Welcome to Our World

Welcome to Our World
Greetings

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Atrophy


A young man presented himself to the clinic the other day after seeing several doctors who treated him for belly and muscle pain which began about 6 months ago.  These pains distressed him to the point that three months ago he only lay in bed making his muscles atrophy and he lost about 15 kilos.  Chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasound were negative.  Additional blood work detected not abnormalities.  Apparently, he spent time a country close by Cambodia where he experienced a major mental trauma.  For the past six months the mental trauma presented itself with physical pain.  It is amazing what our body can do if we put our mind to it.  Looking towards the future, will we be able to help him accept that his body is much healthier than he believes?  Hopefully he will be at peace with himself and the One who has made him.   

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Stampedi


Chaos reigned on the night of November 22, 2010 in Phnom Penh.  Over three hundred people lost life with more than three hundred injured.  Unrest overwhelms my mind and emotion as I see the sadness on the face of the people in the stores and on the street.  Those who hear the varying precipitating factor on how or why chaos initiated such a tragedy will tell their stories with extreme angst.  Families will gather together to support one another and question why joy turned to sorrow.  Children will be left fatherless or motherless which will increase their already difficult lives.  Those of us who have not grown up in Cambodia will wonder about life issues and the eternality of the tragedy.  We will be tempted to give answers to which many will have difficulty understanding.  Questions will be asked about evil.  Why does evil exist?  From whence came evil?  How to respond to this event makes one think of the deeper issues of life.  Where does one go for answers?  Is there a place of comfort?  Will I have the courage to stand with those who have been injured or lost a loved one in this tragedy?  Will I speak self-righteously or will I be a source of comfort?  

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Language Anguish


Learning another language presents challenges.  Khmer is simple.  No verb conjugations for past, present or future tense, no plurals, no gender.  So learning should be easily accomplished.  Yes, easy after one is able to learn the consonants and vowels in a different script.  Some of the consonants and many of the vowels have sound that are not common to the English language.  The sounds of the consonants and vowels may be codified in several ways dependent upon ones native tongue.  The way I speak English and the sounds of English vowels or consonants may differ from another English native speaker.  So the International Phonetic Associations has devised a method to denote most sound of most languages.   So one may choose learn the phonetics related to the Khmer vowel and consonant sounds-thus learning two additional systems.  Others have devised differing protocols for transliteration.  I original thought I could learn the vowels and consonants and then put the language together easily.  However, many of the consonant look rather similar thwarting quick recall.  So I suffer from ALAS- acute language anguish syndrome.  Alas, I will learn the language and then possibly suffer from CLAS- chronic language anguish syndrome.  Thankfully I have made progress but desire to keeping working at the language to better communicate with the local people. 

Knot the end of Time

The future is ever before us. Mankind has wondered for millennium how will thing end. Revelations leaves us with the message that God has the package of time all together. He has tied the knot to end time. Right now is not the end of time. God is at work transforming our hearts and minds into instruments for His glory. Wherever we live God puts within us the desire to do those things that are pleasing to Him. During our time in Cambodia we pray that our lives will in a small way reflect the glory of God.


God has promised to supply our needs in small and big ways. The other day as I saw patients at Cooperative Services International – Mercy Medical Center (CSI-MMC) a gentleman came with an illness. We talked about his illness and then he began to tell me a bit about his life. He lamented that his life was not as he desired. Attempting to help him put life in perspective as compared to many others I have seen, I asked him a few simple questions in effect thinking through the Lord’s Prayer.
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name. 10
Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11
Give us this day our daily bread, 12
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Who placed him on this earth? Had he experienced salvation? Was he seeking after God and teaching his family? Did he have food shelter and clothes for that day? Was he able to send his children to school? Was he looking to God for the forgiveness of his sins? To each of these questions he gave an affirmative answer. My Khmer language needs improvement, so I prayed with him in English, which he understands. As I prayed I thanked God that He had done the work of redemption in this man’s heart. I thanked God that He has given him food, shelter and clothing for the day. I thanked God that He is able to forgive our sins and place joy in our hearts even in the middle of despair darkness and chaos. His life may not be exactly as he desires, but as he looks to our Savior, he will know that God is his and our Creator, God is his and our Provider and God is his and our Sustainer.

CSI MMC brings together several mission agencies to supply a clinic that ministries to believer and those who have been referred by churches, pastors and mission agencies. CSI MMC is seeking to build a center a little south of Phnom Penh in which the poor will be treated, medical students given opportunities to learn and family practice doctors trained.
During our time in Cambodia God has brought many medical students to us. We have on some Saturdays a time of medical education and Bible Study. Some who attended are believers and have knowledge of the Bible. Others who attend have never seen a Bible. With the help of the Khmer believers we are able to open the scriptures with the non-believers. For those who have received the gift of salvation their path often is long and slow. Generally it is a few years between the time one hears the Word and beginning to understand and the time they truly have their heart transformed by the power of God’s grace and mercy. Some Saturdays we venture into the province to hold clinics with an association of churches. During this time we model the love of Christ and teach the medical students how to interact with patients. God has blessed this as He has brought several to redemption because of the mercy He expressed to them during our mobile medical clinics.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Abraham Lincoln


A few weeks ago I watch a documentary about the events that followed the assignation of Abraham Lincoln.  After his death his body was placed on a train and taken back to his home.  Along the way many people view his remains.  I hope, I have the Lincoln story correct.  With this as little background of a revered western president, we from the west may see customs in Cambodia in a different light.  A few days ago a friend of mine took me to a wat-pagoda in Cambodia to view the remains his grandfather.  My friend is a medical student.  In order to save money he purchased the embalming fluid and preserved the body himself.  His grandfather, who was the leader of the wat, now lies in a room at the wat for passer bys to see.  His body is encased in Plexiglas clouded with moisture which obscures some of the view.  When I viewed the body two months had passed since his death.  He will remain in the wat for 100 days.  

One An Other


One is singular and another makes a plural.  So another another adds more potential for diversity.  Because of the diversity of ideas and opinions, we often irritate one another, disagree with one another and down right offend one another.  Sometimes we don’t care if these events take place, but other times we feel badly.  Where do we turn to rectify our bad feelings towards one another?  In the New Testament one another is addressed in about 100 verses.  Love one another, greet one another, care for one another, encourage one another, honor one another etc.  Impossible!  Yes I would agree left to ones own devices.  However, because of God grace and mercy towards us when we begin our new life in Christ and as we delight in Christ, we receive the wherewithal to begin to make these one anothers part of our life.  What a different world it would be if ever moment of our lives we appropriated the power of Christ in us.  Unfortunately my life has a black out or brown out when I do not delight in Christ who has given me His righteousness and seek the power God to work in my life.  Then I start my own generator, use by own fuel and project my own attitude rather than the attitude given to me by Christ.  God through Christ has given us His power and His desire to practice the one another’s.  

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Squat


Squat, a word used in several contexts. Squatting children may be seen in Cambodia resting their legs.  Their parents may be seen in the same position for the same reason-to take a load off their feet.  People in the west with modern necessary rooms are set, but in other parts of the world people know squat when it becomes necessary.  Knowledgeable people complain about people who do not know squat.
Well the other day I saw a patient who knew squat.  This two year old used the technique to his benefit, since he has a congenital heart defect.  Blood pumped to his lungs received adequate oxygen at rest, but when he becomes active he needs more oxygen from his lungs.  Therefore, to increase the amount of blood for oxygen to his lungs, he squats to reduce the blood needed for his lower body.  Thus making available more blood to be pumped to his heart.  He will squat for a moment and then slowly resume his activity.  Amazing how God designs our bodies to compensate for defects. 
This patient needs an operation for his heart.  Such operations are available in Cambodia on limited basis.  When available the cost of the operation is out of the reach of the common people.