Thursday fun and Friday Sabbath

We went to the beach Thursday. And it was the start of our Sabbath rest. As you walk onto the beach area the vendor women and children approach and want to make you bracelets, or give you a massage. Some even offered to pull the hairs out of our legs using those thread things you may have seen in the mall. No thanks. That even sounds painful. Out of the 100 participants in the event, ½ have never been to the beach before now. It was such a joy to watch them play in the sand and surf. There were photographers wandering up and down the beach to take photos of the fun. Many of them spent money to get that image. Of course, the four little boys who have been with us this week all had to have something that makes noise. Turns out boys are boys even half way around the world.

When we returned we had dinner and something that roughly translated into Happy night. This was a cross between American Idol and any high school dance that you may have ever been to. They were having a contest between districts for who could sing the best. And when every song started everyone had to get up and dance. And this was magnificent graceful dance. Their feet and hands move in a slow movement that it captivating. And then there were those of Northern European heritage, who simply shuffled around the dance floor. One of our favorite ladies was the winner (you can say little, the peep hole for our hotel room door is at the level of the chest.

We took Friday as a day of Sabbath rest. Our teaching task was completed and today the District superintendents taught on small groups. Pretty much everyone in the group has some type of physical complaint from the snots to the trots. Aches and pains abound, as it turns out when you bounce around the Cambodian countryside in a minibus not everything remains happy. S on the advice of our two nurses and at the direction of the team leader we chilled today. And it was so good.

We held a team meeting in our coffee shop at nine and discussed the things we had seen and done. What we would take back with us to our work in our local churches and conference. Then we made a provisions raid on the grocery store procuring water, sesame crackers, bananas and yogurt. So we skipped Cambodian lunch and had a picnic. Probably from the alternating heat and humidity and the A/C set to stun (17 C to be precise), my roommate and I both have a cough. So as we lay down for our naps, I would cough, she would cough, I would snort, she would chortle. Then we would laugh which caused us to cough. TB sanitariums where never this much fun.