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.

They gave us an amazing break where we were able to refresh even more and read the “Survival of the Killing Fields” book and it brought me to tears like it does every time. It is so hard to read that book when we can picture what it would actually be like considering we are in the place where only 38 years ago such a horrific event occurred.

Then, it was time to go to the Handa Emergency Hospital. No, it is not the Honda cars, but instead a foundation that is dedicated to helping the war victims of Cambodia. Here is their website if you would like to learn more about this amazing foundation. http://www.thehandafoundation.org/

This hospital used to be called the Emergency Hospital because it was started by an Italian NGO that specialized in going to war stricken places and establishing an amazing trauma hospital and then continuing to do trauma surgery on a “sliding scale.” But, when the economic crisis started to hit Europe last year they said that they were giving the hospital three months to shut down. When the Handa foundation heard about this they knew that the amazing staff of nurses, doctors, and surgeons would have no work where they could use the amazing skills the Italian NGO taught them. And, most importantly the many trauma victims they see everyday would have nowhere to go and therefore no treatment.  Although, the Khmer Rouge was overtaken 38 years ago, the land mines are still all over. During the rainy season land mines pop up in places they have never seen them before. So, the Handa Foundation took over considering they believe this is still a war stricken place; especially since they get at least 2 land mine victims every single week! They have opened a new medical clinic where people can come and see a doctor, and they still must pay using the “sliding scale.”

Both buildings are pristine and it was such a privilege to look at all of the new grounds. This hospital has one of the best standards in Cambodia, I was amazed by the organization, the cleanliness, the joy that came from the employees, and the amazing hearts of Char and her husband. Char is the nursing director and her husband is the director of the doctors.

Ever since Char and her husband got here they have wanted to enforce the importance of using a pain scale. So, when we came they thought it would be the perfect opportunity to teach the doctors and nurses what a pain scale is and the importance of using one. In America, the pain scale is very important, something the nurses are mainly responsible for and it is usually the first question a nurse asks their patient. But, in Cambodia they rarely ever ask and when they do they write “Mild pain.” We taught about the 0-10 number scale that gives us an “objective” number to measure a “subjective” feeling that only the patient can feel. And, research shows that if you keep your patient from experiencing extreme pain they will heal faster.

After that we went to the bedsides of patients and performed pain assessments on the patients with the nurses. While we were mostly in the “A Ward” which is a ward with 50 beds for men, we also went into the “C Ward” which is for the women and children. Then, the “B Ward” is where the infectious disease patients stay. Most of the patients did not understand why we were asking about their pain and even more so, what the numbers even meant. The third man we asked had so much swelling it was uncomfortable to look at. As Mrs. Taplin looked at the leg, she told the nurse that she was pretty sure he had compartment syndrome and that she needed to call the Doctor right away. Minutes later the doctor walked into the room, looked at his leg and said, “Put him NPO we are moving him to the OR now before he loses his leg.”

It took me a second to take everything in… If, God didn’t place us in this very hospital to observe this very patient, he could have lost his leg in the next 15-30 minutes. It was so amazing to feel that God was using us to help this particular man at this exact moment. “For I know the plans I haveImage for you,” says the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

I believe there was no better representation of this verse while we were at the Handa Emergency Clinic and I am so thankful for this opportunity.

Then, we went back to the hotels for a quick break and at 6 we went to the hospital to put on a musical number for the patients to give them joy. I believe music is the universal language; although, they do not speak English it was amazing to watch them light up! We sang, dance, clapped, and laughed as we kept company with the patients and the visitor. I got to sing “Landslide” by the Dixie Chicks, which happens to be one of my favorite songs! While I sang, Lacey and Talitha made up a dance to the song. So much fun! J It was truly a great night.

Then, we went to the fellowship house and we were given the gift of being in company with a great couple, their son Chris, and the many children whom they foster while in Cambodia. They do this because America has a rule that makes it illegal to adopt from Cambodia because, sadly, many families sell their children to adoption agencies and many go into human sex trafficking. It was so much fun to see them loving on so many children and to enjoy some English speaking company. I can not wait to see what tomorrow brings!