Happy noises

Yesterday brought a new level of laughter and happy squeals to the Healing Home. Emma, one of the Christchurch team members, had initiated raising funds in NZ for some playground equipment.

Together with team members Janice, Margaret and David, we headed out to a place that makes this equipment and selected a six-seater merry-go-round and a see-saw. After some discussion we decided that the swings were going to remove just too many teeth - and the slides are good to fry eggs on but perhaps (not) too hot for the little ones.

Happy and excited - some of our neighbourhood little ones checking out the new merry-go-round ...

... and the see-saw. It is obvious that these kids have never been on a see-saw before - they initially had no concept of how to use their legs.

Inevitably, the big kids had some fun too - Bonna, Sreymom and Dtouch having a giggle together

Who is for a vaccination??

Susie was wanting to follow up on staff vaccinations, especially for tuberculosis, so she sent Sopheap off to a clinic to get the information.

It appears that confusion reigned in the translation process. For 'vaccination' back came interesting information - vasectomy $210. 'Tuberculosis' fared no better - $105 for a tubuligation!

Three tuktuks

The North City, Christchurch, team has landed! Phnom Penh is feeling the impact of Kiwis as eight new arrivals come to bless this lovely nation for two weeks.

Yesterday was a good slotting-in day for the four guys and four ladies, before they head out to Kompong Cham later today for a house-building and village-blessing four days. Then they come back to Phnom Penh for a few days before heading to Takeo Province to build another house. When I say 'house' think 6 metres x 5 metres, raised on poles with concrete pad underneath.

After a full day of doing stuff, we headed to the riverside in the evening for a boat cruise and dinner. That's where the three tuk-tuks come in - 14 Kiwis in all including Marty and Robyn and Christian and Becs.

There were six in our tuktuk so Susie gets to sit with her boys.

Angel post?

To my knowledge, Cambodia does not have a mail delivery system. Mail can be sent to a PO Box or to the post office but not to street addresses. Locally, the Cambodians use long-distance taxis to hand-deliver mail - very often a portion of their monthly salary being sent home to the village to support parents and family members.

I was surprised last week to see a motor-bike pull up outside the Healing Home gate and a man hand something to one of the kids playing in our yard. The little guy came running up with an envelope - addressed to us and coming all the way from Canada.

Amazing! Now to send the reply - most likely to be hand-carried out by Christian and Becs when they leave on Monday - and posted from NZ.

Fish and chips

We are just back from four days at Sihanoukville - a fairly grubby town on the south coast that has Cambodia's only deep water port - and some sandy beaches. If you have ever been on Thailand's beaches then you certainly won't be impressed with Sihanoukville. Happily I've not been to the Thai ones so I'm grateful for what we have.

On the beach - where you will always attract delightful kids hawking stuff. Here is Christian and Becs strolling with some of the locals.

Apart from talking, reading and generally lazing, we also took an excellent boat daytrip on a well-built three-deck boat. We got to snorkel on a dead coral reef, swim on island beaches and thoroughly enjoy a day on the water. The boat towed a couple of fish lures and one king mackeral obliged. Maybe I should have been polite and not grabbed the rod so fast ...

6kg of fierce fighting fish - well, the little guy was caught on a marlin rod so he pretty well got winched in

... but then again I have my son to feed ...

Barbequed mackeral - better than a lamb shank, even!

Christian and Becs

Christian and Becs at the dinner table last night

It is very delightful to have Christian and Becs with us for two weeks. We have had such fun thus far - and introduced them to essential Phnom Penh places as the dentist and the suit-makers.

This morning we heading to the coast for 4 days to r+r with them - walk the sands, read books and catch up on the many things happening in their lives.

Christian getting measured up for a work suit - all going well, he'll get a second one made for his Beehive days. A good suit here is a quarter the price of NZ - maybe less.

Juggling

It's been another full and challenging week at the Healing Home. With only nine beds available (and that is counting the three wheel-out spare ones) we are very aware that every bed must count.

So this week we've been juggling to maximise what we can achieve here. That has meant sending two brothers home yesterday until they need to return to the clinic - and possibly an operation - on Monday next week. Another young guy who has been helping look after his mum gladly headed home at our suggestion (our girls are up to emptying the bedpan!) Again another family member headed out today.

Incoming - we have had four in two days: Long's (the little crippled guy who now walks and runs) mum who fell out of a tree, a young guy with stomach problems, a mum with her very sick little son and an auntie. That totals seven patients plus a mum and two other children (including little Long) tonight - all good.

As we say out here 'nothing is as it first appears'. We were waiting for 'a very sick lady from Prey Veng province' - only to have a 21 year old guy turn up! In Khmer language there is only one word for 'he' or 'she' so this is not the first time we have gender confusion!

Another inferior phone picture sorry - Long's mum on the left; our very new lady on the right with her baby and her sick son.

We're expecting the boys back Sunday or Monday. They will have to couch-surf for a day or three. It will be a fresh challenge to establish a second home next year - but we must pursue. The Cambodian people are far too beautiful to ignore!

Shifted sideways

Off to the very nice pad above the Healing Home - the tuktuk is loaded and ready to roll.

As much as we love and appreciate Marty and Robyn, the time of their move has arrived. Number one son and his wife arrive on Sunday and Sue believes in spring-cleaning, even in the height of monsoon season!

We're pretty excited about Christian and Becs arriving in five more sleeps. He'll be pretty exhausted when he arrives we reckon - work has been pretty full on for him lately with things like releasing kiwis (the feathered ones) in Franz Joseph, South Island. At the moment he's on the Chatham Islands seeking to make a dent in the blue cod population and whatever else the Beehive has got him doing there. So, he'll need a bit of beach time, we believe.

Marty and Robyn meanwhile are nestled upstairs in the very nice unit above the Healing Home. Feisty cat is most delighted to see someone open the upstairs area. Maybe the three of them are now snuggled into the huge king-size bed, decked out in a set of superb sheets brought out from NZ (thanks so much, John Lykles!!)

Happy Marty

On Sunday we were really privileged to head back to Pastor Abraham's work 8km out of Phnom Penh. We've had a bit to do with him recently, helping him navigate the wonders of a NZ visitor's visa permit. He asked us to come and speak with his congregation made up entirely of residents evicted from their city slums three years prior and now allocated land outside the city. 'Preach and pray for the sick' was the brief.

This sounded too good for Marty and Robyn to miss, so we were a foursome in the tuktuk. It was an excellent time - such a new church planted amongst the poor. There was a testimony from a new Christian guy who shared how much his life had changed - he used to go around stabbing people ... A former monk has composed nine songs in Khmer vibe and he sang an amazing new composition - about the hope that we now carry even though life is very difficult.

A young lady sharing how the Lord touched her when she was prayed for - all the pain from her jaw had gone now. Sorry about the pic quality

God loves to move among a people who have no second options! We prayed for about 30 people and three spoke a little later about receiving immediate healing. Pastor Abraham phoned in today to say that 'many more' say that they are much better now. Wonderful!