Pastor Buck

Pastor Buck would be the name given to those pastors who are gifted at passing the buck. Today we met two of them. Well, we did not exactly meet them - their skill level was such that, in the passing, they stayed invisible.

We were only just back from beach-time today, to have a vehicle turn up with a 12-days overdue pregnant lady and her hubbie. She is unable to give birth naturally and has need of a caesarian op and no money to pay. Her village pastor sent her to us. Yes, we are still wondering 'why us'??' Half an hour later she reported contractions. Sue and I got to thinking that maybe things had not been planned too well in the last six months ...

In the midst of this the gate opens again and a lady with not one, but two, carers appears. She is shaking and black and blue. Her pastor wanted her to come to us. The problem? She has been drinking and blotches appeared on her skin. Drinking for how long? Two or three days.

Rule one - we will love and serve. Bonna and Sreymom praying for our new needy little lady.

Rule five living in Cambodia is 'nothing is as first stated'. It honestly is a very important principle of life here. Old lady patients have turned out to be young men. A brother has turned out to be a neighbour. In this case, two or three days appears to be five months and the skin blotches just may be something to do with the tree she fell out of two days ago. The carers - well one of them is a neighbour who actually is sick too ...

Watching Sue carve through all this is poetry in motion. Cheapest caesar hospital sourced - here is the truck; please go now. Carer two; sorry you cannot stay - you have an auntie in the city; yes? God bless you; goodbye. Sreymom and Bonna were cracking up - we were literally praying for the pregnant mum in the back of the ute as it took off, leaving our hands clutching empty air!

It is all good, I am sure. One difficulty tho' with drop-in needy people is that people who are waiting to get in (we currently have two as we are pretty well always full) are unfairly shunted sideways.