Cambodia's sadness

Footbridge to Koh Pich, an island in Phnom Penh that has recently been developed as a function centre and entertainment area. The final night of the annual Water Festival had drawn a huge crowd for a night of free entertainment. There is a larger vehicle bridge maybe 200 metres from this footbridge.

Whilst New Zealand has been greatly sadenned by the mining tragedy at Pike River, Cambodia has been rocked by a bizarre disaster that has killed close to 500 people. An evening of celebration and fun inexplicably turned to carnage when a crowd crossing a footbridge turned into a senseless panic. In the demonic stampede, people were stacked up to seven high. Hundreds are still in hospitals with crush injuries, including the brother of one of our staff. The three cousins he was with all died.

Out of the senseless horror of this night has emerged so many stories of God warning His kids away. I have heard tale after tale among people we know - including 'our' Sreymom who was warned by a friend on that night 'do not go on that bridge - walk down to the other bridge'.

Just yesterday Bhopal, who directs the 'Centre of Peace' children's home, told me an amazing story. Three groups of the older children were heading to Koh Pich. One group changed their mind when they got there, and went to the Riverside. The second group decided to go home early and walked over the bridge just 10 minutes before the disaster. The third group was just three girls, all aged 16 years. They stepped onto the bridge, felt uneasy, and stepped off. After a bit they again stepped on the bridge. Again, they felt uneasy for no apparent reason. A third time they stepped forward - and that was when the disaster unfolded just ahead of them. Bhopal positively glowed in gratitude to God as she shared about how He had protected her girls!

This is Cambodia. There will be no commission of enquiry. To their credit, the government have made US$1250 payments to the families of every deceased person as well as promising to cover all hospital bills. To his credit, the prime minister openly wept on television. Over 360 people died on the night, plus a further 90+ died of injuries in hospitals up to five days ago. That number is still rising. Weeping parents spoke of how this was like Pol Pot era revisited - searching for their family members amongst hundreds of laid-out dead bodies.

Even a human stampede amongst the millions at Mecca some years ago did not produce the intensity of death that little Cambodia produced on a little footbridge. It is a stunning tragedy for this nation.

Occupational Safety and Health

Making a glass delivery - not an uncommon sight at all ....

Feeling the love

Trust, or should I say mistrust, is a huge issue here in Cambodia. Behind the friendly faces and smiles lie generations of abuse, betrayal and harsh control. It really takes consistency and long patience to win child-like trust from the hearts of the people of this precious nation.

I mentioned to Sue earlier this week that I felt we were entering a new level of trust with our staff. Some of our girls have been working with us for over two years now. Sopheap had initiated a conversation with me where she really opened up about her heart concern for what was going down in a friend's life. The way she had so opened up really encouraged me that trust is growing deeper.

Then yesterday we were wonderfully ambushed by love. We had communicated with our team that Friday was a very special day - 33 years since our big 'I do' day. We were taking the afternoon off to do stuff together and go out for dinner. All our staff thought that this was great! In the late afternoon we received a phone-call. Please would be come to the Healing Home - they had something to give us.

Flowers for Sue and I - and a pressie too. It was the card, with a note from six of our staff inside, that really amazed us the most tho'.

Five of the staff were waiting for us like excited kids. Two red roses emerged from the fridge and a wrapped pressie produced. They could not find an anniversary card, so a card with two big hearts and 'Happy Birthday' was pretty close!

Inside the card were handwritten notes that were so delightful and loving. Our hearts were made very, very glad indeed. Little Rim, our newest girl, was just delightful. She wrote some lovely stuff and signed off 'from me. Rim'! I just loved it!!

Communication and kindness

I'm of the opinion that we just cannot over-communicate out here. The number of times that something has fallen over because the 'communication loop' did not actually fully loop ... ahh, it has been many, many times. Now I often text and phone too much, just to really make sure.

In the Healing Home we really encourage the girls to think ahead and communicate what we need - before we need it. Do we need soap? Please tell us before we have been running a soapless ship for the last week. Rubbish bags? Tell us while we still have a couple - not when the rats are feasting on uncovered food.

Sreymom has been doing great on this. She often gives me a list for shampoo, floor cleaner, toilet duck and all the other stuff that keeps the home supplied. Her note yesterday tho' had us all in a giggle.

A Sreymom classic communication posted on the fridge on good kiwi notepaper kindly left by Robyn.

Here is another living legacy from Robyn's time with us. Robyn came to the Healing Home on Thursday afternoons to do crafts with our patients. Sreyda has hooked into necklace and bracelet-making like you would not believe - and she is selling some too! Soon she will leave us, and for her to have the capacity to earn an income while in a wheelchair is a very big challenge. We are so thrilled at how she has enthusiasm and creativity for this and all the potential craft-making may have on her future.

Home almost alone

Good-bye good friends - Robyn may have the hydration essentials but Marty has a Cambodian treasure in his arms there - a superb piece of hammock!

Three months can fly when you are having fun.

Marty and Robyn headed back to the subtropical sunshine of Taranaki yesterday morning after being with us since late July. With this being their third time in Cambodia, they have established a real network of close friends here now - and lots of these friends are Khmer. It's been a neat time and they have been of huge value to different ministries and people here in their willingness to serve and to bless.

We are almost alone - Supei the Taiwanese lady from New York now gets the superior suite on the second floor. She will be gone before my good mum flies in on November 18 for four weeks with us.

Our staff

I am sometimes asked if I miss being the a church pastor. Of course our lives are very, very different here compared to life in New Plymouth - and it is a very fair question.

The short answer would have to be 'no'. I am so glad that Sue and I let go of a life and a people where, mostly, we had tremendous years and sack-fulls of happy memories. The letting go process was difficult but as I look around at the people and the opportunities that fill our life now, I am so glad that we now live here.

One of my greatest satisfactions here is the wonderful opportunity we have to focus down to just a few choice young people and to purposefully build into their lives. One of the very first words that I felt God speak to me when we came to Cambodia was about how the future of this nation belongs to a new generation who carry a different spirit. We get to build into some of this new generation. How amazing that is!!

Here are five of the nine staff that currently work for us at the Healing Home - bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. I run a staff Bible-based training hour each Friday. Today we focussed into the subject 'beware the leaven of the Sadducees and the Pharisees' - all part of raising young people who are real, not religious!

OK - introductions: Sopheap our mercy-hearted little responsible carer and Sypho who has just joined us - one very fine lady. Front row is Dtouch our weekday cook who is so hungry and growing so well; Sreymom who is structured, quick to learn and a heap of fun, and Bunthorn who teaches the neighbourhood kids.

Missing are Bonna (she works Mon, Tues and Fri afternoons and all day Saturday), Neth our weekend cook and Sarah who is on deck Sundays. We also have young Rin who volunteers two days a week and sleeps at the Healing Home. With two staff sleeping over every night, there is a roster of all the girls that rolls along amazingly smoothly.

Tioman

Sue and I are still purring after a great break away. It turned out that we made a smart move by taking our first four days at Tioman Island, two hours boat ride off the south-east coast of Peninsula Malaysia. We were pretty tired, so a spot of island time was just delicious.

Room with a view - we stepped out of this simple bungalow, a few steps onto the beach then waded knee-deep into the water; flippers and facemasks on and the tropical fish were literally there. We found Nemo but happily not Bruce.

Restaurant with a view - life is very much laid-back island style at Tioman. One evening we went into a simple beachside restaurant and waited and waited ..... Despite open doors and billboard outside, there was neither cook nor staff to be found. We gave it 15 minutes and wandered down the path! Another time Sue had almost finished eating the iceblock from the outside icecream freezer before the shopkeeper showed to collect the loi.

Not wanting to be breakfast - around the wharf a serious school of these little guys were being preyed upon by a few garfish. Where Sue and I snorkelled there was an abundance of tropical fish - a bit like swimming in an aquarium. There was a huge variety too, but nothing bigger than 1kg, except for the little blue-spotted stingray.