Wonderful Leaks

If you know me a little, then you may well know that leaky home syndrome follows me doggedly. Well before the shonky builders and Mediterranean-style architects combined their skill-set in NZ, I lived with a mastic gun under my pillow. Ropiha Street home, CityLife Church building - I know leaks.

It is with mixed feelings that I can report that Wonderful Home needs a mastic gun. The monsoon rains did a real number yesterday while I was there preparing the bunks for painting. So why is there water pooling on the main bedroom floor? The driving rain found a way straight up and under the sliding windows. Happily it is more straight forward in the outside kitchen. Four buckets sufficed. Mastic is already holding hands on the rusted iron roof. We may need to go and talk to the roofing boys.

Here is Sopheap (pic taken back in the Stepping Stones days) - she will be one of our two carers

The home is almost ready to go. Six beds are now in place plus two sets of bunks. You can only buy metal bunks off the shop floor here and they have a reputation for becoming bananas, so I tracked down a guy who would make us a couple of sets. They are a bit rough and not quite the agreed size ... and best of all they come with ready-installed termite infestations. The bug-off is getting well soaked in before they get painted. Some of our staff come on-board next week. Sopheap (a carer) and Phanna (part-time; he will hold all our volunteers together) cannot start until mid-August.

Good-bye guys

We lost two of our Kiwi family this morning. Andrew Smith has spent three really fruitful weeks here, providing counsellor training for Hagar's counsellors as well as working with some of the young guys in New Life Fellowship. This is Andrew's second time in Cambodia with us and it has been a hugely successful time of wise, gody and professional input.

Ben is a pretty fine young chap from Masterton, whom Andrew persuaded to come on out. He's had a week here and got to spend a few days visiting missionary friends of Andrew's in the province as well as mixing in with whatever was happening here. Here are the happy couple (seeing that bed space has been at a bit of a premium and we had to give the blokes the spare double bed for the last few nights ....) on a river cruise that we had on Saturday.

And here is Peter and his daughter Larny on the same river excursion.

Building with Pete

It is great having a helping hand at the Healing Home this week. Pete appears to have bounced back really well from kidney stone pain and he is up and active again.

First priority has been to insulate the outside kitchen. Our friendly neighbour and tuk-tuk driver Kim scoped a place for us to go and buy styrofoam. 60 panels of foam and two kiwis hanging on where they could made for an interesting tuk-tuk trip back. Pete took charge ...

and I posed for the camera before wondering off to less urgent tasks ...

Today we were working on bed-side tables. I have new toys - a skill saw and a battery drill plus assorted hand tools - a major blessing from Pete's home church, River of Life in Waitara. Thanks guys!

Full House

It is raining Kiwis at our place at the moment. Andrew Smith lead the charge, arriving for his second visit here two weeks ago. Now we have an additional six guests - so there are nine of us all up camped here.

Peter Parker and his 17-year old daughter, Larny, from Waitara, Taranaki arrived last Friday. Peter is here to lend a hand to get the Healing Home ship-shape. He's loving it here, despite a suspected kidney stone flare-up hitting him a few days ago. He's off for a fancy nancy x-ray first thing tomorrow. Larny is doing great, spending this week with our friend Kerry who works in a slum outreach to children.

Then, Annie Chen our hugely energetic doctor friend from Christchurch has also arrived, also for her second visit with us. She accomplishes more in a day than I dream of in a week! Ben was next to come, a great young bloke out of Masterton whom Andrew really felt to invite out. He's come for a week. Then last night Christine and her daughter Roberta from Christchurch pulled in for three weeks.

Andrew and Ben jump on a bus tomorrow for a couple of nights visiting an old friend who has been involved in establishing micro-enterprise initiatives in the provinces for eight years or so.

I'm lining up Annie's camera for a day soon so we'll get everybody's mug-shots up soon!

Our dream team

It is looking great - our four staff positions are confirmed as of yesterday. We have decided to go with a week-end cook as well and have a strong lead on the right girl for that also.

So, we will get their happy mug-shots up as soon as I am able - but for now, we want to introduce our carers, Mom and Sopheap; our little cook Dooit (her name means 'small' - the last of 5 children!) and our happy evangelist come organiser of our volunteers, Phanna.

These are great young people and a really good personality mix. Mom was recommended to me by pastor Jesse. She is the responsible one and a natural leader, warm hearted and a great sense of humour. Her English is very good and she earns extra points for saying nice things about my Khmer skills ...

Sopheap worked for us at Stepping Stones and we love her! We have unashamedly head-hunted her from her present position because she has such a mercy-heart; shy and sweet but a real praying girl and hugely loyal. She wrote us a card at the end of our time saying that she would love to work for us in the future - and we are delighted that she has chosen to join our team.

When I first met Dooit, she really reminded me of someone. It took me a few hours to put my finger on just who - little Yup. Yup is daughter Kara's sponsored World Vision child. When we met him with Kara last year he was this sweet as shy little guy, but when you looked in his eyes you could see how he was absolutely bouncing in the inside with excitement. Dooit is like this - very shy but eyes that bounce with excitement. Dooit will be our Monday-Friday cook.

Phanna will work 12 hours a week (4 days x 3 hours) - the rest of the week he is a church worker. Phanna is a joy carrier; consistently happy and enthusiastic, excellent English and an excellent reputation. We will get him translating our documentation too, lucky him!

Also, and very importantly, we have a great couple to live upstairs at the home. Donnie and Sophea have taken their time to pray and consider this, and are very positive. Donnie is a Canadian, formerly with YWAM where he trained in primary health care. He now works out of New Life Fellowship into the provinces in health care. Sophea is his Khmer wife; a heap of fun and can-do go.

Donnie is a living miracle himself. Hitting a car head-on when riding his motorbike, he suffered a broken neck, four breaks in his right leg; three breaks to his left leg and heaps of internal injuries. Wheeled from the scene in a fruit barrow, he was not in good shape. Long story for him and his pillion-passenger buddy (who was stitched up and sent home to die by the docs) - the short version is that world-wide prayer was mobilised and Donnie and his mate are all good. We told Donnie that a near-resurrection was part of our criteria for whoever is to live upstairs ...

Sue and I went shopping for the Healing Home today - and on Monday take delivery of a washing machine, a fridge and a 3+1+1 cane seating set for the foyer area. The painting has been done ... all good.

I'm off to pick up Peter and Larny in a couple of hours. Peter Parker comes from Waitara and is the hubbie of Jo who works as the administrator of our home church, CityLife. Larny is Pete's 17 year old girl. Go, the new generation!

Goodbye pink walls

We are steadily chipping away on two fronts at the Healing Home at this time, with our aim to be ready to receive patients from August 1.

Firstly, we are doing staff interviews for three full-time positions (two nurse carers, one cook/cleaner) and a part time position (evangelist/discipler plus volunteers recruiter and organiser). The best people are busy people ... but things are moving ahead well. We've also had a good response from people volunteering. The next two weeks will be focussed in bringing everything together.

Secondly, there is a house to equip and a few changes to make. First change has to be the pink issue. The large bedroom (was two bedrooms but a jack-hammer changed that before we took over) was half pink; half mustard yellow. Chheat and I got the first coat of creamy stuff on today.

Chheat in action today. I bought the 3-metre ladder this morning - and Chheat held onto it as we gently cruised back from the market on the Spider.

Peter Parker arrives on Friday. This Kiwi handyman shall become bed-making expert, kitchen joiner and general 'get the house ready to go' blessing.

We also have Andrew Smith with us again. He came last Tuesday and has a full three weeks, training counsellors for Hagar and doing some good work with the young men at our church. Sorry no pics - Chheat overcoming the pink may be the last pic for a bit as my camera is packing a sad over being gently dropped on the tile floor .... :-(