There is so much to share about the four weeks I spent in Cambodia – how God answered prayers, how God spoke to me in personal ways, how God shared with me his broken heart for this ravaged country and for the whole world. But I want to focus specifically on the medical missions portion of the Cambodia 4 trip – what I experienced and what I learned from it. I thank God for the awesome privilege of bearing his name, being called a minister and an ambassador of Christ, and serving alongside my brothers and sisters as we shared the gospel message and carried out God’s work of salvation.
The medical mission team was headed by Dr. Jonathan Shun, an internal medicine physician with many years of experience under his belt, and further comprised of Angell (a 5th year MD/PhD student), Annie and myself (both nurses who just graduated with our masters). Obviously we relied on Dr. J, who was essentially the backbone of the team. In addition to the providers were the other crucial components of the medical team: the health educators (Christina Park and Danielle Park), the triage nurses (Richard Tjhen, Vanessa Ramirez, and Mike Fu), the charge nurses (Ray Wong and Helen Park), and the pharmacists (Hannah Shun and Irene Youm). At each village, there would be a church founded and supported by Pastor Koo’s Life Church, and in the building we would set up a clinic with two registration/triage desks, a pharmacy, and three stations with Dr. J as the attending physician who would float and tackle difficult cases. It is estimated that we saw over 700 people over the course of 7 days of village outreach. What amazes me is that each of the patients we saw and treated was able to hear the gospel, many perhaps for the first time, and most of them were prayed over. I thank God for the wisdom of having a medical-gospel team that could share the good news to those who came for medical services. Through sister Hannah’s testimony of God’s miraculous healing when modern medicine had reached its limit, through evangelistic talks, through 1-on-1 gospel presentations, and through brother Bunny simply preaching, God was able to open people’s hearts to the gospel message. About 40 people had indicated that they wanted to follow Christ, and some of them were confirmed to be genuine salvation decisions. Paul wrote in Colossians 4:3, “And pray also for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” Looking back, I am so thrilled and humbled that God would use the medical team to open a door for people to hear the gospel. It was really exciting in the village of Ankozolm, 2 hours from Siem Reap; we learned later that day that our visit was the local church’s first village-wide evangelistic push, which meant that over 200 people heard the good news of Jesus Christ for the very first time!
Yet, it was in that same village where I met Nampung, a 3-year old boy carried in the arms of his grandmother.
[journal excerpt] Patient #102: 3yo male complaining of high fluctuating fever for the past few days with one episode of vomiting but no diarrhea; also complaining of cough x 15 days and of “fast breathing.” Has not been drinking much fluids. Oral temperature: 103.7F. On examination, the lung sounds were coarse rhonchi throughout, tachypneic breathing rate, and nasal flaring indicating air hunger. Diagnosis: bilateral pneumonia. Prognosis: very poor. Dr. Jonathan said that this child was dying. We checked his eyes, and the patient demonstrated signs that he was progressing towards loss of consciousness. We gave the child one dose of Children’s Tylenol to help reduce the fever as well as the first dose of Augmentin, antibiotics to help combat the infection that had claimed both sides of his lungs. We explained to the grandmother how she was supposed to administer the rest of the medicine, and we explained how dire the situation was and how she needed to bring her grandson to the hospital right away.
As we were weighing the child, I held him in my arms and looked into his eyes, which were looking back into mine. 13 kilograms. Watching him struggle for each breath, I felt so helpless and desperate, and I could not do anything but pray to God to have mercy on his little child. It was the first time I had ever seen someone dying in my arms. I still pray for him, and I wonder how he is. Maybe he is taking the antibiotics, and the antibiotics are working. Maybe his family did take him to the hospital and he is receiving treatment. It actually hurts too much to hope, but I know that God is faithful and that he loves him so much more than I ever could.
What about the mother? She herself was waiting to be seen, along with her younger son. I called her over and explained to her that her son is very sick and might die unless they take him to the hospital. Her face showed no sign of concern whatsoever. No matter how much I reiterated the gravity of the situation to her, she was utterly indifferent. She cared more about her own health problems, which were so mild in comparison – she was complaining of dehydration symptoms, and her other son had a cold.
I was plagued with a whole slew of “what if’s?” – what if we went to the village sooner, what if I did not allow the grandmother to simply walk out of the clinic with that child, what if he does not go the hospital, what if he does not take the antibiotics, what if it was all too late? I talked with Susanna SMN, and she assured me we did the best we could and all we could do now is pray. So as the “what if’s?” subside, in its place rise the “what now’s?” What am I going to do now with this experience? How am I going to live with this in mind? As I thought about it, I realized that this boy’s story is not uncommon. If a child in Cambodia is dying from an easily-treatable infection, then for sure there is a child in China, a child in Europe, a child in Africa, a child in Mexico and even a child in our own backyard that is suffering and dying from some disease because he or she does not have access to healthcare. So should I throw myself to global medical work? I am one person, so limited in what I can do. Then should I round up every doctor and nurse and pharmacist and swell the ranks of Doctors without Borders? Ultimately it will accomplish so little in the face of the overwhelming health needs around the world. My only conclusion is that people need the Lord.
I heard from my dad this morning that my maternal grandfather in Hong Kong had passed away; he had another episode of pneumonia, but it was to be his last. He was 88, with 8 children and several grandchildren. He had attended church earlier in his life, but from what I knew, he did not believe in God or anything else. My mother and my aunt, both Christian, were with him when he died, so I hope they were able to minister to him during his final days. All people get sick, many recover, some more slowly than others, but in the end we all die. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27). What is of eternal importance, then, is how each man stands before God – either redeemed or condemned. Jesus’ own mission was this clear, and his mission for the church has remained the same these past 2000 years. Yet when I look at my neighbors, my classmates, my coworkers, or even people walking on the sidewalk, they all look as if they have their lives together, comfortable and content, and it seems like God is the last thing on their minds. But their schedules and attentions are occupied with so many distractions and hollow pursuits that they do not consider the things that matter the most. God calls me to show people the truth about life and to share the message of hope and eternal life that are found only in Jesus. I recommit to the work of the gospel, to making my whole life into God’s invitation for others to come and experience his love and truth.
On the last night of our mission trip, we were in Phnom Penh and met up with Pastor Koo, who told us the story about Chan Tha. Chan Tha is a 14-year old Cambodian girl from the village of Poipet, near the border of Cambodia and Thailand, who was suffering from frequent chest pains. Five years ago, Dr. Lee, a deacon-doctor from Korea, visited that village, met her, and diagnosed her from a congenital heart defect. During those five years, Dr. Lee was working to raise funds and support for a surgical operation to repair her heart. Because the cost of transporting her to Korea and of having the surgery there was so great, Dr. Lee decided it would cost less to send the surgical team to Cambodia to perform the operation. In the matter of months, Dr. Lee was able to assemble a surgical team, and together they flew into Phnom Penh. Because the cost was much less than expected, the team was able to perform cardiac surgeries on five more children. The five additional surgeries were all successful – we saw two of the patients and they were healthy and moving actively – but Chan Tha’s surgery had complications, and she was in a coma for the 6 days following the operations.
The medical team along with Susanna SMN, Hannah and Pastor Koo went to the hospital to pray over Chan Tha. When we arrived at her bedside, the sight of her grieved our hearts. Covered up to her waist with a bedsheet, she lied on her right side, with cardiac monitor lines, NG tube, and IV lines all over the place. She was hooked up to a ventilator, and the mouthpiece was secured around her lips with tape that was saturated in blood. Her body was swollen, especially her face and neck, and her arms and legs were cold. Some of us reviewed her medical records and lab reports, which showed that her body was slowly shutting down. Her blood pressure had been gradually declining, hovering around 40/25. Gathered around her and laying our hands on her – on her forehead, on her hands, on her feet – we prayed and cried out to God for a miracle, because we understood that medically there was no more to be done. We continued to pray for the next hour, while massaging her feet, caressing her hands, and speaking into her ear. “Chan Tha,” I said, “P’own srey (little sister), preah yea-su sraal’ang neak (Jesus loves you).” I recalled during a prayer meeting recently, how Pastor Ed encouraged us to erase the artificial boundaries encircling nuclear families and to claim other people as our brothers and sisters, and how he said he wanted to claim the children of Cambodia as his own. So as I stood at her side, I wanted to claim Chan Tha as my little sister, and to pray with desperation for her.
The following morning, Susanna SMN and Hannah along with another group of our missionaries returned to the hospital to see Chan Tha again. They were able to meet the pastor of the church where Dr. Lee serves as a deacon. Once the church learned about Chan Tha’s condition, they immediately set up a prayer and fasting chain, and the pastor traveled to Cambodia, riding many hours to Poipet to bring her parents to Phnom Penh. He has been by Chan Tha’s side ever since, massaging her feet and warming her feet with hot water bottles, praying over her with tears. He even asked our team for prayers for himself, because his heart was so broken. Our team witnessed how he wept so much in prayer and with Chan Tha’s parents, and one brother remarked how he experienced a concrete demonstration of the love of Christ in that pastor. The parents themselves were believers, so humble and grateful; as the team and they were huddled together in prayer, they were crying, and the father even squeezed brother Ray Wong’s hand. They told our team that they had already committed Chan Tha to God – that if she were to die, she would be with him in heaven, and that if she were to live, she would be a living testimony of God’s power and mercy. When I heard they had said this, I was personally comforted in my heart by the parents’ trust in God. One thing I was so afraid of was that they might respond with bitterness or doubt, but God was sustaining their faith in him.
This past Monday, we received news that Chan Tha had passed away over the weekend. Although the news is so sad, God has given the assurance that he was in control over the entire situation. In addition to the five additional cardiac surgeries, the Korean medical team signed a contract agreeing to perform 20 life-saving operations for the next 5 years! Because of this one precious little girl, 100 more children will have a second chance at life. The verse I had to hold onto was Romans 8:28-39: “And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…” God, who is always at work, always has a purpose – and that purpose is so good. Who knew that this girl, who would have lived until she was 30 at most, would go through this ordeal but through it 105 people could live again? Her life is like that single seed that died, giving life to many more seeds. Coincidentally, the team of surgeons came from an organization called “Kernel of Wheat.” “What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37).
After hearing about Chan Tha’s death, as I was praying for her family and all those involved in her care, I was further comforted by other details I recalled. During those 5 years between the time Dr. Lee met Chan Tha and the time of the operation, the doctor cultivated such a close and fond relationship with her that she would refer to him as “father.” Moreover, that her parents are such faithful and godly Christians probably meant that she was dearly loved in the name of the Lord, being raised as a woman of God. And I imagine that before her surgery, her parents prayed for her and Dr. Lee prayed for her, that she would trust God during that time. Dr. J received an email informing him of Chan Tha’s passing, and in the report it said that “just prior to her expiration, she was able to see her parents and receive prayers from Dr. Lee…” God answered our prayer, and he woke her up long enough to see her parents and to be prayed over, to reassure them that she is okay. Praise God for his faithful provision! Even though Chan Tha was not miraculously healed, God had a specific purpose for her life, and she entrusted herself into his loving hands. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).