Working towards Wonderful Healing Home

We are hugely gladdened by the encouragement that we have received since we have signed the lease on the healing home. June 22 is the date that we are working towards for the dedication and launch of the house. At this stage, Chris Lee, our pastor and very good friend from New Plymouth, is set to come out for this time. Toowoomba City Church are pretty certain to send out someone from their leadership too - how exciting is that!

We've had three really productive meetings over the last few days - a lunch meeting with Pastor Jesse and his wife Soar, time with two people who run medical missions teams into the provinces from New Life Fellowship, and then a great hour with the pastors of New Life this morning.

In everything, we are speaking the same language. The medical guys were so excited, as constantly they are faced with huge needs, and simply no-where to take people. They shared hospital horror stories and dismay at the lack of caring, competent facilities. We are making it very clear that this is not 'our baby' - but that we serve in this vision under and as a ministry of New Life. We want the healing homes to be Cambodian, not ex-pat.

The guys were great to be with this morning. Here they are - minus Samdy who is up in Battambang this week.

New Life Fellowship pastors - Pisit, Johnny, Jesse, Mara and Samnang

They have set me up with a translator for this Friday, when we go back to the home to finalise a lot of details. Then we have beds to organise (maybe bunks too - as family members nearly always accompany the sick), bedding galore, big cooking pots, washing machine, office set-up and many other things that we have yet to think of!

A visiting ministry is teaching on Jesus Our Healer for a whole week in early June, so this is exciting too - and ideal timing for people to follow through and become part of the volunteer team in this work.

Reception area at the front - yes, the bed will have to go!

Part of the preperation is within us - that God may put something fresh of His life and refreshing. Next week we are heading to Jakarta, Indonesia for a 4-day conference. This was Susie's doing - she had a real sense that we were to attend a place of refreshing and went on an internet search. For those of you in New Plymouth who remember Jill Austin, she will be one of the eight ministries there. We told a friend or two who told a friend ... now seven of us are going, including Mark and Jo, Pam (who is a part of our Sunday night homegroup) and Marion Fromm (the Aussie legend who has raised up the dried fruit business that emplys landmine amputees).