Deja Vu

Marty's Daily Diary #11

When two worlds collide.

How can I deal with these two worlds that are colliding?

No – you are not having “déjà vu.” I posted a few days ago and started with this same question. For the past two nights after supper I have packed up a wee goodie bag of clothes etc to go and visit Jeff (and Grant) at the hospital. Jeff is doing really well and hopefully he will get a chance to post later today to bring everyone up to date on what he thinks about Cambodian food and healthcare. Anyways, back to what I wanted to say, and these two worlds.

Yesterday I painted, and painted, and painted and every now and again I would have to take a water break. Then I would stand and look out at the garbage heap. I can’t get that image out of my head. Svay Pak is, to put it bluntly, not somewhere you would ever desire to go. I completed my days work and jumped in the van to come back to the hotel and everyone on the team does a mini reflection on their day: mainly their interaction with the kids and the work. There are some highlights but mainly disappointment that once again there seems to be such a huge divide between our two worlds. I am sweaty, dirty and as my father often pointed out to me, I look as if I have more paint on me than the walls I’ve been painting all day long. So I need a shower. It is relatively hot. I use Fructus on my hair, I shave, and I just love shower gel. I am beginning to transform. The smell is being washed away. The grim is gone. I dry off and for my final touch I spray some deodorant, which Richard hates!

Now I am ready to go to the hospital to visit Jeff. I have moved from one world into the next. Svay Pak to the Royal Ratanak Hospital for affluent people. (That is literally how the place is advertised on the Web) I don’t want to steal Jeff’s thunder so I will leave him to describe the place etc but there he lies under his really comfy duvet and his PJs make him look like he’s about to jump out of bed and offer to take me on at judo. Can you picture Jeff yet?

Anyways, the contrast between my day in Svay Pak and my night visit to Jeff is unbelievable. In Svay Pak every kid is vulnerable to vultures with money. At the hospital Jeff lies in supreme comfort, in a room that is probably nicer than a lot of the places we really do live. What is going on in this city? (Don’t get me wrong here – I am not condemning Jeff for being in this hospital. In fact our team all believe that this hospital is an answer to a specific prayer request that we had.) However, I am left considering these two worlds. The two worlds that every single one of us sees and encounters every day.

Two worlds where poverty is suffering and rich is allfuent. Two worlds where evil is manipulating and controlling, and the kingdom of God is freeing and life fulfilling.

How can I deal with these two worlds that are colliding?

What about you?

Marty