Our God is an awesome God! There really is no one like Him! I just got back from Cambodia and the trip was wonderful.  As usual God did the little things that just make Him so sweet. 

I had bought some gum and was planning to take it on my trip and the last day just could not seem to find it anywhere! I looked and looked, but no gum.  So I left without it.  But in the plane I sat next to one of the girls on our team and she is a gum addict! So I had a never ending supply of gum! Even when she left a week early she left me with three packs of gum! I didn't even finish a pack! God and His abundance!

I was worried about the food because I forgot to remind them I was vegetarian, but God took care of it.  After the first day I was so well provided for that I actually gained 3-5 lbs in two week!  :(  God is soo good. 

At our second hotel the bathroom had the stench of standing gutter water, so when I saw the drain and it was time to take a shower and the water level on the drain was maxed, I just asked God not to let overflow cause then it's so gross and it didn't. hehe! the day I didn't pray cause it looked like it was draining is the only day it overflowed. hehe! :) God's so awesome!

I wanted to go an see an orphanage and for our weekend fun someone told me we were going to an orphanage.  But I wanted to see the Killing Fields and so I was all worried  that I had to choose.  I told God I wanted to do both and they arranged them for separate days and I got to do both!!! I was soooo happy!  Last time I had to chose between the Killing Fields and Angkor Vat and this time God gave me all that I wanted.

I really wanted to see the Palace too and as it worked out, the dates of the trip got changed after we bought our tickets and so I had an extra day and everything worked out that with the holidays going on in Cambodia my favorite translator had the day off. So we spent the day together! God is soo good!   But now for what happened. 

The first day one of the docs came and asked me to help with a patient in the back of a truck.  I stayed down while he got up and was the cool doctor and I remember thinking, "I wanna get into a truck and treat a patient." The next day they called me to see a patient in a truck.  So I got to climb in and do my thing! :)  It was so cool. It ended up being the highlight of my day.  The patient had apparently fallen out of a tree and was lying in the truck.  Since I had Trylla with me, I wanted her to get a good experience of what being a doctor is all about so I decided to do everything American style.  So I asked him to sit up.  The patient's family seemed to be resisting the idea, but I insisted.  We were going to do a proper thorough exam.  So I did my long long exam and then offered to pray for the patient.  We prayed and he then told me that he hasn't been able to sit so long without pain for the month since he fell and here he was sitting comfortably. There were tears in his eyes and that look, that you just know someone is really moved/being touched by God. So we left him.  Apparently 5 minutes later he was sitting with his leg up so comfortably healed by God! hehe! He is sooo good. I wish I could have captured the look on his face.  You just had to see it! I love how God works.  More miracles happened, but that is the one that struck me the most that day. 

Everyday just got better with me asking less medical questions and turning more and more to prayer.  It was just too hot to do anythings else and by then end of the first two days, I was like, what is the point of medicine for 7-14 days, then what does the patient have left? Nothing! So just pray and get them healed.  What God does is permanent, free and has no side effects! What could be better!  That said, it was fun working with the premed / Nursing students and having them practice what we they learned on the bus ride or before clinic started.  By the end they even got to see their own patients with supervision of course and they were sooo good!  It is good to know the knowledge but what anyone who worked with  me left with is that God is the one who heals on this trip!

The first day we saw a lot of aches and pain and stomach problems be healed. My favorite of that day was a boy who had 2 years of hearing loss.  He got healed! :)  Like I said, the days just got better and better and more and more people left healed and without meds.  I had been wondering where all the eyesight problems and the usual no one can do anything for you problems were. I love getting those cause God has to heal them.  But this year I found out triage was so "good" they weren't sending those cases to the doctors.  How sad :(   Not knowing this of course, I just prayed for people with cataracts.  Usually they need surgery, but in Cambodia that is not likely to happen, so I love praying for them and watching God heal them.  So the clinic after I prayed, they appeared. Not as patients with vision problems, but other problems and when I would ask about their vision cause they just had that "I can't see well" look about them, they would say their vision was foggy.  The first day after I started asking we prayed for at least 3-4 patients like that and they all got healed, so finally I just asked one what exactly changed.  This patient said that before prayer he couldn't see my translator sitting next to him and after prayer he could see as far as there was to see! If I can get the videos to post then I will place them on facebook.  This time I actually bought a video camera so that I could document some of the the stuff that happens.  Pictures are cool. Videos are so much better. Of course the first three days I was a little squeemish taking it out, but I am so glad I did at least for some of the patients the last three days!  The next day triage actually brought me a patient who had poor vision so I could pray for him.  They had prayed and he was better and but not healed yet so we got to pray with him.  It was awesome! He's on video too! The cambodians are so hard to read.  You can't tell what they are thinking.  Even after getting healed they are so solemn faced most of the time, but occassionally that genuine joy leaked through but sometimes the video stopped it! I just wished I had videoed before and after stuff and not just the testimonial after.  Next time! :)  The last day we had cute clinic with air! It was so wonderful!!! And after I prayed for a bathroom in our room cause that saves so much time! And after I prayed, it was always there! :) God is so good!  But I digress, back to the last clinic.  We had a lot of people numb from the knees down.  We didn't have a glucometer (I couldn't check their sugars - we had run out of strips early on), we dont have any labs we do, I knew how poor these patients are, so we prayed.  And God healed everyone with this problem.  Someone brought down a patient with a sky high blood pressure. The kind that causes strokes at any point in time.  So we started her on three meds and since it was the last day could give her more then the scant supply we usually would.  But she had pains and vision that was so bad that she fell coming to clinic because she couldn't see.  God healed those while we treated her BP hehe!  My favorite patient that day was a lady who came in with a complaint of feeling more on her left side.  I told Peter and my translator, either she is crazy or she had a stroke on the other side and can't feel well on right and thus has this complaint.  Well it was the latter and so we prayed.  What else can you do? She couldn't feel anything at all on the right side (arm or leg) despite testing over and over.  We prayed two times and nothing happened.  Then I said, we'll pray once more and then if nothing happens, I am going to give her an aspirin and send her home.  To my surprise, she said she could feel normally on the other side.  I tested, my translator tested her and then Peter tested her.  And just to make sure she wasn't just saying it cause she thought we might keep her all day praying for her he had her close her eyes and touched her skin and asked if she could feel it.  She said yes.  Tricky Peter then asked her again, can you feel it, but didn't touch her this time. And she said no! She really was healed! hehe! :) God is sooo good! Of course there are so many more stories.  The 4th or 5th clinic this pregnant lady came in. She was 9 months pregnant and had stomach and back pain and carpal tunnel so bad she said her hand didn't even feel like it was part of her (meaning total loss of sensation).  So we prayed and she got healed!!! She was sooo surprised. She was just staring at her hand in disbelief moving it! It was wonderful!

Now if you haven't met me, you might be thinking, "Oh Sapna is so cool! She has so much faith.!" but that isn't true.  It is all God and His love for patients.  The 4th clinic I was praying for patients and there were no immediate healings and I was going to stop asking them if they were healed and just pray instead and right when I made that decision Peter came by and saw a patient with me.  After we prayed he said, "Aren't you going to ask if he is healed."  He was used to my usual drill by now and I just said said, "If you want to, go ahead."  So he did and the patient was and needless to say the rest of the trip we asked everyone and everyone we prayed for had God work in their lives.  He's so cool.  So, I am not so cool. But He is and He cares so much about His children that even when I am weak, He sends help.  He is sooo awesome!

 Before the first trip to Cambodia two years ago I had been struggling with the whole area of healing.  I grew up in a church, where healing was a matter of course.  People got healed and that is just the way it was.  I remember the first month we were there, someone's leg grew out. We were shocked  no one else in church was even watching and we got front row seats! (ok we stood around and watched).  We had a man with terminal cancer given two weeks left to live not only get healed but although the docs had told him he would never have children due to his medical therapy 5 years ago, he now even has 2 healthy kids! Our pastor was awesome and put very clearly in our minds that the supernatural gifts of God are for everyone and don't in any way make you special, nor do you earn them.  But of course these days there is an oohhh and ahhh factor that many people have.  An exultation of man and talk about "annointing", "gifting", need for intercession (praying a lot to make something happen) etc.  And so before the trip I remember praying, God, I know these things work for some people some of the time, but I don't think any of these things are right.  It just says in the bible that we (Christians) will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.   But honestly God, I don't see that either.  I need to know the truth.  My 2nd patient the first day was frustratingly complicated and while I was complaining in my head to God that I would never emotionally survive this trip if I couldn't even diagnose and treat my 2nd patient the 1st day (if people were going to be so sick and we were going to be so helpless).  And while I was thinking all this my translator said the patient was saying that while I was examining her she got healed! You will lay hands on the sick and they will recover! It was true! It was actually true! I couldn't believe it! I hadn't been planning to pray for the patient, I hadn't "interceded", there was nothing to cause this to happen, but God and His love! Sometimes people feel they have to arrive and healings happen, but really in India my sister has any new person pray and people get healed. Sometimes seeing that open their hearts to God.  So you of course can pray! :)  God loves to heal His children.  And if you don't see someone healed, just pray again.  Pray till you want to stop.  And what do you pray.  Whatever you want. It doesn't matter what words you use.  Most of the time in cambodia I just said God heal them and started praying in tongues.  And it doesn't take long.  Just seconds to a minute :) It's all for His glory! :)

God is a good God. So much happened this trip.  A whole side chapter I haven't even written about yet, but most of you know anyways.  Since April's trip to the Philippines I have been wanting to open an orphanage in Cambodia.  I had heard there was a need - that people were killing their babies in order to survive.  So I arrived with the objective of finding out if I was going to go through with it.  The first week I wasn't sure.  Then we went to the orphanage.  It was strange.  I walked in and a little girl put her hand in mine and walked with me for a bit.  I was really hot and tired and wasn't interacting much with the kids after examing them but she came back and just sat in my lap and after a while we sang songs together and she just happened to know the one I picked (fairly new song, so I was a little surprised).  During the song service, I picked an older girl and danced with her.  And then we just held hands.  I didn't say much to her.  My mind wasn't working.  But just gave her a hug or two.  As we all left she started to cry.  I couldn't believe it.  Other people had been holding their kids, playing with their kids and here I did nothing and she was crying, not just little tears.  My talk with Pastor Glen the next clinic only confirmed more that I should do this, but something was holding me back.  I wasn't feeling it from my heart the way I did when I first started talking to people about it.  And as the second week carried on the idea grew more distant because it seemed like there were no babies being killed. And the current trend is against orphanages and to instead change communities.   Kids have a hard time reassimilating into normal society afterwards.  One missionary I talked to was very discouraging towards the whole idea and she too like everyone else had never heard of the killings.  So by the end of the last clinic, I had decided to swallow my pride and I was going to let everyone know it wasn't going to happen. So many people had offered to help if I decided to do it, but there just didn't seem to be a need and my heart hadn't committed still.  That night I talked to one more missionary.  So hoping he would say YES!!! But he too had never heard of it.  So I asked him what I could do to help.  He works in community outreach via healthcare and is a nurse. Since finances were taken care of, I asked what else I could do. Did he need training. And he said yes. He wanted to train up people since man power was low. It is pretty  much just him doing everything.  So if you are a healthcare worker and want to help (you dont have to physicaly go there, I have lots of stuff for you to do otherwise as well),or if you are not and want to donate equipment - stethescopes etc - let me know!  So I thought this was it! This is what I was going to do in Cambodia.  I felt great. 

But God is sooo good! The last day I spent with Micheal.  It worked with him for one patient 2 years ago.  I had had him pray for this lady who couldn't hear well and couldn't see and she got healed in the most amazing way in clinic that day! He took me to where he volunteers in the slums, using his own meager income to buy rice and other things for the poor there.  The first family has 5 children and three have such tight leg contractures they can't walk.  Apparently their Mom went to the hospital for a while and when she came back they were like this! How that could have happened I don't know.  I will post pics on facebook and if anyone knows an orthopedic surgeon who would be willing to help at least the 9 year old or a PT who could help, let me know.  These kids are sooo poor.  The 16 year olds upper arm is 1/2 the size of my wrist.  You will see it in the pics when I post them in a few days.  We visited other people and there was one lady he wanted me to meet for sure.  Apparently in the villages parents still arrange weddings and this girl ran away with her boyfriend and got married, but after she became pregnant her husband left her and she was ostracized by the community and was forced out of necessity to marry an old man.  I saw her picture from before and it was so sad.  So I talked to her about her health and little about Jesus.  She wants to come to church, but talking to her and hearing about a lady who has been asking Micheal for help to get out of her abusive relationship, I realized that something needs to be done for these women.  My biggest obstacle in helping adults has been I don't know how to make them financially independent.  But Micheal had answers to everything when I asked him different questions.  So by the time I returned to the crippled kids I not only wanted to build an orphanage (these kids are going to die long before a community is changed and just that morning while waiting for Micheal I talked to a translator who had grown up in an orphanage and was well adjusted and doing well now and so thankful for the chance to grow up there!) but a women's shelter and even had a plan on how to make them independent.  As I talked to Micheal more and learned about his life (how he could be living the comfortable life since he comes from a rich family) and why he is doing this, I decided he is the person to make this happen for me.  He is working for another group right now.  I want to steal him! hehe! Pray that God's will be done!

There is so much to do now! Anyone who knows anything about openning a non-profit or has contacts who do let me know! If you want to help with either of the projects - let me know - all skills can probably be used somehow!  Thanks everyone! Pray for me that I can put everythign I need together before I leave for Japan!  I will either need to lock myself in a room and not check email or sleep very little! :)  So far the latter option has been working amazingly well, but hehe! :)  So again, all help is appreciated - putting together talks on topics (there are topics for non medical people too), researching stuff, helping with the paperwork etc or praying! :) thank- you!!!

Just a few more stories and thoughts.  I have gone on 4 trips now and somehow I have never gottn to speak at evangelism. This time I asked for it from God and it happened right away! I even got another offer, but volunteered someone else! :) God is soo good!

I really wanted a certain roommate and didn't get her the first day.  So I thought it wouldn't happen. But God made it that I ended up with her the next day when we changed hotels. I was very pleasantly surprised.  I wanted to talk to her but somehow we didn't get a chance to talk much. I was a little bummed when we returned to our old hotel and I figured I would lose her as my roommate.  To my surprise we got to keep each other and that night we talked a long time, right as we were getting ready to sleep and it was so cool, she got filled with the Holy Spirit. But what is cooler, she called her husband in Japan and told him and he got filled with the Holy Spirit. And what is really weird, they told me the next day I would be moving to another room! God and His perfect timing!

And lastly.  This trip was really cool in many ways.  My first trip I hadn't practiced medicine in 1 1/2 years and it was a little freaky until I started seeing patients.  But this trip, after having studied for my boards, everything was so easy and fast. Didn't have to look things up as much and it felt so good.  This is the first trip where I got asked a lot of questions by other docs and dentists and people and I had answers of the top of my head.  Stuff that would have been more of a struggle had the timing been off - I would have had to look them up.  It felt nice to be competent, but it was interesting that despite the competency, I still had to rely on God and God alone to really treat all my patients. God is so wonderful.

Well, there is so much more I could say, but I need to stop after a short little bit about my layover in Korea.  I met up with two of my favorite people.  I had been wanting to sight see - see a castle, but I had given up all home almost and God just made it happen without me asking when we got there! And I wanted to try on traditional Korean outfits and outside the castle they were doing it! So we all put them on! heheh! God is soo wonderful.  he never stops working in our lives, not even on our vacation!  And of course all the movies I wanted to see, i got to, even the unplanned hannah montana movie! hehe!

Hopefully I will post pics soon, but no promises and only on facebook most likely so add me if you haven't already and want to see them.  God bless. please be praying for me and all the above, especially that family with the crippled boys and Micheal.