In the hospital

Recently I found it necessary to enter an American hospital due to dehydration. The dehydration was caused by severe gastrointestinal problems following (I suppose) the eating of some tainted food.

It is no fun being in a hospital. The doctor gave me a choice of two hospitals to enter. I chose the one where both of my paternal grandparents died. This was done at the suggestion of a family member. Perhaps it was thought that I might undergo the same end? (just kidding). I don't really think so. The advice was given in good faith.

I learned a few things, though, about American medicine and health care (at least in the hospital I entered as a patient).

I became ill and was sick for about 10 hours throughout the night with diarrhea and severe projectile vomiting. The next morning I went to a clinic to see a doctor. I have health insurance, but it does not cover office visits. Although my tongue was clinging to the roof of my mouth and I could barely walk or speak due to weakness and dehydration, I was told that we would have to pay $120 before the doctor would look at me. What a blow that was! My wife wrote the check. The final bill just for that visit was an additional $165.

The doctor found out that I am a missionary to Indonesia. He immediately seemed to want to conclude that I had developed a blood clot as a result of long-term flying, or that I had brought to the USA some exotic Asian "bug." Actually, it was neither. I pretty much knew what the problem was--bad food--from somewhere! I had already been back in the USA a couple of months, and blood clots or exotic Asian "bugs" would have already made themselves apparent long before the time I became ill.

I was given an IV in the doctor's office to help replenish my fluids. The problem was that the nurses in the clinic could not seem to insert an I-V needle into the back of my hand. They stuck me several times. My veins were quite obvious to the naked eye, and it should have been no trouble at all. My wife was trained in nurse's school, and her philosophy is that a nurse gets one try to put in the IV needle, and if she cannot find a vein or botches the job she has to stop. It is possible to give her second chance. But, more than two tries indicates some level of incompetence. Three nurses tried to perform this simple procedure that has been done on me several times in other clinics and hospitals both in the USA and in Asia (with success on the first try). Well, they caused a lot of unnecessary pain. While all this was going on, I looked at my wife; she looked at me, and we both knew what the other was thinking--"One try only... They do not know what they are doing!"

After the IV bag was connected and the contents finally dripped into me, I was taken to the aforementioned hospital. From the start it was clear that not too many so-called professionals knew how to do their job, or they just did not care. If it had not been for my dear wife who stayed by my side and really did the job others were being paid to do, I might have died. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low--and I usually have high blood pressure.

I had been ill for about 18-20 hours before anyone decided to run tests on the contents of my stomach to see just what kind of "bug" was making me so ill. That was also a surprise because it should have been one of the very first tests to do.

I was in the hospital three days and was discharged while I was still sick with some of the same awful symptoms that put me there. That was another puzzle. There were a lot of strange things that happened while I was a patient there that we could not understand, and some of which seemed to go against proper medical practice (we could make a list of about 15-20 matters).

Another puzzle was that I waited about 7 hours or more to be dismissed from the hospital after the doctor told me (at about 6:00 AM) I would be released very soon that day. I was eventually released at about 7:30 PM that evening.

Only one RN acted like she was competent, and she did her best to help me. As I was awaiting the papers for dismissal from the hospital, a nurse's aide came into my room to remove that pesky IV needle (I thought that was primarily the job of an RN, not an aide). The nurse's aide was wearing perfume and bright red nail polish. It should be known that such things as strong perfume and colored nail polish are discouraged for health care workers in hospitals. Anyway, she did not clean the area of the back of my hand where the needle had been inserted. Nor did she wear sterile gloves. She ripped off the tape and instead of pulling the needle out gently backwards from the way it had been inserted into my vein, she lifted it up vertically and pulled UP on it and yanked it out! OH! What pain! Then, she took a piece of balled up cotton she had brought with her into the room--unwrapped and balled up in her bare hand. She slapped the cotton on my hand and put a band-aid on top of it and walked out! When the RN came in I told her about it. She took off the bandage and cotton, cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and properly applied a bandage--thank-you! My hand and arm were swollen and red streaks ran up my arm for several days afterward. I had to do special hot damp cloth therapy on it to reduce the swelling. And, we wonder how so many patients in American hospitals get staph infections!

What was the best part of staying in that hospital--other than leaving it? Getting to eat banana-flavored popsicles when I could not hold anything else down. I am certain that I will soon receive a bill from the hospital, and the expectation will be that I am supposed to pay for less-than-good professional health care.

In Singapore, my experience has been that test results are often received the same or the next day in clinics and hospitals. Doctors take real time with their patients. Money is not the bottom line. And, some doctors actually apologize to their patients without fear of being sued for malpractice. They are really human and humane! They act like they REALLY care, and I think they do.

If I ever move back to the USA one thing I will miss is the very good, even great, health care I have received in Singapore, as contrasted with some of the health care I have received by some practitioners in America. This is not an indictment against all American health care workers or hospitals. It was one stay in one hospital. On the other hand, health care in Indonesia is another story.

SPW

Moving to a foreign country

When my wife and I moved to Indonesia to live as residents we first entered through the immigration desk at the airport in Jakarta.

After entering Indonesia we were required to visit the offices of the State Police of Indonesia. We had to fill out many forms involving personal questions concerning our background, questions about our parents (dates and places of birth) and our siblings (dates and places of birth).

We were fingerprinted.

We had to be approved by the Indonesia Department of Religion, Department of Immigration, Department of Labor and the State Police in order to live and work legally in Indonesia. We were required to present letters of endorsement and support from the USA to prove that we could support ourselves or receive support from the U.S. while living in Indonesia.

We are required to carry with us our State approved credentials and must present them upon demand. We had to renew our visas and other documents each year.

In order to work and be able to carry on daily activities we had to learn to speak the Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia. We never expected the Indonesians to learn English just to accommodate us.

We recognized that we were, and are, guests in a foreign land. We realize that at any time we may be asked by the authorities to leave their nation. If that should happen then we will leave as requested. We will not try to slip back in undetected.

We have never assumed that we had any rights, and we have always known that the government of Indonesia will not be lenient to us nor provide benefits to us simply because we are foreigners in their land. In fact, we have had to prove to the government of Indonesia that our presence there brings some very positive social and moral benefits to the citizens of that nation in order to be able to remain there.

There are rules to follow when entering a foreign nation. Those who try to circumvent or avoid obeying the law of the land which they wish to enter are considered criminals, and may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. One would not wish to serve time in an Indonesian prison!

The rules for entering and living LEGALLY in Indonesia are not very different from the rules in any other nation on earth. Enforcing those rules (laws) helps to preserve order and avoid all kinds of internal chaos. Why would an honest person, who only wishes to do good, NOT wish to follow proper legal procedures to enter and live in another country?

Perhaps Americans need to think more seriously and logically about such matters as they may relate to the problems we are now facing in the USA!

LemmonsAid -- a new blog

My good friend, David Lemmons, has a new blogsite. You will benefit from accessing and learning from it. You may find it by following this URL...

http://lemmonsaid.wordpress.com/

spw

Information concerning Indonesia

One of the best, most accurate, informative summaries of information concerning Indonesia may be found on the following U.S. Department of State web page. As I read it I found it completely reliable. You may find it very interesting.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_2052.html

spw

Reaping the Whirlwind

An interesting statement is made in the Old Testament by the prophet Hosea. "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind..." (Hosea 8:7). Although these words were said of the people in the days in which it was written many centuries ago, there is an application that may be made today.

The "wind" of secular humanism (which is atheism) has been in the public school systems and universities of America for well over 65 years. This "wind" of "no absolute truth," "moral relativism," "situation ethics," "values clarification," "organic evolution" "do your own thing," "no one can tell you what is right or what is wrong," "what is right is what is right for you and what others think is right or wrong is not so significant," "there is no one set standard of right and wrong," "there is no one set standard of truth," "if it feels good or right for you, then do it, etc., etc.," has been sown into the minds of American youth for generations. For the past few years we have witnessed and even experienced the "whirlwind" of degrading, damaging, destructive results of such a godless philosophy.

We witness the shootings and murders in high schools, the senseless beatings of teenagers against teenagers, the rise of illegitimate births, abortion, promiscuity, the seduction of students by teachers, the exaltation and glorification of popular people (entertainers, movie stars, etc.) whose lives are a downward spiral of immorality from day to day, perversity of all sorts which is beyond belief. We hear little girls screaming the names of their favorite singing stars who (the stars), although they may of marriageable age, are often too immature to be married and have children. Rather than practice discipline that works, we are told to let the child have his way, let him vent his anger and his frustrations, after all we do not want him to have a "complex." Everyone is not always right, and should not be made or allowed to believe that being wrong is right or okay. Those who fail in school or in some contest do not deserve to be rewarded in their failures just to make them feel good and avoid hurt feelings. The result of humanism is a bunch of undisciplined, rude, arrogant, angry, selfish, rebellious, disrespectful young people who act out their frustrations by killing each other, or their family members, or those toward whom they have a grievance. Respecting the rights and property of others has never been heard of by some of these upstarts. American young people have been "dumbed down" to the extent that many of those in high school cannot even write a decent sentence or legible paragraph. Americans who follow and practice this philosophy are setting a bad example for the rest of the world. When people of other nations hear about and watch the unholy, immoral antics of well-known American entertainers and celebrities on television and in movies, then see them living out those things in their lives, and when they witness the squandering of millions of dollars on selfish interests by such people, they develop an impression of America and Americans that is not good.

There is no question that America is now reaping the "whirlwind" of this godless philosophy. And, it appears that those who seek to bring sanity back to America by setting forth the Bible as the objective standard of God for man, the result is for the Bible-believer to be belittled and ridiculed as "out of touch" or "not facing reality" or "old-fashioned." It is high time to start in the public school systems to eradicate this godless philosophy and those who advocate secular humanism and situation ethics. It is time that those who believe in an objective standard of right and wrong, and who are patriotic, be given a place of leadership and influence among our young people. There is right and there is wrong! The result of the humanist philosophy is bringing America down so very fast--faster than most people realize. Those who espouse and uphold secular humanism need to be relieved of their duties if they are in places of influence over young people. I am not advocating any kind of violence, for that is wrong. I am simply saying that it is time to fire those who can be fired and to not hire those who only have themselves as their own standard. Even in modern religion, secular humanism has taken quite a stand. Many "churches" are filled with moral and religious relativists who want to have religion their own way, not necessarily God's way. It is time to learn how to say such things as, "No," "There is a way that is right and you can know that it is right," "There is a way that is right and is not wrong," etc.

Secular humanism is a selfish, self-glorifying, self-gratifying, self-exalting philosophy that results in immorality, murder, bias, and the devaluation of human life and the traditional American way of life.

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" John 17:17.
Jesus said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." John 12:48.

Requiting Our Parents

But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. (NKJV) 1 Timothy 5:4

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (NKJV)1 Timothy 5:8

The context of these verses discusses the care of widows by the church, and it gives some requirements or specifications about what constitutes a "widow indeed." But, at the same time, Paul (an inspired apostle of Jesus) lets us know that the church should not have to care for all widows because those widows who have children, grandchildren, or other family are to be cared for first by their own family members.

Many times childen and grandchilden grow up in some ways, but some seem never to grow up enough to understand that those maternal hands that loved them, changed their diapers, fed them, kissed their boo-boos, watched over them when they were sick, and worried over them when they went out of the house, are now to be cared for by those who mother or grandmother cared for many years before.

When mothers and grandmothers reach a point in life where they need help and loving care, we should not expect them to continue to "fork over" money to us for this or that, or to continue sacrificing for us, or to pay us back monetarily every time we spend a dime on them. Now, the "tables are turned." It is time for us to help mother! It is time for us to pay Mom's way in this world. It is time for us to do things for Mother and Grandma that we can do when she can no longer do things for herself. And, we are to do it without expecting her to repay us for our efforts! These are some ways we "requite" or repay the love of mother.

When mother's hands become feeble, when her steps falter, when her sight is blurred, when her hearing is not as acute as once it was, when she is forgetful, and when her health fails or she cannot provide for herself, we must step in and help. We must repay the love that she so freely and graciously gave to us when we were small and unable to care for ourselves, when our feet faltered, and when we could not feed and provide for ourselves.

Paul, the apostle, informs us that if we fail to provide for "our own" or "those of our own household" we have denied the faith (denied Christianity, the system of the one faith) and we are worse than infidels or unbelievers. It should never be said of of a Bible-believer (or of one who claims to be a disciple of Christ), that he or she was so hard-hearted or self-centered that he would not take care of his widowed mother or grandmother in her latter years on earth.

Are you repaying your mother's or grandmother's love? How often do you visit her? Call her? Communicate with her? Take her out (if she is able to go out)? Take her to the doctor? Run errands for her? Clean her house? Prepare her meals? Allow her to talk about the days of her youth that she remembers and cherishes, and listen to what she is saying? How often do you say, "I love you, Mom!"?

Think about it!

SPW