My recent mission trip to Cambodia was one of my most wonderful and rewarding experiences. Ever since my first mission trip to that country three years ago, I had felt a strong desire in my heart to return to continue the work that God calls upon me to perform. I am so grateful for another opportunity to work among Cambodians and to serve the people of the fishing villages.
During my first trip, I worked as a teacher in the Vacation Bible School in the capital, Phnom Penh. This time I was both surprised and challenged to be able to work with the medical team led by Pastor Bruce Hartness. Medicine is not my field, and in fact I know only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), which I learned a decade ago in high school. But Thank You Lord! He utilizes my life, my skills, and my background experiences for His purposes, just as He used two fishes and two loaves of bread from a little boy 2000 years ago.
Here is a short summary of where our team worked and what we did each day during my first week in the country. Our base was in Siem Reap, near the capital city of Phnom Penh. Our clinic, however, was located on barges (and on our rental boat) deep among the fishing villages that were surrounded by water and trees. To reach them while avoiding rough water, we had to cross the Tonle Sap Lake before dawn in heavy fog. The Tonle Sap Lake is part of a combined lake and river system that is hugely important to Cambodia. All of us awoke at 4:30 AM each morning, spent 20 minutes over breakfast, then piled into a bus for a 45-minute ride to Tonle Sap Lake. From there, our 25-foot rental boat carried us (about 20 people) across the lake, a trip that took 90 minutes or more depending on the weather.
Our team was broken down into several smaller and more focused groups, including groups specializing in registering the patients, and providing them with pharmaceuticals, medical care, dentistry, nursing, and evangelism. My job involved registration. Registration work may not seem vital, but in fact it is essential that it be done properly. I had to make sure that the patients in need were attended to, and not overlooked. We saw more than 100 patients each day, treating about 70 medical patients and 30 dental patients daily. All of them reside on floating houses, and it takes some of them half a day to complete their visit with us. We evangelized to them in many different ways, sharing with them while they were waiting, and offering them CDs, DVDs, and brochures before they left.
The task of my second week was to make a survey in Battambang with Pastor Hoang Huynh. (Battambang is the second-largest city of Cambodia, close to Thai Lan). The vision over the next five years is to spread the Gospel to all the Vietnamese people living in Cambodia. We had to reach small villages, go through rice fields and over bumpy country roads, so we rode dirt bikes for our 4-hour trip to Battambang. It is unbelievable that Pastor Hoang trained me to ride a dirt bike in only a few hours so as to be ready for the trip, which included Pastor Hoang, an interpreter, and myself.
It can be difficult to distinguish Vietnamese people from Cambodians because their skin color (tan) and hair (black) are so similar. How did we do it? When we first arrived in the city, we sought out those trades in which Vietnamese are active, such as selling bread, cooked corn, and costume jewelry on the street. Then, we approached them speaking Vietnamese. If they responded in Vietnamese, we asked them for more information about any other Vietnamese people whom they might know. Knowing one person led us to know another person. Knowing one family led us to know another family.
Certainly, we acknowledge that we cannot fulfill all their needs. However, each of us tried to give his/her best to accomplish our mission: extending the amazing love of God to our brothers and sisters who really need our help. Looking at their faces and their eyes, my heart was moved. Even though the members of our group were from different backgrounds and professional fields, I am thankful that we were a team under one mission and one God.
Three years ago I joined a short mission trip to Cambodia with Pastor Hoang's group. I can still remember a question from one student on the last day of Vacation Bible School: "Teacher, when will you come back?" Looking at his sad face, I realized his eyes were brimming with tears, and I was speechless. With this trip, what I most remember is the courage necessary to overcome rough and dangerous water so as to reach out to one more soul.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the tremendous support and prayers from my friends, my church, and especially the Plano church in Texas, pastored by Pastor Le Thanh Toan. Please keep the Vietnamese people in Cambodia in our prayers.
Nguyen Anh Tuan - Maryland (April 12, 2007)