Thief!

On Thursday, just a few days before we leave Indonesia we had our bag stolen while riding in a becak. Like this one but Cheryl was not smiling.... Really annoying, Cheryl & I were heading into town on one of these old rickety things when a motorbike with 2 people sped up and overtook us on the inside. As it did the guy on the back of the bike reached in and snatched our nice little blue bag.

Before we could think or do very much they were off at full pelt. Our becak driver gave chase. It was like something out of the movies! Haring it along the roads of Medan our becak pursuing this other bike. Sadly he was too quick for us and Cheryl & figured it was not worth crashing our becak and the loss of the odd limb or 2 in the pursuit.

I was livid. We lost a bit of money, camera, mobile phone and some plastic. Nothing irreplaceable but it left us with an unease about Medan and a bit dissillusioned, even cynical. The rest of that day we were watching everyone, wondering if they might be a thief or even THE thief. In seconds it had changed our whole view of local people and Medan where we live.

Funny thing is, that morning I was reading my bible and very much felt God was speaking to me about persecution coming to those who believe. Also about putting in the effort to really seek him and sort our lives out. Had real peace about my relationship with Him - same day we get something that tries to shatter that peace! Maybe I'm reading too much into it but it felt like somebody out there did not want us to be at peace, wanted us to doubt God's closeness, his faithfulness.

But we do still trust God and this doesn't change anything. I figure, if we are that important to warrant this kind of activity then I'm interested to see what God will do next!

Sometimes too you have to get things in perspective. We spoke to the becak driver afterwards as he told us how he had lost his mother, brother and sister when the Tsunami hit at the end of 2004. All we lost was a bag and a few things, he lost his whole family. Sobering.

It's a Sign!

Isn't it funny what you find written on signs? Here's some we found recently

Place on the left was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Apparently stays open all the time, even on Bank holidays for all your funeral requirements. When I first saw it I mis-read it and thought I could get a coffee - sadly no. But then would you want one from here?!

Below, an earlier one from Danau Toba, in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Means wheel repairs, car wash and er.. yes a toilet. Didn't try it out.

And finally,

We found this outside a sports shop in Medan. We gather it is an encouragement to play tennis but you may interpret it differently.

On a more serious note, we have decided to head back to the UK. Last couple of months have been pretty hard for us but maybe it's a chance to re focus on what's important. Sometimes we can get so caught up in achieving 'stuff' that we forget people. So, we want to come home and get a chance to catch up with family and friends. Not sure what we will do next but I know God knows. He has a plan and we are not in a rush to miss it.

Bali bliss

Bali is a great place to forget about all your problems. As we were flying over the twinkling Indian Ocean I felt the tension slipping away. I was looking forward to dipping my toes in the water, having a relaxing massage and being welcomed by the warm hospitality of the Balinese people.

Temple next to our hotel, Ubud

Cookery course with the famous Janet de Neefe

Then we got to eat it!

Valley view room, Alam Indah, Ubud

Chris having afternoon tea by the pool

Temples We loved having our Mums to visit!

Is it legal?

When I got back to the house Chris was sat at the computer typing furiously. He'd done a brain dump of his side of the story, answering each accusation in turn. It looked like he was going to fill 5 pages of A4 so I suggested he might want to cut it down a bit so at least someone might read it to the end. I didnt feel like packing. Bali seemed another world away.

I also sat down and wrote a response to my letter. Again the feelings of disbelief came over me. “Can they really do that in law” I thought to myself, “Surely, only if it's gross misconduct”. I looked up gross misconduct and termination on the web. It gave examples fighting, being drunk on duty, stealing, racial abuse, failing to obey management decisions....ok so I didnt always do exactly what Chris asked me too and maybe I hit him a few times (in private)!! But none of the reasons in my letter seemed anywhere close to this.

I said to Chris, “Should we be seeking legal advice?” He said “Ive already checked Swiss law. They don't need to prove anything or give any reasons.” “Hmm” I thought, “Next time I will think twice before working for a Swiss organisation". I felt better when I'd finished my letter. Little did I know that there was worse to come.

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