Mission report from Chiapas Mexico

Exciting things are happening in Chiapas, Mexico. Lela and I were blessed to go on a medical mission trip to the town of Ocozocoautla in Mexico’s southern-most state this month. Dr. Jeff Hardesty, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Loma Linda, and an official ministry of Loma Linda University organized the trip. Each year Dr. Hardesty leads a trip to Chiapas with a team of nurses, physicians and allied health professionals as well as anyone else to wants to go along to carry out whatever missionary opportunities God opens. This is the 9th year a team has gone. Lela and I went down separately from the rest of the team, as we needed to bring our three-month-old son, Josiah because he is still nursing. With Josiah so young, we prayed much before deciding to come, as the region does have some malaria risk, as well as a significant history of kidnapping. To minimize his exposure, we came down three days after everyone else and arrived the evening before the medical outreach was to begin.

Our travel itinerary included dropping off our three older children, Hadassah, Nathaniel and Moriah, with Lela’s parents who live in Phoenix, and who were kind enough to carry out a mission of their own by taking care of them while we were out of country. Then we traveled to Los Angeles where we caught our flight to Mexico City. Here a miracle occurred. We had to go through customs before catching our connecting flight to Tuxtla-Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas. If you have ever traveled with us, you known that we always plan ahead, and we bring anything we might need. On this trip, we especially wanted to be prepared to get our three-month-old jewel safely through a week in the mission field (stove, bottle/pump sterilizer, sani-wipes, Clorox wipes, mosquito netting, baby toys, stroller, car seat, bassinet, inflatable baby tub, medicine, thermometer, medications for any condition that might occur, blankets, changes of clothes, diapers, etc.) plus enough clean American food to feed us for a week, PLUS literature. We knew that we were going to be meeting with El Presidente de Ocozocoautla (the mayor of the town where the team carried out its medical mission), so, in addition to the magazines on health, the birth and life of Christ, and the Sabbath which were to be given out to all of the patients and family members and which were generously supplied by Ron Goss of Project Restore, we also brought two cases of full-text Spirit of Prophecy books, all in Spanish, of course, to be given El Presidente as well as the members of his cabinet and other administrators with whom the team interacted.

In Mexico City, we had to deplane, go through immigration, find our luggage, go through customs, re-check in and go back through security in time to board again. By the time we had all of our carry-on items plus our gate-checked items and made it down to customs, we found a line in front of us that snaked back and forth, filling a room about 25 by 25 meters. The time was 3:30 pm, and our connecting flight was set to depart at 4:45 pm, and on Aeromexico, airline personnel seem to like boarding early. This was only the first line where we would have to wait in in order to get through the process by 4:45, and from the looks of things, there was no way we were even going to make it through the first line by 4:45. We had been praying quite a lot before and during the trip, and we needed a miracle if we were going to make it to our destination to join the rest of the team and not get stuck in Mexico City. Lela went over to talk to an official standing off to the side. He looked at us and then the line in front of us, and told her that she was not going to make her flight. Then, looking at Josiah he said, “But for the baby, follow me.” Walking past the enormous line full of people, one-by-one he moved the line barrier pylons to the side just enough to allow us to pass by, stroller and all, and delivered us to the immigration official who examined our passports. In the next warehouse-sized room, we had to find our luggage and get it to the customs agent at the far end of the building. Out of nowhere, two men with carts appeared and told us to come with them. Quickly they led us to the right area where we found the luggage from our plane. The men had not even asked for the name of our city of departure. Passing by all of the large, scary dogs sniffing for South-American contraband, they picked up our bags. Then a woman appeared who began talking to Lela. Lela told her why we were going to Chiapas with a medical team that was already at our destination, and she took us right to the customs official. Because we were bringing our own food, when I filled out the customs form, I had checked the first box which indicated that I was attempting to carry either food, dangerous chemicals or insects into the county. Despite this potential problem, a short conversation between this mystery woman and the customs official, and the official had signed off on our baggage, four suitcases and three suspicious-looking boxes and all, and the men were whisking us through some double doors out of customs.

Now we needed to get checked in for our next flight. Again, out of nowhere, a man appeared and told us to follow him. He asked no questions, but took us down a hall which seemed to be going the opposite direction that someone had indicated we needed to go, up an elevator and down the corridor to the ticket counter, past another giant line, and to the front. Dropping us off at the ticket counter, he gave some quick instructions to us as well as the ticket agent and was gone. Including immigration and customs, this all took about seven minutes, and it was a good thing, because when we got to our gate, passengers were already boarding, and the plane taxied away from the gate several minutes early. After finding our seats, we bowed our heads and thanked God for His blatant miracle in getting us safely on our flight, but as we were about to learn, this miracle was small compared to the work God is doing in the region we were to visit.

Once in Tuxtla-Gutiérrez, we were picked up at the airport by a retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor named Pastor Pedro. Fortunately, he had driven his pickup-truck. During the hour-and-a-half drive to Ocozocoautla, we had time to learn about the work God has been doing in Chiapas. The people of Chiapas are very poor, hence our mission trip to provide medical and surgical care that they would otherwise be unable to obtain. Many of the people are indigenous, descendants of the Maya civilization. The population of the state of Chiapas is just under five million and, to the praise of God, in some areas, as many as an incredible 42% are Seventh-day Adventists! In Tuxtla-Gutiérrez alone, there are over 300 churches and we later learned that they need 40-50 more! There are nowhere near enough pastors to go around, so most pastors shepherd between 20-30 churches each! Nonetheless, by God’s blessing, the growth continues. Unbeknown to us, on Sabbath, one week before our arrival, Elder Ted Wilson had had the privilege of speaking at a special service celebrating and promoting religious freedom and liberty of conscience held in a soccer stadium attended by 25,000 people: 20,000 Seventh-day Adventist members plus “cinco mil” [5,000] more brothers and sisters who were baptized that day! Prior to coming to work in Chiapas just over 25 years ago, Pastor Pedro had worked as a pastor in California for 17 years. He said he came to Chiapas because the need for workers was so great. He also told us that 25 years ago, when he was working for the Chiapas Union, there were only 80,000 Seventh-day Adventists, and now, there are 218,000 members on the books with estimates as high as 300,000 in attendance on Sabbaths! Pastor Pedro said that the church is growing because of Bible studies, Daniel and Revelation seminars, and members sharing the three-angels’ messages with their neighbors. He explained the growth with the word, “laicos,” which refers to lay people working to spread God’s truth. Each church is participating to finish the work.

Every day we were in Ocozocoautla, our group was divided into a medical and a surgical team. Those on the medical team went to the clinic where hundreds of men, women and children came to be treated. Due to the poverty of the region, some suffer months or years with no relief from health conditions, so patients were very appreciative, and many traveled great distances to receive help. Many of the patients had brought their children with them, and these children were able to attend a special children’s program where they received coloring books about health which depicted the eight laws of health. They were artfully illustrated by Sarah Esslinger. Betty Gilbert, from Phoenix Arizona, who has dedicated her life to ministering to children through cradle roll, was unable to go on the trip, but beforehand she spent days making special, colorful take home items portraying the second coming and other Bible themes. These were gladly received and prized by the children in Chiapas. Meanwhile the surgical team went to the hospital in Ocozocoautla and performed hysterectomies, bladder suspensions, cholecystectomies, hernia repairs and other much needed surgical procedures. Pastor Eloy, chaplain for the trip, made sure that each patient received magazines containing precious truth. Eager to learn more, some patients asked for multiple different magazines or for extra copies for a friend. Some patients had unusual or advanced conditions that we do not often encounter in the United States such as a woman with a 6-pound fibroid uterus (usual weight is 2-3 ounces). She was very appreciative to have this taken out of her belly. Another patient had the unfortunate finding of cancer which had spread to different parts of her belly. In addition to optimal tumor debulking, she also received counseling and literature on what she can do with her diet and lifestyle to help her fight the cancer, as well as the wonderful news of a crucified and risen Savior.

The day before the team left, the mayor of Ocozocoautla gave a special thank you dinner for the team which he attended as well as his cabinet members. He gave his personal testimony on how God had given him victory over alcoholism, and he also declared that he believed that God had put him in office in order to help facilitate the care that his citizens were receiving from our team. Wonderful groundwork was laid for further cooperation between his office and our church in Chiapas, and the mayor expressed much gratitude for what the church is doing. With much appreciation, each official received a copy of El Ministerio de Curación [Ministry of Healing], and the local pastors were given a case of El Gran Conflicto for future distribution. Please pray that the important seeds of truth contained in these books will find fertile ground in the hearts of these men and women, and that God will bless and give the increase, and that the church will continue to grow in Chiapas (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Thinking back, now, about the trip, two things strike me most about the people of Chiapas, and one is how readily they received the literature that we brought. For instance, there were always quite a few people outside the hospital each day as we came and went, so we would pass out present truth magazines to them. Not once did anyone turn down a magazine, and when we came back out of the hospital, the people were always reading the magazines, and I never saw one magazine on the ground or in the trash. It occurs to me that we have the Bible and the other writings inspired by the Spirit of Prophecy, namely, the writings of Ellen White. Do we value these as much as the people of Chiapas treasured their magazines? Do we allow hours to pass watching television or doing frivolous surfing on the internet or social media when we could be spending that time reading and coming closer to God? Perhaps it is time to rethink how we spend our free time. The other lesson I took home was the importance of each of us working as God’s laicos—His lay workers—by actively seeking opportunities to share with our neighbors, friends and associates the Bible’s message of love and warning that God has given us as a people. And it may even be that these two lessons fit together, such that the more we treasure and spend time with God personally, the more we would have to share with those with whom God puts us in contact, so I’m making a commitment to God to spend more personal time with Him in the morning each day, so that I can be more useful to Him the rest of the day. Do you want to make that commitment too?

Obesity’s perfect solution

Today, in the United States, we are seeing an epidemic of obesity. Obesity has enormous health risks, and many scientific journals are now stating that obesity may even be more risky than smoking. As such, it is no surprise that everywhere we look, someone is touting the “best” weight loss plan. With so many options available, how does one know which method to choose? In this article we are going to examine eight, scientifically sound, side effect free methods that are inexpensive and guaranteed to work. Excess body fat causes more than its associated undesirable appearance. Scientists have known since the 1940’s that when fat cells become too large from too much fat being stored in them, they will become “sick”, and begin to increase production of dangerous hormones. Part of this course involves excess fat being stored within internal organs, arteries, and/or muscle. The combination effect of these two processes leads to a host of diseases including cancer, accelerated atherosclerosis with its increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, autoimmune diseases, as well as diabetes.

As a Christian desiring to glorify God in our bodies, is there a perfect method to loose weight and keep it off? Are you tired of worrying about weight loss? God has a perfect prescription for weight control, guaranteed to work without side effects. Using the acronym WANT REST, we will examine how these “eight natural doctors” will improve your health.

Water A recent article in the Journal of Nursing Administration showed that drinking adequate water between meals, as part of the Nurses Living Fit lifestyle program, resulted in participants experiencing a greater reduction in weight. This fits my own long-time suspicion that we often try to satisfy our need for water with food, mistaking thirst for hunger! But, what about other types of beverages? According to an article in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2007, the explosion in sugary beverages over the last 20 years has significantly contributed to the prevalence of obesity, both in the adult and pediatric populations. This underscores the importance of “snacking” on water between meals and not food or other sugary beverages.

Air Many may ask what role, if any, does fresh air have to do with obesity? According to the Hepatitis Monthly, October, 2011 issue, fatty liver disease is becoming the leading cause of cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Because of the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, fatty liver disease is an increasing problem even within the pediatric population. New research indicates that the two main risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are air pollution and obesity. In fact, according to the CDC, air pollution can lead to obesity by increasing insulin resistance. Take home point, we need to get fresh air every day!

Nutrition We could easily write numerous articles on the link between weight loss and healthy nutrition, but let’s focus on four points. First of all, you can’t buy weight-loss without getting more than you bargained for, so forget about weight-loss supplements. If a supplement helps you lose weight, it’s because it either has caffeine or some other stimulant, or it causes your body to malabsorb nutrients, which will lead to other problems such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Secondly, rapid weight loss leads to rapid weight gain. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was excess fat storage, if you want to keep it off, it’s not going to come off overnight. The third and most important point about weight loss and nutrition is that a high fiber, low-fat diet is the best. But, what about the supposed success rates of low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets? These diets place the patient in a starving state and as a result, they enter the “zone” of ketoacidosis which is very toxic to the kidneys. The ideal diet plan given in Genesis 1:29 is the healthiest and best weight loss diet and interestingly did not include any meat. Finally, as much as possible, we should stay away from processed foods, and instead get the bulk of our foods from the produce section or the farmer’s market. If affordably possible, organic produce is the best as it is more nutritious due to increased vitamins and enzymes.

Temperance The best definition of temperance is to, “dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful.” (PP 562) In regard to temperance in weight loss, the timing and quantity of eating is vital to weight loss. In fact, in the August 2012 issue of Appetite, a study comparing normal-weight women with obese women revealed the biggest caloric difference between the two groups was snacking. In addition, the study also showed that shorter meal times correlated with overeating. This finding was collaborated by an article in the journal of Metabolism in May, 2012, which demonstrated that fast eaters were twice as likely to be obese. The take home point here is, temperance in the timing of eating by avoiding snacks, combined with slow eating improves weight loss.

Rest As most of us are aware, melatonin is the hormone of sleep, and it’s benefits are seemingly astronomical. In a recent publication from the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, it was stated that through various steps, melatonin decreases appetite. In addition, in the August, 2012, issue of Appetite obese women were found to be more likely to sleep less at night and nap more during the day. Putting these two studies together the vicious cycle of obesity and poor sleep becomes evident, in that, poor sleep leads to obesity and obesity then leads to worsened sleep and around and around the cycle we go! The take home point here is to maximize weight loss, we should get early, long sleep, at night, and avoid daytime “sleep snacks”.

Exercise It likely comes as no surprise to learn that the May, 2009 issue of Obesity Reviews, an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, stated that adding exercise to a weight-loss diet produces significantly greater weight loss. Interestingly, another study published in Obesity Research found that, compared to men on a weight-loss diet alone, men who were on a diet plus exercise program experienced additional restraint, less disinhibition, and less hunger. From this we learn that exercise improves metabolism, blood sugar control and assists in weight loss. In addition, as exercise improves self-restraint, it benefits our spiritual lives and can even positively affect characters!

Sunshine Sunlight causes our bodies to increase its own production of vitamin D which is vital to the prevention and treatment of many diseases. According to the May, 2012, issue of Metabolism, increased levels of vitamin D was associated with weight loss and a decrease in metabolic syndrome (obesity, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia) by up to 48%. Of course, this makes sunshine a treatment for obesity, and not just a preventive measure.

Trust in God As we have stated before, trust is best defined as, “God is in control” and stress as, “I am in control”. When stress is greater than trust we often see not only spiritual ramifications but also physical and mental effects as well. This is well supported in the prospective study in Health Psychology, which indicates that poor emotional functioning predicts obesity. The study showed that unhealthy eating is often used to regulate emotion, leading to obesity. Interestingly, it also noted that positive religious coping was a significant moderator of this effect. Easier said: if we have a framework that explains the world, based on the Bible’s description of a war between Christ and Satan, and we deal with difficulties by leaning on Christ, we will not need to run to food as a coping mechanism, and better yet, we can go to Christ for a fresh supply of grace to strengthen us in the battle of self gratification and temperance for improved health, claiming the promise, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

As you are reading this article, do you detect the Holy Spirit working on your heart? Is He calling you to turn your sleeping habits, eating habits, exercise routine and even the timing of your eating and snacking—over to Him? Our assurance is that if God can give thieves and liars victory over stealing and lying, surely He can give you and I the victory over obesity. Let’s go to Him right now in prayer, and daily surrender ourselves to Him throughout the day, leaning on Him and claiming His promises, and by His grace overcome all our maladies.