#17 Wednesday 9/4: Richard's trip to The Solomon Islands (Shauna's Version)

Richard’s trip to the Solomon Islands

It is hard to put into words the experiences that Richard had during his humanitarian mission with the Army to the Solomon Islands.  It was life changing for him, for the local people and even or me.  It was both heart-warming and heart-breaking.  Below are a few phrases that Richard has used repeatedly to describe the people and his experience, and a few lessons I learned too.

1. These people are so meek and so stoic.  
2. The islanders are just ‘built different’
3. We are so blessed to have the health and medical care we do in the USA.
4. God is in the details.
5. A smile and bubblegum can go a long way.
6. Why don’t we know more about this place?

The Solomon Islands are north of Australia, (I had no idea they even existed before this opportunity arose). Rich was there for 2 weeks for a recon/ humanitarian mission sponsored by the Army.  His assignment was to work with the local doctors to treat patients, train the medical team on new techniques and technology, and to discover other ways the US could be of better service to the local people.   

If you want all the details and pictures of this trip it has been documented on a blog at TeamesUSarmy@blogspot.com. I however will just summarize the trip from my view.

1. Richard would always talk about how meek the people are in his emails.  Always wanting to please those around them.  Never complaining- even when extremely painful medical procedures are happening to them.  Even the children.  They just close their eyes and get through the pain.
2. As the kids say, they are built different.  A few examples:  After receiving a nerve block in one of his legs making it completely numb, a man got up off the table and walked out to the truck to be loaded up and taken down the street to the Operating Room.  What?! He walked.  Even the babies are surviving illnesses that they just shouldn’t be able to survive.  In the US they would’ve been rushed to the ER or the OR, but when that is all a luxury in your village, you just get through it and wait for your turn.
3. Many things that are Medicine 101 in the US such as EKGs and nasal cannulas are not used in the hospitals in these villages, simply because they don’t have them.  The doctors are a jack-of-all-trades; knowledgeable but not experts in any particular field.  It is unknown if the nurse/ assistant has been trained in the procedure they are performing. 
4. This story makes me cry every time.  Richard was supposed to go on this mission, he was supposed to go the exact time that he did and there were many times it didn’t seem like it would happen.  Up until the day before he left he was dealing with canceled flights, mistakes on the military orders, and flights booked to the wrong place. (Solomon, Missouri)  Two days before he arrived to the small village Hospital in Munda a large crate was delivered as a gift from another country.  The crate sat unopened and it was unknown what laid inside.  Richard being the curious guy he is opened the crate and discovered an ultrasound machine.  Not just any ultrasound machine, HIS machine! He has been hired for the last few years to travel the country and teach doctors how to use this very machine from this very company.  Amazing!  The islands tend to receive gifts with no explanation of what it is or how to even use it or set it up.  An example of this is a motorboat meant to deliver critical patients to a bigger hospital faster than the row boats can get them there….with no boat ramp to put it in the water. Or a portable operating room….with the wrong voltage and outlets that aren’t compatible with the local electricity, so these two life-giving machines sit collecting dust.  I digress. Anyway, Richard was able to set up the ultrasound machine, program it and teach the doctors how to use ultrasound to diagnose and to be able to give a nerve block for more comfort during surgery.  The day after he set up the machine a newborn was brought to him and he was asked to consult with the doctor of what could be the problem.  One passover with the machine and they were able to discover air in the belly that would require immediate care in a more equipped hospital.
5. I had an idea, (prompting) to send Richard with bubble gum he could carry around with him during the trip to pass around to the children and to spread cheer and give them something American to experience.  Turns out the kids loved it and would follow him around and hold out their hands asking for bubble gum.  Some kids would hang out at the entrance of his hotel waiting patiently on a bench and smile really big when they saw him come home.  He stopped off at the pediatric ward periodically to give gum to the kids and one time as he was leaving he asked the room if he forgot anyone, one of the mothers piped up and said, “What about the mothers?!” I love this, why do the kids always get the good stuff?  
6. The battles that happened in the South Pacific are just nuts.  How can we know so much about D-day for example and nothing about the Solomons?  The islands saw so much war.  I know if I try to give a history lesson I will totally botch it.  Just google it, or ask my husband.  Active bombs from WW2 are still being discovered all over the area.  In fact, 200 were discovered in Munda while Richard was there.  No worries, the marines took care of it.  Don’t tell anyone but Richard even found bullet fragments while scuba diving and brought them home.  If you’re going to look up the Island’s history during the war, make sure you read about JFK being stranded on a deserted island and swimming to another island while pulling his buddies with a rope…in his teeth.  Yep.  Why don’t we know more about the islands again?  Maybe you do, I don’t though. 

What we have learned from this opportunity is that God is in the details and is truly aware of his children. When we serve each other, we are indeed serving our God and it just feels so good to serve.  

While sitting next to Richard at church on Sunday, I was flipping through my Book of Mormon and came across the verse that sums up our feelings and prayers for the Islanders of the Solomons. They are unfamiliar to me but they are not forgotten by our God.

“…We see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.  Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.” Alma 26:37