Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Kathryn Nichols, Nursing student

On our second day in Cambodia we toured the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope and clinic that a few of us will be working in. The hospital is a private organization that works to provide free healthcare to those who need it. It was such an eye opener to see the difference between this hospital and the hospitals we have in America. Right when we pulled up, I was amazed to see people sitting everywhere. I learned that some of these people could wait all day to be seen or admitted. The ward was a room with 14 beds and no privacy. There is no air conditioning just open windows and fans exposing the patients to 80 to 90 degree heat.

In the afternoon we went to Tuol Sleng or S-21. This is a museum that is in a former Khmer Rouge prison. Tuol Sleng was originally a high school but when the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975 it was converted into one of the biggest prisons in the regime. There were a total of 20,000 people that were imprisoned and tortured there. After these people were tortured they were taken to be killed in a nearby killing field. Of the 20,000 people, only 7 survived. Now only 2 of those 7 are still alive,  Vann Nath (picture) and Chum Mey. We were able to meet these two men. It was inspirational to hear each of their stories about their survival in the prison and made me so thankful for what I have.

In the evening we went to a worship service at a local Church of Christ that our group has been working with and attending every year. We sang worship songs in English and Khmer. It was so amazing to be able to worship along side the wonderful people of this church in two different languages. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this trip has in store.