Last Day of First Week of Medical Classes

It is truly awesome to see what all our students have learned in just a week of medical training!
The last day of the first week of medical classes was just as full as the other four days this week. The students had several important lectures on diagnosing and treating various diseases they will see regularly, including colds and viruses. Dr. Cindy taught also about breast cancer and early detection and treatment. The students also got to try another hands-on experience that was very practical.
At the beginning of the day, while Dr. John Paul continued teaching about interviewing patients to make a proper diagnosis, Jon, Clark, Mark, and Brian took a quick hike to the top of the mountain overlooking the KLC. Jon was the only one that had been there before, so it was a real treat for the other three to see the panoramic view from up there.
When we got back, Dr. Mark Royer taught about colds and viruses and their treatment. Brian even got involved for a few minutes of teaching because, as a Ph. D. student in Chemistry, he is well-qualified to tell the students the difference between bacteria and viruses. One of them responds to antibiotics, and the other does not. Do you know which is which, and why only one of them responds to antibiotics?
While the teaching was going on, Clark was doing important things like taking this picture of the flip flops and sandals lined up outside the Jones Building. His question was: Can you tell which flip flops belong to Jon and Clark?
In the afternoon, the students learned about broken bones and what to do to help their patients heal from them. Dr. Mark taught them about the use of a special bandage to help someone with a broken jaw. Then the students each got to practice this bandaging technique.
At the end of the day, we all knew it was time for the students to say goodbye to Jon, Clark, Mark, and Brian. It was a very emotional time of goodbyes, first as Thinbey expressed for the class their appreciation for us and the teaching we did. The class also presented us with gifts of Burmese bamboo tea mugs, a scrolled map of Burma, and FLC Barefoot Doctors T-shirts. Then they had the four of us sit down on chairs while they surrounded us and prayed for God's blessing upon us. It was both a humbling and amazingly-encouraging experience for all four of us! Several of us were teary-eyed when the prayer was over.
We were glad we got several pictures of the whole class before we left. There were also many other pictures taken. Then we drove a few miles to see the agricultural land the mission has on our way to Beverley Kalnin's house for supper together. She and Rebekah, Chris Kalnin's fiance, prepared us and the other doctors a wonderful meal, probably the best meal we have had since coming to Thailand. The final shot of this section is of Jon, Deezi, and Clark at the side of Beverley's house. Deezi is one of our great friends in Thailand, and he was our driver all week.
On Saturday morning, Dr. Nilson, Dr. Royer, Rick Astone, and Brian Zeider joined men from FLC to drive to Hui Bong village about four hours west of Chiang Mai. There they planned to see the children of the preschool and other villagers who needed a checkup or some medical help. They are spending the night in the vilage and worshiping with the church Sunday morning, and then they will return to Chiang Mai just in time for Mark and Brian to fly home to America. Rick and Bjorn will continue to oversee the teaching for the next five weeks. They will also continue to post blogs to this blogspot, so STAY TUNED! There is much more to come after today!

We told you yesterday that we needed to get blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes for our 26 students. That need has been met, because a doctor and his wife in the US donated enough of these for everyone! They will arrive with another doctor on Monday when she comes to teach our students. We are very happy to have this donation! Now our limited funds can go to medicines and other medical tools for our students to take back with them. We are checking on prices in Thailand for these things, so in a couple of days we hope to tell you how you can help with these if you wish to. As He has done all the way through this school, God is supplying what we need each step along the way!

On Saturday, Jon and Clark got one last day of sightseeing around beautiful Chiang Mai. They walked into the Old City again and went to the oldest and largest wat in the city, Wat Chedi Luang. The main building is over 500 years old! Some of the top of it was destroyed in an earthquake many years ago, but it is still very impressive. Almost equally impressive is the more modern temple in front of it. Enjoy the pictures!


We, Jon and Clark, will begin our journey home on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. We will arrive at Dulles Airport Sunday morning, very glad to see our families again! We will be carrying in our minds many wonderful memories of new friends and great experiences. Our hearts are full as we have seen God at work in unbelievable ways these past two weeks! Once again, we thank you for your support and for your prayers. We are anxious to tell you all about our trip and what God is doing in Thailand and Burma.