Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Radha Patel

Today, we got to experience Phnom penh on our own. I woke up at 5:30, despite staying up to be with our Cambodian friends, to walk the streets of Cambodia and see the sun rise one last time.  I got 4, if not less, hours of sleep. I find it to be the most peaceful place I’ve ever been. I’ve never felt more comfortable and at peace than I have in Cambodia. We walk along the main road where the Independence monument stands.

Our walk leads us to the Mekong River. Here we watch loads of people hurry off the boats at the dock. People come from afar just to work here. People, motos, tuk-tuks, and even cars filed off the boat. They were filled with adults and children. I couldn’t imagine having to load a boat just to travel to work. Everyday these people wake up early just for the opportunity to make money.While I stood there abd watched all of them get off the boat, I noticed an older man and a young boy behind me. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Michael James

Some people may be wondering why it took me so long to write my blog for this trip.  I wish I had a deep answer that would suffice, however, the truth is I have been to busy enjoying Cambodia to write it.  This does give me an opportunity to reflect on the trip as a whole and analyze things that have changed within me as a result of nearly three weeks in the Khmer culture.

This trip started out as a nursing trip, but quickly shifted into a mission from God.  We were able to do tremendous things on this trip including building a house for family in need, going into utter poverty to take food and medicine to those who would otherwise be without, and observe some amazing work within the hospitals and churches of Cambodia.  There was a myriad of emotions running through us as each new challenge arose.  A bit of pride in the things we were able to accomplish quickly resolved into humility as we realized that the impact Cambodia would have on us far outweighed the impact we had on it. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Paige Nunnelley

Our last day in Battambang was very bittersweet. We are all excited about the upcoming return home, but we have all fallen in love with the people of Cambodia. Personally, I also fell in love with the Handa Emergency Hospital in Battambang. People in Cambodia ride “motos,” or motorcycles almost all the time. And the traffic in Cambodia is terrifying. Because of that combination, there are way too many moto accidents. As we walked into the hospital for the first time, we saw many legs in traction, head wounds, broken pelvises, etc. Trauma injuries. Unfortunately, we also saw some children who had found something in the ground and began playing with it, only to find out it was a mine. As an earlier blogger mentioned, the rainy seasons bring old mines from the 1970s back to the surface, and can even wash them into new areas. Somebody can be walking the same path for 20 years, and one day there could be a mine waiting for them. I can only imagine how it must feel to know that there could be bombs beneath your feet at any moment, just waiting for someone to step on it. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Talitha Jones

Along the paths of the chaotic local markets where various bargain matches are heard amongst the fortress of booths filled with colorful scarves, bracelets, and decorative carvings of elephants and Buddha heads you will see long rows separating the venders.  These rows are lined with t-shirts galore, often with funny Cambodian sayings. One of my personal favorites is “same same but different.” In Cambodia same same means different so when English people say “same thing” Cambodians often think they mean different. You see the confusion. But however you say it “same same” or “different”, that pretty much sums up me on this trip. Being the only non-nursing student, I had very different prior medical knowledge, a different major, different expectations and as a result a very different overall experience. My name is Talitha and I am a Pre-med biology major crashing the nursing party and loving every minute! Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

We woke up refreshed in a hotel that God planned for us. A place where we could sleep without waking up with nightmares about bugs crawling in our beds, a place where we felt cool because our rooms are air conditioned, and a place that we could truly feel comfortable.

I went for a run with Lacey, Emily, and Mrs. Taplin then it was time to go get ready for the day. We went to meet for breakfast and had a great devotion that talked about God’s faithfulness, so great.

Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Leighton Eby

I woke up still feeling exhausted from the long and hot bus ride home from siem reap the day before. At this point in the trip I am missing my family and friends back home and the constant change and uncertainty  of the entire trip is really wearing on me. I’m learning to adapt quickly to whatever is thrown my way and to just go with the flow but that is definitely something that I struggle with. With all that being said about how I felt before we even left the hotel to what I am feeling now after the day is over is a complete 360 degree change. We started out the day by hopping onto tuk tuks to ride over to the hospital. Once we got there we split up into groups. Some helping with nursing check offs, some observing in the hospital and some catching up on journaling. I chose the group that was catching up on journaling since I hadn’t even started the journals for community health. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Catherine McMullan

This whole trip I have been noticing “the little things”, most of which have broken my heart. The personal items in store bathrooms indicating that people both work and live there. The cardboard lying on the street where people slept the night before. The pain in the eyes of children who have had to grow up too quickly. The angry, upward-thrust jaw of a prostitute who has had to defend herself over and over again. This country looks like paradise until you get close enough to see the reality for many Cambodian people. After seeing these things for a few days I was beginning to feel helpless and hopeless. However; today at the emergency hospital in Battambang, I noticed the power of some other “little things”. Smiles, bubbles, play-doh and coloring books brought relief to suffering children. Some teaching about pain assessment and documentation will help nurses at the hospital to better control their patient’s pain. Donating blood will help save the lives of some patients. All of these things reminded me of the positive influence a single person, who is willing to serve, can have on a group of people. With two hands and a willing heart we can provide relief. The power of the little things I saw today sparked a new passion in me. It helped me to realize that I am not powerless as one person. I can still inspire hope.

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of The Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.” Lamentations 21-22

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Wendy Chambers

We got up, packed our things,  and ate a breakfast of fruit, bread, white rice, and hard boiled eggs with a spicy noodle dish. Then we boarded the Mekong Express bus to ride a 6 hour drive from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. The Mekong Express is titled “Limousine Bus Express.” There is a bus stewardess that wears a dressy uniform and serves us Wet-Ones packets and snacks in a box. The snack consists of two pastries and a bottle of water. The bus is wired for wifi, however on this trip the wifi wasn’t working. It is also considered a limousine because there is a bathroom on the bus. We set off driving down the main highway which happens to be the only two lane paved road that connects Siam Reap with Phnom Penh. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

It was a great day. We woke up by going on a 3 mile run along the river in Cambodia with my professor and friends. We proceeded to get ready for the hospital’s annual nursing check offs. They do this to check up on the skills of the many nurses and doctors of the Hope hospital. It is something that Belmont provides for the hospital every single year. There were five stations: Nursing Process, Drug calculation, Drug procedure, Wound care and Diabetes teaching. Not only did they recite us the entire procedure, they also had to recite it to us in a language that is so hard for them to speak: English.  Many ask why they have to learn this all in English considering most of the citizens speak Kamahi. It is because they do not have Cambodia nursing textbooks, they are either in English or French making the hospitals here either English or French speaking hospitals. It was so strange to be on the other end of things, because myself and the other 21 nursing students have felt the nervous feelings and butterflies while we do our check offs. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Lacey Luttrell

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”   James 1: 2-4

My day started with a lot of questions. I questioned why am I here, what am I doing, and God, what is your purpose? We have reached that point in the trip where everyone is tired, people are ready to see a change in the work we are doing here, we are all wondering what our purpose here is, and we are needing strength and positivity again. It is something that we have heard will happen during the trip, but never thought would actually happen. It did. I knew I wasn’t alone with my feelings. Even though I had all these questions, for some reason I felt like today would be different. It was. I had been praying all this time that God would open my heart and let me see what I need to see in Cambodia that will make all this time worthwhile. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Patrick Haltom

“Smile! When you walk, smile,” he said. Niron, one of the individuals assisting us on this trip, was simply giving us a short message, and while motos and tuk tuks were zooming between us on the busy streets beside Sihanouk Hospital, neither the environment nor the simplicity of his message detracted from his meaning. Instead, both added to what he was really saying: these people are grateful to have you, and even if you do nothing but smile at them, you are making a difference. As Mrs. Taplin would say, you are planting a seed.

It is challenging to immerse oneself in a different country, especially a developing country. Discovering one’s purpose in this immersion is even more difficult; this is why Niron’s simple message to smile was so encouraging and set the stage for us to be bold and compassionate. Today was a big day for most of us, and while I could lead you through a chronological narrative of the day’s events, this would detract from my purpose in writing. I want, instead, to share tidbits of memories from the day. Small situations and stories that define the culture, the service we are providing, and the growth we are enduring. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Samantha Stanhope

We had the privilege of seeing one of the wonders of the world and the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat. Along with Angkor Wat there are a number of temples that were also built in the area. They were built in the 12th century by the Khmer King Suryavarman II.

The morning started at 4:45 am with a tuk tuk ride to Angkor Wat for sunrise. It was a beautiful sunrise over the reflecting pool with the 5 towers in the background. After sunrise we were able to walk through the temple taking in all the detailed wall carvings and complex architecture. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Erin Pettepher

Coming back to Cambodia for a second time, I felt like I was ready. Ready to lead, ready to love, ready to share with others what I had already experienced. But I quickly realized that I, like everyone else on the trip, would never be able to prepare myself for the images we would see, the emotions we would feel, and the stories we would hear.

Here in Cambodia, we see the abnormal. Continue reading →

Click on photo to enlarge

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Professor Keary Dryden

Yesterday before church, the students presented the Cambodian Momma’s with handmade (Cambodian, of course) roses and notes from each of them. We felt very loved and appreciated. This is an amazing group of students. Family, friends and faculty – you should all be proud of them. They have worked hard – building a house in Cambodia was quite an undertaking. The teaching that they provided at the Nursing School was excellent. They walked into a very unknown situation and did their very best. Faculty at home, they have listened, observed, and learned! You would have been cheering for them. They represented our school well and made the first step in building a relationship with the Cambodian nursing school that we can nurture and encourage!

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Morgan Higginbotham

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there, especially our moms that are half of a world away. Thank you for all that you’ve done for us throughout our lives, and a special thank you to Mrs. Taplin, Mrs. Blank, Mrs. Dryden, and Ms. Morse for being our Cambodian mommas during the trip!

Today marks one week since we flew out of Nashville International Airport, and there was no better way to complete our first full week in Cambodia than with a day of church and rest. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

There are not many things that push you physically to a place where you can hardly stand, but after working on the house today I almost fell over from the intense labor we all poured out while sleep deprived, dehydrated, and with a very hot sun. This feeling of working as hard as your body will allow you is one special feeling that not many can experience. As I pounded the cement barrel into the concrete flooring, carried basket after basket of sand, bucket after bucket, and mixed concrete I could truly feel God’s love pouring out of my hands into this wonderful house.

Me.

He chose me.

My unworthy, selfish, and controlling self.

“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” Luke 17:10 NIV

He put me here in Cambodia, SO far away from home to help this one family have a place to grow together as a family, a place to gather for dinner, and a place where they can sleep safely at night. Instead, of the 4 boys sleeping in the cow’s home they can now sleep in their house with the rest of their siblings.

Wow.

I am blessed. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

Today, we woke with a walk by the Vietnam memorial. It is such a wonderful way to start the day. We worked at the Hope Hospital in Phonm Penh that is completely run by donations from Hope. I did not prepare myself for the things that I saw while in the hospital: the brittle patients with bones seeping through their skin, their faces that are sunk in, and the pain that they feel yet do not show in their lifeless facial expressions. It gave me a sense of helplessness as I observed the nurses trying to cool down a girl who had an extremely high fever that was 21 years old yet looked 10 from her illness that has taken over her entire body. How can they cool her down if the hospital does not even have air conditioning to cool down the ninety-eight degree room she is staying in? Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Natalie Heflin

Today I lived the dream to which most Belmont students aspire. I walked into a crowded room of people clapping for me as I was preparing to use my skills. Okay, I’m not as cool as I am making myself sound, so I’ll be honest: Today was the day we went to the local nursing school to teach around 150 students that have been in the program for 6 months some basic nursing skills-including SBAR (nurse to doctor communication), pain assessments, and catheter insertion.

Continue reading →