This week we have been working a house in a village called Nongchit where a believer named Bualean lives with here 13 year old daughter. The house is very old and most of the posts are made of wood. Because of this, termites have done great damage to the wood that supports the house. It no longer sits level. The house is also not raised up very high.

The outhouse is another story. When we examined it the wood that made up the frame was rotted out in almost every critical spot. Inside there was no water supply and a dirt floor. There was only a toilet. Bualean used this area to also store her rice.

When we started working to tear down the structure, it was apparent that virtually the only thing holding it up was the tin sheets on the outside. It came down very quickly. When we got to her rice, I lifted up a bag and under it was a large rat. This was not so surprising. What was surprising was a 5.5 foot snake that was also hiding in the pile. We killed the snake and when we left they skinned it and made it into soup.

Bualean's life has been hard and to make matters worse, she has AIDS. Hopefully she has enough time left to raise her daughter. However, the improvements that are being made to the house can make some aspects of Bualean's life easier. The new wash room will include a tank with water so that she and her daughter can wash inside. They will no longer have to carry water to flush the toilet. We have hired a crew to lift the house and place new concrete posts under it. When we were deciding how high to raise it they had me stand up next to it so it was tall enough for a falang to walk under. (Falang is slang for a foreigner but mostly a white person) Underneath the house will be a cement floor and an area next to the house to cook on.