I mentioned this in another thread a while back and wanted to give an update. My wife, Lan, finally made it to the Philippines after nearly two full days of traveling. She flew from DC to Chicago to Seoul to Manila and then, after a five-hour delay, to Tacloban. Then she went on a four-hour bus ride to Borongan City, East Samar. After setting up the operating rooms and testing the equipment today, they'll do surgeries for a little over two weeks. Another group is building houses and offering skills training for the locals. There is also an orphanage in town. Lan was able to deliver a couple of boxes of toys and books that Lily donated.
This is Lan's first time going on a mission, and this team seems to be a well oiled machine, having done this for about 15 years. In total, the team anticipates taking care of about 500 patients like they did last year. They are doing a lot of good, and I am very proud of them. They will be treated to dinner at the governor's mansion next week. We're hoping to get in with a group that does missions in the summer so Lily and I can go as well.
Lan was able to contact me from Seoul, but I must admit I was getting nervous due to the delay in hearing from her in the Philippines. I knew that wi-fi could be spotty and that the flight to Tacloban could be delayed. But, after being many hours overdue and seeing on CNN about the terrorist attack in the Philippines, my heart skipped a few beats. Turns out the attack was nowhere near them, but my anxiety was up for a bit. Finally got her call about 2:00 this morning. Other than severely jet lagged, all is well.
I suspect she'll get as much from this trip as her patients will. :smile:
This is Lan's first time going on a mission, and this team seems to be a well oiled machine, having done this for about 15 years. In total, the team anticipates taking care of about 500 patients like they did last year. They are doing a lot of good, and I am very proud of them. They will be treated to dinner at the governor's mansion next week. We're hoping to get in with a group that does missions in the summer so Lily and I can go as well.
Lan was able to contact me from Seoul, but I must admit I was getting nervous due to the delay in hearing from her in the Philippines. I knew that wi-fi could be spotty and that the flight to Tacloban could be delayed. But, after being many hours overdue and seeing on CNN about the terrorist attack in the Philippines, my heart skipped a few beats. Turns out the attack was nowhere near them, but my anxiety was up for a bit. Finally got her call about 2:00 this morning. Other than severely jet lagged, all is well.
I suspect she'll get as much from this trip as her patients will. :smile:
Last edited:
