Eat rice

We've been juggling a few things these last few weeks. Good friends Antonie and Jenny Eggink blew in from India (7 weeks) and Burma (1 week) for 10 days recently, so there has been lots of discussions and leg-pulling. Then there has been the settling into a rhythm of life in the new Healing Home.  It must be busier - we used to take an average of 19-21 days to go thru' a 50kg bag of rice.  We've been thru' two bags in these last 23 days.

Staff God-time at the beginning of the day.  We use upstairs - a great, open area where we've made a staff worship and prayer nook.

It is interesting how different people respond to being cared for in Jesus name.  Yun and his wife arrived recently after being scraped off the road. Wifey had a broken collar-bone; Yun had full concussion in his helmet-less head and a decent amount of stitches in his leg.  He was a sick boy, wretching with the slightest movement.

Yun seemed a bit of a hard fella.  I should have learned by now - so often, these are the softies with defence turned on.  I noticed the other day how he, above anyone, locked into the devotion that Sypho shared.  He's healed up incredibly fast and gone already - excellent excellent.  I'm persuaded that his time with us has been a God-designed stepping stone.

Sue dealing to the stitches with Sypho looking and learning

Out to it - Sreynoone is undergoing a course of radiotherapy.  It is wiping the poor little chicken out, but she is plucky as.



Donnie is due to bring a couple of new people in tomorrow.  He's been up north in Battambang. Fortunately we've had a wave of people head out over the last two days.  Sopheap is in charge - Sue and I head out to Burma in the morning for 10 days.  We're among the fine people we were with last year, teaching in two or three pastors gatherings.  What an amazing life God has given us out here!

Ahh, that everyone would have this level of wisdom ...





Courageous little lady

Yesterday Hak took a big step forward into a new future.  It is nearly four months since this young mum and her two children came to us.  Hak's ankles were busted up and her lower back fractured.  Jumping from a three-storey building is hard on the human body.

Hak has been in hiding with us and slowly healing up since April.  The hiding has to do with bad guys hunting her as a result of her escape. The dodgy organisation she escaped from both wanted her to keep quiet - and to come back under their control. 

She had been recruited by a firm to train as a domestic servant in another Asian country. Once inside their 'training centre' she was locked in -and never allowed out.  A friend of hers became ill - and was refused medical access.  She became critically ill (appendicitis??).  No doc.  She died.  This organisation is serious about control.

So Hak jumped - literally.  She was so desperate to see her kids that she bailed from the third floor.  We received her after she had the metal bits stuck into her legs at a hospital.

Here's the little soldier - with Sue as she heads out from our place yesterday.  Sreymom (left) and Sypho (right) are part of the farewell team too.  Hak is walking so well now - the last couple of weeks Sue had her doing the Healing Home stairs three times a day!

 

 

God has done so much for Hak in spirit, soul and body.  She's got a good little faith growing in her and a good expectancy as she leaves us to be trained in a real job by another organisation.  Her two kids are now in school and love Jesus too.  There is a court case in progress but that could take a decade or two as we understand the recruitment agency ownership tracks back to a very influential person here.  There is big money to be made from the poor.

5x

In the four years that we have been in Cambodia, Andrew Smith has been with us now five times. He's had an intense couple of weeks this time, starting with an expat retreat that we organised the Friday that he arrived (going through all day Saturday) and finishing with a visit to the new CSI Mercy Hospital.  CSI is a fine Christian clinic that are walking through miracle waters as they near completion of a faith-venture hospital after seven challenging years operating out of rented facilities.

In between, Andrew had a full workload of counsellor training - and fitted in a side-trip to the Thai-Burmese border to scope out a situation there.  A large Burmese refugee camp have a school and many teachers - but the teachers have no training.  Bethlehem College in Tauranga, New Zealand, have been approached to set up and deliver a training program - and they can do this!

Dr Andres from Stuttgard, Germany (right) graciously gave us a thorough tour of CSI.  Canadian Matt is in the background.  Andrew and Susie complete the pic!

Paul the talented sparkie - I finally got a picture of this great young guy who has been a huge help to us.  Andrew is big on mentoring in word and in deed - every time he has come, he has brought a young bloke out with him.  This is Paul's second trip.  Beef (or is it really dog??) kebabs at the local night market are a must-do in the dining department. I have yet to convince Sue but the guys always love it!

Furniture removals

Nearly all our stuff we moved with a church ute, but an initial few loads were done by our good friend, Tuktuk Kim ...

... very tame in comparison to these blokes we came across the other day moving a photocopier or two ...

Settling in

Touch in her nice, roomy kitchen.  It is a similar size to the last house, but now she gets to be in the main house rather than working out of an out-building.  She's a great little worker who has been with us since day 1 (August 1 2008)

The cat went back - otherwise all has been good in regards to our big move two weeks ago.  It is just great having a lot more space now - excellent living space upstairs, a lot more room for additional people, a good-sized office and even a 'shed' for me. 

 

Heading out to an eye clinic, this patient has a mask on as he started, but never finished, his TB treatment quite a long time ago.  We hit this lots - and with TB it is a real problem to not finish the course.

Inside a bedroom - downstairs we have three bedrooms with a total of eight beds.  Upstairs a fourth bedroom has two beds - and we'll get a smaller, third bed made up soon.  Also upstairs is the staff bedroom.

Still smiling - Sopheap and Rim on the last leg of cleaning the ceiling upstairs.  I've just finished painting the last bedroom today so we are good to set up the final two beds and get some more people on the waiting list to come in.

 

And the big cat?  Upstairs asleep on the pillow of the old home is my best guess - we've taken Puss back three times now but she keeps heading the short distance back to the former home.  One more runner and I'm donating her!