Mikhail Kalashnikov's sideline

We're back at Rahab's House after what feels for most of the team as a very long time away. Friday morning's two hours of work went by fast, but because we had to be punctual for our visit to ARC, we didn't take the opportunity to celebrate our amazing progress and thank God for his grace as he sustained us through this first week. We also didn't get a chance to acknowledge that our mission was going to continue in another form during the weekend, as we shared time with others in ARC, church and at Marie's. So naturally, we were hungry to get dirty again in Svay Pak.

My job today was simple. Take out the nails that were used to hold up the false ceiling to the wooden framework on the ground floor. Painstakingly simple... grap a nail with side cutters and yank out... repeat.

I'm sure that Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, had a side line in manufacturing nail guns. I must have pulled out a thousand nails today, and I still have a good hour's worth of yanking to do tomorrow. In some places there were a dozen nails in a space smaller than most of the pictures posted on this Blog site.

Although it was simple, it also gave me time to work in relative solitude, something I really needed after a full first week and weekend. It was nice to reflect on God's goodness and love, and seeing that flowing out to the children by various Field Team members (including Richard, our human Whirly-Bird).

In the afternoon, Grant, Kelvin, Marty and I took a walk around Svay Pak. This was our first real walkabout. We were soaking in all the sights and wondering how people could live their daily lives in such abject poverty, wondering which of the buildings along the main streets were brothels, and thinking about the sinful activities that would be performed on young girls after sundown tonight. We decided that our next walkabout would be a bit more intentional... we will be praying for the people of this village as we stroll the streets. Please pray that we will get an opportunity to do this. God is here and desires our prayers.