safe.

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
-Shedd

This little ship is a little worse for wear, but I can assure you that my heart is completely content and filled with joy.

If you have not heard, I was in a motorcycle accident here in Cambodia. I am doing well, praise the Lord! However, the pastor who was driving our moto is in rough shape. Here's the story:

I have been staying in the Cambodian border town of Poi Pet with a sweet missionary family from the Philippines. They have been in ministry here in Cambodia for the last 10 years, and have an amazing heart for their community. Perlito is a pastor there, and he had already started a church in another city, Kampong Thom prior to moving to Poi Pet.

On Monday, he was headed to Kampong Thom to meet with the pastors in that community. I had decided to go along with him, as a good friend of mine from YWAM is living there, and I was excited to visit him. The drive from Poi Pet to Kampong Thom is about 4 hours by motorcycle, and we had a lovely and uneventful first half of the drive. We stopped for lunch in the city of Siem Reap, a city known for tourism and the historic Angkor Wat.

After leaving from lunch, we were on the road for only about 10 minutes, when a stationary car parked on the side of the road suddenly turned across traffic without signaling or looking. Unfortunately, as he turned out, he collided with us. Perlito did his best to stop, but there was no time. The car had pinned his leg, and as he flipped over the front of the bike, his Femur was broken and his ACL was ruptured. I had the most dramatic fall, but amazingly have minimal injuries! I ended up flying over the top of Perlito, and landing about 20 feet ahead of the bike.

The only way I can account for my lack of serious injuries is divine protection. I am quite badly scraped, bruised & swollen, with an ankle sprain and a mid-foot sprain - but no broken bones or any other serious injuries! Also, somehow everything I was carrying with me also remained unbroken - including my iphone (which has been indispensable over the past week) and my nice camera. I couldn't believe it!

We were helped by MANY concerned bystanders, who not only helped us off the road, but chased down the driver of the car, who decided he should escape the scene on foot. An ambulance took us to a local clinic, and I got a first-hand experience of how the medical system works (err....doesn't work) here. After a few hours at this ill-equipped clinic, I had regained my bearings, seen Perlito's initial x-ray showing a complete displaces fracture of the femur, and demanded that we be moved to the international hospital in town.

Thankfully, we were in a city populated by many tourists, so this hospital is one of the better hospitals in Cambodia. It doesn't really hold a candle to US hospitals....but heck, it was a huge step in the right direction. However, upon arrival, I discovered another hurdle of the Cambodian medical system -- they will not treat any major medical cases without a deposit of at least half the total estimate for treatment. In Perlito's case, the amount needed for a deposit was $5,000.00 USD. Now, there are not many people I know that keep that amount in petty cash, and here in Cambodia, that amount is nearly unthinkable. But without the money, the hospital will not admit, treat, or give any sort of medication.

The next hours were a nightmare of attempting to communicate with the hospital staff, as well as finding the money to deposit, all while Perlito had no pain meds or treatment (other than more x-rays) at all. Finally, through some local connections, we found someone with a card suitable for the deposit, and almost 10 hours after the accident, Perlito was admitted and his bone was set.

There was no surgeon here capable of the surgery here in Siem Reap, so the surgeon was flown from Phnom Penh, and arrived the following day. Everyone at Freedom's Promise was amazingly helpful in handing the money situation to make sure he was able to have the surgery, and getting the word out for people to join us in prayer.

The surgery was successful, but Perlito will eventually also need his ACL repaired, which will be an additional cost.

Please be in prayer for Perlito's family: his wife Rose and their two daughters. Also, they are in desperate need of financial support. Freedom's Promise came through in the clutch, but that money is allotted to help other projects. We have already raised about $3,000.00 toward a medical bill that will total close to $10,000.00 - but that is not including the cost of continued care, or the eventual ACL repair.

If you wish to donate to help Perlito & Rose, please click on the link below and write my name in the info line - 100% of the money donated will to to help with their medical bills. Thank you for your loving support and prayers from all over the world!!

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