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Thailand Testimony
Dear Friends and family,
Do you believe in miracles? Or do think they only occurred when Jesus was on earth? Well,
I experienced a few miracles on my trip to Thailand, the first one being the fact that I even went! I've never wanted to be
a missionary, sharing the Gospel in a foreign country. I am a girly-girl, who likes my creature comforts, and on this trip,
we would be without electricity (no hair dryers or curling irons) or flush toilets. Ugh!
I've always felt called to
minister to Christians at home that are hurting and wounded. When I saw the announcement for the medical team to Thailand,
I felt God prompt me. As a registered nurse, I could use my expertise in a totally new way. It was difficult to totally surrender,
and as I did, I felt like a "deer in headlights"...scared, often thinking "What am I doing?". God was definitely stretching
me! I found out that we would be ministering to Karen Christians, and I felt a confirmation to go.
I prepared to teach
obstetrics, my specialty, feeling confident to do the job. When the team met to pack all the medical supplies, we didn't think
we could fit everything into our suitcases, we had so much stuff to take. It was overwhelming. We prayed that God would increase
our luggage space, and we were able to pack almost everything!
After arriving in Thailand, the team was split. I was
very disappointed, as I had signed up with a friend and co-worker. She went off with one team, and I left later that afternoon.
Our team left in a rental van in the afternoon, because it would make the police crossings easier, but we were turned back
at the border by Thai military with automatic weapons. I truly felt God protecting us. They could have let us cross, and then
arrested us when we returned 3 days later. We decided to err on the side of caution, and returned to the hotel in MaeSot very
discouraged.
We got a call late that night to be ready in the morning to try again. We piled into small pickup trucks
that had the windows blackened out so that the guards could not see us inside. They covered up our luggage that was in the
back of the truck, and off we went. We crossed the border at a different location, into a different village, with no problems.
We were greeted with love, appreciation, and honor. The Commander of the village apologized for the poor accommodations
and poor food, but thanked us for coming. He told us that Americans had visited for the day, but had never spent the night
with them. He said that they were taking our safety very seriously, and had surrounded the camp with 300 Karen soldiers. We
would often see soldiers walk through camp carrying automatic weapons. We heard 2 landmines explode while we were in the village.
Some of the soldiers had a leg prosthesis, due to losing a leg from a landmine. It was sad to see, but encouraging, as they
were not disabled, they were still Karen soldiers! I was truly never scared, and felt God's protection and your prayers.
I
have never been treated with such respect and assistance that the Karen people gave us.
We slept on a wooden floor
in huts, under mosquito nets. The weather was very hot, 105-110 degrees, with 80% humidity. It felt like it never
cooled off at night, making it difficult to sleep. With no refrigeration, our bottled water was also hot. I'll
never take cold water for granted again!
The next day, our team leader Daniel Carson, a paramedic/firefighter,
was teaching CPR and first aid, when people started coming for medical care. We had very little equipment, and even fewer
medications. Ruthann (another nurse) and I did clinic, seeing approximately 25 people. We saw a lot of upper respiratory problems
and asthma. We only had 2 inhalers, so after we gave out the last one, we prayed that God would increase our medications,
just like He increased our luggage to hold everything. Even though we couldn't treat every need, we laid hands on and prayed
for each person who came.
The next time Ruthann went to the supplies, she screamed, as she found more inhalers! In
the end, everyone who needed an inhaler, got one! I was able to treat a man with severe sciatica by doing a lumbar roll (a
Chiropractic maneuver), praying in Jesus name, and his hip moved back into place. Praise God!
On our last night, we
presented all of the medical supplies with a monetary donation to the village. We had an awesome time of prayer with
everyone. The Commander was so touched, he sent over 2 chickens for our breakfast the next morning!
The next morning,
our last day there, people continued to come for medical care. Several had malaria and Dengue fever, but we had no antibiotics
to treat them. Then a woman came with a 1-year-old baby who had open sores on his head. As we went to him, she
turned him around and we saw the worst cleft lip and cleft palate we had ever seen. His lip was open all the way up
into his nose and sinuses and he had what looked like an extra nose tip hanging off the end of his little nose. This
type of problem makes it almost impossible for the baby to suck; thus the baby was severely malnourished. His head was
swollen, an indicator of malnutrition. We showed the mother how to feed him with a syringe, a few drops at a time.
But if this child doesn't have surgery soon, he won't live much longer.
Ruthann went to the village leader and told
him that the baby needed medical attention as soon as possible. She told him that we would help make the arrangements and
send the money for the surgery. At this point, Partners is going to research how much it would cost, and we are petitioning
our congregation to help.
Our last day in Chaing Mai was spent sightseeing at an elephant training camp. I got
to sit on an elephants knee and he wrapped his trunk around me. Then he put a straw hat on my head and patted the top
of my head with his trunk! Some of our team actually rode the elephants. Those of us who didn't ride the elephants, were suffering
from some bacterial or parasite gastrointestinal bug.
I never got to teach Obstetrics, and in spite of my disappointments,
I feel humbled, and know that when I surrender to God's plans, I am blessed, and can bless others. My team was awesome, the
Karen people and the Partners staff were awesome, and will always be considered my friends.
I am so grateful for all
the prayers and support. I feel that God met each one of us, did miracles, and blessed this trip! Thank you, from the bottom
of my heart, for partnering with me.
In service for Him,
Robin
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