Inshallah

Its been a few days since my last blog so I'm backlogged with information...or should I say back-blogged...haha, no really someone stop me I could do this all day. Anyways, I am back living and working at the same location where I started. We are breaking new ground in our section so we are having to build from the ground up in order to effectively do our jobs. As many of you know, us agent-types have the gift of gab so in order to build our infrastructure we walk around make friends and get stuff...or the official term is liaison, so we'll see where that gets us. We met up with some other types like us here in the area and one was from Tampa...well actually from Brandon. Thats the second person who has said "I'm from Tampa" I say "what part?", they say Brandon...and I say you are kind of from Tampa, same county...geez.

I also got Internet hooked up in my room which is helpful. So let me explain something, in Arabic there is a word "Insh'allah" (pronounced In-sha-la) meaning God Willing. Middle Easterners use this term way to often. For example, I will see you tomorrow inshallah...similar to how we use Lord Willing. The problem is they cross the street in heavy traffic saying I will make it across "inshallah". Also it gives them an out when you ask them to meet you tomorrow at a certain time. They conclude their answer with inshallah...meaning I may not show up...it was the Lords Will that I over sleep. I say all that to say this...the guy who sets up the room internet is Iraqi and therefore afflicted with the Inshallah syndrome (IS). It took my partner 2 weeks to get his internet hooked up, so learning from that and knowing the presence of IS, I hounded that guy for three days until he hooked it up. He hasn't said hi to me since but then again I got my Internet. No new missions lately...trying to familiarize ourselves with new settings and goals, along with acquiring supplies which has taken most of our time. But we will resume heavy lifting soon and, inshallah, help rebuild this place.

Interesting note, there is a civilian U.S. company who hires security guards from all over the world and has them man several checkpoints in different areas throughout the IZ. There are groups from Africa and South America. I was practicing my Spanish with the boys from South America today...they saw our title and said "oh oh...I no traffic cocaine..." we had a long good laugh...then I frisked them! But seriously, I was able to talk with them a little and one complimented me saying I had no accent, why? I told my partner I spoke very little Spanish and then carried on a half hour conversation with the gate guards...he hounded me about that afterwards. Lastly, church service went well today...it was refreshing singing those hymns and reading scripture. Have you ever gone to church thinking "Gods going to speak to me today..." only to arrive and have the sermon topic be on something completely different from what you were praying about? Then you say God I came to church and you didn't speak to me...only to realize it WAS for you but it was focused on issues you are not praying about and SHOULD be? Well to keep it short, that happened today in which I felt the Lord saying, you pray about "A" but you need to pray about "B". And when I take the time to think about it, that very issue is affecting my walk more than any other prayers. In the end, God directs our path, sometimes all we need is a flashlight...other times he has to be an actual tour guide because he knows with just a flashlight some of us would still take the wrong path. More to come later...inshallah

Your Infidel,
dave