Leaping into March

¡Hola Todos!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Leap Day and that you are looking forward to some "March Madness"! (Go Heels! - my one and only plug, promise!) Josh and I have been in our apartment for a month now, and we are loving it. We are cooking and having people over occassionally and just enjoying having a place to call our own.

We are continuing to take small steps forward here at the hospital. We celebrated its 11th anniversary on Valentine's Day and we should have the optical shop moved inside at some point this month. At end of next week, Josh and I are heading to Quito for a Conference with CBM (Christian Blind Mission). CBM has had a partnership with our hospital in Milagro for many years and we are excited to learn more about their organization and how we can continue to work together to spread the gospel and provide eye care to the poor. While we are there, we also have plans to spend time with our friends from Language School who live in Quito. They were so generous to us last year in letting us live in their home, and we were really sad to have to say goodbye when we moved here to Milagro. We are very excited to have this opportunity to get to see them again.

One of our goals that we have been working on recently is to have at least two MMI surgical mission projects come to the hospital during 2012. Last June, we had the pleasure of working with a doctor from Texas in Baños. This year, he is interested in spending one week in Baños with Susana on her project, and then coming down to Milagro to spend one week doing knee-replacements and other orthopedic surgeries here in the hospital. It was a joy working with him last year and we can't wait to have him back. We are looking for physical therapists, nurses, and an anesthesiologist and/or CRNA to help us on this June project (specific dates TBA), so if you are interested, please email me at s.tucker@mmint.org. There is another project in the works for October, but we don't have any details yet. We will keep you posted!

 Josh and I are so blessed to be here, and as always, we thank you for your prayers for us and for our ministry. Whether in the US or here in Ecuador, every day has its joys and also its challenges and difficulties. Josh shared a devotion with the staff this morning based on John 16:33 which says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." We encourage you to find your hope in the Lord in every circumstance and always remember that Jesus already won the battle for us, so we just have to trust in Him. We are praying for you all as well and we send our love.

Here are some pics of the flooding that happens outside our apartment.  All that rain fell in about an hour!  Luckily, we are on the second floor so we stay pretty dry :).

God Bless,

Stephanie and Joshua

Hola 2012!

We are back in Ecuador and ready for action! A lot has happened since our last blog, so I will back up a little. When I last wrote, we were preparing for our time in the Dominican Republic. The first week, we were at MMI's flagship hospital in Santo Domingo. Nicole and Janice Hunter were so helpful and showed us every part of their facility. We got a lot of ideas that we believe will translate nicely to the hospital in Milagro. The second week, we were at the MMI Director's Conference and it was fantastic as well! It was a joy to see all of my friends from the Dominican Republic and around the world. It really brought home the fact that we are all a family and, in happiness and in troubles, God has given us a group of people to support and help us. Not long after finishing the conference and returning to Ecuador, we headed home to North Carolina for Christmas and New Years. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to be home for a while. We ate, and ate, and then ate some more! We loved being able to go to our repective churches in Wilmington and Pinehurst, and also to visit other churches and individuals who are supporting us. It was very difficult to say goodbye (isn't it always?) but we headed back to Ecuador last week and we are back working in the hospital. In the few short days that we have been back, we have been busy! We are beginning a couple of exciting projects here in the hospital based on the insight we gained from the hospital in the Dominican Republic: Our first order of business was to revamp our optical shop. Previously, the optical shop for the hospital was located about 200 yards from the main building. By the time our patients finished with their appointments, frequently they just got in a taxi or on a motorcycle and headed home without visiting it. We are bringing the optical shop inside the main building and trying to make it a more inviting and comfortable space for our patients. Glasses are something that a patient is going to use A LOT, so we want them to feel completely at ease as they go through the process of choosing frames. Also, if the shop is inside the hospital, right by the waiting room, hopefully more people will want to purchase their glasses through us. Secondly, we would like to try to develop an audiology department within the hospital. This is more of a long-term goal, but we are trying to take some preliminary steps. At the Director's Conference, we spent a good bit of time with a pediatric audiologist who has worked with the hospital in Santo Domingo to develop their audiology department. She is eager to help us do the same! Unlike severe eye problems, hearing problems can be long-overlooked in children here in Ecuador and frequently, children with hearing problems are misdiagnosed as having autism. We are excited about the potential of this project and will keep you updated on its progress. Here in Ecuador, the children are out of school for their "summer vacation" until April, and it is my goal to offer a Vacation Bible School for the children of the poor neighborhood around the hospital called Las Piñas. I am working with a member of the local church to obtain materials and teachers for a program in March. Although Josh and I do have the goal of improving business practices and efficiency in the hospital, our primary goal of course is to share the gospel in words and actions with the world around us. VBS is a fantastic way to do that! We want these children to feel the love of Christ and desire to know him more. We also hope that, through the VBS, more people would learn about the hospital and we would be able to help more patients. On a more personal note, Josh and I will be moving into our very own apartment (first time in 3 years!) either this weekend or next week some time. Needless to say, I am beyond excited. It was COMPLETELY unfurnished - no furniture, no appliances, no blinds, not even lightbulbs! So we have been busy this week shopping for good deals on all of these things :). I can't wait to start cooking again! Once we get moved in, I will post some pictures of our new place. Yesterday was my birthday, and I was blessed enough to have calls and well-wishes from my family, and not one, but TWO surprise parties! The family that we are living with threw one for me the night before my birthday, and then yesterday the hospital staff had a cake for me. I was definitely feeling the love. The year is ripe with promise and we are very excited and priviledged to share it with you. Here are some pictures from the conference and from Christmas:

Joshua and I in the Dominican Republic with the Ecuador Team

Willie Hunter, CEO of MMI, speaking at the Director's Conference

The White/Tucker/Sorzano family in New Orleans for Christmas

The boys :)

Josh and I with his Grandfather

Baya with her Christmas present (A UNC hat!) Love and God Bless, Stephanie and Joshua

What a Year!

10 months and 6 days ago Josh and I arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador to begin working towards the goal of finding a site for a new MMI Permanent Center. Far from being straightforward and basic, this task took us all over Ecuador and required that we investigate way more than just population statistics and pieces of land. We have been humbled by the work that we have done here and we feel confident with the information that we have presented to MMI regarding the potential new center. We know that ultimately, this decision is in the hands of the Lord and that we have fulfilled the job that we set out to do this year.

For the past 2 months, we have been working at the hospital here in Milagro, Ecuador and things are moving forward. Our priority from the beginning was to learn first and to act second. This hospital has been operating self-sufficiently since 2001 and, although there are areas that can be improved, we wanted to take the time to understand the processes and the culture of the hospital before charging ahead with changes. We have learned so much in the 2 months that we have spent in the hospital and we have a lot of ideas that we are anxious to implement in 2012. We will be sure to let all of you know how we are progressing!

During the past 2 months, we also worked on a week-long mission project in a coastal city called Daule. The team that came down was from Pennsylvania and they came to work! There were a total of 20 people on the team and we saw 1700 patients in just 1 week! Josh and I are so glad to have been able to help out with the Daule project and we are thrilled that we were able to get the hospital involved as well. One of the ophthalmic techs came with us and did general eye checks and also screened patients for cataracts and pterigions. Those patients who needed surgery were given the hospital's information and we are working to help them plan their surgeries.

Tomorrow, Josh and I leave for 2 weeks in the Dominican Republic - and not for a beach vacation! :) From Tuesday through Sunday we will be working in the MMI Permanent Center in Santo Domingo, and learning from the administration there. We have had several conversations with them and we are excited to get the opportunity to see how they operate and how we can improve Ecuador's MMI hospital in Milagro. In the second week of our time in the Dominican Republic, we will be attending the MMI Director's Conference in a city outside of Santiago. The conference will give us the chance to meet with MMI staff from all over the world and assess MMI as a whole and how it can improve.

We are so excited to come home and see everyone at Christmas - we miss you all so much! We are blessed by all that the Lord has done in our lives this year and we know that this is only the beginning of our work. We pray that everyone enjoys preparing for Christmas!

Here are some pictures from the September Sangolquí project:













Love and God Bless,

Stephanie and Joshua

"I will level the mountains"

That's what the Lord was saying to me over and over in the weeks leading up to the September project. "I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron." Isaiah 45:2. There were so many little stresses surrounding this project that I put up all my defenses and would not trust God to take care of it. But boy did he. Why would I ever doubt his goodness??

The team arrived on September 17th and although there were some delayed flights, everyone got to Ecuador safely. Josh and I led the surgical team which consisted of about 20 people. On Monday, we focused all of our efforts on doing consults and scheduling surgeries for the rest of the two weeks. Even spending all that time on consults, we still did 7 surgeries Monday afternoon! In two weeks the surgical team did 52 minor surgeries and 82 major surgeries in general surgery, plastic surgery, and orthopedic surgery. Susana Logacho and the medical team were very busy as well and were able to see a total of 2,921 patients in two weeks. Looking at the number of patients who came for medical care, consults and surgeries it is clear that there is definitely need in this area and we will be investigating it further as a site for the new permanent center.

The team was unbelievable and brought a TON of supplies as well as great attitudes and ALL of their flexibility :). Everyone was ready to work and anxious to help wherever they were needed. I was ecstatic to see my parents and all our friends from Wilmington - we had a blast working together! We were also blessed to have a great working relationship with the hospital staff, and the local church was 100% involved in providing transportation, integrated health, chaplain services, food, and encouragement. God provided abundantly in every way and deserves ALL the praise!!

Now that the project is over, we will turn our sights to the current MMI permanent center in Milagro. Today is our last full day in Quito and tomorrow we make the long drive south. It will be really difficult to say goodbye to our friends here in the north (not to mention this unbelievable weather), but we are excited to serve in Milagro and try to help the current center grow and develop to be able to serve more people.

We are so grateful to you all for your prayers for us and for this project. We hope that God was glorified in the work that was done in Sangolquí, and that more people were introduced to his love because of the project.

Love and God Bless,

Stephanie and Josh

And the Journey Continues!

Another project under our belts! We just got back from Ambato and it was a wonderful project with a wonderful group. 10 of the participants were nursing students and they were all so eager to learn and help in any way that they could. Another 6 were a group from Canada who brought a ton of supplies and knowledge to the project. It is amazing how close you can get to people in such a short amount of time. We pray that they will return to Ecuador on projects in the future! In the course of two weeks we were able to attend to over 2,800 patients and all of them heard the good news of Christ!

This was the first project that Josh and I have worked on that included a surgical component and, after working out a few kinks in the first couple of days, we were able to do 19 surgeries! It was awesome to see how the American surgeon and nurse cooperated with the Ecuadorian surgeons and nurses, and they were even able to teach the team at the Hospital in Pelileo some new techniques for prostate surgery. Josh and I are so glad to have been able to work on a surgical project and it is going to be a huge help to us as we prepare for the September mission team in Sangolqui. Every project we complete is a learning experience for us and we are so grateful to the project director, Susana, for teaching us everything she knows!

Prior to the last project, we spent some time in Ibarra (about 2 hours north of Quito) to see if it would be a good site for the new permanent center. We talked to a doctor there who was very informative and eager to help us. He told us that the population in Ibarra has access to a Government Hospital (free healthcare to anyone), a Social Security Hospital (free healthcare to those who have jobs), and various private hospitals and clinics (healthcare for the middle and upper-classes). After spending time there, we can see that the permanent center would probably serve more people in need in a different location.

Also prior to the last project, members of MMI USA and the members of the Ecuadorian MMI board had a meeting in Quito. The purpose of the meeting was largely to talk about the direction for MMI’s future in Ecuador, but Josh and I were given a slightly different direction as well! MMI’s current permanent center in Milagro (southern part of Ecuador) is going through a change in administration and Josh and I have been named co-directors of the center to help facilitate that change. That means that we will be living and working full-time in Milagro. We will continue our search for the site of the new permanent center, and working in the Milagro center will help us to better understand the nuts and bolts of running a clinic. We are thrilled to have the opportunity and we are staying flexible!!

The next project group will arrive in Sangolqui on September 17th and Josh and I are living here in Sangolqui for the next two-and-a-half weeks to prepare. I am thrilled to see my parents since they are participants on this project, and the outcome of this project is very important since Sangolqui is still under consideration as a site for the new center. We are so grateful for your continued prayers and encouragement!!

We treated this lady at the clinic on the last day of the project. She has 9 children and 30 grandchildren!!



Love and God Bless,

Stephanie and Josh

July 2011 Medical Mission Project: Latacunga, Ecuador

Hello again! Well, our July project has come to a close and we are back in Quito. The July project was in Latacunga and we went to some very poor areas to provide health care and to share the gospel. We had enough people who spoke Spanish on this trip that Josh and I were able to participate in a lot of different areas of the project. I spent a week giving fluoride treatments to kids and also providing reading glasses to the elderly who needed them, and Josh spent a lot of time getting vital signs from the patients before sending them on to the medical professionals. We both love translating for the physicians, but it was nice to be involved in other ministries as well.

A very important part of all of our projects is integrated health where the patients go to hear talks about eating a balanced diet, boiling their water before drinking it, and general hygeine. They also hear the good news of Jesus Christ and receive clear instructions on how to take the medicines that they are given. I spent some time with the leader of integrated health to learn more about how that part works, and I was able to talk to the children who had received fluoride about Jesus and why he came and died for us. One little boy told me that his family only had one Bible in the house and since it was the special family Bible, he couldn't take it down and read it. We were able to give him the New Testament in Spanish so that he could read about Jesus for himself and also read to his younger brothers and sisters. He was so excited to receive it and we were thrilled to be able to give it to him. There is absolutely no feeling as wonderful as serving God by serving others! We will try to post some pictures in the next few days :).

In the next three weeks, we have plans to speak at some churches in Quito who will be helping us with future projects, visiting some areas to the north of Quito to see if the clinic would be a good fit there, and also preparing for our next project which is in Ambato. Most of you know about our September Medical Mission Project in Sangolqui. My dad is the medical director of this project, and we are welcoming more participants! The project dates are September 17th - October 1st and there are still some spots available for medical professionals or general helpers. We would love to see you! If you are interested and/or have questions, please email us at stephanietucker1@gmail.com.

Please keep us in your prayers as the summer comes to a close. We are exploring new ideas for the permanent center and the most important thing for us is to be sure we are following God's design and not our own. We have faith that he will provide us with all of the information that we need to make these decision.

Love and God Bless,

Stephanie and Josh

Medical Mission Trip, June 2011: Baños, Ecuador

Hello Everyone!

For the past two weeks, Josh and I have worked with a medical mission team of Americans and Canadians in Baños, Ecuador. We are so grateful to have been a part of this team and we would love to tell you a little bit about our experiences!

The team arrived on June 11th and we took a bus to Baños on June 12th. We started work on Monday the 13th and each day that week we traveled to a different small town in the area. Members of the team included nurses, a urologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a family practice doctor, general helpers, and interpreters. The first week we saw 674 patients and we gave fluoride treatments to 798 children. Over the weekend, the team was able to explore Baños a little and on Sunday we attended a local church. At the church service, I was given my first opportunity to translate a sermon - boy, was I nervous! But, God gave me the words, and with his help, all the participants were able to understand His word that morning. After a restful Sunday afternoon, we started back to work on Monday and worked until Thursday afternoon when we headed back to Quito. The second week we saw 470 patients and gave 459 children fluoride treatments. This gave us a 2-week total of 1257 fluoride treatments and 1144 patients who received treatment and medicine, and they and their families received health education, and heard the gospel. We pray we were able to plant seeds of hope in these patients and that God will pursue them and capture their hearts.

The whole group meshed incredibly well and we were constantly reminded how God takes such care to bring each team together to fill all of the needs. We had devotions each morning by different members of the team, and someone spoke on 1 Corinthians Chapter 12:

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body . . . Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."

What a wonderful metaphor for the way a team works together! God was very present every day when we went to work and brought us so many patients that we were able to help. Each participant played a part in making the whole thing come together.

Our next mission team arrives on July 9th and we will be headed to a town called Latacunga. For the next two weeks, Josh and I will be preparing for the next team and, if time allows, also exploring some areas a little north of Quito that may be possibilities for the permanent center. We will let you know how everything goes!

Every morning of each project we get together with the waiting patients and sing a praise song in Spanish called "Alabare" which means, "I will praise". Please excuse my singing [:-)], but enjoy this video: