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

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Sorting, classifying and packing the medicine The team all raring to go With all the stars in the sky, wind on our faces and the distant light of the fishing boats, the night was too good to waste. We sat around to yakity-yak. Our host, Lincoln, casually dropped a bombshell. By now, I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. I almost died when Lincoln said that there were rats on board and they were of the suitcase eating kind. He suggested that we take out all food items from our rooms and leave them on the table he provided. I reminded myself that I had to wash my mouth thoroughly and not to leave any food between my teeth in case rats decided to drop in. A New Dawn And History In The Making Sun on the horizon, birds in the sky and cool sweet air to stir our lungs, early morning time was best for Bible study and quiet time. Each one of us had our favorite spot. It was so inspiring. What a wonderful way to start a new day. Jemara, our first port of call, was a fifteen minute boat ride away; not counting the time we took to start the outboard motor. Jemara, we found out, had thirty-seven families and a population of about 150 people plus some chickens. Apart from this, we had no idea what awaited us. By now, our motivation was so high that we were ready to face anything. Access to Jemara was by sea only and we could see practically the entire village from our boat. The people were mostly local Muslims plus some Hainanese and Teochews. They had very few possessions apart from boats and TVs. To city folk like us, they seemed to lead idyllic lives under the swaying coconut palms. It reminded me of my childhood days in the kampong. The villagers were friendly and full of smiles. We were assigned to the village school and a room no bigger than the hall we use in PP for the youth classes. Our Real Heroes and Heroines No amount of words can do justice to the dedication, love and care of our two doctors, five nurses and the rest of the medical team. The entire operation was divided into areas for
Reception and Preliminary Screening, Waiting, Doctor Examination, Dressing and Dispensary. Due to lack of space and a bit of language difficulties, the first few hours were rather chaotic, but settled down quickly. The bottlenecks were no different from any medical center. They were at the Registration and Preliminary Screening and Waiting areas. Our team worked non-stop until everyone who needed medical attention was attended to, including two house calls. From the faces of the villagers, I could tell that we touched their lives and made a difference. It was not only Smiling village children expensive but also a very long journey for these villagers to travel to Batam to get any medical treatment. I estimate that our team attended to about forty people from Jemara. We finished at about two o’clock and decided to go back to the kelong for lunch. First Day Debrief After another Blue Mountain sumptuous lunch of fresh seafood, green papaya curry, etc. we settled down to a serious debrief. We found a couple of areas that we could improve on for the following day’s mission. The rest of the afternoon was free for each of us to do our own thing. I went searching for a new towel. A Million Dollar Sunrise We woke the next day to a beautiful sunrise. In my years of travelling, I have not come across such a picturesque sunrise. The one that I waited for hours in Angkor Wat was no match for this. What a glorious day this would be!
Page 1 and 2: My Maiden Medical Mission to the Ri
Page 3: Our Lord Reigns During our welcomin
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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