Monday, December 20, 2010

I will be working on posting more photos and videos

This is just to let you know that I will continue to work on posting photos and videos of the clinics.  I will try to post photos and videos for each day of the mission trip.  It will take several weeks for me to reach my goal on this, so just check back from time to time on the page marked "Photos and Videos" for new material.
I hope this is a blessing to you and encourages you in your faith in Jesus Christ!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Future Posts

Message to those who are viewing this blog
Now that the 2010 Cambodia Medical Mission trip has concluded I will be focusing my work on this blog towards posting photos and videos of events that occurred each day.  I want to make an record of what happened.  I will post them chronologically, going back and filling in days that were missed.  Right now I am posting photos/videos of Sunday, Nov. 28.  So, if you are interested, you can check back from time to time to see the new photos/videos/commentary that I will be adding.  I hope this is a blessing to you.
Regarding Video Testimonies
I also want to add one comment about video testimonies of healings and salvations that occurred on the mission trip.  I think this should be understood by all, but just in case...the purpose of these video testimonies is to make much of Jesus Christ.  It is not about the man, the person who is sharing the testimony, it is about Jesus who is the One doing all the work.  We on the team are simply given the privilege to be used by Jesus to carry out His work.  I can vouch for each testimony that the event you are hearing described really did occur, no matter how miraculous it may seem to you.  These things are true, it is not embellished or magnified in anyway.  If anyone has any questions about these testimonies feel free to send me an email at kurt@kdwa.us.  I would be very happy to respond to your comments or questions.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Journey Back Home Part II


I am home - Praise God for safe and smooth traveling back home!  I am sitting in one of the favorite spots on the couch in front of the wood stove beside the Christmas Tree. I hear the Christmas Carols playing in the background,  Hannah, Dan and Drew are making breakfast.


When I woke up this morning it was 34 deg. outside with a white dusting of snow on the ground.





It was about 80 degrees when I left Cambodia Friday night when I left the Phnom Penh airport.  It is hard for me to believe that Friday night I was in Phnom Penh.  The Medical Mission trip to Cambodia of 2010 went by so fast!  I knew it would.  It was a wonderful experience and I praise God that He called me to be part of that Team. In two weeks I made friendships that will last a lifetime.  Sam, Ron, Rick, Cyndy, John, Regina, Glenn, Evelyn, George, Nelson, Setan, the translators, the drivers the drama team...you are in my heart forever!

I want to share one main thought that is in my heart right now and it is directed primarily to those of you reading this blog who are born again by Jesus living in America.  You have read some of the miraculous events that I posted on this web site, and I will be posting more in the days ahead.  You may have thrilled with me at the marvelous things that Jesus did during the two weeks of Medical Mission and Evangelism in Cambodia.  Now I ask you a question, what is happening in your world where you live?  As you live your day to day life in America, walking with the living Lord Jesus Christ, do you expect Him to do the miraculous in your life?  Do you expect your co-worker to be saved? Do you pray for your co-worker to be saved, do you share Christ with him or her?  Do you expect Jesus to heal you of your infirmities?  Do you pray and ask for  healing?  It's one thing to read on a blog about a  person (me) seeing and/or being involved in miraculous healing by Jesus and people getting saved while he is on a mission trip in a third world country.  But what about you where you live and go to church?  Is this type of thing happening in  your life?  I hope so.  Get excited about Jesus!  He is alive, active, living and moving in the lives of human beings all around the globe, and in your community!  Recognize this and make sure your life is connected to this living and reigning Lord Jesus Christ!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Journey Back Home Part I

I am on the journey back home today.  It is Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 at 9:30 AM.  I am riding in one of the vans in the  front seat.  The driver is Sophal.  In the bench seat behind me is George Sooley one of the Team members.  We have several translators in the van also.  Watt, Lucky, Nairy, So Pie and Chan Nam.  So that's eight persons and as much luggage, backpacks and computer bags that we can stuff in any available space.  I have my backpack under my legs, I am typing on my laptop which is on top of my computer bag on my lap.  Right beside me my arm is resting on two duffel bags.  You get the idea.  We are off to Phnom Penh.  Nearly all of us will be leaving tonight at midnight.  We have a six hour drive ahead of us.
I was just able to Skype my daughter Hannah while riding in the van, and wish her Happy Birthday. I was able to sing her Happy Birthday on her 16th Birthday which was pretty important to me. Thank you Lord for this wireless internet card that Watt loaned me.  I turned the microphone towards the back of the van and had the five translators sing Happy Birthday to Hannah in the Khmer language!  I thought that was pretty cool!  :)

I just took pictures of those in the van with me.  One of the translators (Lucky) was sleepy when I took the pictures.
Sophal the driver











George Sooley and Watt













Lucky (in front - he was sleepy! :) ) and Chan Nam











Nairy (left) and So Pie













And....me!


The  only component that remains for this mission trip is to travel to Phnom Penh, rest there until around 10:30 PM and then go to the airport to catch the midnight flight to Seoul, South Korea.  That is about a 5 hour flight.  I have a 4 hour layover in Seoul, then fly to Atlanta. That flight over the pacific ocean is 15 hours long.  That is a long flight for me!  I hope I can sleep some on that  flight! Then I fly to Asheville, NC and arrive around 1:30 PM on Saturday.  According to my biological clock it will be 1:30 AM Sunday morning.  So I will lose 12 hours when I arrive in Asheville.  I will probably nap a little and then try to stay awake until my normal bed time.  
Some thoughts about this mission trip
So here I am now on the tail end of Mission Cambodia 2010!  I can hardly believe it. Honestly, to me right now it is like I arrived yesterday.  Many on the Team expressed the same thoughts.  It has been a truly blessed experience to be on this Mission Trip!  We serve an awesome God.  I think one of the main thoughts that I have, and have been shared by many on the Team, is that we are privledged to be asked by God to serve Him here.  We all believe God has appointed us to be on this Team.  He assembled it.  He called us to serve. We responded with a yes.  And God did the work through us.  This is way we should serve God 24/7 anywhere, everywhere.  God is the almighty, awesome God of the universe and He is the one who does the work in the life of a human soul.  God, in His perfect plan, has ordained it so that  He chooses to use Human Beings to carry out His work. He uses us to do His work.  We are His hands, his feet, and we should be ready to serve. 
At the airport
Well, we made it to Phnom Penh uneventfully.  Everyone had a good trip.  John Clark got sick upon arrival, but he is now sitting with us at the airport and seems to be fine.  We prayed a lot for him.  We said our goodbyes to the drama team before we left Siem Reap.  We said our goodbyes to the translators upon arrival at Phnom Penh.  It was a sad site to me to see the backs of those young people walking away from us into the crowded streets of Phnom Penh.  I wanted to run after them.  Then we spent a few hours near the TransformAsia office.  We prayed one more time for John Clark and prayed for Setan Lee and his family.  Then headed off the airport.  We made it through customs OK and then said our goodbyes to Glenn and Evelyn Cobb who are taking a different flight then me and the other Team members.  We are now seated at the gate ready to board the 5 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. On that flight with me will be George Sooley, Sam Hopper, Ron Cole and John and Regina Clark.  We will be boarding soon.  We debriefed a little  bit at the airport and all felt the Mission Trip really went well. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit with us and saw God work in mighty ways. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

David Center Orphanage - Sanitation

John Clark and I finished our survey of the David Center Orphanage sanitation problem.  About $2,000 would solve an immediate problem.  If anyone wishes to give a unique Christmas present, consider contributing to improving the sanitation conditions at the David Center Orphanage helping 51 children and the staff.
Problem & Solution
The current bathroom facility discharges toilet waste to holding tanks which are pumped out; a 'pump and  haul' waste disposal system.  The holding tanks are currently undersized.  This can be remidied quickly.  A local concrete pipe manufacturer makes (approximately) 36" diameter tongue and groove pipe in 3 foot joints which can be stacked together to make a holding tank.  Two joints can make a nice size tank which can be easily doubled by setting two of these side by side connecting them with a pipe.  The local manufacturer also knows individuals in the village that have the capability to excavate the pit for these tanks, set them and do the pipework.  All the other materials that can make this system work are locally available also.  I estimate that $2,000 would cover the labor and materials including some contingency to completely replace the current holding tanks.  The new system that will provide larger capacity and a better enclosure reducing the potential for vector attraction.  This would provide immediate relief to the residents at the center.  So, if those of you reading this feel led by the Lord to help out you  can simply contact me at kurt@kdwa.us and I can put you in contact with the appropriate individual.  This would be a great blessing to the children and staff at the center!  A very nice Christmas present! :)
I will write more on the David Center and try to post photos as I make my trek around Siem Reap looking for high bandwidth internet.
God Bless!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Watt's Mom

One of the translators that I have become close friends with is "Watt."  That's his American nickname (like 100 watt lightbulb).  His real name is Sereiwath.  They pronounce the th like a t, so the last part of his name 'wath' he pronounces as "watt", so that's how he got his nickname.
His mother accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour Sunday morning!  Praise God!
The Story
Watt was very concerned for his mother, father and sister.  His mother was opened to the Gospel, but was afraid of the Buddhist god.  She was also afraid of her ancestors, I think I understood Watt to say that she was afraid if she accepted Jesus, that her ancestors (who were Buddhists) would come haunt her.  Watt's sister accepted Jesus, but according to Watt, has become confused and waffles back and forth between Buddhism and being a follower of Jesus.  Watt's family lives in Battambang.  We have been staying in Battambang for several nights, so Watt has been going home and talking to his mother.  Sunday after church Watt invited several members of the Team and some of his friends who are translators to go to his house and talk to his family.  He wanted us to share the Gospel with them, answer quetsions that they might have with the hope that they might accept Jesus as their personal Savior.  We arrived at the Watts home and I was stunned.  I have not be exposed to this kind of home in Cambodia yet.  It is on the 'other side of the fence' regarding the poor people we have been helping.  Watt's father is the District Chief of Battambang, a very high ranking official.  Battambang's population is over 100,000, so he is like the mayor of a city of that size.  But I think more powerful, more important, than a mayor that we are used to in the USA.  Their home is stunningly beautiful.  Many wealthy people in the USA would love to have a home like Watt's.  I will try to upload a picture of their home after I post this text, but it probably won't go through.  At any rate, we entered the home and met his mother, father and sister. We exchanged some greetings and preliminary talk.  They are very loving, caring people, I instantly felt drawn to them.  During the course of the conversation Watt's mother informed us all that early in Sunday morning she prayed to accept Jesus as her personal Saviour! What great news. She said the night before Watt had talked to her for about 3 hours.  She thought about what he said to her, she thought about the Gospel and her heart was opened up to Jesus to receive Him as her personal savior.  Praise the Lord.  We talked about a lot of things related to the Gospel and during the conversation Watt's dad received a telephone call and he had to leave to attend a meeting. He expressed his apologies and left.  After he left Watt's mother took us on a tour of them home.  Absolutley beautiful, teakwood everywhere.  Their home is 3 stories high, we went to the very top which is open for viewing.  You can see all across Battambang from the top of their house.  We could see the hotel we were staying at.  Up there, on the top of the roof we had wonderful fellowship. Watt's mother has pain in her joints (probably arthritis) and we prayed for healing for her joint pain.  Then we went downstairs to the front of the room she dedicated to the Buddha god.  Where the idols where.  She was afraid that ghosts related to Buddha would haunt her. We circled around her there, held hands, and prayed that Jesus would surround their home and protect them from Satan's attacks. Then we finally went downstairs to their lining room and prayed for a blessing on their whole family and that Watt's father would come to know Jesus and his sister would be strengthened in the Lord.
Also, during the course of all of this one of the translators who is Buddhist, Nary, (her nickname is Nary, her real name is Cham Nan) informed the group that she accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour during the church service Sunday morning!  What an awesome Day! Praise God!
A note concerning future blog posts
There are others out there who are reading this blog - some members of the Team have asked for the web site address for this blog and are interested in news and information about the trip.  There is so much to tell.  And I am so very limited with the slow internet speed.  I wish I could upload videos of testimonies and photos.  I intend to complete this blog with videos and photos (God willing) when I return to the USA and can get on true high bandwidth.  So if you want to check back to see photos and videos of some of these events hopefully it will be there for you.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Clinic Saturday Dec. 4

We conducted our clinic Saturday, Dec. 4 in Bak rou tas Village, about a one hour drive from Battambang. It was a long bumpy ride along a river.  This is the first Medical Mission Clinic that has ever been conducted in this village.  TransformAsia has been there before but on other types of missions.  Setan said when they have gone to this village  before they had to travel by boat up the river.   At one point we had to cross a wooden bridge that was about 15 to 20 feet above a side stream that flowed into the river.  It was so rickety that we had to get out of the vans to lighten the load in the vans (a total of four vans and one truck).  It was a bit scary to watch the superstructure of that wooden bridge sway back and forth and the colums to go up and down in the stream under the weight of the vans!  God protected!  The villages we go to are the poorest villages, these people basically have very, very little indeed.  Some just the clothes on their backs. God was in the Clinic for sure!  It was amazing.  I was in the prayer line only for about an hour.  I remember praying for a group of about 4 women at one time.  When we began asking what their problems were one women said she had already began to feel better when she walked into the Clinic! I truly believe that if we could see the spiritual world with our physical eyes we would see God's protecting angles surrounding that camp and that holy fire would be making a wall around us keeping out Satan and darkness.  Elisha prayed for his attendant that he would be able to see God's horses and chariots of fire all around the mountains when the King of Aram came up against Elisha in 2 Kings 6:17. I believe that sort of thing is happening when we enter those clinics and gather in a circle for prayer and ask God blessing on the clinic.  God is there and He is moving in a mighty way bringing health and healing and viatlity to these poor sick people. In doing this they are touched by the living God and their hearts are open to Him, many are open to Jesus and the Gospel message.  As I mentioned this is the first time that this type of Clinic has been conducted in this area and so we are in a sense the "tip of the spear."  There were many who received Jesus Christ as their Saviour and were transformed, and I believe many more will receive Jesus after we are gone. This is the beginning of the Body of Christ developing in this area.  
I will try to post pictures and tell some stories with those pictures later on today if I can get to an internet cafe that has high bandwidth. The hotel's internet can only do email and post text to the blog.  We are off to church now, it is Sunday, Dec. 5 at 8:15 AM. We will be worshipping at TransformAsia's Women's Center.  This will be a great blessing. There will be no clinics today, this is a day of rest (and we all need it! :)  )

Friday, December 3, 2010

Clinic Friday, Dec. 3

As I write this portion of the blog post, I am traveling to the clinic; it is about 9:30 AM.  I realized this morning that the days and nights are starting to swim together in my mind.  As I sat at the breakfast table this morning those at the table with me were also having trouble retracing where we spent the night as we discussed the week so far.  I am attempting to take more accurate notes so I know where I have been and where the clinics were conducted.
Devotions
Each day we start off with about 30 minutes of devotions in one of the rooms. This has been an uplifting and encouraging experience.  Ron leads us in a time of worship. Then someone shares a devotional thought.  Sam asks different team members the night before to share something for devotions.  These times have been very rewarding and a good preparation for ministry.  We need to continually stay focused on loving Jesus and loving people.  We want to make sure that what we do today flows from our love for Jesus.  To love Him intensely first and focus on how awesome He is, who He is and our relationship with Him.  From that flows the motivation and ability to love others.  This should be 24/7 living!
Riding in the Van
The last two days I chose to ride in the van with the translators.  Today I am the only non-Cambodian in the van, this is great.  I enjoy getting to know Sophal the van driver and the translators.  Sophal was one of the van drivers last year, so I already knew him.  We are good friends now and enjoy each other’s company.  The translators in the van with me today are Phorn, So Phay (soPIE); Sereiwath (watt);  one we call “Lucky” (I do not have his full name yet); Kong, Sophannary (nairy – like “mary”); and Lylim, Pisak (PEEsack).  Nairy is female.  In Cambodia the surname is first and the given name is last.  The translators work very hard.  This is stressful work for them.  It is the mental strain of constantly translating non-stop the whole time we are active in the clinic that is tiring – not the physical labor of setting up and breaking down camps.  I can imagine this is difficult.  Most of them are law, economics, and medical students who, as part of their education, learn English. They are not professional translators. So this is a challenge for them and hard work.  Some of the translators are believers, but not all. So for those translators who are not believers, this is an opportunity for them to see God at work!  You can pray for them that they will enter into a personal relationship with Jesus.
My assignment for today
Sam Hopper has assigned me to serve in the prayer line today, I will not be working much (maybe not at all) in the pharmacy.  I will share my experiences tonight when I get back to the room.
I’m back in the room now, it's 8:30 PM, the clinic is done and we've had our supper
Wow what a day!  This is the first day that I worked in the prayer line all day.  I did not fill out even one prescription.  The day went fast.  I prayed for many people, I did not count them.  Many were healed and several received Christ as their savior.  I would like to show you some photos along with my story but I cannot due to the internet speed here at this hotel.  I randomly took a photo of a man who was about 75 years old standing outside the clinic just before it started, around 10:30 AM.  Around 2:30 or so that afternoon, that same man was sitting in front of me with about 4 other men.  There were some occasions when the prayer line got so backed up that we could no longer deal with the individual on a personal basis so we had to pray for them in groups. This was just one of those occasions. I did not like to do that, but there were instances during the day when it was necessary.  So, here sit these five men and this 75 year old man is one of them.  I explained briefly to all of them, as a group, why we were there.  This took about 5 minutes. When the interpreter talked to them, it was obvious immediately that this old man could not hear.  He was totally deaf in the right ear and his hearing was so bad in his left ear that the interpreter had to cup his hands around the man’s ear and talk directly into his ear.  So due to that, he only got a very little of my 5 minute talk (hardly any).  Then I told them that I would pray for them each, one by one.  I would just go down the line and hold their head or put my hand on their head and pray for them.  After we prayed for that old man he started to talk to the interpreter!  Obviously he could hear! The interpreter was not cupping his hands over his ear; rather he was standing about 4 feet in front of him. Then I said to the interpreter, "stand here on his right side and talk to him and see if he can hear out of this ear."  He could! Amazing how God touched this old man.  God simply healed this man, and he hardly knew what was happening to him.  I wanted so much to continue talking to him personally and perhaps lead him to Christ but I was not able to at that moment.  I had to tell the group of men that there was a Christian church that met in this village and for them to come to that church to hear more about Jesus.   I got a picture of him with me and the interpreter which I really wanted to post on this blog but the internet speed at this hotel will not allow it. So I will have to do it later. There are many other stories; this one will have to suffice for now. God was on the move at this clinic!  Later on I want to tell you the story about the teenager that was saved.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Clinic Thursday Dec. 2

We conducted our Thursday clinic in a village between Kampong Chnang and Battambang.  We were there between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. This clinic had the largest crowd yet. Everything went very well and we saw a lot of patients. God touched the lives of many and we are very blessed to be part of that.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Clinic Wednesday, Dec. 1

Today we conducted a clinic in a village near Posat. We left Kampong Chnang around 7:45 AM and drove about 2 hours to Posat where we dropped off our luggage and checked into the hotel. Then climbed back in the vans to drive a short distance to a Buddhist Temple, arriving around 10:30 AM.  We set up the clinic as usual and it went very well.  The Team is highly organized now.  Everything flows very smoothly; it is much less stressful to conduct the clinics this year as compared to last year.  We have two tables for registration where blood pressure is taken and the patient is asked to describe their problems.  Glenn Cobb and Dr. Setan Lee preforms these tasks.  Then they are treated by one of two Chiropractors Dr. Rick or Dr. George.  Then  the patient sees either the general practicioner Dr. Nelson or the nurse, Regina Clark.  They write the prescription for the patient who them comes to the pharmacy.  After the pharmacy they go to the prayer line  usually staffed by Sam Hopper and Ron Cole. Sometimes others such as myself, John Clark and Evelyn Cobb assist.  Today there were many healings in the prayer line.  The main Buddhist monk was healed of physical problems (in legs) as Sam Hopper prayed for him. I happened to have my camera on video mode when I saw Sam talking to the monk so I taped it from a distance, trying not to be a distraction.  Afterwards I asked Sam what happened and caught that on video as well.  I will attempt to upload it but I may not be able to.  Hopefully this hotel's internet connection will allow uploading of the video. 
A humorous event occurred last night with my roommate Dr. Nelson.  I noticed he was spending a great deal of time trying to unlock his luggage.  He kept trying and trying, finally he asked me if I had something that could cut the little lock off. It just so happened that I did bring along with me some pretty good wire cutters for a specific purpose. So I got those out and we tried and tried to cut the lock but it was too thick.  We were stumped as to how to get into his luggage.  Then we decided to pray about it.  So, we asked the Lord to open the luggage for us. After we prayed he unlocked it with the first twist of the key!  We sat there laughing at how we were trying to cut the lock off ourselves when all we had to do was ask the Father help us.  

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Second Clinic - Tuesday, Nov. 30

We conducted our second medical clinic today in a public primary school in a village about 15 kilometers from Kampong Chnang.  We had devotions first during which Dr. Nelson shared his ministry in India.  Then we ate and headed off to the clinic arriving around 10:00 AM.  The drama team presented their drama first while we set up the pharmacy tables and triage centers.  We were able to use the classrooms for our clinic which really help move things along quite a bit. We set up the chiropractors' tables and the triage center in one school room building, then right beside it was the pharmacy table, then in a room beside that we wet up the prayer line.  Everything flowed smoothly, I believe we saw a lot of patients although I do not know the count.  The pharmacy was well organized and we had plenty of help, we were able to keep up filling the orders.   The prayer line needed help from time to time and I helped in the prayer line along with John Clark.  We all saw God move in the lives of the people in the prayer line, and what a blessing to see God work and touch the lives of these needy people!
I want to be able to post some more information and photos on the Team but there is not enough time.  I ill post some photos of the clinic today on the "photos" tab.  Then, I must prepare for devotions (it is my turn to lead the devotions in the morning) and go to bed. Each day is draining and after we eat in the evening many are very ready for bed (including me)!

Monday, November 29, 2010

First Medical Clinic near Kampong Chnang - Monday, Nov. 29

Logistics
We left Phnom Penh today around 8:00 AM and drove for 2 hours (100 kilometers) to Kampong Chnang.  We dropped off our luggage at the Sovann Phum Hotel and drove another hour (58 kilometers) to our first medical clinic around 11:35 AM.  It was conducted at a Church founded by TransformAsia, the pastor is Ps Sarom and the name of the village is Kdol village.  When we arrived at the medical clinic the drama team conducted their drama. We ate lunch while they did that. Then we had our medical clinic.  It started around 1:00 PM and ended at 6:00 PM. I was exhausted.  We rode back to our hotel, one hour drive (58 kilometers), my head drooped and napped all the way back.  I skipped dinner to go to my room and shower and post to the blog. I will get to bed early tonight.  Tomorrow morning we have devotions at 7:00 AM, breakfast at 7:45 AM and then off to the clinic.  I will post as many photos as I can of the day on the tab "Photos."  The internet was slow yesterday and does not allow time to upload photos and videos.  We'll see what happens.
Fruit
The clinic went well.  All aspects went well, from the triage by the medical doctors, to the pharmacy table to the prayer line.  I worked in the pharmacy from 1:00 to 3:30 and then from 3:30 until 6:00 serving in the prayer line.  Many individuals for whom I prayed stated that the pain or problem they were experiencing was gone after prayer.  I am glad that the Lord Jesus touched their lives and pray that many will come to know Jesus as their  personal Lord and Savior.  Many who came through the prayer line were attendees or members of the pastor Ps Sarom's church and stated they were believers in Jesus.  I hope and pray that many truly did know the Lord Jesus, and if they did not that their lives were impacted by Jesus today.  Many came through the prayer line of course who did not know about Jesus Christ. Many of them were touched by the Lord.  The Team worked well together today and it was a blessing!
Photos
Look on the Photo page.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Sunday 27 NOV






Dr. Nelson David fell on his motor scooter just before he left to come on the trip.  When he arrived he was walking very slowly and was in pain.  After the Sunday morning worship he requested prayer for his knees.  Sam Hopper and Ron Cole prayed for healing for Dr. Nelson.  He reported that he was healed.  I asked Dr. Nelson to share what happened on this video, he was glad to do so.

Setan Lee thanks the Children

Dr. Setan Lee wanted to thank the children for his prayer card and the cross.
The children in the Children's Church at Missionary Alliance Church gave Setan a card and a cross for this mission trip indicating that they will be praying for him and the mission team.  Setan really appreciated it and I had the opportunity to take a video of him thanking the children.  

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Safe Arrival

The Team met in Seoul, South Korea and took the flight out to Phnom Penh as planned.  There were no problems with the rendezvous and everyone had good flights.  There were folks traveling from Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
We arrived in the Asian Palace Hotel in Phnom Penh safely!  Praise God! Thanks to all who prayed for safe travels.

Friday, November 26, 2010

The time has come to leave

Steph and I left the house this morning at 4:15AM, she dropped me off at the Asheville airport at 5:30AM.  Ready to roll!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving Day.
I am thankful for many things, mostly for my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That He has redeemed me and brought me into a personal relationship with Him.  I am thankful for my dear wife of 33 years and best friend Stephanie. I am thankful for the 10 children that God has blessed Stephanie and I with.  I am thankful for the spouses of the ones that are married.  I am thankful today that many of my children will be here in the house today to celebrate thanksgiving.
Am I am thankful for this mission trip to Cambodia. I believe it is God's will for me to go, and so I go under His direction and authority looking for God to do His work through me and the members of the Team.  I go with expectations, expecting God to work and bring healing and salvation to many lives that we come to touch on this trip.
But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation, my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7 New American Standard Version)
..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 New American Standard Version)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Cambodia and North Carolina

I thought I would show a picture of the relationship between where I live (North Carolina) and Cambodia.  From this vantage point of the globe you can just barely make out Cambodia, but you cannot see North Carolina.  The total amount of time I will spend in airplanes actually flying to Cambodia (does not include layover time) is 22 hours.  The three flights are Asheville - Atlanta - Seoul - Phnom Penh.

North Korea has attacked a South Korean island - we fly in to Seoul on Saturday morning

All the Team members are to rendezvous in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday morning Eastern Standard Time (Saturday evening Seoul time).  I wonder what impact this event will have on flights in to and out of Seoul.  Please pray for leading, guidance and protection for the Team in regards to these recent events in the region.
Thank you!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Trusting God - preparations

There is much to do.  Today is Saturday, I have many things on my plate before I go to Cambodia. I am trusting God that He will enable me to be prepared for this trip (Philippians 4:6,7).
There's a little thought that whispers "It would be so much easier to just stay at home! Why are you going?!"  And as I bring that thought to the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5) the Holy Spirit impresses on me that I am going because He wants me to!  That's enough for me!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Just a note regarding the man who was stooped over with back pain...

I wanted to add something to the video post of the man who came for prayer who was stooped over with back pain.  I wanted to let you know that I took that video well into the day, I don't really remember the time but I do remember that I had been working hard on the pharmacy for a long time.  You see, last year I was pretty much responsible for the pharmacy table. When we pulled up to the site for the clinic it was my job to get the pharmacy table set up.  Needless to say, when the clinics began I was busy as a bee!  But on the day I took that video I realized all of a sudden, "This clinic is going by so fast and you haven't taken enough pictures yet!"
What I wanted to add to the story about the man who was stooped over is that I remember seeing him throughout the day walking around like that.    When we show up at a clinic the people are already there, they have been expecting us.  When we show up we give each person a card with a number on it.  Then they come through the line getting treatment from the Doctors, medicines from the pharmacy and then prayer according to their number.  This man had been at the clinic for a while, I remember seeing him here and there walking around stooped over like that. I just wanted to add that part to the story.  I am very glad he was healed of his back problem!

Answer to Prayer - Medicine Money!

Several people who have been praying for this mission trip were praying that God would provide $1,500 in cash that we can take with us in order to purchase medicines and vitamins in Cambodia (they are much cheaper there than in the USA).  Just now, as of 9:22 PM November 15, I received an email from our Mission Team Leader that God has provided $2,500!
Praise God for this provision!
We will have a well stocked pharmacy table! Hallelujah!
A great big "Thank you" to all of you who prayed for this need!  :)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Please Pray

For those of you who feel led by the Lord to do so, I would ask you to please put this mission trip on your daily prayer list. Please pray.  I believe in prayer.  The thing that I desire most in preparation for this trip is prayer. The thing that I desire most during this trip is prayer.  There is power in prayer and I know that God delights in the prayers of His people.

Please pray for the people that we will be ministering to at these medical clinics.  Pray that God's mighty hand will be at work among these people. That their lives will be touched by Jesus Christ. That those who have physical ailments will be healed.  And that many will be saved, born again by the Spirit of God, freed from the power of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus! (Colossians 1:13)

Years of severe back pain - healed by Jesus!

Here is another video of an event during the 2009 Medical Mission trip to Cambodia.
In this event a man came for prayer who was stooped over with back pain which he had for years.  He was healed of this back pain and was able to stand up straight.  When I think back on the 2009 trip this scene often is played back in my mind.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Hearing loss for 20 years - healed by Jesus!

I am posting videos of events that occurred during the December 2009 Medical Mission and Evangelism trip to Cambodia.  I recently discovered that my new laptop makes it much easier to create movies.  These videos are posted on this blog to give you an idea of what happened last year and what we expect on this trip.  
This man was healed of hearing loss that he had suffered for 20 years!

Nearly Blind - healed by Jesus!

I am posting videos of events that occurred during the December 2009 Medical Mission and Evangelism trip to Cambodia.  I recently discovered that my new laptop makes it much easier to create movies.  These videos are posted on this blog to give you an idea of what happened last year and what we expect on this trip. 
The lady in this video lost most of her eyesight and was nearly blind, she also had severe headaches.  She was healed of both at one of the medical clinics.


Friday, November 12, 2010

He knows

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
Nahum 1:7 (New American Standard Version)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Crosses †

Bob Cadwell made 1,070 crosses to be handed out at the medical clinics we will be conducting in Cambodia.  What a wonderful idea!  Bob and I attend the same church, Missionary Alliance Church, Marion, NC. 

The crosses will serve as a tangible reminder of Who touched their lives.  My many thanks to brother Bob who has served the Lord Jesus by laboring over these crosses with love! 
I believe God will take brother Bob’s gift and multiply it a thousand times.  Last year it is estimated that we touched the lives of about 8,000 people.  So, I will have to use discretion on handing out these crosses.  

Right now I am thinking about the many children who come to the Medical Clinics. Some of them come with their parent or guardian.  I believe many do not have a parent or guardian and come on their own.  I believe I may focus on giving these crosses to the children.   If you are led by the Lord to pray, when the image of these crosses and the children come to your mind please pray that God would use these crosses to point whomever has received it to Jesus Christ.







Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I will watch expectantly for the Lord

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation, my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7 New American Standard Version)
..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 New American Standard Version)
These verses have come to mind in the last several days.  I will prepare my heart to watch expectantly for the Lord in that which He plans to do both prior to and during this trip.  I will watch for God to work.  
I believe every member of this Team wants to get out of the way and let God do the work.  We have the privilege to be used by the Lord Jesus and see Him at work!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Anticipation

I can tell you that I am very excited about going on this Mission Trip!  Last year was my first trip and I did not know what to expect.  Reese Hurley invited me to join the 2009 Mission Team last October, and Stephanie and I prayed about it.  We felt strongly that God wanted me to go, so I accepted.  Since I did not know what to expect, my anticipation was blind so to speak.  Now, my anticipation is different!  I know what happened last year.  I  can still see the faces of those whose lives were touched miraculously by Jesus.  For example, I am thinking right now of those six Buddhist monks who, after sitting in the temple all day watching the medical clinics and the prayer line, came in single file to the  prayer line to receive a blessing from the only one true God.  To understand the tremendous implications of this, you need to realize that these monks were the spiritual leaders that the people were coming to for help.  These monks were watching people whom they had tried to help with their religion, get miraculously healed and some converted to Jesus Christ.  They knew there was power here, real power.  And they decided to come for spiritual help themselves.  So, I am anticipating seeing human beings who are in need, who have physical and spiritual needs, touched by the living Lord Jesus Christ.  This is very exciting!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Setan and Randa Lee

Our mission team will be operating under the auspices of TransformAsia, founded by Dr. Setan Lee and his wife Randa.  I want to provide you with some background information on Dr. Lee in this post.  

Setan (pronounced: see TAWN) joined us on the mission trip last year and I got to spend a good bit of time with him.  He gave me a book and a dramatized video about his life and his wife Randa.  As I read the book I could hardly believe it was about the person who was riding in the van with me and serving at the various medical clinics our Team was conducting!  They described how God miraculously delivered him from being killed by the Khmer Rouge army in the 1970s and how his life was transformed by Jesus Christ.  I was truly amazed by the story of how God saved Setan and Randa Lee to serve Jesus Christ in Cambodia.  I extracted some information from his book and have written it in this blog post (some of it has been paraphrased) to give you a little background on how God miraculously worked in his life. 

In 1975 the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, ended the five year Cambodian civil war only to unleash a reign of terror.  Following Marxist Leninism Doctrine, Pol Pot attempted to transform Cambodia to a pure agrarian society.  It was a reign of madness, evil, and terror.  Anyone who was educated, anyone who lived in or was exposed to “city” life was considered an enemy of the state. They were either summarily executed or saved to work mercilessly in the rice fields until they died either by starvation, exhaustion or sickness. There were three rules as a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge: don’t ask questions, don’t show any emotion, do either and you die.  Millions were killed by the Khmer Rouge, so many millions that much of the land in Cambodia became known as the “Killing Fields.” It is estimated that one quarter of the population was killed by the Khmer Rouge.  Even now, I understand if you go out into just about any rice field and start digging you will soon uncover human bones.

Setan Lee’s father was a wealthy, well connected business man with many children. Setan, as a young teenager was well on his way to an education in the medical field in Paris along with his brother Monty. In April 1975 that all ended. Setan was rounded up with several other youth and ordered to work in the rice fields from 4:00 AM until Midnight every day with only soup to eat. Of the 1,000 youth in his particular group only 300 were left due to the harsh conditions. Then one day the guards found a student identification card in his pocket, this meant certain death. Setan was raised in a Buddhist family and had never been exposed to any form of Christianity whatsoever. He had never heard of the name of Jesus Christ, never knew there was a Bible, and never heard the word “Christianity.” As he was prepared for his execution he heard those beside them crying out to Buddha to save them. It was not working; one by one they were executed and he was the last in line. Out of shear desperation he cried out, “Lord of the universe, whoever you are, please spare my life.” As the guard lifted the bamboo rod to strike him on the back of the neck to break his spinal cord a loud voice screamed out, “Stop! We must investigate this man further!” They took Setan back to the concentration camp. He instantly knew that whoever he had screamed out to moments before had spared him. Eventually Setan was able to break free from the guards and decided to attempt an escape to Thailand. He would have to make a trek on foot that would take him over a month, across a land torn by war, with enemies on every side. To be captured meant certain death, he had no food, and the territory was filled with land mines, poisonous snakes and hungry tigers. He saw many on his trek that were killed by land mines, killed by snake bites, and mutilated by tigers. For his food he ate the leaves and whatever fruit he could find and drank water from the hollow of trees or from ditches. As he approached the Thailand border a wild man suddenly jumped out of the jungle and grabbed his arm. I’ll quote from the book now (in blue):
The man was dressed very poorly and seemed to be barely alive. After Setan gained his composure from being scared half to death, the man mumbled something that echoed peculiarly in his ears, “Do you believe in the Lord of the universe? Do you believe in the Lord of the universe?” As Setan searched his mind as to why these words rang so clear, he remembered what he had prayed before being spared from his execution. He had prayed for salvation from death to “the Lord of the universe.” As the man kept repeating “do you believe in the Lord of the universe?” Setan looked into his eyes and exclaimed, “Yes. I do believe in the Lord of the universe.” Then the man said to Setan, “his name is Jesus Christ.” And then almost as quickly as he had appeared, the tattered prophet disappeared. “I sincerely believe that that man was a messenger from God,” Setan explained. “I had never heard of Christianity, but that day I became a Christian. That was the moment of my conversion to Christianity.”

Since that time God has done amazing things through Setan and Randa’s lives.  They started TransformAsia for the purpose of reaching Cambodia for Christ.  You can find more information about TransformAsia at their web site
www.transformasia.us.  You can also order the book about the Lees from Amazon.com, Miracles in the Forgotten Land and Beyond, by Setan and Randa Lee and Shelba Hammond.  It is truly amazing what God has done through the lives of Setan and Randa Lee! 

Friday, November 5, 2010

I'm Going Back to Cambodia

I am planning to go back to Cambodia this year, God willing.  The dates for the trip are November 26 through December 11, 2010.  I will be serving as a member of a Medical Evangelism Mission team sponsored by TransformAsia (www.transformasia.us).  Our trip will be facilitated by Partnership International (www.partnershipinternational.org).  The plane ticket is in hand and all the costs have been paid, Praise the Lord!  

Repeat Trip
This will be a repeat trip for me.  I went on a similar trip last year about this same time.  The trip was a wonderful blessing for me as I was able to serve the Lord in some small way in helping the poor and needy in Cambodia.  I saw the Lord Jesus touch many lives!  When I say this, I want to go on and on about the mighty things I saw the Lord Jesus do!  I want to brag on the Lord!  But, I have to be patient and relay these things a bit at a time.  The background photo for this Blog was taken at one of the medical clinics from the 2009 trip.  If you have some interest in last year’s trip go to kurtincambodia.blogspot.com

TransformAsia
TransformAsia was founded by Dr. Setan Lee, who survived the terrible “Killing Fields” of dictator Pol Pot in the late 1970s.  Several Mission Teams provide various ministries for Transform Asia each year.  I will provide more information on Setan Lee in a subsequent Blog Post.

Prayer
The success of the trip will be greatly enhanced by preparatory prayer.  So, to those of you whom the Holy Spirit is tapping on the shoulder please pray for me and the members of the Team as we serve the Lord together.  Pray for the salvation of the individuals we will be ministering to at the medical clinics.  Last year about 8,000 people came through our clinics.  If you desire to be included on the email list for prayer updates please send me an email at kurtdwright@earthlink.net.  A great big Thank You to all who will be partnering with me in prayer!  Prayer changes things!