From the Field
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song."
PSALM 28:7
We are Thankful
For our American friends and family, November is a month of thankfulness. With natural disasters and political strife affecting friends and family all over the world, we are yet again reminded that choosing gratitude takes courage.
We pray this report of gratitude strengthens you to celebrate what the Lord has done for you, too.
RAIN TREE Hospital Campus
In September, the main hospital campus saw 486 outpatients, 48 inpatients, 22 surgeries, and 6 deliveries.
Once or twice a year, we hold a sports fellowship for staff, students, and everyone on campus. Participants are grouped together to compete against each other in football and volleyball. During this particular fellowship in October, the duty team couldn’t play, but they still felt happy that their friends enjoyed the games and relaxed. It’s heartening to see our staff and students having fun and building friendships through sports.
Please pray for rest and encouragement as our staff and students unceasingly serve all who come to them for help.
It Takes a Village—or Six
A 26-year-old man arrived with a severe and complicated surgical problem—a penetrating abdominal injury with intestinal perforation and right ulnar open fracture caused by a bomb blast. We did an emergency laparotomy to save his life, then referred him to Thailand for further care.
With roads washed out by rainy season, getting him there was no easy task. But for the Karen, difficult does not mean impossible. Our staff transported him halfway by truck. He was entrusted to villagers to carry him by “bambulance” (a hammock strapped to a bamboo pole) over the mountain to the next truck. Then a boat took him across the border to another clinic, who helped him reach Mae Sariang Hospital for treatment.
In all, the journey to Thailand took 12 hours of travel over 2 days with frequent stops to rest—very hard for a patient in pain. But he made it.
We never stop being blown away by the great care and exertion the Karen people show to help a stranger—but a brother—reach the life-saving care that he needs. Thank you for supporting their ability to do so.
Please pray for roads to be rebuilt quickly so that more patients like this young man can receive life-saving care in time.
FRONTLINE Mobile Surgical Clinic
Please pray for the safety of our team of 8 working at the frontlines right now—5 PAs, a nurse, an engineer, and photographer. In October they had 83 outpatients, 7 inpatients, and 3 surgeries including 13 war-related injuries.
Thank you for making it possible to intervene for critical patients where they're at.
PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE Program
Year 1 students continue their academic studies in reading, English, math, and medical terminology, and have begun making rounds in the clinic.
Year 2 students are studying the genitourinary system, diarrhea and nutrition, anthelminthic drugs, breast examination, and labor induction and augmentation medicines. They took pharmacology, genitourinary, and lab theory exams. In the clinic, they are practicing taking and presenting patient histories and physicals.
Year 3 students are practicing skills and procedures in the clinic with doctor guidance. In the classroom, they are studying neurological problems, ultrasounds for placenta previa (PPH) and abruptio placenta (APH), and lab procedures like blood grouping, urine REME, and stool microscopic examination. They had exams for PPH and APH .
Year 4 students studied and took exams on OBGY topics like PPH, APH, ultrasound, and miscarriage. They are studying snake bite, dental theory with a KDHW dentist, and computers. They continue having SOAP Notes case discussions every Friday.
Surgical PAs are training Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with surgical and OBGY doctors. PA graduates and Surgical PAs have OBGY refreshers every Monday.
We are thankful for students and staff who are so fully devoted to learning and serving.
ENGINEERING TECH Program
Our E-Tech training program is getting a new location in Mae Sariang! This will accommodate all of our E-tech training and keep the primary training center free for PA and staff trainings and staff retreats.
This month both Y1 and Y2 worked on the mechanic shop building at the new location. We made the concrete slab, changed the roof, and made the wall smooth.
For this project, Y1 students worked under the supervision of the Y2 students. In November, we will continue working on the electrical wiring of this building.
We are thankful for their hard work preparing to welcome future students as the E-Tech program grows.
EMAF FOUNDATION Chiang Mai
Severe flooding in Chiang Mai has receded, and the city is cleaning up from massive damage. Many people lost so much in their homes and businesses: furniture, bedding, appliances, stock for their shops. Motorcycles and cars had to be dried and cleaned.
The Thais are very resourceful—but please continue to pray for those who have lost so much. If you would like to help our staff recover from the flooding in their homes, we would be grateful for your gift:
To date in 2024, our community programs around Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Sariang have helped a total of 268 households with over 1,000 people.
We had another cooking competition. The winner was squid cooked in 3 unique ways!
