7 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal February 2024 | Vol.29 No.1 | Missions and Sacrificial Service

Short Medical Mission Trip

It was surely the most difficult extraction I had ever had in my career. It was 2005, and I had graduated from dental school four years ago. My wife and I had followed a medical team of thirty people, and had come to Cambodia for the first time.

At our first stop, we travelled for three hours from the capital, Phnom Penh, and set up a temporary clinic at a remote village. Fifty villagers gathered around the house. The doctors provided treatments after the local pastor gave a short message and I happened to be the only dentist in the team. By the end of the day, we had treated around forty patients. We were wrapping up when a neighbour came in with a young girl asking for an extraction. She could well have been nine years old, but we could not tell. Back then, lots of Cambodian children were malnourished. She looked more like a six-year-old with a small stature and walnut brown hair.

By that time, I was exhausted, drenched wet in the tropical heat. Besides, it was more than ‘an’ extraction she needed. All her teeth were broken. The severity of dental caries is high in Cambodia, with 93% prevalence at the age of six. On average, each child would have nine decayed, missing or filled teeth. One in three carious lesions in five-years-old children is pulpally involved.¹ Such severe burden of carious lesion has serious impacts on both children and society.²

Given that it was her first ever dental appointment, it soon became clear that we had an impossible mission. We could not give her an injection, let alone perform an extraction. Suddenly, a man dashed in, embraced the girl, his daughter, while whispering softly in Khmer, “Not painful. Not painful.” Meanwhile, our translators shared the sad news that the child’s mother had passed away a week ago.

The tooth eventually came out, but it was the most difficult extraction I had ever done. The child was crying, her father was weeping, and my eyes were swelling up. Since that day, I started exploring options to serve in Cambodia with my skills and profession. I wished that one day I could tell this girl that God loves her and there is hope in Christ.

From Short-Term Mission to Mission in the Workplace

In the 1970s, the infamous Khmer Rouge regime destroyed much of Cambodia’s traditional systems. Culture, religion, social norms, families and communities were shattered. Hospitals, among public and private infrastructure and facilities were destroyed.  According to reports, no more than forty doctors survived. A genocide of intellectuals resulted in a shortage of healthcare professionals later during Cambodia’s recovery.³

The political disorder and conflicts finally ceased with the Paris Peace Agreements of 1991. After this, Cambodia advanced its efforts on restoration and reconstruction, depending largely on assistance from various countries and multilateral donors, channelled through multiple international non-government organisations (NGOs). Short-term medical missions flourished during the 1990s. As a result, the health status of Khmer people substantially improved.⁴

Entering the new millennium, Cambodia’s demand for foreign assistance shifted from assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction to that for mid- and long-term development. In addition to government and private health providers, a number of local and international NGOs continue to deliver health services outside the government system, along with charitable agencies that provide inpatient and outpatient care.

This thirst for sustainable development led to a demand for guest speakers at conferences, as well as lecturers and healthcare workers who were able to work alongside locals to build up their professional capacity. Meanwhile, although a need for short-term mission work remained, registration with the local authority and an academic qualification check became mandatory as the country stepped up safety and security measures.

It took us more than ten years to go from ‘short-term mission’ to ‘mission in the workplace’. My wife recovered from endometriosis. Our second child was diagnosed with ureteral constriction and required surgery at twelve-months old. When we were about to approach a mission agency, we discovered that she had hearing loss. We prayed for a means of hearing aids maintenance on the field. In 2014, during a vision trip, our prayer was answered. We met with a dental technician whose daughter also had hearing loss. He taught me how to use dental material for making impressions for hearing aids. Our Father is faithful. He answers our prayers and provides for our needs.

“Our roles in the field in Cambodia currently allow me to live out my personal faith in a way that can be seen by patients and local healthcare workers.”

Our roles in the field in Cambodia currently allow me to live out my personal faith in a way that can be seen by patients and local healthcare workers. Our roles in the field give us credibility in the cultural context and a place in the social order. I still remember my neighbour’s look of approval when I told her I was going to work at the hospital. Moreover, it gives me opportunities to build relationships with locals. Over the years, I have been invited to colleagues’ weddings and funerals. In return, we invite friends to Bible studies and fellowships.

One of these friends was a dental student I met at the Paediatric Hospital. He was interested in why I came to Cambodia. That gave me an opportunity to share my faith. Korng was invited to our Christian Dental Fellowship and Bible studies at a cafe. One day after, Korng invited me for coffee. He said, “Teacher, I have something to tell you. I want to have a Christian wedding.” I said, “But you are not a Christian.” To which he answered, “So I want to learn more about Christians.” Thank God that our profession can serve as a platform to reach out to the Cambodians.

Having served in both short- and long-term positions, I believe we, as healthcare professionals, are in great positions to carry out holistic ministry, to look after body and soul and to cater for the physical, mental and spiritual needs of our neighbours.

Here, I encourage you to explore options to serve with your skills and profession; together we join the force of global mission.

---