My Maiden Medical Mission to the Riau Archipelago - Pasir Panjang ...

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Olivia presenting a gift to brother Winston Bolt A group picture before we start off As each of us settled down in our favorite spot on the boat, the prospect of a medical mission without the “medical” portion set in. Despite the gravity of the situation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that spirits remained high. The conversation focused on solutions and not the problem. It was time to turn to our Father and I could see many of us, especially our interns, praying quietly for help. Meanwhile, I had a little reality check of my own. I asked elder Beng Chuan if he could assign me to a non-smoking room on the kelong. He said, “No problem and by the way, brother Cheng Chong, I forgot to tell you that we are all going to sleep dormitory style in one room.” I almost choked when I heard this information given to me in his calm and reassuring voice. I quietly kicked myself, realizing that it was now a little too late to ask him for his definition of “Five Star”. Well, I thought, at least he had the sense to separate the men and women in different rooms. It would be disastrous if he had us all sleeping in one big room. I began to doze off on the boat wondering what else elder Beng Chuan had forgotten to mention to me. Introducing…. Our Fabulous Couple: Daisy and Lincoln Ong Our hosts Lincoln and Daisy Ong, who had met up with us at the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal were not only our hosts as owner and operator of the Blue Mountain Kelong, but were also one of the pillars that contributed to our mission’s success. Having spent the past decade in this area, Lincoln knew his way around the villages and more importantly, the villagers knew and trusted him. He took care of all our logistics, right down to tables and chairs for a surprise beach picnic somewhere in the Riau Archipelago. Daisy certainly knew her way around the kitchen, making sure that we were all happily fed. No two meals were exactly the same. Clearly, they had put a lot of thought into our needs. It was a great blessing for us to have them. Setting Foot On Blue Mountain There was a slight drizzle when our water limousine pulled alongside the Blue Mountain Kelong. I was the first one out for I had appointed myself the official photographer of the mission. A welcoming fresh coconut drink awaited us when we disembarked. After I helped myself to a few more glasses, I was ready to meet my bed for the next three nights. I fancied the one by the windows and claimed it for myself. We settled down quickly as a sumptuous lunch was beckoning and we stuffed ourselves unabashedly with fresh “gong gong”, crabs, squids, etc. The chilli belachan was out of this world.
Our Lord Reigns During our welcoming lunch the good news came over the cell phone that all the medicine had cleared customs and was on its way to us that very afternoon. Praise our Almighty God. With God on our side, who can be against us Getting Down To Business We wasted no time in getting down to business, planning for our first medical mission to Jemara Village the next day. Our welcome lunch and our happy doctors Exploring The “Five Star” Kelong Our planning session No wonder everyone was walking around with smiles on their faces. My thoughts turned to Hong Siok, my usual travelling kakis and the PP brethren we left behind in Singapore, thinking “Boy, they will never know what they have missed!” I had some time to kill before dinner, so I took the opportunity to check out the facility. The “openness” of the kelong gave me a feeling of being closer to God and His handiwork. The nearest neighbor and his dog were at least two hundred meters away. The steady cool wind, fresh from the sea, was truly invigorating. The emerald sea below and the clear blue sky above were scenes from travel brochures. It was time for a nice hot shower and to dress for an evening with good food, devotion and fellowship. I started to look for the freshly laundered towels and toiletries you expect in a Five Star establishment. Couldn’t find any! From his bed, elder Beng Chuan spoke like he knew what was on my mind. He said, “Cheng Chong, there are no towels. Didn’t you bring Presenting a gift Pak Jali, head of Jemara your own” This stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and caught the disarming smile on his face. I knew I couldn’t hurt such a nice chap. I had to think fast. Ah! I could use the piece of towel that I brought along to separate my clean clothes from the dirty ones. Off to the shower I went. To my horror, there was no hot water! I called out to elder Beng Chuan, “Elder Beng Chuan, are you sure you and I are from the same planet” My First Kelong Night Dinner could not come soon enough after such an eventful day. It was BBQ tonight. Food was excellent and the conversation was equally enjoyable. Everyone was in high spirits (not the liquid kind) and looking forward to the maiden medical mission tomorrow. After dinner, we gathered for a round of singing, devotion and sharing. During the singing, I discovered that we had in our midst, sitting next to me, a fantastic voice. Every time I heard her, I felt like I was at a Broadway musical. Seriously, I could not have enough of her singing.
Page 1: My Maiden Medical Mission to the Ri
Page 5 and 6: Reception and Preliminary Screening
Page 7 and 8: Batam Medical Missions by Louise Ye
Page 9: Page 4 PP’s First Medical Mission

My Maiden Medical Mission to the Riau Archipelago - Pasir Panjang ...

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