Major milestone

My little motor scooter has just clicked over 10,000km. In the crazy traffic of Phnom Penh that would equate to not less than 600 hours of riding the little beast. Over those k's and hours I have been beyond fortunate with just two encounters of the close kind - both without injury.

To celebrate, I took my Spider machine out for a birthday. Marty has discovered a very good English mechanic who chooses to use decent replacement parts instead of the nasty cheap stuff. I got new bearings front and back, new front brakes (yay! - badly needed) and back brakes sorted. My little bike got such a shock that it promptly got a flattie!

Getting ready for its big moment ...

The roads continue to be ridiculously dangerous here. I doubt that ever a week would pass except we hear of someone we know, or someone who knows someone, who is in an accident. Last night it was our Bonna coming home after evening church and collecting a rock that landed her on the ashphalt. The week before last it was Sopheap's school friend killed when hit from behind by a car. Thus, Sue and I are hugely thankful for 10,000 protected kilometres in and around this city.

Where there's smoke ..

We had some excitement down the street last weekend. Sue had arranged to bandage a friend's leg (first time dirt-bike riding ...) and when he phoned to say that a fire had blocked off access to our street, I headed outside for a squizz.

Four fire-trucks ended up at the blaze. The fire-crews have to negotiate a price to fight the fire so hopefully the garage-owner did better than some stories that we have heard, where buildings burn as haggling takes place.

Neighbours dampened down their homes - in the end the fire was contained to the garage, tho' the big house next door got a good blackening from the heap of tyres that went up in smoke

Of course, I was not the only person to stop and watch ...

Team Toowoomba

For three days this week we have a great team of young energy with us. They all come from Toowoomba Christian College - the school our Melody attended for her final two years schooling. They are on a nations exposure trip that takes them to Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore and Philippines over 12 days. Oh that more schools would have this vision and commitment to open such opportunities for their students!!

Here they are on the Mekong yesterday evening - from left: Erika (year 12 student), Anna (head girl at TCC) Marcus (head boy) Chrissy and Difff (teachers).

We've put together a variety of people, places, ministries and experiences for the team. They got their elephant ride this morning! Tomorrow they'll visit Centre of Peace orphanage and the Healing Home plus a few more bits and pieces before they get the big bird out of here!

Late evening on the mighty Mekong

Too young to be widowed

Noul passed away here yesterday afternoon. He quietly slipped away with his wife Nath at his bedside and a number of other folk sitting quietly in the room.

We are sad that we are not yet winning over cancer, but glad for many things - that Noul came to sincerely trust in Jesus and that his pain levels were way, way down. When he came to the Healing Home he was in huge pain. The turning point came for him when he learned how to pray for himself in the night times. Sue did great too in the medication balance she worked out - but we know his much lower pain levels in the last three weeks could not have been achieved on the pain relief we have available.

Our home became interesting for a few hours after his death. Eight young guys appeared from no-where for a friendly invasion. A worker from Pat's organisation (from whom we received Noul) made contact with three official departments (and yes; 'user-pay' prevails for every required signature). The hearse arrived - in the form of a truck with a serious-sized coffin on the back.

The funeral at the Wat this morning. It was maybe 15 minutes long from go to whoa with zero personal engaging or display of compassion - very strange. All funerals are held in a Wat and the bodies cremated. The big bright box is not burned - there is a flimsy wee (as in seriously tiny) box inside with the body

Nath is just 26 years old. Pat will now take her under her ministry wing, together with John and Anne, our delightful Irish near-neighbours who pastor the Elim Church in Phnom Penh. A little house is to be built for her next to her sister's place and she is to be brought into a sewing training program.

Ghost time

We are in the midst of Pchum Ben, the Khmer Festival of the Dead. The city of Phnom Penh is rapidly emptying as people head to their home province for a three-day holiday that usually stretches to at least a week.

Pchum Ben is actually the culmination of a fifteen-day observance called Dak Ben, during which Khmers are encouraged to visit at least seven pagodas to make offerings to dead ancestors and light candles to guide the spirits of the dead to these offerings. All this is an open invitation for a big gathering in the spirit world.

The tangibility of the demonic oppression associated with this was very real earlier on this month. Once you suss what is happening it is easier to rise above it. For Christians, this is a tricky but good time as they commit to love their families with grace and without spiritual compromise.

Our staff are all due days off to return home, so we have actually closed the Healing Home for six days. This has meant the Healing Home has gone mobile - we've brought Noul, his wife Nath and baby Jeea home to our place. Marty and Robyn have headed south for six days r+r so this all went very smoothly.

Nath and gorgeous baby Jeea - now resident with us for a few days

It is interesting to view our house a little through Nath's eyes. We have pantry cupboards full of groceries, a fridge-freezer with meat and a week's supply of food and veges ... let alone the furniture, stereo, tv and stuff. She looked very excited to be introduced to our kitchen.

To this little family, we must look like millionaire missionaries. It is all relative - I remember Sue and I feeling awed when we stayed with a lovely family in America for a week 10 years ago!

Saying it with bananas

It is my lovely sister Heidi who has coined the phrase for how to truly show appreciation - 'say it with money'. She modified this a little when Joshua made known his intentions with our daughter Kara to 'Josh, say it with diamonds' (he has). In Cambodia the expression has morphed again.

We have a very friendly lady who sells food in the lane leading to the Healing Home. She always waves and her gold tooth flashes with her smile. Yesterday she could hold her love in no longer and she came to visit.

For a year following a moto accident she was unable to walk. She dragged herself on the ground and needed her teenage son to get her onto the toilet. Then she got in to Hope Hospital where an op restored her to health. The nice Aussie doctor Tim had given her a new life - and all this time she was convinced that I was this same doctor!

After 20 minutes we finally figured out the mixup; that Kiwi Kim was not Aussie doctor Tim. No worries - she was still happy as and seamlessly moved her appreciation to all the foreigners who come to Cambodia to care for the poor. She insisted that we keep the bananas and asked for a ride to church in future. What's that saying about God working in mysterious ways??

The thanksgiving bananas. There are numerous banana varieties to be had out here. The little yellow guys are sweet finger bananas - the green ones are another variety that also are high quality and already ripe.

Bad choice

It's easy to go into self-righteous finger-pointing mode out here. There's a lot of stuff that certainly grates - and the (in?)justice system would be one of those areas. The reality is tho' - our society here operates on 'user pay'. Need a job? Likely, you'll need to pay to get in. Kids in school? Pay ... Need a cop because you got mugged? Pay ...

Therefore, it is with great joy that I want to report that our little Sopheap has had a miraculous week with the local constabluary. Her fun started when three boys on a motorbike did the 'snatch and grab' on her - yanking a pretty valuable necklace off her neck as she puttered along. She watched them zoom away - only to inexplicably crash 30 metres down the road.

Two of the skunks scampered left and right, leaving a dazed 17-year old rich kid on the ground. Yes, there was a cop right there - and he had a pair of hand-cuffs handy.

Sopheap with Sue and baby Alisa. We've had a great result from our first dabble into being a homeless shelter, too. Navy and Alisa are safely settled in their own little home now!

The kid has a policeman daddy. That should have been end of story - bribe paid, boy released, platinum necklace hocked, case closed. However, Sopheap is walking in a bubble of favour and protection. Two meetings with police and boy's family later and she has been fully reimbursed for the stolen necklace (taken by running skunk 1 who has kept runnng all the way to the northern Battambang province). She is so excited to see this grace working on her life.

Meanwhile, there is division in the hapless young fella's family. His mum is working overtime to smooth things over and get him out of clink. Dad apparently is desirous that his son learn his lesson at a deeper level.

One week can be a long time ...

I was asked if we had settled back into Phnom Penh after our time in Melbourne. I said that I usually settle back in on the tuktuk ride from the airport to our home. Life here has a way of pulling you back into the happenings very quickly.

The view from the air flying back in - that's the Mekong river top right. It is the rainy season. My trusty motor scooter got me thru' the deepest waters I've been in four days ago - I was almost floating ...!

Mostly the Healing Home has been steady this week. Tuesday was a little different with 7 people turning up at our gate unannounced in the evening. We became a marae again that evening but have had some good outcomes from the temporary chaos.

Another curve-ball has been the return of the Navy. She had been a difficult lady for too long where she had been staying (for 3-4 days, which became 12 months ...) and so was evicted. We received a call saying that she and baby Alisa were homeless with no-where to go. This week we have become an emergency shelter too. We are focussed on finding a good solution for her and wee Alisa within 3-4 days ....!!

Navy and Alisa. We had the joy of witnessing Alisa's very first steps today. She is such a different little thing compared to the wee malnourished button who we first met seven months ago.

Sopal is a lovely 46-year old lady who came to us with a very sore hip. She was very puzzled as to why her hip had such pain when she had not injured it. She was taken to a clinic and returned with the news that she needed an operation. The poor lady started to wail when she came back - loud cries of anguish. She was scared - and she is so poor and so worried her family cannot pay any medical costs. This was last Friday - and she wanted to go home to speak with her husband. The poor little lady - we prayed for her before she went and assured her that, very likely, any op would be without cost.

An x-ray prior to the op this Monday revealed a broken hip - and cancer in her bones. She was sent back to us without being touched. The wonderful thing is that she has a strong, abiding peace. She says that when we prayed, a peace came into her life and she is confident that, whether she lives or dies, her life is fully in Jesus hands. Awesome!

Noul also is fighting cancer. He very nearly died while we were in Melbourne. Marty and Robyn joined the team to really, really pray for him. That was 10 days ago. Today he took a day-trip to see his sister-in-law (involving a walk thru' mud) and ate a serious amount of lunch.

Noul at lunch today. That is his most excellent little wife, Nath, and their little baby daughter at the table with him. They too are living at the Healing Home.

He has also started to trust Jesus since he has been with us. One of his turning points was when he awoke one night in great pain. He remembered that we had taught him that, if he is awoken with pain, he can pray for himself in Jesus name, asking the Lord to touch him. He says that, as he prayed, he felt like a warm hand come on his stomach. The pain left and he fell asleep again.