Bunthon's back

Happy kids - the teacher has returned! That's Bunthon in the background and our classroom-by-day, motorbike-shed-by-night behind him. Sreyda is in her wheelchair to the left. Susie has wisely got her doing her own washing and helping in the kitchen each day now - in preparation for her to return to Kratie in the beginning of September.

The Healing Home has been pretty full-on this last month, but it has actually been quieter. Bunthorn, as the big brother, is responsible for funding his Year 11 sister through school and on the mornings he was teaching at the Healing Home, there simply was not enough income for him to make ends meet. So, armed with $50, he bought a supply of plastic-ware from a wholesaler and set up a small business at a market.

His is a very typical situation - both in the pressure to provide for a younger family member, and the attempt to start a small business. We hugged him, blessed him and released him. The poor bloke made zilch in his new undertaking and when I checked in with him about two weeks ago and reaffirmed our standing offer that he could return to the Healing Home anytime, he jumped at it. In the last week he has also picked up three other part-time paid jobs as well.

Apologies, but ....

Yes, I know that I've been away from the blog for too long. I've simply been having too much fun, with Melody and her fine man Dave in town for the last 12 days. We've got three kids, and since coming to Cambodia we have had three marriages. Now, we have also had all three of our children come out to visit. We are purring with parental gladness!

We took four days/three nights away to Sihanoukville, on the southern coast, during their time with us. I got the first semi-proper body-surf I've had in Cambodia on day 1, with a 'cold front' putting a bit of a swell onto the beach. Poor Melody got a little overwhelmed by the kids hawking pretty useless stuff on the beach. She bought something from one youngster, and another kid burst into tears because 'you never bought from me'. Poor old soft-hearted Melody!

Downtown Phnom Penh, on our way to Melody and Dave's very favourite place in all Cambodia - Swensen's the deluxe icecream shop. They have, I believe, three shops in the city. Here, we are completing the circuit with a visit to outlet 3!

Inside Central Market, an amazing art-deco-style building that is home to 5,000 stalls (and that is hardly exaggerating). Melody shopped 'til Dave dropped - she has her father's appreciation of fine bags and went home with genuine designer-ware packed inside genuine designer-ware! Dave meanwhile went home with 40 t-shirts he sourced and had printed here for a young guys group he co-leads at TCC - getting all set for the big canoe trip coming up soon.

Dave and Melody flew in via Kuala Lumpur. They are sitting there now as I write, waiting for their overnight flight back to the Gold Coast. Oh for a real beach and a real bodysurf!! For Kiwis, there is the promise of a new el-cheapo way to visit us soon - Jetstar start flights in March 2011 to Singapore with a connection to Phnom Penh for cheaper than a flatscreen telly.

Prospering slum

It has been about eight months since I last went out to Udong Village where Pastor Abraham has based his remarkable ministry. Kerry was very keen to connect with this fine leader so we made the trip last week. The change I witnessed in such a relatively short time was absolutely astounding.

This is a slum community who formerly lived in the city. As is the all-too-often case in Phnom Penh, the land they were squatting on was earmarked for development. The 800-1000 families were literally herded onto trucks one morning and driven to a location on the outskirts of the city, about 5km from the airport. They were dumped there - without water, sanitation or shelter.

Eight months ago, things were still pretty rough in the slum community that grew out of the soil. Garbage was piled high. Water pooled along the mud footpaths and inside the shanties. There was very little employment activity - mostly people sitting in their homes. Alcohol abuse was rife and many families were existing on one meal a day.

Pastor Abraham is a man of prayer and action. He is leading the village to help themselves. The transformation I witnessed made my heart sing. Every house now has a (non-leaking) tin roof. Garbage trucks are paid to come weekly. Abraham has initiated a drainage system, in which he leads the locals to build the concrete pipes ($20 each and strong versus $35 for inferior bought ones) and together with the locals, big drains have been hand-dug. Everywhere, there is industriousness. This is the first slum that I have ever walked through where the spirit of poverty has been displaced!

I do not have pics as other groups have gone thru' snapping away like a visit to the zoo. What I do have is a song in my heart, seeing what one God-raised local leader is capable of initiating in a few years. The school is about to double (from 200 to 400 children, all from the slum community) and much more is bubbling in the heart of this outstanding man.

The boys are back in town

This week has seen two blessed invasions - Andrew Smith with Paul, followed five days later by Kerry Hartley together with his missionary mate Alex Ship.

Kerry teaching at our staff training Friday morning. Tears are good!!

Andrew has been very involved training counsellors in the Hagar organisation all week. This is his fourht time in Cambodia and he is now received so well that Hagar staff are asking for him by name. Every time he comes, Andrew brings a young man. Paul the sparky has been a hugh blessing to Graham Taylor, bringing wiring skills into Graham's soya milk factory. Tomorrow the two guys head up-country for a three-day explore around Kratie before returning to us for a few more days

Sunday service at New Life Fellowship this morning - Andrew, Paul, Alex and Kerry.

Kerry was the very first kiwi friend to visit us in Cambodia. This is his fourth time of coming out here to encourage us. He actually launched our staff training Friday mornings back in 2008 - and we had him share with our staff again on Friday. He did a brilliant study on 'Honesty' that had Sreymom in tears as she translated, and Sopheap crying as she took it in! His good friend Alex is a Kiwi who has been 15 years in the Philippines as a missionary. He has come over to connect with Filipino's working in Phnom Penh.

Swensens icecream shop - Kerry and Andrew are return customers to this nicest of little places. They are honest folk too - I've just been back to pick up my bag with Bible and camera inside, after realising that my blog pics had not made it out of the shop this afternoon ...

Early Christmas

Sue and Sreymom unpacking the wonderful treasure-trove of supplies. The sardines to the left are not part of this - that's 3 weeks supply for my con-artist cat.

Maggie arrived on Sunday, together with 9 Aussie compatriots. They are a medical team, about to head out to the provinces for two weeks. In the months (literally) prior to arriving, Maggie sent us many emails, asking us for a wish-list and clarifying what was do-able.

Today, Maggie came visiting with enough goodies to make Sue smile broadly. There were four pressure-cushions for wheelchair patients. They are the real McKoy, at a minimum of $900 a pop. There are wound-care dressings galore. A steriliser unit. Sue had lost a pair of surgical scissors. Maggie brought 100! There are three specialist pressure mattresses to be shipped here, donated from somewhere. All amazing stuff and all a huge, huge blessing to us and the many people who will benefit in the future.

Straight to the dogbox

Puss is a good asset in the Healing Home. However, she's also a con-artist. I buy 10-packs of sardines for her food, to be mixed with rice. One can is to last two days. I have just discovered that she's conned Dtouch our cook into three feeds a day, sucking up one can.

Life in the dog-box. A delightful English guy named Nick has taken a genuine interest in our patients and comes twice a week to give them physio massages. He's left the bed in the front room rather than take it every time. Between visits, the bed is fully occupied ..

Five bob watch

'Copyright' is a word we make endless jokes about out here. You would have to search extremely hard to find a legit dvd, Rolex or Windows program - and most things in-between.

So, when Susie went looking for a new watch with numerals large enough to not require glasses to tell the time, this little copied right Gucci caught her eye. She came home very pleased with herself - another shop wanted $18 for the same little timepiece.

For $5, she did pretty well. Two out of the three hands worked very efficiently. It was just a matter of making the right guess of what the hour was ...

Sue's $5 watch - plus an extra $ for a real leather strap. The friendly seller pulled out the guts, swapped them with another watch and now we have a copied right working timepiece!