Triage

The area in the back of the ship is where we have triage. The people have to sit there until chairs open up for the doctors or dentist on the lower level. It is a time to play with the kids and visit with the people. We have health video clips that we show on the tv, but there is always time to color. Kierston is handing out markers with paper for the kids to draw.

Patients

SAD
HAPPY
OLD
YOUNG

These are some of the people we treat on the Ship of Life. All ages, shapes and sizes. To some, we are the only healthcare they might ever experience.

Life on the River

It has been great having Diane and Don Johnson on board. They take great pictures and alot of them! So the next few blogs will feature so village shots! Enjoy gail

Full Days

This has been a very busy, yet fulfilling week. Many patients have been helped and medicine given. But we have had time to watch the life around us. Ferrys full of people, fishermen in boats busy with their nets, and children playing. Next few blogs, I will put some pics on of just life around us each day. The Lord is good. gail

It gets rather hard to come up with some catchy titles for these blogs, so please excuse me. The ship is sailing north to the new village Prek Liv. Rick and I went on in to Phnom to visit more with his brother, Roger, who is teaching at the dental school. On Saturday morning, we went to the Zoo. Yes, Cambodia has a zoo. Now it wasn't quite like San Diego's Zoo, but it had elephants, monkeys, tigers, bears and a few native animals that I don't remember the names of. It was about a thirty minute drive out of the city, but it is always good to visit in a car. We really looked forward to the hamburger afterwards! It was a great time.

Off to Siem Reap

The stockton team has left and are in Siem Reap. We encourage everyone who has the time to go and see the temples. It is hard to imagine that they have been built so long ago without machinery of any kind and are interesting to see. Paul helped with the flow of patients throughout the ship and also performed some fix it jobs! Teresa and Bobbie saw patients with Piseth as a translator. Sarah-Kate saw patients with Borin who was trying out for a full time position. We wish the group safe travels as they return to their homes. gail

Getting Ready for the Day

Our days begin with the handing out of numbers. Svay Sornos has been a very busy place. We have seen close to 200 every day with Sarah Kate seeing patients along with Teresa and Bobbie (from Stockton) and of course, Dr. Somantha, our Khmer doctor. We were blessed to have Sharon Welch come out and help for a few days this past week. She is normally in Phnom Penh working, but wanted to spend some time with the Stockton group. It was fortunate for us for her to come. Diane watches out while the numbers are being given out. She has been doing most all the triage duties! gail

Sunday Service

What a great evening we had Sunday night. Our worship service on the ship is at 5:00 to allow any crew members who want to participate to get back from having the weekend off ship. This past Sunday, Bill and Marie-Claire came out for the day and Bill shared a lesson with us. That was great but the singing was too! With the Johnsons here and the Eppersons along with the Stockton team, wow, what a great song service. I was glad the crew could hear what wonderful accapella singing can sound like. With just Rick and I, it is not quite the same!

Svay Sornos

Here we come! The ship is arriving at Svay Sornos and the children are running to greet us! It is a small community but with lots of children! Saturday, out came the frisbee and ball for some games. The frisbee ended up in the river only once. It is interesting to see a few brave kids come out first to play, but soon the area is full! I reminded the guys to put on sunscreen alittle too late and we had some red faces that evening. gail

Stockton Team

We have met some pretty neat people from California and the group here now is included! Paul and Bobbie Covey, Teresa Baker and Thara Teav are here for two weeks from the Stockton, CA area. Paul has been great helping move the patients around and helping the crew with some ship issues. He is retired Navy. Teresa and Bobbie are nurses and are being helped in the clinic by Thara who is translating for them. Thara and her husband were able to leave Cambodia during the Pol Pot Regime and escaped to California. They were helped by Christians and became believers. Their story ends happily and they give back by coming back to Cambodia to help other Khmers. We are blessed to have them these two weeks and hope they, too, are recieving a blessing. gail

Thanks Phil!

Phil Gardner stayed on the ship a few weeks and managed things until we could return. Phil is a tireless worker and gives up his retirement years to travel and help in many countries. He was first in line to go to Burma after the tusnami to hand out food. I shouldn't even begin to write the countries he has traveled in the name of Christians to help the helpless. We sure appreciate his time here and the crew enjoyed him also. Phil is still in Cambodia teaching English at the Wei school. We traveled the ferry to arrive at Russey Chroy where the ship was.

The Reinforcements are Here!

Not that we have been besieged are anything, but Walt and Sarah Kate Epperson along with Don and Diane Johnson have arrived in Phnom Penh. After some errands in the city, we departed for the ship that included a ferry trip across the river. By the time this blog was posted, they have already put in a day’s work. We are happy to have them on the ship to work, but also to have someone else to play cards with besides Rick and I!