Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cassie Wright

Today we went to the killing fields outside of Phnom Pehn. It was one of the hardest things to make myself do. Many of us did not want to go after Tuol Sleng and seeing how the people of this country were tortured, but we went anyway. I was shocked at how beautiful of a place the killing fields were despite the ugly horrors that were committed here. We were guided by audio tour headphones that gave a description of every stop along a path that went through the field. The path guided you along where the Cambodians would have been taken. The first stop was at the truck stop where blindfolded Cambodians would be taken off the truck and accounted for. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin

We are writing this blog from the group to let you know about a young woman we met in Battambang province.  Her name is Chhor Wan. She is 14 years old. She was a patient at the Handa Emergency Hospital which we visited while we were there.

This is her story: Chhor Wan has been living with her grandmother since she was five years old. Her parents divorced and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Amelia Brown

Today our group split up and did different things. Most of the group helped with nursing check offs at the hospital. Once a year the nurses are  required to take an oral exam where they must produce the steps to basic procedures used in the hospital. The goal is to explain the steps in English. Our group was therefore quite useful in administering the check offs. Apparently the check offs were largely a success since most people passed!  These nurses left the hospital today feeling relieved and reassured in their skills.

Cameray and I went on HIV home visits today. We accompanied a social worker, Chhavelith,  to the countryside to check on HIV families that are waiting to move into new homes built by habitat for humanity.  The first couple we visited lived in a one room hut made from wooden posts with tarps as the roof and walls. The woman not only has the HIV virus, but also just finished treatment for TB. The tarp serving as the ceiling had a hole in it and was leaking. Since it is the rainy season in Cambodia, this couple was consistently wet.  They were still extremely cheerful because they are expecting to have a house built for them in a couple of months. Cameray and I decided that we wanted to get this couple a tarp so they could be dry their last few months living there. After we visited two more HIV families in this village, we rode 45 minutes back to the city. Once we got back, we went to the market and bought a tarp for the first couple we met. We assumed the couple wouldn’t receive the tarp for a few days, whenever Chhavelith went back for another visit.  Chhavelith called the couple and told them we bought the tarp. They were ecstatic and said they’d ride a bike in to pick it up today. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Elizabeth Vorholt

Today we got the opportunity to step outside the hospital and into the homes of some patients of Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. Cassie, Becca, Emily, and I tagged along with two members of the Home Based Care team, who regularly visit patients living with HIV and AIDS to check in on their progress. This morning, we visited three families within walking distance of the hospital in Phnom Penh. We ventured down alleyways and up pitched black concrete spiral staircases to enter the homes, and got a real glimpse into life in the city. These families live together in one room, which they rent for $25 per month. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin & Emily Morse

Greetings from Cambodia.  Emily and I want to extend a special thank you to all of the parents, families, boyfriends, etc who have entrusted your young women and one man into our care.  These young people are incredible.  Their hearts and minds are beautiful, growing, and giving to each other as well as Cambodia.  Every day we are impressed with the depth of thought and emotion that is evident in all.  We feel very blessed to be able to share in their lives.  The trip is going very well with very few hiccups along the way.  We have been having morning devotionals almost every day and I believe the presence of God is alive and well within this group…protecting, teaching and guiding with the holy spirit.  Two of the students have led the devotionals to date and we love to learn from them and see their perspectives of God. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Emily Graehler

We have been learning about the horrific history of Cambodia for several months now.  However, for me, today was when reality truly sunk in.  It was not until I walked into the buildings at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  My emotions were rocked as faces of hundreds if not thousands of people stared back at me.  These were the images of every single victim who was killed in the prison at Tuol Sleng.  Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Catherine McMullan

Sunday morning we packed up our things and prepared for the long bus ride from Battambang back to Phnom Penh, but before we left we had the privilege of going to church at Kevin and Anna’s house. In order for this blog to make sense, you should know that I have really been struggling this trip with seeing so much hurt and not being able to do anything about it. I have been on similar trips to Honduras in the past, but my heart has never been as heavy as it has been at some points during this trip. Sunday morning was one of those points. I don’t know why but I woke up that morning incredibly burdened and feeling hopeless, like nothing I could ever do could have even a small impact in anyone’s life. Going to church and seeing the love and inexplicable joy in the faces of people we had met during our time in Battambang was exactly what I needed. Instantly my spirit was lifted and I had peace. Seeing people who are in the middle of such hardships have such contagious joy gave me hope and reassurance that God is definitely still in control.  It also gave me a fresh perspective. I walked in feeling so burdened, but within minutes the love of the Lord that shone through the people in the church completely changed my heart and lifted my spirit. I thought about it on the bus ride home and what a difference the tangible love of God can make for not just me, but every patient I come into contact with.

Of course six hours is a long time to be on a bus. Naturally we were all a little delirious towards the end (see video).  Enjoy! 🙂

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Erin Pettefer

After spending some time with the children of the church, a few of us thought we should share this with our friends and families back home! This is what we are having the joy of experiencing! God is so GOOD!

The video is linked below!

Mission to Cambodia 2012
Erin Pettefer

Wow! What an amazing day today has been. We started our day off with an early breakfast and a tuk tuk ride to Emergency Hospital in Battambang. After receiving a tour and learning about several patients on rounds, we split into three groups. One group went to the operating room, one group went to ward A (men), and one group went to ward C (women and children). To our surprise everyone received the opportunity to work in each area, and we all got to sit in on two surgeries! Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Audrey Robinson

Letting go of my plan has always been something that God is teaching me…slowly. One thing that I believe about Jesus that always blows my mind is that He is always working and teaching His children to be more like Him in and through EVERYTHING. Yet again, all the way across the world, I find myself being taught, with love and patience, to let go of myself and empty me of me.  How amazing is that? The God of the universe has chosen to teach me and loves to because He knows I need to let go of all in order to be completely overwhelmed by Him.  Cambodia, the people here, this team, being across the world—God has given each of us here an opportunity to let go and lay down it all and trust He is a great God and is working even when we cannot see.  Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”. My prayer for this trip and this group of amazing people is that we continue to offer our bodies where He has placed us now as sacrifices to Jesus.  Letting go of our plans and rising up through the power of the Holy Spirit and shining the light of Christ to this lost and seeking country.

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippen

When we arrived in Battambang today, I was looking forward to a relaxing day lounging by the pool.

What I got was even better. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Emily Graehler

This day has been one of my favorites thus far.  We started the day off extra early around 5:00am in order to make it to Ankor Wat in time to watch the sunrise.  Sitting and watching the sunrise provided some quiet time to relax and truly enjoy the experience.  Although it was cloudy, the sun still shone through, allowing some great pictures to be taken by all of the tourists. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Tyler Moser

So far Cambodia has been amazing. No words can describe all of the things that we have seen, done, or felt during this crazy trip. For me, Cambodia was an opportunity to travel one last time before graduating college. I have always loved to travel, and when Southeast Asia was mentioned, I was like “Sure, why not? It can’t be that bad, and I love Thai food, so at least the cuisine should be fine.”  However,  what Cambodia is, is quite different from what I had imagined or even seen on television, in magazines, etc. The people are truly special, minus the haggling and bartering, I have enjoyed every second of my Asian adventure.

When I originally signed up to be on this trip I was told that I would be the only guy going, and that there were eleven girls. This obviously brought on mixed emotions that were brought upon by my own insecurities. But actually the ladies have been splendid, and there have been two brothers from the church her that have been hanging out with us for the bulk of the trip. So needless to say I’m not lonely, but I am learning a lot about women. 🙂 Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Amelia Brown

Today was our first day working in Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. We’ve all been anticipating this day and were excited to get to work in the hospital. After arriving, we split up and went to different wings, including the emergency rooms, surgery, the general medical floor. We were put to work doing anything we could to be useful, such as: taking vitals; drawing blood; starting IV’s; checking blood glucose levels; cleaning wounds; etc.

Collectively, our experiences in the hospital were difficult, yet fulfilling. Health care in Cambodia is much different from the United States and nothing like most of us have ever witnessed before. I came on this trip to work in the physiotherapy department because I plan to pursue occupational therapy.  Today I worked in the general medical floor because the therapist was not in the hospital. I think that because I’m not a nursing major like everyone else, working on the floor was probably more shocking to me than it was for the others. I have never interacted with a patient who was in such a life-threatening state so closely before. The experience really gave me a different perspective on health care. I truly realize now how privileged we are to have such abundant treatment options and facilities in the US. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Cassie Wright

Today has been a whirlwind of sightseeing, bargaining, and praising our God. We slept in today and went to breakfast to decide what to do since there was an election for district representatives. Most of the restaurants and shops were closed or opening late, so we thought that taking a walking tour of the city would be perfect. We were guided by the perfect machine woman Mrs. Taplin. She walked us to the Vietnam memorial and the king’s palace. When there was no more city to walk we went back to the hotel via cyclos, a bike with a seat in the front. These rides were very fun and scary at the same time. There were motos, tuk tuks, and cars whizzing by. It was so much fun and it gave us a cool breeze that was much needed after such a long hot walk. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012

my toes in the sand and my head in the clouds
from Elizabeth Vorholt

The short version is, today we: crashed a wedding, sailed the high seas on the way to rabbit island, swam in the gulf of Thailand, and made it back to Phnom Penh by dinnertime.

This morning we woke up in Kep and many of us were shocked to see the ocean was just steps from our door. When we arrived last night, it was pitched black and we all just zombie-walked straight to our rooms from the bus. Imagine the awe we felt this morning when we saw such an incredible view. As we strolled down the street around 7am, we happened across a traditional Cambodian wedding. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012

A Servant’s Heart
from Cameray Hart

We already are keeping quite busy on our second day in beautiful Cambodia.  Because of our schedules being thrown off so much from the time change, most of us automatically woke up well before 6 or 7.  After a breakfast at the hotel, we headed by bus to southern Cambodia.  The bus ride there was filled with many images one would be hard-pressed to find in the US.  Motos (mopeds or motorcycles) speeding by with Mom, Dad, and their three children piled on.  Market places selling traditional food, handwoven baskets, and other such specialties.  And miles and miles of rice fields.

After driving three hours, we made it to our destination: the city of Kampot. Of course, the first thing we did was have lunch.  The place we picked was called “Natural Bungalow” and it definitely stayed true to the name. We had a bungalow right on the river with the mountains in the background.  The food was good, but the company was better.  Being the only ones at the restaurant, we were able to get to know each other better. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Becca Pippin

Welcome to the Land of Smiles

Let me start by saying a traditional Thai massage is the best treatment for a body that has been cooped up on a plane for 30+ hours. A few of us just returned from getting massages down the street from our hotel and we are settling in for the night.

The journey here was long and filled with excitement, nervousness, stinkiness and even some puking, so needless to say we are all pretty worn out. When we arrived, though, we all were re-energized at the sight of Susan’s friends’ smiling faces at the airport.

Continue reading →