Audiologist gets published in Colorado

Janae Biard's story appeared in the Cortez Journal recently. She is an audiologist who went with Canvasback Missions last May--June, 2009. Click here for her story. What a blessing she was for the deaf kids on Chuuk! Children with no hearing now can live normal lives.

God's Power Greater than Power of Nature

HURRICANE ALERT! This was what was heard all over Yap the night of September 29, 2009. God overruled the power of nature!

I made the statement that no one could tell a Typhoon which path to take but apparently there is one who can and it appears that He did. The church, the Pathfinder Club and people across the nation were praying that Tropical Storm Parma would divert. I cannot say that the path she took violates the laws of nature but I can say that is atypical and highly unlikely. She was headed right for Yap when she turned south and as soon as she had cleared Yap to the west, she intensified to a Typhoon and resumed her predicted curve to the north.


Jamie

Dr. Carol Isaacs's story was published in professional magazine

You may or may not have already seen pictures of Dr. Carol Isaacs and her special patient, Risi Joe from Ebeye in the Marshall Islands. Carol is a dermatologist from the St. Helena Hospital in Northern California. She was a missionary with Canvasback Missions for the first time this last January. Now, her story has been published in the "Dermatology Times", a professional dermatology journal. We would love to share the story and her experiences about her trip to Ebeye. Click here to read the entire article.

You will see that her missionary journey had quite an impact on her life. Others continue to be inspired by stories like hers. Perhaps you will have a story to tell someday!

Canvasback has just completed another successful trip

We’re proud to say that Canvasback has just completed another successful trip to Micronesia. This time, our team returned from the beautiful island of Pohnpei where they delivered eye and dental care as well as bringing out a youth team that worked in construction and delivered an evangelistic series in the evenings. We saw many blessings as we worked with the people. Our eye doctors were able to see over 320 patients as well as handing out over 270 glasses and performing 80 surgeries. On the last day of the trip, our team decided to take some time off to relax and see the island. However, our eye doctors chose to stay at the hospital so that they could perform as many surgeries as possible. Dr. Narvaez joked that he was very “hardcore” and didn’t need a break. He said that it was a miracle to see people’s lifestyles completely changed by the surgeries they received. Not only would a blind person’s life be given back to them, but also the young child who had to lead them around would be free of this obligation, perhaps allowing them to attend school.

Our dental team worked in the hospital but also decided to go out to the remote villages to bring care to those who couldn’t even afford the taxi ride into the clinic. Our dentist Dr. Parker stated that even though the taxi ride would only cost about five dollars, this amount was far beyond the budgets of most of the village families. The dental team did over 310 surgeries and 270 extractions. They also educated the local doctors on new techniques for doing crown and bridge procedures. This technique will save the hospital time and money by allowing them to do the procedures on sight rather than having to send them out to a lab.

The youth team worked at the church to complete a new office and Sabbath school room. During the day, they worked hard to put up the roof and complete parts of the walls. After work in the evenings, the team put on our evangelistic series aimed towards the teens. Our youth pastor Brandon Stoltz led a series called Jesus Loves Zories (flip flops in Pohnpeian) which was based after the popular series Jesus loves Jeans. The youth led out, preaching and leading the song service. They ended with a call that received four commitments to baptism and a card from almost everyone present recommitting themselves to Christ.

If you want to know more about our trip, new pictures and articles will be posted soon. God bless.

Written by Sterling Spence

The Latest News from Jacque Spence

We're having an unbelievable time in Pohnpei. The ophthalmology clinics have been going great - Julio Narvaez and Jeff Ing are now running two phaeco units side by side in the OR so we're able to do more surgeries. Last Friday, the hospital gave us a beautiful buffet welcome with the Secretary of Health and the Lieutenant Governor in attendance.

Canvasback Youth Extreme Team - Pohnpei 2009

When Jesus was here walking among us, part of His ministry was to heal people physically while He told them about the love of God, the Father. Just before He ascended to Heaven, He directed His disciples to do the same - to go out and tell everyone about the extreme love of God for His people. That commission wasn't given only to the twelve disciples, but we today have also been given this responsibility. The Canvasback Youth Extreme Team is made up of God-driven young people who are committed to this same purpose - to go out, help out, and speak about the love of God to their peers and to anyone who will listen! Their nightly message is simple and life-changing, that no matter how worn, torn, dirty, or broken you are, God loves you and is wanting to make you new again. Through nightly meetings of worship, small group activities, and message, the Canvasback Youth Extreme Team will help bring their peers on Pohnpei into a closer and committed relationship with God. Please pray that we will be able to minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of this very special community!

Click here for more details

The young missionaries have already raised a significant portion of their cost for this trip and Canvasback’s contribution is $900 for each youth. The total Canvasback has to raise is $9,000 and $3,000 has already been raised. To give a good kid a life changing mission experience, you can contribute by clicking here.

Canvasback receives the highest rating from Charity Navigator

What a nice surprise to find that our work here at Canvasback Missions is being rewarded with a four star rating by Charity Navigator. This is something we can really be proud of because Charity Navigator themselves has a high rating as an evaluator of charities. They are known as “America’s premier charity evaluator”. They have been rated by Forbes, Business Week and Kiplinger’s Financial Magazine because of “their unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the charitable sector.”

Charity Navigator has notified Canvasback Missions that due to our sound fiscal management, and the consistent operation of our mission in an efficient manner, Canvasback Missions, Inc. is being recognized as a top-notch non-profit charity.

Thus we can say to our donors, “We are trustworthy in that we will do what we say we will do”. Charity Navigator’s words to us are: “Canvasback Missions executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America.” This is a good reason for our donors to have complete confidence in donating to Canvasback Missions, Inc.

Pictures of Chuuk

Chuuk Team Returning

Pictures! How we love pictures. ”A picture is worth a thousand words.” For me, I need the thousand words plus lots and lots of pictures to illustrate the kinds of experiences that come out of Canvasback Missions to Micronesia. Every trip is different, and every island is different, but always with many, many people in need.

I will have the privilege of going through the hundreds of pictures recently taken in Chuuk, part of the Federated States of Micronesia, where Canvasback took an ENT team in May. The images coming back make your heart ache for the sick ones found there. The success stories were well documented.

When I was younger, I would look at any island picture and immediately would wish to be there. Usually it was images of a white sail boat on blue water or inviting white sandy beaches. I wanted to see what was on the outside of the borders of the pictures. I’m reminded of another expression very often used by people trying to describe things without pictures, You probably have heard this too: “You had to be there”. As the stories from Chuck are published on this web site with lots pictures, I can imagine the medical personnel saying “You just had to be there!”

God Sightings Part III

Really Living Television Interview

Jamie and I were interviewed on April 29 by Elder Don Schneider for “Really Living” TV. What a wonderful opportunity to tell about how God has led and is leading; to share how awesome our God is. In a way it was like posting the stories of his leading on the doorposts and wearing them on our foreheads. (Watch for this program to be aired in July on the Hope Channel.)

It was also very humbling to recall how God could take two miserable sinners and give them life and breathe and depth. Thank you, dear Jesus, for loving us.

“He found them in a desert land, in an empty howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes. Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions.” Deuteronomy 32:10-11

Small but important things—The Lord provides!

I am leading an ENT team to Chuuk starting Thursday, May 7, 2009. We needed two things to happen for the trip. The first is that the shipment of medical supplies and equipment that had been shipped by container, needed to be picked up in Chuuk and delivered to their hospital. The second is for the shipment from our orthopedic trip to Kwaj needed to return to U.S. and clear customs so that I could retrieve the anesthesia box and take it with us to Chuuk.

The evening that we came back from the interview on “Really Living”, I received an email telling me that Dr. Kennedy had been unable to locate the shipment in Chuuk. I was also told that the boxes from Kwaj might take two weeks to clear, which would be too late for me to pick them up. The staff prayed! And the next day, the shipment was found in Chuuk and the Kwaj boxes had cleared customs in the U.S.! God is so good!

“So don’t worry about these things, saying ‘what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:31

written by Jacque Spence

God Sightings Part II

Tickets

Last week, I was finally able to put my attention to ticketing our ophthalmology, dental, building, evangelistic team to Pohnpei – that’s over 25 people. Our travel agent said that there were no more seats available for the date that we wanted and that the best group rate price Continental would give was $2,500 – $900 higher than I had budgeted for. I gave an alternate date and our agent went back to Continental. You can imagine the prayers and the sleepless nights – Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – no response back from Continental.

And then finally on Thursday, Continental came back to us with a very good group rate and all I can say is, “Thank you, Lord.”

Our Need is a Pastor for Pohnpei

A week ago I was meeting with some of the La Sierra students who had expressed an interest in going to Pohnpei in June. We were talking about various issues such as the need for male participants for the building project. We were also talking about the challenge of evangelizing in Micronesia; that we needed to understand and show respect to the local cultures. This discussion only enforced a prompting that I had already been feeling; that we really needed a pastor who could guide, direct, and nurture the students on the team. One of the qualifications we needed was that he would already be familiar with Pohnpei.

So, just then a man came into South Hall and one of the students said, “Here’s someone who should go with us. He used to be a Student Missionary in Pohnpei.” So, of course, we start talking and guess what, he’s a pastor!

He told me he would love to go but would have to get permission from his church and his boss. Well, the long and short of it is that Pastor Branden, in just one week, was able to get permission to join the team.

What a powerful witness He will be to the students and families that he touched so many years ago. Thank you, God, for answering our prayers, for paving the way, for putting a call on Branden’s heart.

written by Jacque Spence

God Sightings – Part I – Trip Preparations

This has been a hard week of praying and waiting and feeling extremely stressed. The checkbook balance has been nearly down to nothing. I’m putting charges for the ENT Chuuk trip on my credit card – the team leaves next week and we still don’t have the contract funds. With no money in the bank, bills mounting, my stress has been at an all time high. And all through this, I constantly hold onto the fact that God has never let us down. I remember that all things have always worked out for good, and that His timing is perfect.

So, although there is worry, there is also an acknowledgement that I must wait patiently for the Lord. “But Lord, it is so hard not to panic – the waiting is so hard”, I mused. I started to think about the Israelites who saw great and miraculous wonders and the next day would complain and panic. They were scared and terrified. Although they saw God work in their behalf, they couldn’t quite grasp that God was their Father, who would protect and care for them. Even for me, who has seen many of His miracles, it’s hard to truly walk with this confidence. How could God really care day in and day out, night and day, minute by minute about me?

Well for one thing, it’s not about me – it’s about His work. This is His work and I am His servant.

“Worry weighs a person down.” Proverbs 12:25

How true, how true. I have felt so weighed down this past week. Sleep has been troubled and my heart has been heavy. Why do I go down the worry path? Lord, teach me to go down that path of faith when I come to that fork in the road!

Hold onto to Jesus and know for sure that He is God – He loves me and will not forsake me.

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6

written by Jacque Spence

In the March 18, 2009 issue of the Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon, you can read another article about our recent visit to Ebeye. The "Man makes medical mechanics his mission" has a subtitle "Tom Lengyel of Salem helps set up and repair equipment for medical missions overseas." Click here to go to the article.

Is Diabetes a problem here in the U.S.? According to my husband’s doctor, it is.

We’re constantly getting lab tests done and then we’re constantly watching for endless weeks and months. We’re so disappointed when the level of blood sugar is high and feel great when it is lower. I feel like I’m on a constant roller coaster. When the doctor said we didn’t have to do a test every day,we breathed a sigh of relief.

You diabetics know what an ordeal daily testing is--that uncomfortable pin prick to get a drop of blood to put in the glucometer. When the number is too high – in the danger zone, it is so depressing because all you can think is, “I’m going to lose my leg, my foot, my toe – I’m going to go blind, and my kidneys are going to fail – and then you start thinking about death – when and how. I’ve had friends and family who have had to battle this disease and it wasn’t pretty. All I can say is I don’t want the disease. I don’t want to die a crumby death.

In the Marshall Islands, where close to 50% of the adult population are diabetic, the people battle these thoughts constantly. But, miracle of miracles, it has been so exciting for the people who have been attending the Diabetes Wellness Center started by Canvasback Missions, Inc. They are so excited to learn that they can live normal lives and be healthy and active. They have hope because they see that they can take charge of their lives and reverse the effects of diabetes for their family and friends.

What are they learning? Is it some magic formula? Do they have a special doctor we don't have available here?

No, it's education, education that they can apply to their lives! They are learning what a powerful healing affect good healthy food and exercise can have. These people are amazing. They live on a coral atoll where resources are so limited and they are successfully reversing their diabetes. The President of the Marshall Islands heartily endorses this program and has his meals prepared by the staff of the Diabetes Wellness Center. So many members of the community have eagerly embraced the new way of life and look forward to many healthy years, without the debilitating effects of the disease. If they can learn to change, so can we. The Marshallese are a lesson book for me!

Several newspapers in the past several months have published stories about Canvasback Missions and its activities and we believe you would enjoy reading these. Some of these are available on the public internet and we have listed here for your use.

In March, the St. Helena Star published a story about Dr. Carol Isaacs of St. Helena who was the first dermatologist to go to the Marshall Islands. Click here to go to the article.

In the February 6, 2009 issue of the Kwajalien Hourglass, a Marshall Islands newspaper, you can read an article about our recent visit to Ebeye. The "Mercy and Miracles" article is found on page 8. Click here to go to the article.

We hope to alert you in the future to other articles that are published about Canvasback Missions, and you will be able to link to the story posted here.

I can feel the excitement building

I can feel the excitement building as more and more medical personnel are calling the office every day. The anticipation is running high. We are in between trips to the Marshall Islands in January and the next one to the islands of Chuuk in May. Supplies have already been collected for the ENT team that is going to Chuuk. This tiny cluster of islands formerly known as Truk is in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean where many forgotten people struggle to survive. Canvasback has been a welcome visitor there for several decades. This time they will meet again previous patients that were given special medical assistance.

Speaking of supplies, this reminds me of a remarkable answer to prayer that involved a box that was packed for the trip to Marshall Islands in January. An important box of supplies was on its way to St. Mary's Hospital in the back of a pickup the ortho team was using, when it fell off the pickup. When they got to their destination, they discovered that it was missing. An RN on the team, Bruce Curnuck, backtracked several times over the route they had traveled to no avail. They prayed that night that the box would be found. The next day, there it was at St. Mary's Hospital. It was learned that a woman driver noticed the box beside the road. She stopped, noticed the label "St.Mary's Hospital" and decided to make a special trip there in order to return it. This confirmed a statement that Beth, Bruce's wife, had made, "It is God's trip."