Medical mission teams from our church have been doing incredible Kingdom work in Cambodia for about 17 years now. For two weeks a year, they set-up and serve in pop-up clinics in rural parts of the country, often seeing people who don’t have easy access to health care non-stop from 8:30am to 5:00pm. To give you some perspective, this year, they saw a total of 1,354 people from infants to those in their late 80’s in eleven days. This is serious work!
The teams set-up clinics in a variety of spaces–church buildings, schools, and even a floating boat house. They added an additional outside clinic this year and, though it presented a risk with so little shade and sun exposure, it ultimately opened doors and allowed the teams to reach more people than ever before.
What the teams offer goes beyond simple physicals. Everyone who goes on the trip has a different medical expertise. Our pharmacists gave out 3102 medical items to patients in need. Our dentists treated many children, 69% of which had either dental pain with decay or severe tooth decay without pain. Our doctors did countless physicals, diagnosed various levels of disease and treated minor ailments and mental health conditions. Most importantly, our teams had the opportunity to pray for some, asking the Holy Spirit to do the deep healing that goes beyond the physical.
On a trip like this, it proves no small thing to finish with no major issues. With this many people in need amid a busy, hot, loud and humid atmosphere, God removed countless potential obstacles for our team throughout the trip. From equipping them with more than enough translators on one of the busiest days to unexpectedly staffing two extra missionary doctors on a day when some of the team members were sick and unable to work, God made it clear that He cares for His people. Teams came back those days feeling rejuvenated, instead of depleted, aware of God’s presence…and ready for a shower. Which they got.
