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MEDICAL MISSION TO THAILAND
By Dr. Stephen Haung ,Dr. Karen Haung, Bernie Stevens and Alison Stevens (our Church Secretary)
August 2005
Sun 31st July ‑ After 3 days in Singapore I was beginning to acclimatise to the humid heat (if that is possible) and it was time for the 13 members of the mission trip to meet.
Karen, Stephen, Alison and Bernie
At Nazareth Bible‑Presbyterian Church, the mission group received a blessing during the morning service (my very first attended in bare feet). It was good to meet and talk with those who were going to be involved, some of whom had been to Mae Gone on previous occasions, and for Steven to meet up with old friends. There is a regular lunch every Sunday at Nazareth, sometimes prepared by 3 or 4 of the ladies or, as was the case that Sunday, bought in from outside. They are such a friendly, caring group of people who speak so openly of their faith.
Tues 2nd August ‑ 6.30 am! The team gathered at Chiangi airport for the flight north to the cooler air of Chiang Mai. When we had landed, there was a delay at the recently installed security cameras at passport control. The technology was not quite able to cope either with the numbers, or my passport photo, which one officer spent 5 minutes checking against the real thing! We eventually met up with Rev Abel, Ruth, Mark and Luke who had patiently waited for us. Bernie had been considering hiring a car in order to assist with transport and Rev Abel agreed that it would be helpful. This was duly arranged and just after midday 3 vehicles set off in convoy for the orphanage trying to avoid all the motorcycles, some with 3+ passengers and some with schoolgirls as pillion passenger, riding side-saddle and not holding onto anything more then their little handbags! With one stop on the way, we arrived early afternoon and were soon partaking of one of Ruth's splendid meals. One of my initial concerns (apart from the squat toilets!) was the number of dogs around. The nurse at our Marple surgery had questioned rabies and warned about being licked or scratched by a dog and the need to get to a hospital within 24 hrs. Stephen had assured us that during his visit in the 80's there were few dogs ‑ not any more!
The clinic that evening was to be held in the small church at the orphanage. One of the most difficult things initially for Stephen and Karen before we left England had been deciding which drugs to order and in what quantity. A doctor involved with a mission in 2004 had held one clinic and seen 100 patients. Did one just multiply by 3 and hope for the best?
The Orphanage Receiving gifts of clothing The Children
We were amazed at how organised the mission halls were when we arrived ‑ two examination areas for Karen and Stephen, chairs all in rows. We realise now that Rev Abel had left instructions in advance. We arranged 2/3 team members to register the patients, taking personal details such as name, sex, age, and allergies ‑ difficult with a language barrier so we wrote phonetically what we heard. Patients would then be given a numbered label. Two of the team would be needed to liaise with each doctor and those registering in order that patients were seen in order. 3 or 4 were involved with the dispensing of the drugs (often just vitamins or Paracetamol) as indicated on the reverse of the patients registration sheet and 2 were available to offer prayer and comfort to patients when needed. Rev Abel, Ruth, Mark and Luke were all involved in translation not only for Karen and Stephen but for each patient when the drugs were dispensed ‑ Lahu or Lassu to Thai and Thai to English!
Waiting to see the doctor Treating the children
These arrangements formed the basis for all the clinics (2 evenings and 2 full days) and over the 3½ days some
370 patients were seen. Days were long, starting with 15 minutes devotion before breakfast (6.15am on the first day because there was a 90 min drive to another village!). By 7 am the orphans had done their chores, had their breakfast and were beginning to make their way down to the school in the village. We returned to the orphanage towards evening, to find them playing football like children all over the world. Each day all meals included rice but at the orphanage Ruth always considered western stomachs and made adaptations accordingly (less spice and toast and cereal at breakfast). Lunch at the villages was a veritable feast by local standards, a spread of meats, fish, local vegetables and fruits, and rice of course.
Once we were all back in Chiang Mai on Friday and staying in a small hotel, Rev Abel acted as our guide and visits included a splendid Chinese temple overlooking the city, the well renowned night market, Thai dancers and of course Sunday service. On that particular day all those in the congregation who had a birthday in August were given a red rose ‑ 5 of the team included! That evening we flew back to Singapore to contemplate the wealth of situations we had experienced and we hope that over time we can help others to share something of those with us.
Alison Stevens
