Medical Missions Update!!!

I am so thrilled that I am already able to provide an update on my medical mission work here in Cambodia! I fully expected upon moving here that it might be a year or so until I was able to utilize my medical skills, as I wanted to focus on language study this first year. I also wanted to explore medical opportunities first hand and pray about them, rather than signing up for a job before my feet were on the ground. Still, even though this was the plan, and my intellect knows that God will work all things out in His perfect timing, I found myself impatient to begin the work I have so long trained for! (Patience is a virtue that I am not very good at! Anyone with me?!) Therefore, it has been all joy that I have already been able to provide medical care in several settings!

The first opportunity arose when Riah was introduced to an elderly woman with a severe foot infection while volunteering with the church in the village of Taom. I have visited this woman and her family in their home on multiple occasions to provide care and answer their questions. She is one of the elder Christian women in her village and it was such a privilege to pray with her as well as provide care. Additionally, Nic and I were so thankful that FreelyGiven funds were available to help this very poor family with the costs of transportation to the hospital and her medical bills. To give you an idea of their financial means, this family lives in a one bedroom house made of wooden slats with no restroom and no running water. (This is certainly no longer the norm in Cambodia, though many farming families still live is these simple conditions.) It was wonderful to help this family in such a tangible way, and each one of you who has supported us financially are 100% a part of that! Thank you, sincerely, for helping us bless this family. 

Meeting them also helped us learn about the various medical needs in Cambodia, such as the fact that very few people have health insurance and medical costs must be paid for in advance. Nic and I feel we came away from the experience more blessed than the people we ministered too. In reality, that fact should be no surprise, as the Lord made to give and love and it is always in giving that we feel most fulfilled. (If we could only get this through our thick skulls on a regular basis, right?!)

My next opportunity to provide medical care came through joining a medical mission team from Singapore. This group is called ACTS, A Call To Share. I discovered in working with them that I know very little about Singapore, and was surprised to learn that English is the official language of education there… so communicating with them was no problem! Myself and the ACTS group both marveled at how my joining them was truly ordained! The first mission trip group I joined had had one MD and two medical students cancel at the last minute, so they were very happy to have additional medical personnel on hand. I make note of their generosity in allowing me to join them, because in many cases a medical team may feel they are already operating at maximum capacity and can’t make room for more volunteers. It was divinely providential that the Lord used me to fill up spots that were “missing” on their team! We were able to provide free medical care to over 100 patients at our first clinic!

When the next mission trip arrived, a similar event occurred: they had only two MD’s coming, and one had to cancel on their day of departure due to testing positive for COVID! During my two days with this team we provided medical care to over 250 people! I feel so blessed by the work we were able to accomplish. We uncovered some dangerously high blood pressures and blood sugars, as well as irregular heart rhythms. We counseled many patients about conditions they have been living with for years, but didn’t understand the cause or have knowledge of treatment options. We also found that many patients desired to discuss test results they had obtained elsewhere, but without an explanation. We came across only one “exotic” ailment, which was a swollen centipede bite! I truly felt it was a fruitful mission. 

All in all, I felt very comfortable working in my new setting. I found that what I most often missed was the availability of lab work. (Perhaps we can work on making that available someday!) The strangest aspect for me was that on two occasions I had to work barefooted! Anyone familiar with working in the medical field knows that closed-toe shoes are mandatory, and it simply felt SO bizarre to see patients in bare feet. For those of you wondering, the reason for the bare feet is that it is customary to remove shoes before entering many places in Cambodia. This keeps the desired location much cleaner, and is particularly helpful because Cambodians regularly sit on the floor. Common places we remove our shoes include the church sanctuary, classrooms at schools, and always before entering someone’s home. Consequently, when one clinic was held in the church sanctuary and another in the church’s Kindergarten room, the shoes had to come off! At our last clinic we set up outside under an awning, and my first thought was “Hey, I get to leave my shoes on!” That day, I enjoyed working at a small wooden desk while the pharmacy was set up along a wooden table. It gave me joy to see that we were able to provide the same compassionate care in this incredibly simple setting as we could have done in a shiny new facility. 

While working with the medical mission team, I also had the privilege of meeting a Cambodian doctor who works full time in the free medical clinic at Our Lady of the Assumption church in Battambang—the exact type of clinic I hope to work in some day! An aspect I particularly appreciate is that these free clinics are held at local churches—which consequently draws many unchurched people nearer to this place of grace. Our brief time in Cambodia has already shown us that the Christian faith remains widely unknown. Because of this, outreach activities, like clinics and children’s programs, are incredibly useful to increase exposure of the church and eventually draw these visitors and spectators into participants!

The parish priest in Taom is interested in starting a regular chronic care clinic at the parish. We are just now beginning to work on the logistics to see if this can be made a reality! We don’t know yet if this exact opportunity will unfold, but we are thrilled to explore the possibility. I LOVE the idea of providing medical care from the churches of nearby villages. Not only would this enable me to use my medical skills, but would open up numerous ministry opportunities for Nic. Please pray with us as we continue to explore the specifics of how the Lord desires to use us in Cambodia. Nic and I are so grateful for the opportunity to serve the warm and welcoming people of this country. It is an absolute honor to share the light of Christ with them. Thank you, again, to everyone who has supported our ministry through prayer and/or financial support. You are truly blessing others from half a world away.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!!!