THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602270105
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Thinking about summer vacation? Cindy Archer has an unusual idea.
It's not the Love Boat, but Archer guarantees you'll come back from this vacation feeling good about yourself.
How does going into the jungles of Ecuador sound? Canoe rides down the Napo River. Poisonous snakes lurking in low-hanging trees. Primitive conditions - no running water or electricity.
If this is the kind of adventure you've been seeking, Archer would like to have you on her team.
A member of Tucker Swamp Baptist Church and an experienced dental assistant, Archer has done vacations like this before. And she'll be happy to tell you about it.
For her, the idea was born when she was on a missionary trip in summer 1992 to southwest Virginia, on a working vacation in the middle of the state's Appalachian coal country at Bland Mission. The mission was headed by Tom Farrar, a man who apparently recognized the Isle of Wight County woman's willingness to help and her ability to work hard.
Farrar mentioned to Archer that he was planning to retire and would soon be taking a trip to Colombia. When he told her more about it, Archer said she told him, ``When you go, I want to go with you.''
That led to two summers spent working in Colombia. Archer traveled from village to village for 10 days in the summers of 1993 and '94. She took a year off last year.
In November, Farrar, who meanwhile had left his mission work in the United States and ``retired'' to Ecuador, contacted her again. He asked Archer to be a team captain for a mission to his new home.
Here's what it's all about: In many Third World countries like Colombia and Ecuador, also on South America's northwest coast, the people often do not have the basics that we take for granted. They get next to no medical or dental care - and without the simple convenience of plumbing and sanitation, one of their most serious medical problems is parasites.
In Ecuador, where Archer is going this summer, it rains much of the time. Illiteracy is high. The average income is $55 a month. The Baptist Foreign Mission Board makes sure everyday people like Archer aren't sent into war-torn areas where it might be dangerous to travel.
As team leader, it's Archer's responsibility to gather enough support for a doctor and a dentist to offer simple remedies. Dental care probably would mean extractions and cleaning. Medical care means well-baby checkups, medication for parasites and malnutrition. Conditions are so primitive, Archer said, that setting up a clinic probably means finding a table and a chair somewhere in the village and going to work.
Archer is looking for a few talented people with a willingness to work. She already has an adventure-seeking dentist, and now she's looking for a doctor and a couple of medical nurses.
Several Tucker Swamp members will be going on the trip, including Archer's husband, Sonny. She describes his contribution to the work that needs to be done as a ``go-fer, a do-it-all person.'' One Tucker Swamp couple, Jan and Ken Cassidy, are going as team cooks.
There are so many rewards, Archer says.
``I always come back a changed person. It makes us appreciate what we have here. I got the message after the first trip that I'm supposed to go out and share what I have, to help others.''
If you don't like the idea of Ecuador, you might find something else when Tucker Swamp Baptist sponsors a Missions Fair at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6. The travel agency will be open that night with information on partnership missions to Costa Rica, Hungary, Mexico and New England, plus information on a food and community service program to Southeast Virginia. And more.
Cost for the Ecuador trip is about $1,250, including food and transportation. Don't count on spending much for shopping.
Archer promises feasts consisting of lots of fresh, exotic fruits, seafood and chicken.
Bathe in the river. Sleep on the floor. Share the gospel and socialize at night. Feel good when you come home.
Because there is no money for medical supplies, any contributions would be welcome - surgical gloves, medications, etc.
For more information, call the Rev. Steve Bradshaw at Tucker Swamp: 242-6553.
Or if you'd like to attend the Missions Fair, the church is in Zuni at 37527 Seacock Chapel Road, about two miles off U.S. Route 460.
Bon voyage! ILLUSTRATION: Cindy Archer has spent two summers working in Colombia, where
she traveled from village to village on a mission of mercy, faith
and healing.
by CNB