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 →