New Officers Have Been Elected

The SHMI Board of Directors has been selected.

• President:  Dr. Ron Fleck
• Vice-President:  Rhonda Tilley
• Secretary:  Sherry Wiedemann
• Treasurer:  David Reed
• Vision Team Leader:  David Reed
• Event Coordinator:  Gary Heagey
• Member at Large:  Gatbel Chamjock

These new Board members are enthusiastic and passionate about the mission of SHMI. They are seasoned travelers to developing countries on previous SHMI service trips, and have been honing their skills in several areas.

During the past few months they have met on a regular basis for training. The first class, which lasted several weeks, was called Essential Conversational Spanish—In Minutes Not Months. Since several of our foreign trips have been to countries in Central and South America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Bolivia), team members felt a need to learn some basic conversational Spanish as well as important basic cultural concepts. They were given laminated charts, several books, and several internet resources to use on smart phones. Next time you meet one of the SHMI team members, you might try asking them some basic phrases in Spanish!

Another popular class was Wilderness and Jungle First Aid and Basic Life Support. There was even a class in Remote Area Wound Suturing. Now, the Vision Team members can help teach this classes in areas where we are unable to take all our prescription eyeglasses.

SHMI team members have also been learning to teach Village Healthcare and how to use the training resources, including PowerPoint presentations and other formats of teaching health in developing countries.

Recent Training Events in the United States

Recently, Dr. Fleck was asked to present health evangelism classes in a church in Fresno, California. This was a weekend series, specially designed for several registered nurses and physicians in that church. These people are motivated to serve the needy in their community. A Health Community Services Center is being planned at their church facilities, and they were eager to learn the basic principles and concepts of developing a center where local people can obtain education on healthful principles, and get free medical and dental care. This is the third such training seminar held here in the States, and more requests are being received from other places.

As foreign travel becomes more dangerous and difficult, this aspect of the mission of SHMI will very likely become more important. It is visualized that motivated persons could be selected in certain foreign countries to come for an intense 3 week training in Village Healthcare, Basic Life Support, Wilderness and Jungle First Aid, Hydrotherapy and Massage Therapy. These highly trained local nationals would then return to their own countries and train others in how to serve as Jesus did.