Thumb decisions ...

This week we are asking Father about where to head with that blessed thumb of Sue's. It is actually feeling a bit better - not as swollen and not as sore - but still not a keen, lean hand-writing machine either.

Our health insurers have received the info they require - and have confirmed that they will cover any surgery costs. As it is not urgent, they want Susie to take a flight back to NZ. With her pre-school commitment due to start this Monday, our girl Kara due to visit for 10 days starting Oct 8 and any return to NZ needing to cover 4 weeks to allow for op and follow-up, we are wanting proverbial wisdom (or, much preferrably, power healing) in this matter. At the moment we are praying and doing some airline investigation.

Beware of all stray can lids!!

Week 4 of 10

The studies on the Book of Proverbs are progressing well. I'm up to my third translator now. Folk are keen and game to translate which is good. To date we have covered

Proverbs - intro and Wisdom
Proverbs on sexual purity
The righteous and the wicked
Seven things God hates (pride, lying, murder, deceit, rebellion, gossip, strife)

Most weeks have an over-lapping element - we are still dealing with questions from week 2! I like to keep a mix going with small-group work, questions and homework. Next week is meant to be on relationships - but I have a feeling most of it will be a part 2 to this week. So many areas of Cambodian society are crooked as, and to see 'the crooked places made straight' in regards to personal and corporate character is no small undertaking.

A small-group from last night, coming up with straight answers to crooked character questions.

It is pleasing to see numbers holding up. We started with 10, built to 16 and then with two people away sick yesterday we were at 14. One of our guys who was sick apparently needs an x-ray, and has to go to Vietnam for something that basic. I get a little edgy when I hear of NZ and Aussie critics speak of our health systems being 'third world'. They have no idea ...

Birthday girl

Sue ticked over another one on Saturday. Her day started nicely - a visit to the hairdresser, which in this part of the world, involves a foot and hand job as well as the essential hair make-over. I was at a forum in the morning, so Sue jumped on the back of a moto for the trip around the corner ... only problem being the moto man had very little clue which corner that was, and Sue was not too sure either. So, after a pleasant sight-seeing trip around Phnom Penh ...

Our 'chariot' to a night out - Susie and Colleen

We invited Kiwi and Aussie friends to join us at a restaurant that does bbq and fancy icecream. The Hagar Kiwis were there - Graham, Sue and Sue; AO Colleen (kiwi), buddy Patrick (slowly converting to kiwi-isms ..) and Mark and Jo (one-eyed ballet-footie followers). In a city where a good cake can be hard to find, we scored a brilliant walnut and apple cake from 'Jars of Clay' cafe (good name, we reckon) and had a most enjoyable night.

Susie, Sue Hanna (of Jehu's Driving School fame) and Colleen

Thanks to all those who emailed in. We still have an adventure ahead - to see if Kara's card, addressed to Phnom Penh post office, makes it here.

Not a happy thumb

That slashed thumb of Sue's has healed OK - but it just is not what it used to be. Swollen, sore and more like a block of wood than a restored joint - so after nearly seven weeks since she tangled with that can lid we trotted off for another opinion.

Back in Toowoomba we got to meet Mary Kluck, a great doctor who spends about nine months in the year working here in Phnom Penh. We emailed her and yes, she is in Phnom Penh at this time and invited Sue to come on over and get poked and prodded. Her verdict is that a nerve has been cut and that Susie will need micro-surgery to get things back to normal - something that cannot happen in Cambodia.

Spot the sore one ...

God is good all the time and there will be an answer to this. We are in contact with our medical insurance friends who, at this stage, can neither confirm nor deny what our policy is good for - until we get more info across to them. Mary says that something needs to happen 'within weeks rather than in months' - so it is not urgent as such. Loretta in NZ is contacting a specialist friend and we are in contact with this amazing caring Creator ....

Pre-school days are here again

The church we are in here runs an English language pre-school. A couple of staff have moved on and they were desperate, very desperate ... I mean inspired, very inspired. So, Susie will fill in for the month of September while they search for staff. Angie, of dengue fever fame, actually runs the place so that is all good.

It is all a bit of a giggle for Sue, this pre-school education thing ...

Sue will have her own class of little ones every morning from 8-11.30am. I'm just going to have to teach her how to ride that Spider machine!

Dutch courage

Our home has grown again. With Sokhun moving to the hospital, our second floor has been empty. I had a sense that maybe this could be a blessing to someone else so put a little notice out on a Christian web-site. Erika and Matthew replied.

Erika and Matthew are newly-weds, Dutch and great people. Matthew is doing a degree on community development and part of the degree has him doing a 5-month practical in Cambodia. Three months have passed - and their previous abode was giving poor Erika no sleep at all.

Erika is also involved in the Christian-based non-government organisation working on community development in Cambodia. She is quite a goer - having lived and worked in Pakistan previously. They look to be with us until mid-October.

Going to our happy place

Sue returned from Bangkok last Wednesday night. Angie was about to be released from the hospital and after five nights sleeping on a hospital sofa she was ready to get into a real bed. Little baby Justice had an even better sleeping pad in Bangkok - inside mum's suitcase. Sue said he looked pretty adorable tucked into his suitcase bed!

Anyway, we decided to proceed with our planned week-end getaway to a little coastal town called Kep. Aussie friends Mark and Jo joined us too. We have been over two months in Phnom Penh now, and were seriously feeling the need of fresh air, green trees and sand between our toes. So following language class on Friday we packed and, seeing that buses were already gone, haggled a taxi fare for the 170km, three hour journey ($25).

Sand ... water ... greenery and cool sea winds. We now have a 'happy place' to go to!

Kep is a delightful, unspoilt little sea-side town, famous for crabs and seafood. In earlier days it was the Cambodian Riviera for French and wealthy Cambodians, who built beautiful villas along the beaches and on the hillsides. The Khmer Rouge thoroughly trashed these expressions of bourgeois opulance - and to date very little has been rebuilt. Jungle greenery grows over formerly-lovely houses. There are a few accommodation places that have recently been built, and signs are that Kep will not remain such a quiet, near-forgotten place for very much longer.

Queen Sihanouk's holiday residence - ready for a spot of renovating

Home sweet home for someone, it would appear

Kep is a great place to do very little - read, walk, explore and sit around a dining table talking for hours. We checked into some modest little wooden bungalows high on a hill that overlooked the coast through to Vietnam. With a nice wind coming off the sea and some rain showers, temperatures were perhaps 5 degrees less than in Phnom Penh - wonderful!!

It was a bit wet and windy to do the half-hour boat ride out to Rabbit Island, where real white sand and blue waters lie. No problem - next time. Apparently the boats are reluctant to go much further out than Rabbit Island as the Vietnamese border is somewhere further offshore and it is not a good idea to annoy the boys with machine guns.

Jo and Sue exploring Kep a la moto. We booked a couple of guys for an hour - but 40 minutes was more than enough to see around this little town.

Bush walk with Mark and Jo. Susie insisted on a good snake-killing stick but alas, not a snake in sight!

Coming back to Phnom Penh was somewhat eventful. The bus had been towed out of a scrap-heap last year, I do believe. Five hours of bouncing has persuaded us that a few extra dollars for a taxi is the way to go - both ways! Never-the-less, we are refreshed and blessed - and looking forward to returning to our happy place every couple of months or so.