John C. Bailey Family Blog

John Connor Brown House

2011-07-13T12:50:00.001-05:00

2011-07-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

Bailey Family Cruise!!

2010-03-22T23:00:00.004-05:00

P1020183, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Rainey and Emily ready to hit the ship

Formal Night on the Navigator

2010-03-22T22:59:00.003-05:00

P1020192, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Tod and Lee Ann

2010-03-22T22:59:00.001-05:00

P1020191, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Happy (almost) 50th Anniversary!!

2010-03-22T22:58:00.001-05:00

P1020190, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

J and Laurie

2010-03-22T22:57:00.004-05:00

P1020189, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Stephanie and Stephen

2010-03-22T22:57:00.001-05:00

P1020187, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Emily and Rainey Bailey

2010-03-22T22:56:00.001-05:00

P1020186, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Caitlin and Jordan Bailey

2010-03-22T22:55:00.003-05:00

P1020185, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Hutton, Reagan and Bailey Brown

Labadee, Haiti

2010-03-22T22:55:00.001-05:00

P1020215, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Reagan and Tod

2010-03-22T22:54:00.001-05:00

P1020211, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Beautiful Rainey Ann

2010-03-22T22:53:00.001-05:00

P1020205, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Rose and Papa taking it easy on the beach

2010-03-22T22:52:00.001-05:00

P1020203, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Emily Rose

2010-03-22T22:51:00.001-05:00

P1020201, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

The "big cousins" in Lababdee...the Navigator is in the background

Jamaica Mon!

2010-03-22T22:33:00.004-05:00

P1020230, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Caitlin and Hutton

2010-03-22T22:33:00.001-05:00

P1020219, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

J and Laurie

2010-03-22T22:32:00.001-05:00

P1020218, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Stephen and Stephanie on the way to snorkle

2010-03-22T22:31:00.002-05:00

P1020217, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Bailey, Rainey, Jordan and Emily after Dunn's River Falls

Emily loves that cousin Reagan!

2010-03-22T22:29:00.003-05:00

P1020228, originally uploaded by Lee Ann11.

Your Spanish lesson for the day.

2009-09-28T15:16:00.002-05:00

Your Devotion for the Day

2009-09-28T15:09:00.003-05:00

No fear!!

2009-09-25T00:39:00.000-05:00

I love this series of pictures...

2009-09-25T00:37:00.000-05:00

2009-09-25T00:36:00.000-05:00

2009-09-25T00:35:00.000-05:00

Happy To Be In Changde

2009-09-07T00:46:00.001-05:00

This picture was taken just moments after this boy and his father were assigned a room. They have traveled for 7 days, but they are in good shape and extremely happy.

Tibet Patient Before & After Surgery

2009-09-05T17:12:00.002-05:00

A young man from near Changde saw the signs telling of our free cleft surgeries in Changde. A year ago he had visited Tibet to share the gospel and found this young boy. So he made his way back to Tibet and brought both the boy and his father to Changde. This meant a total of two weeks for him to get to Tibet and then travel back to Changde. The three them walked over the mountains for three days to the nearest bus station. Then for four more days they walked, traveled by bus and train until they arrived in Changde. Both the father and the son were all smiles when the surgeons agreed to work late one day so the surgery could be completed. The patient had both a cleft lip and palate, and our surgeons wanted to do both, but the local officials over ruled and the little boy just has his lip repaired. This case was worth the trip.

Dr. Whitaker - Up date

2009-08-31T13:49:00.000-05:00

http://jcbaileyfamily.blogspot.com/2009/08/httpwwwfacebookcomlwwwtennesseancomarti.html

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.tennessean.com/article/20090823/NEWS06/908230364/1023/news/Kidnapped%20missionary%20doctor%20recovers%20in%20Nashville

2009-08-31T13:43:00.001-05:00

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.tennessean.com/article/20090823/NEWS06/908230364/1023/news/Kidnapped%20missionary%20doctor%20recovers%20in%20Nashville

Interesting Case for Dr. Camazine

2009-08-27T00:16:00.000-05:00

This is one of the 117 surgeries Dr. Camazine did during his most recent trip to Nigeria. Most of the other photos are a little too graphic to put on this blog, but if you come by the office I will be happy to show them to you.

Dr. Robert Whitaker

2009-08-27T00:10:00.000-05:00

Dr. Camazine was at Nigerian Christian Hospital the night Dr. Whitaker was shot and kidnapped. After his release Dr. Camazine cleaned the wound before Dr. Bob could fly to the US for treatment. Since many of you knew about this, I thought you would be interested in seeing the x-ray of his wounded arm. You don't have to be a radiologist to see how badly shattered the arm was.

Nigerian Medical Mission

2009-08-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

BandS Ministries was able to sponsor Dr. Brian Camazine on his surgical mission at Nigerian Christian Hospital. He did 117 major surgeries while he was there. This was just one of many large tumors he removed. I know this young lady was thankful to have this surgery completed.

The Great Wall of China

2009-08-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

No trip to China would be complete without a trip to the Great Wall. There are several places along the Wall where you can enter and actually walk on the wall. The place we chose this time allowed you to take a gondola ride to the top of a mountain and if you wanted to walk of the wall you could. You could either ride the gondola down, or take a toboggan ride down a prepared chute. Some of us chose not to ride the toboggan.

This Young Lady Broke our Hearts

2009-08-22T16:13:00.000-05:00

This 26 year old with a large tumor on the right side of her face, presented with the hope of having surgery. We had a board certified Head and Neck surgeon who was willing to operate, but the hospital would not let us. When I broke the news to this young lady along with her younger sister, all three of us were crying. We could have helped but were not allowed to. I'm sure the 12 hour journey home seemed a lot longer than it was.

Please & Thank you.

2009-08-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

This is how you say please.

This is how you say thank you. Not need for a translator.

Beyond our Help

2009-08-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

There is nothing that hurts me more than to have to turn away a needy person. This beautiful young mother with Lee Ann, has a gongenital heart disease that we are unable to operate in China. You can see from the picture of her hand that she has been sick for a long time. The good news was that she has a small daughter with same defect that we were able to treat the same week we were in Changde.

Happy Reunion

2009-08-22T15:53:00.001-05:00

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Two years ago this little girl (ul) was left at one of our orphanages in China. She was deserted because she was crippled. BandS arranged for her to have surgery and she has had a complete recoverey. She is one of 5 physically handicapped children her adoptive mother (lower left photo) is carring for. This spunky little give walks without a limp and keeps up with her age group without any problems. The young lady in the lower right photo, was one we hired to care for our baby before, during and after her surgery. She continues to work with the adoptive mother. We had a joyous reunion in Changde when the mother brought her most recent adopted baby to us for cleft surgery. These people traveled for two days to see us and receive the free surgery for the baby.

Caitlin and Maggie Ma

2009-08-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

Caitlin and Maggie have been friends for the past three years. Maggie has worked as my translator for the last 4 years. She has become like family. It is fun to see Maggie and Caitlin kid with each other. Maggie's English is very good. She would like to study in the US and we hope this will one day be possible.

JCBCCC

2009-08-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

These are just a few of the 47 children who were earger to have their picture made with Lee Ann. As you can see they are well cared for and well behaved. The facility would be able to take care of 80 children, but part of this building is being used as a kitchen and dining hall. We are considering building a new facility to house the kitchen and dining hall, so we can expand the number of children to 80. There is a high demand in this area for needy children to be placed. Most of these kids would not be able to attend school if they were not at the JCBCCC.

Karra Kelley - First Time China

2009-08-17T07:21:00.000-05:00

Karra couldn't wait for us to get to the John Connor Brown Christian Center to pick up beautiful children. We stopped to get treats for the kids at JCBCCC and Karra made friends with these two beauties infront of the ice cream store.

Entertained & Happy

2009-08-17T07:14:00.001-05:00

We hired a large van to take us on a short tour of Hong Kong. There was no tour guide, so Caitlin took up the profession, speaking Chinese and pointing out the landmarks. It was a good trip for all, but I think Lee Ann made the most memories of any of us on this trip.

Pre Meds Work in Changde, China

2009-08-17T07:07:00.000-05:00

Caitlin Bailey, Hutton Brown and Jared Oberkirsch are all pre med majors. Jared attends the U of SK (3rd yr) and Cait and Hutt are first year students at ACU. I made this picture while we were in Hong Kong on our way to Nanning. This was after a long flight and a short nights rest, but it was the most rested they would be for the next two weeks.

The Swimmers

2009-08-17T06:58:00.002-05:00

I caught Rainey in action in the pool, but Ems just did not want to perform for me. She does swim very well and can now get to the bottom of the pool and stay under water swimming for some distance. I don't know why she faked shyness. Maybe next time she will cooperate with Papa.

Hutton's New Truck

2009-08-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Hutton and I got home around midnight last night and were very surprised to see a new truck in our garage! As you can see by the picture Hutton loves it and now we will spend today packing it up to head to ACU tomorrow. Several friend came over after we got home to check it out and then he went to play midnight volleyball at MCS...already on that college schedule!

Here Comes the Bride

2009-07-20T23:29:00.003-05:00

All of the Abilene excitement is going to be wonderful, but we have other big news in the Cousin Club : ) My big sister, Jordan, will be getting married in June of next year. All of the plans are in full swing and it is very exciting. Sam is the lucky man, he is already a huge part of our family and we all love him very much! Jordan will be graduating from Harding in December and then her plan is to begin grad school at the University of Houston. Sam lives in Katy and is the orchestra director at Katy High School. Jordan will need to be making trips to Abilene to see her favorite sister : ), the maid of honor for her big day! We are very excited for Sam and Jordan! We love you both!

Sam and Jordan with me at my graduation.

Another ACU Student

2009-07-16T17:29:00.001-05:00

Bailey led the way for her little brother and cousin to follow. She spent last semester in Oxford, England. She will be a junior at ACU this fall and is under strict orders to keep an eye on her brother and cousin. I know she has been and will continue to be a good example.
This photo was made last spring when we visited England and Ireland.

ACU Bound - Pre Med Students

2009-07-16T17:23:00.003-05:00

Hutton Brown and Caitlin Bailey, two of our grand children, are both entering ACU this August. They have a lot in common since they are cousins, but more than that they each won a President's Scholarship and they will be pre med majors. They are going to China to work in a Medical Surgery Mission in just about 10 days. This will be Hutton's first trip to China, but Caitlin will be making her third entry into China. Congratulations to both of you.
Papa

Major Surgery in Malindi, Kenya

2009-07-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

1. Large tumor of the mandible. 2. Dr. Brian Camazine, a general surgeon, did the surgery. 3. Some old man assisted him. 4. We did a hemi- section of the mandible. 5. Putting him back together. 6. Dr. Camazine with the patient one day post op.

Just in case you think surgical/medical missions are for fun and vacation, I included this surgery as an example of hard work. This is just one of 154 surgeries we did in Malindi, Kenya over a 5 day period.

It was the best medical mission I have been on. The team worked together perfectly. The preparation from here proved to be more than adequate. The work done by our team in Malindi, was over the top. Want to go with us next year? We have two weeks to choose from. You can volunteer for one or two weeks.

Aunt Mabel Johnson Bailey

2009-07-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

One of the loves of my life left me last week. I called her Aunt Mabel and I have nothing but fond memories of this gracious lady. I didn't lose her, in the way I lose my keys, because I know exactly where she is.

I could write volumes about her. She was one of the prettiest ladies I have ever known. At 94 her complexion was that of a new bride. Her outward beauty was enhanced because it housed what was truly a remarkably wonderful lady. I would put her picture next to the description of the "fruit of the spirit." Think about the love that is manifested by the joy, peace, long suffering etc., and you have a description of the heart of my Aunt Mabel.

A heart like that could be easily broken, and hers was on more than one occasion. Not a complainer, but her heart often spoke out to those she trusted and loved. I consider those conversations during the last few visits with her, as sacred. To talk with her and to recall with her what was really important, was a catharses for my soul.

I really did want to attend her funeral with her family. I put out maximum effort, but schedules just would not come together in a way that would allow for travel. If I need to be forgiven for this, I think I would want my Aunt Mabel to be in charge of absolving my sin. I know she would readily do this.

Heaven is more important than ever now that the one I affectionately referred to as "the grouchy old hired girl" is there. Only my family will know the absurdity of this little boy referring to her that way. It was like calling Goliath "Shorty". I loved to tease her because she was one of the few people who could still blush.

So, set the table Aunt Mabel, and call the 2 Myrtles you love to come to tea. Call John Connor Brown to join you. I really want him to know you as I do.

I love you.

Catching Up Time

2009-06-03T21:47:00.002-05:00

It has been months since I blogged, and I would like to say that I am back by popular demand. That wouldn't be true so I'll not say it. Two people actually told me they missed seeing our blog.

For the next few days, I will try to cover what has been happening in the lives of Rosalyn and John and hope that the rest of the family will blog on their own.

In January I made a trip to the Philippines. It was time to say good by to our good friends, the Sam Carriaga family. Dr. Sam had been our man in the Philippines for 13 months and he did an incredible job. During 2008 Dr. Sam treated 10,528 patients.

Before the Carriaga family left for their new home in Canada, Dr. Sam directed one more medical mission for BandS and the Caris Foundation. On Siargao Island they worked in more than one location and treated 4,317 patients. The weather was terrible and I was stranded in Cebu and the medical team was stranded, first in Siargao and then in Butuan. Typhoons in the area kept all the air planes grounded for several days.

From the Philippines I went to Indonesia. Working with James Karl and his organization, we attempted to set up a schedule where the Indonesian government would pay for 200 eye surgeries and we would pay for 200. We did our first 100, but so far the Indonesian government has not funded any surgeries on Nias. We are trying to do a small eye clinic in Nias in June and then, if the government still has not lived up to their commitment, we will probably do another eye surgery clinic in the fall.

While I was in Nias I made arrangements to purchase a building that will be used to care for neglected children. This care center will be operated by Dennis Cady. The work he does in Nias is nothing short of spectacular.

Happy 18th Hutton!!

2009-03-29T23:04:00.000-05:00

Reagan's Braces

2009-02-07T20:17:00.000-06:00

50's Night at Cotillion

2009-02-02T21:23:00.000-06:00

Football Banquet

2009-01-29T19:34:00.000-06:00

This year's football banquet was long...as usual...but I loved every minute of it. I always knew that when I had a senior I wouldn't mind listening to every word and staying for the LONG video and I was right. I was very proud to be Hutton's mom and to listen to the coaches talk about him. He is a very special player on and off the field and I think a very deserving Mustang Man winner.

Happy Birthday from Across the Pond!

2009-01-25T16:45:00.008-06:00

Happy birthday, Bailey! We (J, Laurie, Jordan, and Caitlin) love you and hope your birthday is blessed. Enjoy your time overseas! I (Jordan) wish I were there with you. I had so much fun in Italy and wish I could go back immediately! Have a beautiful day, and know that people back home are thinking about you. Sorry it's a little late!

Happy Birthday Bailey!!

2009-01-24T19:58:00.001-06:00

I know that it is only the 24th here but across the pond my baby is turning 20! She spent the day in London and saw Wicked tonight. Bailey I am so proud of you. You love Jesus and people, you are smart, confident, independent and incredibly beautiful. You are a blessing to our family and even though I am missing you a lot today I love that you are experiencing the world. You are a precious gift. Thank you for all the joy you have brought me the past 20 years...even though that makes me sound really old! I love you!

A few pictures of George and Laura's Midland visit

2009-01-20T22:12:00.000-06:00

30,000 Midlanders showed their support

2009-01-20T22:11:00.000-06:00

Reagan with his "W"

2009-01-20T22:09:00.000-06:00

I loved how he talked about Laura...

2009-01-20T22:07:00.000-06:00

Cotillion

2009-01-20T22:04:00.000-06:00

I know I am a little biased but this is one cute boy!

Varsity Patriot's Quarterbacks

2008-09-01T14:45:00.000-05:00

Reagan on the Mustang Sideline

2008-09-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hutton #2...Mustang's starting Pony

2008-09-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

Always Beautiful - Never Cuter

2008-08-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

Rosalyn and I were in Colorado last week enjoying ourselves. Golf was good, fishing was great, but voice mail from Rainey was the most exciting. She call and explained that her dad had helped her take out one front tooth and she had done the other one by herself. She is very proud of her looks as she began first grade on Monday.

Emily assured me that there was nothing wrong with her teeth and she didn't want any of them taken out.

Home from Shenyang, China

2008-08-05T06:28:00.000-05:00

We are home! We arrived on Sunday night about 7 p.m. Jet lag has control of both Rosalyn and I, but I think Caitlin has ajusted more quickly.

Caitlin made a lot of friends on this trip, but this little boy really fell in love with Caitlin. He would throw her kisses when she left him and would even give her a kiss on the cheek when she ask him to.

Better View

2008-08-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

My attempt to send a readable collage didn't work. I hope you can see these and put them in the proper order.

Homeward Bound

2008-08-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

We leave in a few hours for Seoul. We will overnight there and then fly direct to LAX and on to DFW, with an EST of 4.30 p.m.

This collage pretty well tells the story. This is one of my favorite patients. She waited three days for her surgery and was a joy to be with. I'll let you try to figure the order of pictures. From the time she came until we sent her home with a Bible, it seemed she never stopped smiling. Even the picture of her in the recovery room shows her smiling.

This has been a very difficult trip. We were delayed two days at the beginning of the mission and we left the hospital a day early. None of this was of our choosing. It was very difficult to leave the hospital when disappointed parents mobbed us and with tears, some on their knees begging, asking us if we could please take care of their child. We told them that we were willing to do more cases but the hospital made it impossible for us to do so.

The hospital did let us take one child back to surgery who needed to have a couple of stitches in his palate. The excuse they gave was that the hospital was going to being inspected by the health department and we could not operate until this had been completed. The inspectors never came.

This hurdle was one of many that were placed in our way. Thanks to Keith Enger, we are all able to travel together. I will need to explain that when I get home.

I am anticipating that processing out of the country will be as difficult as getting in. We are allowing 3 hours and I hope that is enough. I will breath easier when we are actually on our way to Seoul.

Thanks for reading.

Outside/Insude

2008-07-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

These two beautiful girls have pretty smiles, but when you look into their mouths you see they have major defects. Both of them have had surgery and have gone home and I am sorry to say I do not have an "after" photo.

We face different problems each day. Two of our surgeons have left, but we are keeping the OR's busy with the ones we have. Mary and Della Marie departed this morning for Sualt Ste. Marie, Ontario. Mary was having a lot of problems with asthma and Della Marie had family members at home that were facing major surgery. We hated to see them go because they were both great workers in the hospital.

We are sending all of the babies who weigh less than 10Kg to another hospital for surgery. They have better facilities for pediatric care and we will not be able to get to everyone as it is. We have agreed to pay a set fee for each surgery.

I have never seen polution as bad as it is here. When I think that they are planning to play some of the Olympic soccer games here, I feel for the players and am concerned about their health.

Here is a quote from a letter from a surgeon who worked with us last year. "I took my bath in May. Part of my decision to do this was made on my association with you last year in Xi'an."
Do you know what he means and why he is writing in code?

Getting Ready To Go Home

2008-07-25T03:35:00.000-05:00

2008-07-25T03:30:00.000-05:00

1. Lisa, Caitlin & Rosalyn at the morning conference.
2. Rosalyn received a big promotion - directly to the OR where she cleaned instruments.
3. These are parents of our patients looking at the morning paper.
4. This is what they were looking at. A full page in the largest daily paper in Shenyang telling the story of our mission.

We completed 8 surgeries yesterday. We got a slow start, but things went well. Caitlin is getting pretty tired since she remains in the OR for both shifts. We are hoping that is the last day she does that.

We sent some of the patients home that we treated yesterday. It is so much fun to have the parents come by and thank you and to see the smile on their faces. I'll post a few pictures some of the cleft palate patients who still have the tongue suture in.

One story. One mother whose daughter has a double cleft lip, registered the child yesterday. She just had one question. "If the surgery fails will she be even more ugly?" I'm sure what the mother said in Chinese lost a lot in translation, but the mother was expressing the attitude in the villages towards kids with clefts. These kids are not unloved, but they are scared because of their physical defect. When you fix a face on a child you change not only his/her life but the lives of the entire family. Maybe even the community.

Same Day

2008-07-24T03:53:00.000-05:00

1.Granpa Buckallew would appreciate my eye for a good mule 2. I have an old friend who is a new friend 3. Doctors visit the village of their patient 4. Lisa & Elizabeth

I failed to identify the photos in the last blog.
1. Translators Maggie & Ann 2. Caitlin & Maggie 3. One of these ladies is Miss China
4. Cousin Mary & Daughter Della Marie

We finally have all of the medical people registered and with temporary licenses. It has been a rough time, but we are operating and have completed about 10 cases. We will not likely be able to do all the patients we have registered, but we will keep working through the week and until we leave the end of next week.

Our hospital is a good place to work and we have a good team. We had a meeting today to try to coordinate our schedules better and I think tomorrow will be a much better day.

We are all well. We have a nice hotel and the weather is much better than in Texas!!!

Thanks for looking at our blogg.

2008-07-24T03:24:00.000-05:00

Surgical Mission, Shenyang, China

2008-07-22T04:39:00.000-05:00

We had our opening ceremonies today. Lots of speakers, even more flowers (Caitlin thought it was more like a funeral than an opening ceremony) and a few patients.

Rosalyn and Caitlin are already in love with several of the patients.
LL photo of a little boy who looks great until you look in his mouth (LR photo) and you see a rather large palate defect.

We have run into a lot of problems getting started. First, China customs claimed most of our meds and some equipment. Then, they decided that all the health care workers had to have copies of their licenses notorized. This was a first for us in China. With the assistance of a lot of Chinese workers and some transplanted Americans, we were able to get all the papers documented at the US Consolate. We will see what happens tomorrow.

We are all well, a little frustrated and more than ready to begin work.

Daring young men on the McGraw Trapeez

2008-07-15T00:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks Hut now this will be Reagan's next goal!

2008-07-15T00:20:00.000-05:00

Go Reagan!

Hutton still has it....

2008-07-15T00:19:00.000-05:00

Video Of Reagan...not sure this will work

2008-07-15T00:16:00.000-05:00

Honor to Whom Honor Is Due

2008-07-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

Dr. Samuel Cariaga is a general surgeon. His wife Elvie is an accountant. They are two of the finest Christians I have ever worked with. Dr. Sam works full time for BandS and is our representative in the Philippines. Elvie keeps our books and is so thorough in her work that I sometimes get bored reading the details. She refuses any pay and says it is her ministry in the Lord. Dr. Sam conducts many medical clinics in churches that are isolated and very difficult to get to. Recently he drove 7 hours and walked another 5 to get to the village he had promised to help. More than 200 patients were treated including several minor surgeries.

The churches in these small towns are asked to feed the volunteers who make up the team that travels with Sam. They also open their homes for the workers to have a place to stay.

The medical mission for this week had to be cancelled due to the unrest in the area where BandS had planned to go. The communists and government forces were fighting and it was too dangerous to travel. We have rescheduled the campaign for later in the fall.

Dr. Sam, Elvie and their two children are a great asset to the Kingdom and I am honored to have them as partners in the work we do in the Philippines.

Friends and Fellow Workers

2008-07-12T21:35:00.000-05:00

I could fill many pages of pictures of the people I work with in the Philippines. Each of these photos has a special meaning for me, but I hope they will serve as a reminder of the great family God has all over the world. Some of them are even pretty.

The First Leg of Our Journey

2008-07-12T20:26:00.005-05:00

Greg Smith, John Bailey, Gary Daniels and Danny Carrigan made a hurried trip to the far east. These photos were taken in NRT after a long flight from DFW. I wanted you to see how fresh and awake we were at this stage of our trip. After 9 days with only 5 nights sleep, having visited 4 countries, 5 islands, spending 50 hours in the air and traveling over 25,000 miles, we didn't look so good. Sen. Phil Graham said we are a nation of whiners, but not these guys. There was never a discouraging word even in the midst of a typhoon, 4 overnight flights and a few hours of suffering an uneasy feeling in the abdominal region. Notice I changed from the first person to the third person. The reason is I stayed in the Philippines 3 more days to attend to some business. I wanted to stay a few days longer, but I could not get my ticket changed. However, when we approached the counter there was a sign saying the flight was over booked and they were offering volunteers a nice package to stay. I jumped on their offer and got to stay in the finest hotel I have ever stayed in. The food was great, but this luxury only lasted for 24 hours. However, the package I received also gave me $200.00 so I had the funds to pay for the other two nights in a lesser hotel, but none the less, adequate.

You might wonder what the rush was, so I will explain. Greg, Gary and Danny are all working for a living. Greg and Gary offered to make this trip to photograph some of the things BandS is doing in Indonesia and the Philippines. They took over 1300 pictures and several hours of video. I have seen some of their work and they captured the story on film. These are the same photographers who documented our trip to China last year. Danny has been interested in BandS for some time so I thought this would be a good trip for him to get a close up look at what we do in some of the places we work. I could not have had better traveling companions.

I'm ready to go to China in 5 more days. I had cataract surgery a couple of days ago, so I will be traveling with my dark glasses on. I hope I will not be singled out for extra security checks. I don't think I will be because I have read that there is no profiling and I certainly believe what I read. I will not be doing any surgery on this trip because I am not certified to do any procedures in Braille.

Texting Is An Art in the Philippines

2008-07-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

When it comes to texting, America is a backward nation. The real pros are in the Philippines. They can text in the dark, with both hands while driving! They have their own texting language that is a mixture of English abbreviations and common symbols with some Filippino dialects mixed in. There are signs at cross walks in Cebu that read, "NO TEXTING WHILE IN CROSSWALK". Notice in this picture both Sharon and Gigi are texting using two phones each!

It doesn't matter. I love them. - Papa

Historic Day - Rainey Bailey

2008-07-07T16:09:00.001-05:00

Rainey Bailey lost her first primary tooth this morning. The historic event took place while she was eating her breakfast waffle. Congratulations are in order. Papa

Not Mine

2008-07-05T11:55:00.001-05:00

If you read this blog you will know why I chose this picture.
The trip to Indonesia and the Philippines was great. We had to weather a typhoon in Manila, change our travel plans that ate up one nights sleep and got a day behind in our very tight schedule, but we all survived and almost without any problems.

As expected, the younger guys, Danny Carrigan, Greg Smith and Gary Daniels, all suffered from the food they ate, but it was an illness of short duration and minor consequences.

Greg and Gary were the photographers who documented our China trip last year. They did the same job on this trip. We were able to witness 95 eye surgeries on the island of Nias. We went to Cebu and saw the "Give A Kid A Goat" program that is going extremely well and has potential beyond anything we have done to help move people out of poverty.

We went to the island of Mindanao and visited with the Leyte orphans that we have built houses for. These kids who have lost so much, are doing remarkably well. We have received a few more students, so we are expanding both the boys and girls dorms.

To summarize, this whirlwind trip of 12 days covered abut 26,000 miles, 12 flights, 50 hours in the air, included 4 countries and 6 islands. Our hotel cost were minimum because we were flying on four of the nights.

I have some great pictures of eye surgeries, pretty scenery, beautiful people, but I hesitate to post them because I am unsure if anyone visits this blog.

Lake Weekend!

2008-05-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

Bailey brought a few friends to the lake...it was so fun spending the weekend with them!

2008-05-04T22:09:00.001-05:00

Bailey and Reagan

2008-05-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

Reagan's First Wakeboard Run of the Season

2008-05-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

2008-05-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Papa!

2008-04-21T21:49:00.002-05:00

I have no idea if you will see this but know that we are thinking of you today and wish you a happy birthday! I blogged a few pictures of Reagan's track meet. He ran the 200, 400, 4x100 relay and did the long jump. Midland Christian won the meet. I thought you and mom could talk about your old days running track...for Western Christian and of course Mom's Farington Field glory! Love you both.

MCS Banquet

2008-04-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hutton actually just took a few pictures at banquet and then had dinner with us at the Country Club...but he looked very handsome. He promised he would go next year and take a date if I wouldn't make him go this year...we will see!

On your marks...

2008-04-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

This is the start of the 4x100...he looks pretty focused!

2nd Place 4x100 Team

2008-04-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Reagan ran the first leg of the 4x100 relay for the 5th graders. We were second to a sixth grade team from Odessa but we beat our own sixth grade team...let's just say our boys were pretty pleased with themselves!

Long Jump

2008-04-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

Reagan was 7th in the long jump out of about 30 5th and 6th graders. He jumped 10'10''...I'm sure it is in his genes from Papa's "hop, skip and jump" days in Canada ;)

Roy & Helen Visit

2008-04-02T10:48:00.000-05:00

Play Ball!

2008-03-29T22:41:00.001-05:00

Reagan and some his baseball buds at Opening Ceremonies. Go Rangers!!!!!

Happy 17th!

2008-03-29T22:35:00.000-05:00

I love these boys...Happy Birthday Hutton! I am so proud of you.

Let it Snow!

2008-03-29T22:32:00.000-05:00

We had great snow all week...starting after dinner at P.F. Changs in Colorado Springs.

Mountain Men

2008-03-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Reagan loved skiing with Tod...I was a little slow for him!