Trinity's LCMS Mercy Medical Team

Guatemala October 19-28, 2007

Clinics visited:

 Iglesia Castillo Fuerte (Guatemala City),  Santa Cruz (Amatitlán),  Santiago Zamora,  El Centro Luterano (Antigua)

Laura Amidon RN BSN MSN 

 Married to Brent Amidon for 15 years.  Two children, Ryan (13) and Matthew (10).  BSN from Millikin University (Decatur, IL) in 1990.  MSN from Illinois State University in 2000.  Worked for 10 years in various hospital jobs:  surgical IMC, ICU, home infusion therapy, discharge planning, dialysis.  Has worked as a Nurse Practitioner with 4 MD's in Internal Medicine for 7 years. Biggest job is keeping up with the children who are  active in sports basketball, baseball, band, guitar, Boy Scouts, etc. An animal lover, with two dogs, two rabbits, and a hamster.  Would have more, but Brent won't allow it! Interests include reading, music, the St. Louis Cardinals, and constantly learning more about the Lord!  Member of Zion Lutheran Church, Mt. Pulaski, IL.

F. Wm. Dischinger, M. D.

Dr. Dischinger’s given name is Fred, but he goes by Bill. He is a 77 year old physician and has been retired since 1994. His specialty was OB/GYN. He is married toI'm (Muriel) and they have four boys and three girls with 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Since retirement he has been involved in prison ministry, working with an inner church serving black children. He also is a member of the Rotary. He has been a member of Pinnacle Lutheran Church in Rochester, N.Y. since 1959.  Outside in­terests include golf, reading and enjoying life on the Finger Lakes in Central N.Y in the summer and Florida in the winter. He is a close friend of Del and Brigetta Tiemann who are also going to Guatemala on this trip.

Muriel Dischinger 

Muriel is married toI'm “Bill,” a retired physician. They have four boys and three girls with 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She is a member of Pinnacle Lutheran Church in Rochester, N.Y. She is friends of Del and Brigetta Tiemann who are also going to Guatemala on this trip.

 Timothy D Hodges, MD PhD

Tim was born in Carmel Indiana.   He received his undergraduate degree in Premedical studies from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.  He then entered the combined degree program at the Indiana University School of Medicine, with a research focus in cardiovascular pharmacology.  After receiving his MD PhD from I.U., he continued his professional training in Internal Medicine, completing an Internship and Residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.  He is presently Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is in private practice in Carmel Indiana.  He has been a member of Carmel Lutheran Church since 1989, and was married to his wife Sandy the same year.  They have four children, Brooke, Michael, Mark and Matthew.  Dr. Hodges has served as a medical missionary in the Philippines, in the drought and poverty stricken areas of Sarangani Province, on the island of Mindanao.  He has established a travel medicine clinic and sees travelers from around central Indiana.  He enjoys running and scuba diving.  “I look forward to serving the Lord in Guatemala”.   His office is at 11911 North Meridian, Suite 100, Carmel, IN 46032.  Office Phone: 317-621-6800. He also has a travel clinic at his office and becomes a great source of immunization info for our trips!

Frank Lahde BS in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri. 

 He was and officer with the Army Corps of Engineers in Korea, Germany and Viet Nam for over 8 years.  He worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for Ford and auto suppliers for the rest of his working career in the US, England, Germany, Brazil and Mexico.  He and his wife have been married for 43 years.  She was a P.A. and they both retired 3 years ago.  After selling their house in Rochester, Michigan they moved to Traverse City a year ago and joined Trinity about the same time.  They have 3 great sons who have 5 university degrees between them. Scott is a VP for an advertising firm in Manhattan.  He and his wife Lisa have been married for 6 years.  She has her own internet business selling designer clothes.  They have twin daughters born last November.  Andy the middle son is not married and recently started his own hedge fund in LA.  Dan(the youngest) is a hydrologists living in Reno and works for a consulting firm doing water usage studies in Nevada, California and Alaska.  He has been married for two years to Andrea who is an emergency nurse.   Frank enjoys his grand babies, golf, downhill skiing, cross-country biking, exercising and working around his home.  Last year he was the site leader for the home Thrivent & Habitat for Humanity built for a family in Suttons Bay.  Frank recently joined the choir.

Janie Rhody Student NP     

 Janie is a nurse practitioner student at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon.  She is in her last year in the family program.  She has been an RN for over 25 years and has worked in multiple settings.  Her first love has always been hospice. Patients and their families are in a panic and by the time you leave everyone is ready to face another day.  Right now she is working in a small town clinic in the triage department.  It gives her a great variety and opportunities to learn.   She is a committed Christian with a keen desire to see the gospel go forth.  She became a Christian as an adult and has a strong sense of where she was at before that and where she is now. She laments the fact that God had not given her the gift of evangelism. She love people and loves to teach. She has been married to Daniel for 26 years and has three grown sons.

  Georgia Ann Sylke R.N., B.S.N.,, M.S.N.

 Georgia has been a medical /surgical nurse for 33 years.  She received a practical nursing diploma (LPN) and then an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from Milwaukee Area Technical College. Returning to school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) followed by a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at Marquette University. Prior to receiving her MSN, she worked in a variety of settings including an acute care medical surgical unit, surgical clinic, Planned Parenthood and long term care. She just retired from 18 years of teaching medical- surgical nursing and woman’s health in Associate Degree Nursing at Milwaukee Area Technical College. She was born, raised and has lived her entire life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been married to Bill Sylke for 48 years. They live in the house Bill was born (in the living room!) and raised in. They have 2 sons and 1 daughter who are grown, married and they have a total of 9 grandchildren (5 grandsons and 4 granddaughters). She enjoys meeting and helping people. Her retirement goal is to use her nursing experience in mission work. Interests: walking, yoga, biking, reading, knitting and travel. She and her husband members of Luther Memorial Chapel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 Delbert C. Tiemann.  M.Div. D.D

Del was born in Central Illinois. He served his vicarage at Huntington, New York and graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois in 1956.  In 1994 he received his Doctor of Divinity Degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  Following graduation, he was called as Missionary at Large to the Eastern District.  He was ordained on July 8, 1956, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Chapin, Illinois and was installed as the Pastor of Pinnacle Lutheran Church on October 28, 1956, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Benton at South Goodman. By the grace of God, he was able to establish Pinnacle Lutheran Church from 0 to a baptized membership of 2,000 +, and a communicant membership of over 1,200.  Pinnacle Lutheran Church is located at 250 Pinnacle Road, Rochester, NY 14623. He retired from Pinnacle Lutheran in 1998, serving as Pastor Emeritus.  He then helped establish Christ Lutheran Church in Grand Cayman from 2000 - 2006; serving also as Staff Chaplain at Camp Arcadia, Michigan.  Today I serve as Interim Pastor of Pinnacle Lutheran. The Call was extended by the Mission Board for a Candidate from one of our Church's Seminaries.

Brigitta E. Tiemann 

Brigitta was born in New York City and raised in Germany. She returned to the United States in 1951 to reclaim her American citizenship.   On February 3, 1957, she married Rev. Dr. Delbert Tiemann (see above) at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Huntington, N.Y. The Tiemann’s have four sons:  David, James, Timothy & Daniel and nine grandchildren.  She has serves the church as a Sunday School Teacher for 35 years; as Nursery School Teacher for the 3's for 32 years and as Vacation Bible School Teacher for numerous years. 

Charles Webb BTh MD

Dr. Webb is an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. He was reinstated into the ministry in 2005 and called to Trinity Lutheran Church, Traverse City, and installed on January 8, 2006.  He has been to Guatemala for brief medical   mission stints for the three times and to Kenya once. He has churches in Rensselaer and in Goodland, Indiana.  He was assistant pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, English District, while serving as a first year surgery resident at Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was trained in emergency medicine at Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids.  He recently retired from Munson Medical Center where he was one of five physicians at Munson Urgent Care.  He and his wife, Patricia, a nurse, ran a family practice in Owosso, Michigan from 1978 until 1996. He founded the family practice department at the Memorial Hospital in Owosso, Michigan.  He and Pat have three children:   Donna, a harpist in the Ann Arbor, Michigan; Craig, comptroller of Airlift Company in Lansing, Michigan; and Jenny, a zoologist and medical assistant.  He holds an appointment as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Practice, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan.  He attended Concordia College and High School, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree.   He holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) from St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer, Indiana, and an MD from St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.   He is board certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency  Medicine (ABEM) and holds a fellowship in emergency medicine (FACEP - Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Physicians) and a fellowship in family practice (FAAFP - Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians). 

This trip was under the auspices of LCMS World Relief and Human Care with Sally Henrickson RN/LCSW as the coordinator for both trips.   Dr. Webb was the team leader.