For a land that has known such horror, East Timor is a land of absolute beauty. The scenery is breathtaking and the Timorese are so very kind and gentle. We have been here now for two and a half months, two and a half months that have included some of the most challenging experiences of our lives. Being uprooted from the creature comforts of Australia, a life of materialism and plenty to that of Atabae where everything we go to do is completely foreign to us, and everyone around us lives a life of material poverty.

We are living in a bare back (palm) hut right in the heart of the village surrounded by Timorese going about their simple day to day lives. The roosters never fail to wake us at the crack of dawn followed by the dogs, pigs, goats, chickens and the locals chatting on in Tetun.

We have no electricity, therefore no TV, no lights and certainly no air conditioning to starve off the relentless heat. We've had lots of problems storing our food. As you can imagine fresh fruit and vegetables don't like 37 degree temperatures. We have certainly become very inventive with cooking as the range of food is very slim. Quite often we head down to the beach to do some fishing, unlike home, we have managed to catch some beautiful sized fish… our only meat source!!

Along with our neighbours, we gather our water from the well each day for cooking, showering and hand-washing our clothes. We've been learning Tetun since our arrival, and we can now hold a simple conversation. Its wonderful to be able to communicate with the locals in their native tongue.

JANE- Work for me as a midwife is completely different to home. For starters I can't understand a word they say, the midwives converse in a mixture of Tetun, Bahasa and Kemak (the local dialect). I've done several antenatal clinics, and baby health clinics which include immunizations, and baby weighs. I witnessed my first birth the other day which had me in tears, it's wonderful living out your dream of working in a developing nation and seeing a miracle unfold all at the same time. Atabae has three midwives and the clinic appears to be quite well run. The rest of the sub-district however has no trained midwives. One of the things I foresee being involved with is training some local women in the remote villages about safe birthing practices.

NICK- My job is quite varied, and am feeling my way as to just what it will entail. We've managed to foster a good relationship with the Australian Army who are departing in May. Many of the locals are eager to learn English, I'm therefore going to try my hand at English teaching commencing in a fortnight.

We truly want to thank you all for your prayer support and financial assistance. It is inspirational to be involved with a group of people dedicated to loving their neighbour, and showing people the compassionate face of Jesus.