cell phone to work. But obviously we are here and we are safe. We spent the day yesterday with Shadrack doing orientation, exchanging money, gathering supplies and preparing for the work ahead. Last night for New Years we went to the REM center around 8pm for something called Kesha. Kesha is an all-night prayer service that churches in Kenya do for their New Year's celebration. It was a blast! Even though he was not feeling well Jim delivered a great sermon. I (chad) gave the closing prayer for the church to end 2008 and we danced and sang songs to ring in the new year.

Today we got our first real dose of Mitumba Slum. The team split up into two groups. Group One was Chad, Kristi and April. We went with Shadrack to meet with the Chemist (Phamacist) about gathering medical supplies. This was a very fruitful meeting. We are purchasing nearly $1000 in medicine for the clinic and the phamacy is going to provide us with a pharmacy worker to help us with the clinic. Group Two was Jim, Kim and Amy. They went into Mitumba to tour the slum, play soccer with the children and see all of the projects that REM is working on in the community. After converging for lunch we took a quick walk around to recap the REM projects as a team. For those of you that have contributed funding for the new orphanage...you will be shocked. It is incredible! It is quite possibly the most impressive building in Mitumba. We were able to see the new well that was dug for the orphanage. Shadrack showed us an incredible new technique they've employed for recycling plastic bottles and purifying water by using solar energy. It works so well and is so cheap that they've found a way to obtain custom labels so they can sell the clean water as "REM WATER" to citizens of Mitumba at a reduced rate. The Italians have been working hard on a recylcing program. Andrew, an Italian dentist leaves tomorrow, but he has been a pleasure to work with. He and his wife were married in Mitumba in December. Nika, his wife is a doctor and she has layed the groundwork for the medical work we are doing. She saw many children and even prepared a medicine cabinet that we will put to use and hopefully build onto before we leave.

There are many new buildings that have been built since 2006. Shadrack would like us to help finish the orphanage as well as build a new 2-story dining hall. That's right, we've found a way to build two story buildings are of steel gurders and rods.

We're rounding out the day at the at the cyber cafe and planning out how our medical clinic will go.

Shadrack is expecting 2000 people to be served at the medical clinic before we leave. That's a lot more than we think we can handle...so we're praying, and we hope you do too.

Please also keep Jim in your prayers, he was not feeling well on the flight over and he is still not feeling well. He took part of the day off today to rest and he claims to be feeling better, but we still need to continue praying for his health. There is so much that needs to be done and Jim can be an integral part of that work if his health improves.

I'll try to keep everyone posted regularly, but we have to go to a cyber cafe for updates...there is no internet at the YMCA.

May God Bless You Big!

Dr. Kenyan Chad

January 1st -- Happy New Year

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!

I've just got confirmation that the group has arrived in Kenya and they are loving it. God is leading this trip in a way that will be unexplainable, and with our constant prayers their experiences will be all the more of a reflection our God and his people. Thank you everyone for praying and may the group be kept safe while touching the hearts of the Kenyan people.

Joe (April's Husband)

Flexibility is the name of the game...

2008-12-29T07:49:00.000-08:00

Well...

If you've been following this blog you have surely heard us talk about flexibility.

Today the Bloomington team arrived at Central Illinois Regional Airport around 8:30am to catch our 10:13am flight. Well...take a look at the time stamp on this post and you will note that I am NOT on the flight. Incredibly, with the power of Apple Technology I am on I-74 using my MacBook Pro and iPhone to update the blog.

The flight from Bloomington to Detroit was overbooked. So they explained that we could drive from Bloomington to Indianapolis, catch a flight in Indy to Detroit. Now the Bloomington team will land in Detroit 5 min. after the Minneapolis team will leave Detroit for Amsterdam. This means that Bloomington team will not meet up with the Minneapolis team until we arrive in Amsterdam. We should all be on the same flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi.

So here is the Bloomington Teams old schedule:

Bloomington t0 Detroit (catch up with April and Kristi)

Detroit to Amsterdam

Amsterdam to Nairobi

Here is the new Schedule:

DRIVE from Bloomington to Indianapolis

FLY from Indianapolis to Detroit (arrive 5 minutes after April and Kristi)

Fly from Detroit to Amsterdam (meet with April and Kristi there)

Fly from Amsterdam to Nairobi (on the originally scheduled flight)

BUT...

The best part about the re-route is that everyone on the Bloomington team received a $300 voucher for the inconvenience. That's $1200 in savings for the Bloomington team!!!

We really appreciate your prayers!

From I-74...

Chad

And Away We Go!!!

2008-12-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Well Team...this is it. God has provided the support for us to go, He has provided all of the provisions that we will need to put on a medical clinic, open the orphanage, build a new building and do all of the other work that He has called us to do. PRAISE GOD! The time has finally come!

I received an email from our travel agent explaining that everything is confirmed and all flights are still on schedule. Please check the web and your itinerary for any last minute changes.

Tonight, the Bloomington Team will have our packing party and final review (...and technically our first meeting) :) Then we board the plane at 10am on Monday morning. If all goes well we will catch up with Kristi and April in Detroit and then...across the pond we go. :)

This morning was a rough church service me...my fiance joked about me PMS'ing. As my senior pastor was recalling some of the wonderful things that have happened at our church in the past year, I just started weeping. Then we had a baptism, and baptisms choke me up anyway so I wept some more. :) By the end of the service I was thinking about all of the things that my pastor didn't mention and all of the things that he probably wasn't even aware of that God was doing...like every baptism that has taken place in Mitumba. It was a blessing to be able to worship God through tears. We have been called to an incredible task...a task that many people are afraid to accept. I am honored to be able to share in this with each one of you.

Be blessed, be safe, and let's begin the journey of a lifetime! :)

Chad

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Crew-
I hope everyone is warm, nestled with family and friends.
Just a couple of days and then we will get to meet and greet one another.
I hope everyone got what they wanted, and gave others even more!

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us along this journey. Please don't stop!
Thank you to my MN Crew for having such wonderful hearts and helping to collect money and belongings for us to take, they have not gone unnoticed.
Thank you to everyone for getting us this far!
See you all soon.
Keep the Faith-
April

One week to go/packing party details!!!

2008-12-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

OK everyone, by the time you read this we will officially have 1 week to go!!! Dec 29th is just around the corner!

Here are the latest updates. I met with Kristi Stice today to make the 4 suitcase hand-off for the Minn. group. Between April and Kristi they will be taking 200 lbs of shoes, medical supplies, and school supplies between 4 suitcases. I also had a chance to go through everything we have to take and we're going to need to do some prioritizing. There's no way we can take everything; not even if everyone from the Bloomington crew takes 3 suitcases (and we will be taking 3 suitcases each)!

I also have packets with all trip details ready for everyone too. April, you will get yours when you meet up with Kristi. Make sure you get it, as it has our passport and visa app in it. Everyone else will get their packets during the packing party...that's right, we're having a packing party!

The Bloomington team will have a packing party at:

9 Ridgewood Terrace, Bloomington IL, 61701 (My house) on Sunday night (the 28th).

We will meet at my place around 5pm. I will order some pizza for everyone, we'll sort and weigh our luggage and review the final details.

Kristi and April, you're on your own as far as a packing party goes.

If you have any questions, please let me know soon!!

Kristi and April, I'll see you in Detroit next Monday. Everyone else, I'll see you at my place next Sunday around 5pm.

Take care everyone and God bless!

Chad

News Flash

2008-12-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Everyone-
He may hate me, or delete this so no one is able to read it.....But.....
Chad and Foxy Roxy just got engaged :)
Congrats!!!

Visas

2008-12-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this last week. After I received everything from everyone for the visas I called the embassy in Washington DC to make sure they could still process our visas and get them back to us in time for our departure and they said because of Christmas we wouldn't get our visas back until December 26 or 27. That is too close for us. So we will not have the visa stamped in our passports before we leave, we will need to get that in the airport when we arrive.

The first time I went to Kenya we did it this way and it only took an extra 20 minutes. We typically try to get this taken care of ahead of time so we are guaranteed visas and so we don't have to worry about it when we arrive. But it's no problem to get our stamps in the airport. That's what we'll be doing in Cairo also.

I will keep Amy, Jim, and Kims Passports and photos with me until we depart. April and Kristi, if I can meet with Kristi (to hand off shoes) before she heads up north then I will just give everything to Kristi. So that way you are both good to go.

Again, this is not a problem. I've done it this way before and it's very easy to do. But typically, if we can get the stamps before we leave we like to try to do that so we don't have to worry about it after 22 hours of traveling.

Take Care Everyone!!

Chad

16 Days and Counting

2008-12-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone-
Are we all as excited as I am right now?
I hope and pray so. I pray that everyone is feeling peace about this trip. That everyone is healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I pray for us as a group, that we as strangers will find peace with one another during this life changing trip. May we get along like we have been friends for years. May there be days of laughter, comfort, and strength, and the ability and desire to all get along in a land we are unfamiliar with. I pray we will stick together as a family of 6 on this trip. I pray for our family and friends, that they will have peace about us going on foreign soil, that they will put us and the residents of Mitumba Slum in their prayers daily now and while we are away. I pray for our flights, that they are as smooth as possible, that customs will be our friend and not an enemy after our long flights. Let us be embraced by the people of Kenya. I pray that our eyes will be opened to the Will of God! I pray for you Chad, for you Amy, for you Kristi, for you Kim, for you Jim, and for myself.
The Visas have been shipped off, along with every one's pictures! My pictures are pretty bad, I don't know about the rest of yours.
The hotel in CAIRO has officially been booked, along with our rides to and from the airport. We will be waking up in the morning and walking to the pyramids, we are that close to the Pyramids of Giza, and the Sphinx.
Keep in mind when packing to pack light, go through the check list, check it twice, and we will see who has been naughty or nice :p Do not over pack! I will admit I have a problem doing this myself. No curling irons, hair dryers, ironing boards, stiletto heals, none of that!!! Amy and I were going to concoct a plan on how to bring our irons...it was a no go though :(
I am packing a ton of scrubs to wear, and yes Chad, I have some for you too! They are light weight, easy to clean, and great to wear on the days we have the clinic work. Kristi is thinking about cutting some into shorts.... I will bring a couple of "normal" outfits to wear on the days we are out and about.
Take care my new friends....
Keep the Faith-
April

I Need VISA Apps Before Dec 5!!

2008-11-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

Amy, Kristi, April, Jim and Kim

I need to gather just a few final things before we are 100% ready for this trip.

NOTE: I need to mail our passports along with everyone’s visa app and two passport photos to the embassy NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 5. So Please print, fill out and mail your visa apps back to me along with two passport photos by early next week. This is really important. If we send this too late, we run the risk of not getting out passports back in time for our departure...and that would be horrible.

So here is everyone’s to do list:

Completed Visa Application – See below for link and instructions:
- April
- Jim
- Kim
- Amy
- Chad – yeah I haven’t filled mine out yet either

Two Passport sized photos
- April
- Jim
- Kim
- Amy
- Kristi (I have your visa app, but I need two passport photos to send with it) Chad – yeah I haven’t filled mine out yet either

Passports
- Jim – Let me know when you have your other paperwork complete and I’ll meet you somewhere to get everything at once
- Kim – I have a copy, but I need the actual passport

Notatized Medical Release, Notarized Liability Release, and signed Code of Conduct
- Jim – Again I can stop by to pick up all of this at once.
- Kim

Here are the details on preparing the following items:
Visa Application: http://www.kenyaembassy.com/forms/visainstructionsdc.pdf
2 passport sized photos (you can get them at Walgreens), this is for the visa
If I already have your passport, I can fill in the Passport number, place of issue, and validation date
When filling out the app, enter the following:
6a. Tourism, humanitarian work
6b. Dec 29, duration of stay = 12 days
7. [leave blank I’ll fill this in]
8. Fill this out if you’ve been to Kenya previously.
9. YES

Here are the links to the forms from the field guide:
Liability Release - http://drop.io/goyaliability
Medical Release - http://drop.io/goyamedical
Code of Conduct - http://drop.io/goyacodeofconduct

For the most part this is the final logistical punchlist for the trip. Obviously we still have some other things to work out like packing all of the supplies we have in everyone’s 2 checked bags...some of us may be checking three bags to get everything over. But we’ll work on that stuff next. Most importantly now we need to get Visa Apps and two passport photos from everyone ASAP so I can send them to the embassy for approval.

I’m planning to send all apps certified mail to the embassy on Friday Dec 5, so please try to fill out the app, get your photos and mail them to me by early next week! This is really important in order for us to get our passports back from the embassy in time to board our plane.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again everyone!!!

Chad C. Parker
GOYA Ministries

35 Days

2008-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

Chad, Amy, Kristi, Kim, & Jim-
I love this count down.
I am not at all anxious about this trip.
God says, "I know the plans I have for you!" We have to believe and trust in this.
Get the excitement growing more and all will continue to be well and run smoothly.
We are working hard to make sure all our I's are dotted and our T's are crossed!
Keep the Faith-
April

The Egyptian Detour

2008-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a bit of information about the detour in Egypt for those that are curious.

According to the CDC's website, we should not need any additional vaccinations to go to Egypt, but don't take it from me, you are responsible for your own well- being. Please check out the following link, but also contact your physician for more details:
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationEgypt.aspx

There is a $15 fee for a 30 day visa that we will obtain at the aiport in Cairo.

We will have to check out our luggage. Transportation will be pre-arranged to take us from the airport to the hotel and back. We will try to store our luggage at the hotel after we check out, until we need to pick it up and go back to the airport.

We will make every attempt to go to the Lost Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx during the 30 hour layover. From the few people I've spoken to about trips to Cairo, I'm told we can do this very easily and 1 day should be plenty of time. I was also told we should have guide and try to take a camel ride (only $5 per person if negotiated properly).

We will need to pay for ground transportation, a hotel for 1 night (2 rooms should cover everyone) and possibly a guide for the pyramids if we can do that. I'm hoping we can find a way to include all of this in the cost of the trip so this doesn't cost anyone any extra.

PS I've also contacted pastor Shadrack about developing a precise daily agenda for the team. He and I will try to have that worked out within the next few two weeks. I'll be sure to let everyone know once I have confirmation from him.

Thanks again everyone! I can't wait to go!!!!

Chad

Medications

2008-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-
Through some discussion with Kenyan Dan, Emily, Chad and myself we have discussed buying our medication in Kenya. This helps their local economy and helps us carry other items in our suitcases, ie: shoes, eye glasses, last minute needed items.
The past 2 days Emily (Alume Imports) and I had a fundraiser at my work. I asked my co-workers to bake some homemade goodies and we sold them. Emily was able to sell several items from the residents of Mitumba Slum.
The proceeds from the baked goods and the auctioned off baskets will 100% go towards the meds in Kenya. In 2 days we had collected $865 for medications :) Praise the Lord...that will go really far in Mitumba. My personal goal by the time we leave will be to have $1,000 + dollars for medications.
I encourage each and everyone of you to set a personal goal for yourself to bring money for medications. Set a realistic goal....perhaps every single one of you can collect $250, that would bring our total to $2,250. We work in the medical field. We know how much drugs really cost, we can help so many people if we bring this amount of money for medications.
Please do try to collect money for these people, after all this is the reason we are going on a Medical Mission Trip, is it not!
Be uplifted and stay strong. I hope everyone got their flu shots!
FYI 41 days until we leave :) I can hardly stand it!
Keep the faith-
April

WE HAVE TICKETS!!!! WOOHOO!!!

2008-11-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone I have an huge AWESOME update. WE HAVE TICKETS!!!! I will email the itinerary to everyone later. I didn't want to post the itinerary and flight schedule online for the public to view, but I will post the schedule outline here:

DEPARTING

Kristi and April

Minneapolis St. Paul > Detroit > Amsterdam > Nairobi Depart on Dec 29, and meet up with the Bloomington team in Detroit for the flight across the pond.

Chad, Jim, Kim, and Amy

Bloomington > Detroit > Amsterdam > Nairobi, Depart on Dec 29, and meet up with the Minn. team in Detroit for the flight across the pond.

We will all arrive in Nairobi on Dec 30 around 8:30pm (local time)

RETURN FLIGHTS

Jim Poisel

Nairobi > London > Detroit > Bloomington, Jim will leave Nairobi on Jan 11 at 11:45pm and arrive in Bloomington on Jan 12 at 4:30pm

Chad, Amy, Kristi and Kim

Nairobi > Cairo > 1 day layover in Cairo > Amsterdam > Detroit > Bloomington - We will leave Nairobi on Jan 11, we will arrive in Cairo around 10:55pm on Jan 11 and stay the night in Cairo, Egypt (can you say "Pyramids Baby!"), leave Cairo at 4:15am on Jan 13 and arrive in Bloomington around 4:30pm on January 13.

April

Nairobi > Cairo > 1 day layover in Cairo > Amsterdam > Detroit > Minneapolis-St. Paul - She has the same itinerary as the rest of the team except she will take the Minneapolis-St. Paul flight from Detroit.

Everyone, I have been really stressed out about getting these tickets locked down. I've been working with three different international booking agents and no luck getting good tickets. So although the dates are not what we wanted, but we get to stay in Egypt.

Anyway, thanks for your prayers and help. I am really relieved to have the tickets purchased. I will email all of you with a link to the visa apps next Tuesday when I get back to Bloomington. I will also email the itineraries once I get final approval.

Thanks again everyone and I'll send more details next Tuesday via email!!!

Chad

50 days +/-

2008-11-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone-
How are you doing? How are the fundraisers coming along? I know some people have all of their money in already and that is amazing! Praise God for all of that! It's it amazing to see how God is working for all of us to go on this trip. I personally have been excited about the this trip and have felt complete peace since the day I told Chad I wanted to go to Kenya. I know God has a plan for each and everyone of us; as a group and as individuals.
Are any of you able to get grants from your work to go on a Medical Mission Trip? I was fortunate enough to have my hospital pay the last portion of my amount. I am still having a bake sale/Mitumba merchandise/raffle sale at work. I am taking the money and having it 100% go towards Mitumba. I am still feeling compelled to help above and beyond the amount that is due for my own purpose. The Applebee's breakfast Fundraiser is going 100% towards the new orphanage. We will see when we arrive what is needed most for the children and the adults living there. We have to go with open hearts and open minds.
Having met with Chad again this weekend, and with Kristi in another town, was really exciting to me. (This was my third road trip in the month of October and I am done traveling until we leave in December) I know some of us have never met each other and only communicated via email or facebook (givin' Amy a shout out!) but just know that I have been praying for each and everyone of us as individuals and as a team and family. We are going to Mitumba with the same mindset.....We are there to help them grow and thrive spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. We are a blessed few that are able and willing to step out of our comfort zones and walk in the unknown and not be freaked out. I am not worrying about this trip, and it is not because I am cocky or self centered, but rather because I know that God has our back in this trip and these plans.
We are all doing what we are called to do....have peace about your decisions and this trip!
Is there anything you guys would like all of us to pray for? We can start a mini-prayer chain here on the site, please feel free to share.
Keep the Faith-
April

Buying Tickets

2008-10-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like everyone has their initial funds in so I'm putting in the calls to our booking agent tomorrow about booking our tickets!!! WOOHOO!!

So far I have Aprils paperwork and Passport.

I also have Kim's paperwork too. Kim, we will need your actual passport in order to get your visa.

We ask for everyone's passport so that we can submit them to the consulates office so we can get the visa stamps before we go. The consulate will then send the stamped passports back to us and we can send them back to you.

I'd like to get all signed and notarized paperwork AND passports from everyone as soon as possible so we can get visa approvals as soon as possible.

Thanks again everyone. I'll be in touch with everyone later this week over the phone about exact ticket dates, times and itineraries.

Chad

9 1/2 weeks and counting!

2008-10-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone-
I wanted to let you know I was able to get my paperwork signed by the notary at work. The ladies in HR are able to do it, our cashiers, and medical records personal as well were all able to help. It was free for me at the hospital as an employee.
I was able to sit with Chad last night and discuss some details about the trip. The meeting was coordinated at a wedding in Iowa...which is always fun! We are super excited about this trip we are all going on and hope and pray the rest of you are as well.
I personally don't think the trip could come soon enough....do any of you guys wish we could leave now? I wish we could all pack the planes this week and go go go...There are a lot more planning and discussions and decisions to be made to finalize the trip, this will come in due time. We have to be patient. God is still working on us and the people and situations we will encounter while we are going to and in Kenya. We have to stay strong for this journey whether that be: physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We can not let the things of this world distract us from the plans God has laid before us.
Keep the Faith-
April

How are the shots and notaries going?

2008-09-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Are you getting your arms bruised and battered?
How are the stamps from the notary coming along?
Are you guys getting your money collected?

I am having my first fundraiser this Friday.
I am having an evening of BINGO...I love BINGO..I actually just ordered a shirt last week that says, "Happiness is April Yelling BINGO" that shirt makes me laugh, it is so silly!
What we are doing is having the cards donated/renting for the evening from a senior center (thanks to my hubby) and charging everyone $5, the first 4 cards are included in this cost. The prizes are Alume Import (from the women of Mitumba Slum) merchandise like purses, bracelets, and necklaces, as well as movie tickets, and restaurant gift cards. I put up 65 posters at work to encourage all of my hospital crew to come and play. The room we are hosting it in holds 50 people and I am secretly hoping for 150 people, so I can fill up the next 2 rooms and get a ton of money for the drug supplies for this trip!

I would love to hear the ideas you guys have..

Kristi are you selling "Mary Kay for Kenya"?

Amy and Jim what are you thinking about doing?

Chad any ideas or suggestions??

Talk to you later-
Keep the Faith-
April

Illnesses we may encounter/address on this trip

2008-09-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been asking me about the kinds of illnesses that we may encounter in Mitumba Slum. I've emailed Shadrack about this and today I received his response! Below is a list of everything that he has described as typical illness in Mitumba.

Plus, there's even better news!! Shadrack has worked with a several physicians in Nairobi that may be willing to donate their time, knowledge, experience, and expertise while we're in Mitumba!

PLUS, Shadrack does not expect the orphanage to be 100% complete by the time we arrive so if we're not completely overwhelmed with the medical work, we may be able to assist in completing the brand new orphanage!

But for now, here is a list of all typical symptoms of those seeking medical assistance in Mitumba (Pastor typed this...not me, so I hope our more medically minded understand this better than I do...):

Malaria treated by Fansidar

Typhoid fever treated by Cloramfhenicol, quinolones

Amoeba (metronidazole)

Diarrhoea (shigella, other types) - Cotrimoxazole, Amoxicillin, cefalosporine

measles - """

pneumonia - """

Fungal infections of the skin (clotrimazole-cream)

Worms (albendazole, mebendazole, others)

PS Here is what he had to say about the 230+ pair of brand new shoes we're bringing too:

Please we are glad that you have decided on the right things which are mostly need eg The shoes and the glasses. You are welcome to let the team bring as many shoes as possible!

I can't wait, team...this is gonna be an awesome trip!!

Be blessed!

Brief Recap of Dates from our Field Manual

2008-09-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

October 15th-Passports are due in IL
October 25th-$$$$ for our airline tickets are due BYE this day- $1,700
October 25th- Also due are our signed Visa applications, Medical Form, Liability form, Code of Conduct and Release forms are due in IL on this day.
November 29th-Remaining funds are due in Bloomington, totaling $2,600.
December 26th-Are you ready!! We are flying away! This is our departure date scheduled as of now. Please be flexible, this could change based on our ticket prices.
Get excited, and Keep the Faith-
April

Field Guides and Forms are now available!!

2008-09-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hey team!

We have finally proofed and updated the field guide for the Dec 08-Jan 09 team. Below are links to the entire 35 page field guide as well as individual links to the forms that you need to fill out (2 of which need to be notarized) and mailed back to the 'GOYA headquarters' (3003 Wembley Way, Bloomington, IL 61704).

Here they are:

Field Guide: http://drop.io/goyafieldguide

Liability Form: http://drop.io/goyaliability - This one requires a notarized signature

Medical Release: http://drop.io/goyamedical - This one requires a notarized signature

Code of Conduct: http://drop.io/goyacodeofconduct - Sign and mail this one back too.

Click on one of those links and once you're on the download page just click the download button. Make sure you have the latest version of the Adobe Reader as you will need it to open all of these files

Please let me know if you have any questions. These links will remain along the side of this blog until we leave.

PS If you don't have a passport yet...you need to stop what you're doing and go to post office to apply for one today!! :)

To answer some questions:

2008-08-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Fear Not My Friend-
How much is due soon? $1,700- of this $50 was already given as your deposit, I believe, in order for our names to appear on this blog!
Where do I mail the $? GOYA Ministries
3003 Wembley Way Bloomington, IL. 61704
Where do I have people send the support money? To the address above. Just tell your supporters to put your name on the memo line designating the $ for your trip.
Will I get a new field manual designated for this trip? Yes
When will I get this field manual? THEY ARE OUT NOW :) In our emails.
Will I have to get shots for this trip? Yes, there are a number of them. The Hepatitis A&B's, Tdap, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, and Polio was recommended & given b/c I had not gotten one in my adult life! The Hep series are the ones you need to get right away if you are not already current with them. I got mine at the International Travel Clinic affiliated with my work at the hospital here in MN. I was also given pills for Malaria & Cipro for when we travel to Kenya and I am possibly sick (travelers diarhea)! You guys will all get the same shots/meds I assume.
Let me know if there are any more questions.
Keep the faith-April

Money Money Money-MONEY

2008-08-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey there team members-
How is everyone doing? I hope your support letter have gone out, and you are getting support from your family and friends! It certainly makes it a lot easier for us to go over seas!
The first deposit to buy our tickets is due OCTOBER 25th, in a few short weeks. So mail those checks out soon.
I am so excited the airline tickets are going to be bought soon. It make this feel to surreal.
Until later.
Keep the Faith-
April

Answering some questions

2008-08-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Team members-
Don't feel discouraged or behind now! This is the fun part where the business aspects and the legal documents come into play...Time will go so fast in the next 4 months.
I have to complete another semester of school before we even go!
I am so excited about this opportunity.
Amy for tomorrow-make sure you bring your original birth certificate with you, with the seal from the county (note: not the one with your foot prints, that is just a copy given to our parents back in the day for the albums.) Bring your checkbook and your license. That is what I remember about the whole experience.
There are more going than the 4 of us. We are planning around 7-8 people now and 2 people will be drifting for a few days to do some other business and visit family, but hang with us for a few days as well when we arrive. There should be 10 of us on the plane. All the names have not been added to this website though.
There are at least 4 of us with medical experience going though:) We can talk later about this subject.
Have a great day. Keep the Faith-
April

Shots & a New Team Member :)

2008-08-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone-
I received 4 of my 5 shots this week to go to Kenya. My arm has been hurting ever since I got home and my neighbor did a friendly punch. These shots were not bad though, just the punch.
I am super excited that my girl Kristi is coming with us. She loves God, she is beautiful, intelligent, Type A, and a Pharmacist. We could not ask for more!
This group is shaping up nicely. It will be good to get to know the other members of this team. Like Amy...Hello Amy ;) I am glad you are excited as well to go. We shall meet at the Airport!
As we are now forming our team let's pray for one another and for this journey we will go on together.
Take care

Are there any more medical people who want to go?

2008-08-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

What's up people? I am sad to report that 3 more of my girls just told me they are unable to go to Kenya with us. I am bummed about this. I am a lone MN girl now!
I know God has a plan for this trip and for the people who will be going with us. We have to trust in Him and the plans He has for us.

Let's start this blog!

2008-08-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Who is excited about Kenya? I am I am!

Welcome to the Dec '08-Jan '09 GOYA Team Blog

2008-07-29T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hey team, this is where we will begin posting details about the Dec 2008-Jan 2009 GOYA Ministries Medical Mission Team! Check back soon for more details.