Scalpel!

It's Thursday night, 11:36 p.m. in Cambodia. I've just returned from an evening of excellent food and conversation on the starlit beach of Sihanoukville. Ditching my responsibilites in Phnom Penh, I brazenly boarded a minibus with 4 of my cohorts this afternoon and spent a good 4 hours in transit, all with the sole purpose of irradiating ourselves on the beautiful beaches of Cambodia's southern coast.

But no, that's no all! This morning was a hit too! I held the scalpel in an operation for the first time! After Dr. Leng had completed a plastic surgery on one side of our patient, he said, "Now you do the other side." So I got to remove a deformity from a 14-year-old girl today, from the scalpel to the sutures. It was quite exhilerating. In less radical news, I also intubated one patient today and did an IV line in another... nothing major, but still stuff I get excited about.

This may be along the same theme as the mercy that I was talking about earlier, but I've really felt challenged to respond to everyone I meet in a loving way. I've been thinking a lot about the people who care about me, and how I feel loved because of their attention and concern for my well-being and all that. It's great! Chances are good that you're one of those people if you're reading this. The bad news is, I probably find too much security in you, and not enough in God, one thing I'd really like Him to remedy. Then again, maybe we are ALL created for community and SHOULD be that dependent on each other.

If that's the case, the question becomes am I offering the kind of love to the people I meet that God generously offers me, both directly and through others. And in fact, my standard should be higher, because God has given us infinite love to disperse if we are able to receive it.

Basically, today I was trying to respond to every single person I contacted in a way consistent with the love of God that lives in me. Focusing on that made me realize how far I have to go, but also made me realize that Christ wasn't all about hugs and grins... some people need a good stern "no" while others require a bit of pushing to get moving in the right direction.

We're staying at a guest house here in Sihanoukville and I think I'll head there now. Your comments are always incredibly welcome... I've really gotten a boost from them. It's almost like being around family, except not. Hmm. Anyway. Love you all!