A Prized Possession!

Yesterday I was back in Svay Pak checking up on how the construction was coming along on the fence for the Courtyard. I continue to be amazed at how quickly things get built or constructed here.

The fence is almost completed and the workers have actually started installing and constructing the drainage system. I never thought I would get excited over seeing a fence built,  but given all the sensitivities in this community its great to see how God is giving shape and form to the Courtyard each step of the way. The installation of drainage system is expected to be completed at the end of this week. What's neat is to see the new drainage system that the workers have installed that will connect to the big drainage pipes which go into the Tonle Sap river. This will ultimately be a blessing to the community as it will reduce or hopefully eliminate the flooding that would otherwise have occurred during the rainy season in the surrounding homes.

The New Drainage system that the workers built that connects into the Tonle Sap River

Connecting the drainage pipes within the Courtyard

The neighbors are certainly taking a greater interest in the project now despite all the construction around their homes. Pastor Chantha told me of one man who came around wanting to buy the Courtyard at a considerably higher price than we had purchased it for. He thought it would be a good investment :-). Funny how quickly the times of change....this land that was once seen as worthless, filled with garbage and sewage not too long ago is now viewed as a prized possession with much value. From a kingdom perspective, I can't help but think of the symbolic aspect of this statement when I think of the many little girls in this community who have been treated like garbage, degraded and dehumanized in the worst form of human depravity and yet when the Lord begins to do His healing work in their lives, how He transforms them, heals them, cleanses them of all defilement and defines them not by what has been done to them but by what He did for them! In His eyes, they are His prized possession, valued, esteemed and precious!

Driveway for sale

But that wasn't the only business offer that we had. One of the neighbors next door to the Sanctuary who has just remodelled his home while all the construction has continued on the Courtyard, wanted to get into the action a bit more and offered his open driveway for sale if we wanted to buy it. His offering price was more than the entire cost we paid to purchase the Courtyard which I might add is probably about 15 or 20 times bigger than the driveway. Pastor Chantha and I had a good chuckle at this. The land values in Svay Pak are going up all because of this swamp land! But then again, God is in the business of redeeming, restoring and rebuilding and when He has done His work, the end result is of far greater worth than man can imagine!