Check Out My Daughter's Blog, Too

My daughter, Kim, is with me in SE Asia and keeping a blog. Check it out at: kimsasianadventures.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Medicine Again

Greetings!

All is well in Cambodia! Healthy and busy. Thanks for your prayers. Today, I worked as a doctor -- imagine that! I spent the morning at a Korean mission clinic. There were three docs, a Cambodian, a Korean, and myself. Initially, it was set up that I would have two translators. The patient would speak in Khmer to an interpreter who would translate it into Korean. Then that person would translate into English for me; the process would reverse itself the other way! I would be interviewing a patient through two translations! Remember that old "telephone game"?

Unfortunately for her, one of the translators fell ill and could not make it, so a pastor was pressed into service. He knew Khmer and English so we worked together! Much better; I was really anxious about quality working through two translations!

It was a great experience! We saw about 40 patients and made decent dispositions with all. The staff was very helpful and understanding.

Tomorrow, Kim and I meet with the Korean pastor to plan Kim's helping them teach English at their school. She seems excited. She has taught English the past two days to orphans at a facility run by a friend.

The full team arrives on Tuesday next week; that will be fun to welcome them and begin some more projects: working at the Christian school, two medical clinic options, the orphanage, and the students at the Student Center.

Time is flying; much is getting done, but much needs yet to be done! Think about coming with us!??? The weather is great!

Thanks! More later ...

Toilet Seats and Aliens

Hi, Y'all: (That's Southern Cambodian)

This past few days we went to Battambang to see our 'original" orphans of two years ago. They are great kids; we had a wonderful visit. Much love, smiles, and hugs were given and received! Though we are not their primary supporters any longer, they will always occupy a special place in our hearts.

This time we stayed in a different hotel than our usual one. It was recommended by a local friend as being newer and nice. So ... we checked in and got to our rooms. We noticed that in each room the bath had a commode sans toilet seat! At the first room, we figured it was an oddity, but upon seeing three the same, we were surprised.

Dave tried to communicate with the young men carrying our bags to the rooms that we needed toilet seats. That was an interesting experience; how do you tell/show someone who doesn't speak your language just what you mean? Finally, they understood what we meant and they said none of their rooms had seats. Between t he three of us we had a reasonable travel experience and none had ever seen such a situation, in Asia or otherwise. Anyway, these two guys when they understood, looked at us like we were aliens; who on earth would want or care about a toilet seat?

Having made the point that we'd be moving on to another hotel, they said "wait, wait" and one ran off to return carrying three toilet seats. We knew that they existed in Cambodia! We stood and watch as they affixed the alien devices to the commode with plastic ties. And at that, they were only secured on ONE side. Those boys were proud of their work, flashing big smiles while pointing to their work.

I advised Dave that with the single-sided attachment, we had better be careful so as to not misplace our hind surface in a lop-sided fashion or we would end up wedged between the tile wall and commode. (Bring on the crane, again!)

I must be gaining weight while here, for after all their work the first time I sat down, the newly affixed seat shattered under my weight! So much for quality; probably "Made in Hong Kong". I hope the installers didn't have to see my destruction the next day.

For many reasons, we decided to change hotels the nnxt day and learned from our friend that we had chosed the wrong hotel of two next to each other! He laughed at our ignorance. So much for change and progress!

Well, off to a well deserved shower and bed. Talk to you later.

Old Fashioned Medicine

Yesterday (actually, Wednesday), Kim, Sherrod (an RN on the team) and I went to a village with a “mobile clinic”. This was an experience! “Mobile Clinic means two 4-wheel SUV’s, a random assortment of people and trades, and a couple Rubbermaid containers of pharmaceuticals, and a rough, hot, very bumpy drive 60km out of the city.

We left at 6 AM, piling into the SUV, arriving there two hours later. This village of course had no electricity or plumbing, or any other “necessary” conveniences. We walked up to the home hosting the clinic to find about 40 people crowded into the front room of the home sitting Indian-style on the wooden floor. There was not a square inch to walk to the rear room; but we did it anyway, stepping on a few hands and uttering un-understood apologies.

Kim was put to work taking BP’s – she loved it, you should have seen her glee. Sherrod manned the pharmacy, and I worked with a teacher-missionary (originally from NC) doing triage. Some pts we would send back to the “real doctors” and some we could “treat and street” right from that position.

There was no air movement in the crowded home, actually with the number of people, there was little movement of any kind. Unlike an Asian, I was not made to sit cross-legged on a hard surface for an extended period of time. (I was afraid that it would take a crane to get me up at the end.) The temperature must have climbed to at least 110-115 degrees. I have never sweat so much in my life; drinking water like a fish,, figuring I was OK while I was sweating and that I needed to worry when I stopped sweating!

This was medicine of old; hands, eyes, ears, touch, notably absent were diagnostic tools or tests, insurance forms, politics, and lawyers (spologies to my lawyer friends), notably present were sincere “thank yous”. We saw over 40 people in a little over three hours. All in all, it was a demanding, but refreshing day. I enjoyed my shower and night’s sleep immensely!


BATTAMBANG

Today, we head to Battambang, the site of our original orphanage. While we are no longer “managers” of the facility, we will visit and play with the kids, bearing gifts like cookies and rice. Guess which one they prefer?

I hope you are enjoying this trip! Keep up the prayers and encouragements. More later …

Tuesday

Greetings again. Before I forget, Kim has an excellent blog you may wish to check out. The address is: www.kimsasianadventures.blogspot.com.

Progress is coming. Dave A and I had an excellent meeting with the leadership team of Campus Crusade for Christ and are excited about teaming up with us in the running of our Student Leadership Center. This is very good news! Students are moving in as I write this; an answer to prayer.

Also underway is the search for a new orphanage in PP. We have some leads worth investigating.

THe weather is hot and humid; surprise, surprise. But we are tolerating it well. Have had no real "side tracks" yet, but it is early!!

Tomorrow, Kim and I are going with my doctor friend into the remote villages with a mobile clinic; that should be a REAL experience for both of us. I'll let you know.

Stay with us, much is yet to come! Thanks for your support!

We're Here

We're Here
Kim and I arrived in Phnom Penh safely and slightly rested Friday at noon local time. We had a great time! I have accumulated enough miles to have gained access to the airline lounge during layovers. By sacrificing a few extra miles, I “bought Kim's entry as sell. WOW. what a trip to see how the other half lives! Free refreshment and snacks, comfortable chairs, service with a smile, quiet, internet access, etc. Then, while standing in the line to board the Taipei flight to Phnom Penh (4 hours), I casually remarked to Kim we ought to see if there are any "upgrades". As I handed my boarding pas to the attendant, I said, "any upgrade available?" at which time my pass got stuck in t he machine. He muttered something in Chinese and opened up the machine t extract my troublesome, now destroyed boarding pass. After going to the desk to get a new one, he passed Kim and I on; I remarked to Kim the bad timing o f the machine failure, obviously distracting him as I had asked my question. walking down the jet way, I looked at our newly-minted boarding passes and discovered that t hey were for Business Class! Yup, we road in the luxury of linen tray cloths, wide seats with foot room, and a doting, smiling flight attendant! Wow again. I could get spoiled!
Upon arrival we were met by two students, a d ear friend (brother of the woman immigrant from last trip), and Dave, our executive director. Kim w as immediately impressed by how friendly everyone was. In less than 24 hours, she has made fast friends with several of the women students! She has ridden on a moto several times, and been shopping at several locations around the city! Bobbi what were you saying about her being "out of her comfort zone"?
Today we hit the ground running! After a pretty good night's sleep, some breakfast,Dave and I met with representatives from Campus Crusade for Christ. with their leadership team, we hammered out the beginning of a working relationship to team with them in the oversight o four new Student Cotter! God was there. We were able to share our desires, work through ways to accomplish each team’s objectives,, and create a place f or students t feel safe, loved, encouraged, and able to learn about what it means to live a Christian life in the context of ether particular interests. CCC to join in this venture with us, as we are excited to have their passion and expertise discipling our students!
Tomorrow is the Sabbath -- church in the morning and who knows what after that! We are both feeling well and slowly jet lag is lagging. Monday we start the business of business!
Thank you for your continued support. I will endeavor to keep you up to speed! God Bless

Procrastination

Procrastination is my middle name.

Getting ready for this summer trip to SE Asia, I failed to be diligent in updating my prayer/travel partners. I am sorry. So ?/FONT>

Wednesday, June 7th, I head to Cambodia and Thailand with Asia Hope. This will be another exciting trip; several differences are already apparent. Most significantly, on this trip, Kimberly will be accompanying me, and later, Bobbi!

Kim will be doing a seven-week Internship with Asia Hope. She plans to study social, cultural, and health-care delivery issues in developing nations. She will work with the Asia Hope team, as well as pursue other opportunities and research. She will be going over with me on the 7th. Kim is excited about the adventure, as are Bobbi and I.

Bobbi will join us with the second AH team on June 25th (arriving in Phnom Penh on the 27th). She is pleased to be going despite not being an enthusiastic air traveler.

You may recall that Asia Hope turned over the reins of our two Cambodian orphanages and Student Centers to an indigenous Cambodian mission at the conclusion of our last trip. We are now in the process of developing new orphanages and Student Centers! Lord willing, during this trip, we will be able to fill and dedicate a new Asia Hope Student Leadership Center!

We are also working with a man who has run an orphanage in Phnom Penh for several years. Graciously, he is counseling and helping us through the process of starting our own orphanage. Hopefully, considerable progress will be made on this front.

Again, I want to thank you all for your past support and encouragement and to ask you to join me again for this venture. Your prayer support has kept me (and others) healthy and safe. Please continue to pray. Consider, especially, asking for safety and freedom of hassle for family members left behind. Ask God to prepare the schedule, His schedule, for us; prepare the people with whom we will work. Ask Him to keep us free from harm, and healthy, and that we may be a part of His work in SE Asia, as He is glorified.

I will keep you informed again during the next several weeks. Bobbi and I will also be keeping a blog, which can be found at: http://www.campbellincambodia.blogspot.com/. Feel free to pass the address on to any friends or family who may be interested.

A final note ?family-related, instead of Asia Hope related, is the fact that at the conclusion of our team trip, on July 11th, instead of flying directly home, Bobbi and I will fly to Seoul, Korea to meet the parent of Pete fiancee, Jean! They are classmates at Johns Hopkins. Last month, they announced their engagement and upcoming marriage, planned for March 24th, 2007 ?in Korea!

So ?we have an exciting six weeks coming up. Pack your virtual bags and come along. Wel keep you posted.

PS Sorry for the screwy fonts; I pasted it from Word; won't do that again. J.

Back Home

Well, we have returned to the US. Jet lag is about lagged-out, and I am asking less and less, "keep the rice, where's the beef?".

As you could no doubt tell, the trip was fantastic and undeniably God-directed! For five weeks, we worked hard, met new people, planned new partnerships and projects, strategized about Asia's Hope's future in SE Asia, and sat back marveling, watching God work!

The leadership of Asia's Hope feel that we are at a time of great potential for growth, ministry, and service in SE Asia! This trip has taught us that God has plans for His people in Cambodia and Thailand, and that Asia's Hope is a part of that plan. That means, of course, that YOU are a part of that plan as well.

The next trip will be departing about June 11th this summer. There will likely be two back-to-back teams going. There is much to look forward to and pray for. Pray that new alliances will work well together and bear much fruit, pray that we can discern God's will for new projects, pray for the potential team members (you??) and their preparation for this trip.

On a personal note, Kim (our eldest daughter), will be going to SE Asia this summer. She is working on putting together an Independent Study project for college credit; she will likely be there for eight weeks! I am excited about this; I think that she will have a great time and be able to put on paper some observations about the care of orphans and the very, very poor in Third World nations. Pray for this project as well.

And then ... Bobbi is also planning on going for a part of that time! It is exciting for she and I to share a passion for the works there; to be together working side-by-side!

So ... a lot for the Campbell family to digest and ponder. I want to thank you again for all your prayers and the encouragements during the trip. It would not be possible without these foundational helps. God hears and acts on your petitions.

Tune in for the next installment early June!

Back to Thailand

Greetings! Sorry for the delayed posting. We had a great time in Battambang, but internet service was prehistoric! Just couldn't get a posting off!

In Battambang, we saw and played with our dear, "charter member" kids. What a great time. We also continued our immunization program. It was a short trip this year. Returning to Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon and leaving for Thailand on Thursday morning.

This time the whole team was here. It has been very scheduled; orphanage visits, a little sightseeing, shopping, and maybe some rest?

Arriving late Thursday, nothing but a visit with the orphans and dinner was accomplished. But, today, we were taken to three schools to give a concert and share our work. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive out of Chiang Mai into the mountains on a curvy road. We presented our story to about 2500 students!

Also during that visit we met a man with an orphanage in the town; he invited us to visit. Of course we said "yes". This orphanage, however, was unique in a very special way -- all the orphans have HIV. They were beautiful, smiling kids, just like "ours", but they will all die within the next several years. It was wonderful to see them having a "normal" life, but deeply saddening to reckon with their future. Tough.

Tomorrow we are going to be allowed into a prison through one of our contacts to present a concert (well, actually for Dave to present a concert). Then, the afternoon will be a well deserved rest! In the evening we plan a dinner at a traditional Thai restaurant for the team to experience.

We are entering the home stretch; on the way home in four days! It has been a wonderful, productive, and blessed trip. We are always happy to be heading home to our missed spouses and families, but sad to leave our old and new friends.

Come and see for yourself sometime!

Thanks, again for your support, prayers, and encouragements!

Other Blog Links

Note in the right hand side-bar are links to Rachel, Bonnie, and Heiden's blogs. They are team members on this trip also blogging. Check them out to get a balance on my biases!

Another One for the Books . . .

Saturday in Phnom Penh brings sunshine and warm temperatures! Surprise, surprise! What an awesome day it has been so far; and it is only 3 PM!

Two days ago the team took our orphans to a waterpark for fun. (I did not attend, as I was at the dedication ceremony for the Korean mission.) The park was empty except for our orphans and an Asian dad and his two kids. Two and a half million people in Phnom Penh and these are the only folks there. Anyway, this father struck up a conversation with team members and it turns out he is a dentist from Australia (Chinese-Malaysian heritage) who is travelling with a team of dentists on a mission!

We have no dentist this trip, but do have an able hygeinist. Our dental offerings were limited this trip. Well . . . he and his team has run out of work to do and asked if they could help us? Well, duh. Today he and a dental colleague, his two kids, and three others from their mission travelled to the orphanage with us.

The dentists looked at mouths and made a "to-do" list while we immunized the kids. Eleven orphans could use some further care and I have arranged for them to work with our local Cambodian dentist next week to care for the kids needs while we are in Battambang!

That is only half the story ... the pastor leading this trip is an Aussie who pastors a mission-minded church. He has travelled SE Asia and is seeking sites to partner with and to serve. In his parish he "many doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers" interested in short-term mission trips. After seeing the orphanage and talking to our Exec Dir and two board members on the trip, he was really enthusiastic about what is being accomplished. So enthusiastic, in fact, that he is talking to Dave (Exec Dir) about how to start Asia's Hope Australia. Maybe ... only the Lord knows. WE KNOW that this waterpark meeting was a divine appointment!

Phew ...

It is off to Battambang Sunday to see our "original" orphans -- kids who have a special place in our hearts! Thanks for coming with us. God Bless You.

More later . . .