Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Karen Smith, Nursing student

Today was an interesting day. We were split up into three groups again. One group went to the hospital, another went to HIV/Aids home visits and my group went to the service project. At the hospital Libby got a jump start on learning health assessment skills, listening to lung sounds. On the home visits while emotionally impacting they also were in for an unexpected surprise. On their way home their tuk-tuk tire popped leaving them stranded for an hour until another tuk-tuk came. It was quite the experience.

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With the service project team the manual labor was about done when we arrived. The tin roof was nearly all replaced. The family showed us their house and with big smiles pointed out the new tin roof. You could see the excitement in their faces. So since the labor was about done we decided to put on a skit for the family. The family consist of about 20 people, between daughters, sons, husbands, wives, and grandchildren. Our translator was a 15 year old boy uncle to his 12 year old nephew.

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Mission to Cambodia
from Jordyn Westfall, Nursing student

Today we all separated into groups and were able to do a few different things. Some students went to the hospital for the day and were able to observe a mastectomy. Although it was a little warm in the operating room (they don’t keep the operating rooms at freezing temperatures like we do in the states) they really enjoyed being able to watch a surgery from beginning to end.

Another group of students went to continue work on the service project, which was replacing a family’s leaky roof with a new tin roof and support beams. They spent the day helping remove the old tin roofing from the home while getting to know the family and playing with children, teaching them tic tac toe.

The rest of us visited the Missionaries of Charity which was founded by Mother Teresa in 1950. The Missionaries of Charity is a center where nuns care for orphaned children with HIV, abandoned adults with mental disabilities and illnesses and provides hospice for women with AIDS. We spent time throughout the day playing with and feeding the children, helping  during lunch to feed those with disabilities, doing range of motion exercises with the hospice patients and walking with the patients in the courtyard. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Jessica Fleury, Nursing student

Today our group was divided into three groups doing different acts of service in the community. The group I was in went on HIV home visits to a village outside the city where we also climbed over 500 steps to get to a pagoda over looking the city.

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Although most people said it was one of their favorite things we did so far, it was an emotional day for everyone. This was the first time that we saw the conditions that most Cambodians live in and it was truly a harsh reality.

One thing that struck us was the sense of community. A lot of these people had little to no family and from our short time there it really seemed like the village was it’s own family. There were some little kids probably between the ages of 3-7 who we’re roaming from house to house often following us, climbing in hammocks of neighbors, climbing ladders. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Karen Smith, Nursing student

Today we went to the Sihanouk hospital. Here half of us did check-off for the nurses in the hospital. Check offs was a type of memorization on a certain nursing process and skill. The five check offs we did were diabetes, pain, SBAR, Confidentiality and drug calculation. The nurses only have one check off a year, it is a big deal for them and they study very hard. It is all in English so many are more nervous about speaking the English correctly than knowing the skills. Everyone, however, had really excellent English. It was great to interact with them in this setting. Knowing as nursing students we have been in their shoes countless times.

The other half of the students were placed in different units of the hospital to have a clinical rotation. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Mary Lynn Ware, Nursing student

“We started off this hot and sweaty Cambodian Sunday morning with our friends at the Church of Christ. We took communion together and sang worship songs in both Khmer and English (see video below), such a beautiful and powerful worship experience. After church we had a quick lunch at the hotel of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, Pringles, local fruit, and Oreos.

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Then, those of us who had not been before, went to the killing fields at Choeung Ek, just 30 minutes outside Phnom Penh. This was where most of the tortured prisoners from Tuol Slang were taken to be executed. Here, via headset, we heard accounts of survivors and horrifying facts of what occurred in the very place we stood. We saw piles of human skulls, bones, teeth, and clothing, some even still just now making it to the surface of the mass graves that cover the field. Pictured is a tree which was used to beat children to death, and one of the largest mass graves at this site, which held the bodies of 450 victims, both decorated with bracelets left by past visitors paying their respects. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Libby Franck, Nursing student

Today, we all went as a Group to the Asia School to teach. I had the privilege of watching the other students in our group teach as I took notes along with the Cambodian students. It was a great experience, not only to learn what I have not yet learned in school, but also to see how eager the Cambodians are to learn their practice. Though what we were teaching them were all fairly basic concepts to us (like hand washing and how to assess and report a patients condition) to them these concepts were less understood. The way they were engaged and asked questions was really great to watch because I could see the impact of what we were teaching.

After teaching all morning and having lunch, we had some down time. A group of us decided to go to the Russian Market for a bit (It is not actually Russian) to experience the culture of this beautiful city even more. Continue reading →

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.

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Mission to Cambodia 2014
from Emily Patton, Nursing student

After over 30 hours of traveling, we finally made it to Phnom Penh! From the moment we walked out of the airport, we have literally (and I mean literally) have not stopped sweating. I think this is the first time many of us have experienced 95 degree heat with 85% humidity. Anyways, we were happily greeted at the airport by 3 Cambodians that our instructors have come to view as family and took two buses to “The Golden Gate Hotel” where we unpacked and got ready to explore the city. We stopped at a place called the Java Café and it was not only extremely cheap (by American standards), but to my surprise, was full of mostly American and Europeans.

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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 →

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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 →