Dear Precious Family and Friends,
One of the most important parts of this trip has been our Malaria Control Project. The students in Myanmar were given mosquito nets to dip in Permethrin. Then they were dried and they will distribute them in their villages to families, especially those with children and pregnant women. Children and pregnant women are most at risk for death from dengue fever and malaria. This is very prevalent here. They have all known people in their villages to die from those diseases. A mosquito will die within 1 1/2 minutes after it lands on a treated mosquito net. This is the rainy season so mosquitos are especially bad now. Please pray that this will save many lives. Thank-you to all who donated money for this life saving project!
We are finishing up the last part of our journey in Cambodia. This week we joined a Church Planter, Lloyd Kim and his physician wife, Dr Eda Kim to encourage them and come alongside their ministry. Our team, led by Dr Ted Kuhn and Dr Sharon Kuhn, Medical Directors at MTW included Dr Doreen Mar (ER physician), Dr Soho Choi (Neurosurgeon), Dr Dale Knutson (Missionary Pediatrician) and wife Nancy, John Sexton (Nurse
Practitioner- Missionary) and myself. We provided medical care for 4 villages and were able to do lab work, provide medications and do ultrasound.
We had some very sick patients including a child who had 10 seizures daily, a woman with severe anemia who had been bleeding since her child was born 6 months ago, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia, many patients with high blood pressure, a baby with pneumonia to name a few. All children received Albendazole for worms and Vitamin A was given to boost their immune system.
Most of the people believe that if you have diarrhea you should not drink anything. Their philosophy is that if something is coming out of the body, do not put anything in. Consequently, children and adults can die of severe dehydration. We taught them that your body is made of mostly water and that you must drink "boiled water" if you have diarrhea.
We visited a man who had a stroke one month ago who is now on the mend. There were lots of people we saw who suffered amputations from land mines. Cambodia is the country with the highest amount of land mines. I was able to share my faith with each patient.
On Sunday, I went to a little village after church called "Prey Lavia". The Grace Christian Center (the Kim's church) have been holding a Bible Study there each week for children as well as adults. I was able to share my testimony. I shared about being a widow and being all alone and how God "was my husband". I was never really alone because He was all I really needed anyway as I drew on His strength and not my own. After I spoke I realized that the group I was speaking to was all women and one man. I was told by the leader that the men in the village went to the city for work and were not coming back. These women were all alone! God knew the message they needed to hear that day. We walked through the village and the women followed as we made home visits. This was a wonderful way to witness and establish relationships.
Today, John, Eda and I visited the University of Health Sciences and met with the Director of the Nursing School. He indicated that they would like to establish a relationship with another School of Nursing and maybe even have a "faculty exchange". They have a real need for Midwifery and Mental Health faculty as well as textbooks and overheads. This week when visiting villages we learned that most women deliver their babies at home where there is not a trained midwife present. There is a high rate of maternal death as a result.
In the afternoon we met with the Dean of the Medical School, Dr Seang Therrith. He shared with us that the Medical School was closed from
1975- 1980 and only 30 physicians in the entire country survived the Khmer Rouge! He was one one them and he and 3 others started the Medical School in 1980. All the country of Cambodia was affected by the Khmer Rouge. Many many people were tortured and executed at that time.
Well dear family and friends, this trip has come to an end. I'm excited to return home. I come back a changed person.
I will be home Sept 9. Please continue to e-mail or call. I am very encouraged by the many friends and family who have written and will join me on future mission trips. There is still room if you want to join our Trinidad team December 29 - January 6th.
I Love You and Miss you all!
Karen
One of the most important parts of this trip has been our Malaria Control Project. The students in Myanmar were given mosquito nets to dip in Permethrin. Then they were dried and they will distribute them in their villages to families, especially those with children and pregnant women. Children and pregnant women are most at risk for death from dengue fever and malaria. This is very prevalent here. They have all known people in their villages to die from those diseases. A mosquito will die within 1 1/2 minutes after it lands on a treated mosquito net. This is the rainy season so mosquitos are especially bad now. Please pray that this will save many lives. Thank-you to all who donated money for this life saving project!
We are finishing up the last part of our journey in Cambodia. This week we joined a Church Planter, Lloyd Kim and his physician wife, Dr Eda Kim to encourage them and come alongside their ministry. Our team, led by Dr Ted Kuhn and Dr Sharon Kuhn, Medical Directors at MTW included Dr Doreen Mar (ER physician), Dr Soho Choi (Neurosurgeon), Dr Dale Knutson (Missionary Pediatrician) and wife Nancy, John Sexton (Nurse
Practitioner- Missionary) and myself. We provided medical care for 4 villages and were able to do lab work, provide medications and do ultrasound.
We had some very sick patients including a child who had 10 seizures daily, a woman with severe anemia who had been bleeding since her child was born 6 months ago, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia, many patients with high blood pressure, a baby with pneumonia to name a few. All children received Albendazole for worms and Vitamin A was given to boost their immune system.
Most of the people believe that if you have diarrhea you should not drink anything. Their philosophy is that if something is coming out of the body, do not put anything in. Consequently, children and adults can die of severe dehydration. We taught them that your body is made of mostly water and that you must drink "boiled water" if you have diarrhea.
We visited a man who had a stroke one month ago who is now on the mend. There were lots of people we saw who suffered amputations from land mines. Cambodia is the country with the highest amount of land mines. I was able to share my faith with each patient.
On Sunday, I went to a little village after church called "Prey Lavia". The Grace Christian Center (the Kim's church) have been holding a Bible Study there each week for children as well as adults. I was able to share my testimony. I shared about being a widow and being all alone and how God "was my husband". I was never really alone because He was all I really needed anyway as I drew on His strength and not my own. After I spoke I realized that the group I was speaking to was all women and one man. I was told by the leader that the men in the village went to the city for work and were not coming back. These women were all alone! God knew the message they needed to hear that day. We walked through the village and the women followed as we made home visits. This was a wonderful way to witness and establish relationships.
Today, John, Eda and I visited the University of Health Sciences and met with the Director of the Nursing School. He indicated that they would like to establish a relationship with another School of Nursing and maybe even have a "faculty exchange". They have a real need for Midwifery and Mental Health faculty as well as textbooks and overheads. This week when visiting villages we learned that most women deliver their babies at home where there is not a trained midwife present. There is a high rate of maternal death as a result.
In the afternoon we met with the Dean of the Medical School, Dr Seang Therrith. He shared with us that the Medical School was closed from
1975- 1980 and only 30 physicians in the entire country survived the Khmer Rouge! He was one one them and he and 3 others started the Medical School in 1980. All the country of Cambodia was affected by the Khmer Rouge. Many many people were tortured and executed at that time.
Well dear family and friends, this trip has come to an end. I'm excited to return home. I come back a changed person.
I will be home Sept 9. Please continue to e-mail or call. I am very encouraged by the many friends and family who have written and will join me on future mission trips. There is still room if you want to join our Trinidad team December 29 - January 6th.
I Love You and Miss you all!
Karen
No comments:
Post a Comment