I have wondered on this trip how it is that in the midst of a season of distinct challenges which we have encountered this year, God has set a banquet of refreshment before us in incredibly extravagant measure. We have been blessed and cared for far beyond our wildest expectations and certainly far beyond anything we would deserve.

We have eaten at street vendors with less than ideal sanitary measures and haven't been sick for one moment. We have walked for miles, and Rob hasn't had even a hint of a bleed. We have met wonderful people, and keep having to remember to shut our mouths as our jaws drop at each new blessing and delight.

We flew to Malaysia a few days ago to visit dear friends of ours.

Can you believe it? We just picked up and flew to Malaysia. We landed in Kuala Lumpur in mid afternoon. It is a very different city than Bangkok. Nestled in a valley, with mountains and jungle surrounding it.

Lance and Sally live on the 25th floor of a spectacular apartment high up on a hill, with jungle just outside their balcony railing.

Lance works for a university here.

Let me back up just a little. Back to the morning in Bangkok. My toe hurt; it hurt a fair bit more than I cared to admit. And the Bangkok International Airport is not a small place. We left in plenty of time. Took a taxi. Just after I hobbled into the terminal, a terrible realization hit me; we were flying internationally, and had forgotten our passports! There was just enough time (we hoped) for Rob to spend an extra 1000 baht, rush back to our apartment, find our passports, and get back to the airport.

He did get back - just in time - really just in time! We had to run all the way to the other end of the terminal to catch our plane. And my foot would not allow me to do it. Where there's a will, there's a way. I jumped onto a nearby baggage cart, held on for dear life, while Gwen ran ahead to hold the plane, and Rob ran as fast as he could after her. People scattered as we careened through the airport; eyebrows raised, and shopkeepers laughed. Breathless, we dropped victorious into our seats before the doors closed.

Lance is a brilliant computer program developer, or something like that - I got it wrong, didn't I, Lance who is melding numerous computer systems into one at a Malaysian university. Sally is an accomplished visionary who has chosen to leave her position as an executive director of a successful business in Canada to move to Malaysia with her husband and two of her children. She is home schooling, going to market, building community relationships, and doing a great job of it.

We spent 2 days swimming in a tropical paradise, sipping melo, eating fragrant Malaysian cuisine.

We woke up to the sound of howling monkeys in the jungle below, roosters greeting the day, and somehow, a sort of silence as the dawn rose over the fog below us. Prayer calls rose from the mosque down in the valley.

Graciously, the clinic at the university allowed me to borrow crutches - very SMALL crutches. Very funny. But crutches none the less. My freedom returned, and off we went to central market in downtown KL.

What fun! We shopped, found a spot where we could buy white coffee (not quite up to par with Tims, I'm afraid), and watched 2 young muslim girls get a fish spa - you stick your feet into a large tub of water full of these little fish. They then all surround your feet, and eat the dead skin off. Apparently your feet come out soft as a baby's bum. I didn't try it, since I had a tensor bandage, but it looked like fun.

Supper out on a mountain overlooking the city, watching the sunset. Mediteranean pizza, fish and roast potatoes.

I got a sunburn. Oh, by the way, we also went to the jungle. We drove through delightful villages up into the hills. We saw waterfalls, and hibiscus, and bamboo forest. We saw traditional Malaysian homes, and couples on bicycles. And I thank God for it all.

Tomorrow we fly to Chang Mai. And I thought my adventures were almost over.......