It's now one week since we got back to Perth. Settling back in has been.... well, unsettling at times! It is truly a different world - amazingly clean, cool dry weather that induces no sweat (it was 9 degrees this AM), our modern apartment, having cars to drive, etc, etc. There is essentially nothing in our environment to remind us of Cambodia, and it is scary to think how quickly one can potentially forget six months of work!

We met family first, of course, initially during our overnight in Singapore, and now here in Perth. Since then we've also been able to catch up with the Timms, which was really good as we were able to reflect on the recent times, and draw from their understanding & empathy. Catching up with some of our prayer partners has also been encouraging, both in finding out what has been going on back here, and in being able to share some our experiences.

Yesterday was the onset of daylight savings, and in our halfway state, we naturally forgot the whole thing and so turned up to church a whole hour late  We missed the songs, but it was good to be able to listen to one of Graham's sermons again after such a long absence.

Today, we're both back to work. It still feels strange, but I have enjoyed seeing some of my work friends again, along with other colleagues whom I have become so familiar with. Slipping back into the Western paradigm of medicine has been easy, perhaps surprisingly so... and I find myself enjoying being able to talk to patients directly in English, something which I hadn't even noticed I'd missed!

Farewell at our place with the English class students

Shot with family members at Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

Floodwater bridges within our compound

What a full couple of weeks! This time two weeks back we were having a small farewell party at our home in Phnom Penh with our English students... almost everyone turned up, which was a touching gesture for us. This time last week we were sitting in a cafe at Repulse Bay, Hong Kong Island, having coffee with Angel's mum, aunty, & grandma, just before Frank's (Angel's 2nd brother) wedding. Right this moment I'm in Dom & Lee Peng's apartment in Singapore, after having had my fill of Kway Teow for lunch.

The last few days, James (Angel's 3rd brother) joined us in Phnom Penh, and we had a good time showing him the sights, whilst also wrapping up various things that we needed to attend to - it was quite surprising how many loose ends needed tying after just a short 6 months.

We are thankful to be able to say goodbye in stages - the CSI clinic staff had a small lunch farewell for us, whilst we had a casual open-house farewell to thank the OMF missionaries, who have been so very encouraging to us. This morning we woke up before 6, had a rushed clean-up, and walked out one last time across the floodwater bridges as we headed to the airport for our flight out. The last people we said goodbye to were our lovely landlady Bo and inspiring neighbor Solina, along with some of the students who had made their way to the airport to wish us well.

How do I feel now? Mixed really... there is sadness at having to leave all these people whom we have come to know during these months, yet am looking forward to going home to family & old friends at the same time. It looks like God is laying out at least the next 2 years in Perth for us, but we eagerly await what He will call us to next...

I'm sitting at a PC complete with fast broadband & video conferencing features. I'm in the confines of a cramped 5 room apartment, yet which is equipped with full A/C, flat screens in every room, and a 40 inch plasma in the common area that's used little more than as decoration. We're eight stories off the ground level, yet buildings block out the sky in almost every direction we can look. It is a strange feeling... one of light-headedness & disorientation. I suppose you might call it a mild case of reverse culture-shock

We left our home in Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon, walking on makeshift plank bridges across algae coloured waters, and caught a motorcyle (yes, 1 motorcycle) to quiet Pochentong airport for US$2. Our ride went a max of 50km/h. Three hours later, we're in Hong Kong international, one of the most bustling airports in the world. It cost us about US$40 on the taxi to get to North Point where we are now staying. We hit speeds of 140km/h on the link roads. No mud in sight... just kilometers of steel, tarmac, & glass.

We'll be here for four nights for my brother-in-law's wedding. I guess I can be thankful that the shock to the system will probably make the transit home easier. I think the human mind is simply not designed to cope with such stark contrasts in close timing!

Group photo of the OMF team up at Ratanakiri (backdrop of a Brao village home)

On the morning of the 24th September, we set off in a taxi van to the distant province of Ratanakiri. 11 hours later we arrived just after sunset at the provincial capital of Ban Lung, and met up with our host family (the Mallows), before settling into our neat little guesthouse.

It was an excellent six days we had up there, conducting mini mobile clinics at different locations, and getting to see the village life of the Krung and Brao minority peoples. We planned the trip to coincide with a bible school, and thus could also give some attention to the students & pastors attending, in particular paying attention to vision problems - so they can better study and read God's Word! Over 3 separate days, we slowly worked through about 70 of the locals who had problems that ranged from simple back aches to complex heart disease. Opportunities to really get something that will help their health might be limited this far away from Phnom Penh, but I do hope that some of the suggested medications will be available at an affordable price. Angel's work definitely made a more immediate difference as she was able to provide around 40 pairs of glasses.

In between 'work' sessions, we were able to get away to see the famous crater lake of Yeak Lom, along with some of the waterfalls in the area (which, thanks to the wet-season, were flowing at full strength!). Coupled with fellowship with some great families, nice cool weather, and the spectacle of the Pchum Bun Buddhist festivities, it was a full trip indeed! We were glad to be back home after 12 hours in heavy traffic, but certainly relish the time we had in beautiful Ratanakiri.

    Latest albums on Facebook:

1. Cambodia - Ratanakiri
2. Cambodia - The Wind-down

Last Wednesday, instead of the usual OMF division meetings, we had an open session where the missionaries came together to sing & pray - primarily as a way for us to share our struggles & thoughts in the recent week.

The first song that was chosen was Matt Redman's Blessed be Your Name... a title we've sang quite frequently in our home church in the months before we left. It struck me that the way we sing this song (ie. ultra-upbeat, almost rock-song like) is somewhat at odds with the content. In the context of recent events, it seems to me that there is a real challenge in the words that obligates us not to sing it lightly. And perhaps a slower rhythm with more minor tones would be more appropriate!

Can we truly sing "Blessed be Your Name / When I'm found in the desert place / Though I walk in the wilderness / On the road marked with suffering / When there's pain in the offering / When the darkness closes in, Lord, still will I say / Blessed be the Name of the Lord!"? In view of the raw memories, tears flowed freely as we sang the words. It was not easy to proclaim that we would stand ever resolute when the world was not quite 'as it should be', and the sun was not exactly shining down on me.

Can I truly stand in the face of major physical threat and say like Daniel's friends 'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand... But even if he does not, we want you to know that we will never serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up' (Daniel 3:17-18)?