From the Field: Heavy Rain Brings Need for Faith and Prayer
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
For I am the LORD your God."
ISAIAH 43:2a, 3a NKJV
Rain or Shine, Our Transports Keep Running!
It's the rainy season again! It feels like the last one just ended. With the rains come washed-out roads, raging rivers, and damaged roads and bridges. The fighting often eases during this season, but transportation becomes much more difficult, and patient numbers also begin to decline.
Still, our transportation team never uses the rain as an excuse. They continue delivering medicines and essential supplies to keep our clinic and campus running. Sometimes the roads are so badly damaged that they have no choice but to turn back. But as soon as the heavy rains ease, they work to clear and repair the washed-out roads so they can continue the journey to have the campus and clinic operate.
The quieter season also creates valuable opportunities. With fewer patients, our physicians and surgeons are able to spend more time teaching our Physician Associates (PAs) and Advanced PA Fellowship (APF) students, who also have more time to deepen their studies.
The rain may slow us down, but it never dampens our commitment to serve. Instead, our staff and students embrace this season as an opportunity to keep serving, learning, and growing in every way possible.
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In June 2026, the PA program continued to provide structured teaching and practical learning across all five years, while also conducting student evaluations and a sports fellowship during the fourth week.
Year 1 students at MSR studied English, mathematics, biology, and anatomy and physiology, and they participated in Thai language learning every Saturday.
Year 2 students completed daily morning history-taking and physical-examination sessions at RTC, skill lab procedures, lectures on diarrhea, and introductory clinical laboratory training, along with examinations in introduction to pharmacology, antihistamines, anti-TB drugs, asthma medications, adrenal corticosteroids, and mathematics.
Year 3 students learned about spinal anesthesia, advanced laboratory techniques, ECG, and SOAP note documentation for internal medicine and surgery, followed by examinations in GI bleeding and mathematics.
Year 4 students studied GI bleeding and pediatric developmental milestones, and they participated in weekly SOAP note sessions before completing a GI bleeding examination.
Year 5 students continued their learning in public health, mental health, and internal-medicine SOAP note documentation. Throughout the month, students actively engaged in lectures, practical sessions, and assessments to strengthen their clinical knowledge and professional skills.
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Natural farming continued with both development projects and routine farm operations. This week, work included extending the pigsty to improve animal housing, clearing weeds in the crop fields to promote healthy plant growth, and digging canals to enhance water management. In addition to these activities, the team carried out daily tasks by feeding and caring for the chickens, pigs, and ducks, while ensuring the animals were healthy and their living areas remained clean and well maintained.
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This month, our Year 1 students continued building a strong academic foundation through physics, mathematics, and English. These subjects are helping them develop the knowledge and skills they need to prepare for more advanced technical studies in the coming years.
Year 2 students completed an intensive, hands-on solar-energy training led by Garrick. They learned how to design, size, install, and test complete solar-power systems, including selecting components, calculating electrical loads, determining optimal panel placement, and following safe installation practices. By the end of the training, the students successfully installed a fully functional solar-power system as a team, gaining valuable practical skills and confidence.
Year 3 students entered their internship year, applying their classroom knowledge through hands-on training in their specialized fields. Construction students worked on mini projects, electrical students focused on solar-power system troubleshooting and maintenance, and mechanical students studied truck engines while gaining practical experience as volunteer intern co-workers at a local repair shop.
War-Related Surgeries Continue
In June 2026, our hospital treated 444 OPD patients and 99 IPD patients, supported four deliveries, and conducted 68 surgeries. War-related injuries increased to 27 cases, including landmine, drone attack, motor blast, and gunshot injuries. Most surgical cases were related to the conflict, requiring wound debridement, laparotomy, and amputations, including two above-the-knee amputations. Because of the severity of some cases, three patients were referred to Thailand and two to RTC for advanced treatment. Despite the ongoing challenges, medical staff continued providing compassionate, lifesaving care to those most affected by the conflict.
Special Advanced PA Fellowship Case Write-Up by Recent PA Graduate, Eh Joe Jin
A 3-day-old baby boy named Saw Moo was assessed this morning using a skin bilirubin probe, which showed a bilirubin level of 371mmol/dl, later confirmed with serum bilirubin. The baby’s birth weight was 2.6kg (5.7 pounds) and current weight is 2.4kg (5.3 pounds). This is the first baby admitted to our neonatal care unit. Both mother and father were O positive blood type. The baby’s blood type was also O+.
There is no facility for G6PD assay available now in RTC. The baby had cephalhaematoma (bleeding underneath the scalp) at the right parietal skull bone due to a difficult vacuum failed Cesarean section delivery. Our presumed diagnosis in this baby was neonatal jaundice due to a combination of physiological jaundice and cephalhaematoma. We started double blue phototherapy (overhead blue light) and biliblanket simultaneously. We managed to get an optimal Neutral Thermal Environment for the baby. The environmental temperature was 28°C (80°F), while inside the incubator (tent), the temperature was maintained at 33°C (86°F) to ensure a Neutral Thermal Environment for the baby. Aseptic protocol was followed according to neonatal ward protocol. Daily serum bilirubin checks were done. The baby responded to our phototherapy management and started to get better day by day. He was discharged on day six of life from the neonatal ward.
Praying for Peace, Healing, and Open Doors
On the first Saturday of every month, we gather for a monthly fasting and prayer meeting to seek God's guidance for the ongoing work and upcoming events of Earth Mission.
During this time, we come together to pray for our communities; our organization's leaders, staff, and students; and our faithful donors and ministry partners. Above all, we pray for our country, asking God to bring peace, healing, and open doors for humanitarian work to reach those in need.
At this time, we are especially praying for Dr. Mitch and Caryl as they travel and participate in fundraising events. We ask God to grant them wisdom, strength, and good health throughout their journey. We also pray that every church and every person they meet will experience the peace, love, and presence of God through them, and that He will bless every opportunity to share Earth Mission's vision and work.
From Texas to the UK: It's been great to see you!
In June, we had good visits in Texas traveling to Midland, Wimberley, and San Antonio.
We’re thankful for the Barnabas Aid event in London, UK, on June 20. We met many of the Barnabas Aid team, and they learned more about Earth Mission. We will visit their headquarters on July 16.
On June 29 and 30, we had Earth Mission planning meetings in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. There were good discussions with the US board and staff.
On July 5,The Karen Baptist Church in Clarksville, Arkansas, was so welcoming and really understood the area we were speaking about.
Pray for our upcoming meetings:
July 16: Barnabas Aid headquarters team, Swindon, UK
July 24-29: Christian Fellowship Church, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
August 9: Fellowship Chapel Church, Bristol, Virginia, USA
Mitch and I never get to see all the people we would like to visit, as time is too short. Know that we think of so many of you and are very thankful for all your prayers and support.
