Annoyances can destroy, if we let them.

This blog post is a reflection on 2 Samuel 18-19 and includes a confession.

This story, from 2 Samuel 18-19 is about King David's overwhelming idolization of his son, Absalom, even at the cost of his people and kingdom.

Even before David's army went to battle, King David gave instructions to his leaders, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom."

But the big wake-up call comes after King David finds out about his son's death.  King David allows that event to cloud the reality that his army just won a victory! Sadly, King David can't even hear the news about the victory, but is only concerned about his son, Absalom.

Chapter 18, Verse 31: " Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Notice King David doesn't even acknowledge the victory.  His only concern is for his son. 

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”

The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”

After this, one of King David's commanders, Joab hears about David's mourning. 

Chapter 19 verse 1 says: Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.”

Joab, removed from the emotional reaction of Absalom's death, is able to see the bigger picture and how David's grief must come to an end for the sake of the kingdom.

Verse 5 says, "Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.”

So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him."

Fortunately, David heeded Joab's advice and the rest of the passage tells of David's reconnecting with the people as well as pardoning various enemies for atrocities they committed against him.  Essentially, his kingdom did not come to ruin because he was able to move beyond his grief for the sake of the world around him.

What did I gain from this passage?

The question that came to mind as I was reading this passage was:

What is the one thing in my life that has become a negative filter through which I view everything else?

What has become a fatalistic grid that distorts even the most joyful of realities?

Our Enemy, Satan is the master of stealing joy. He likes nothing more than for redeemed believers in Jesus to walk around as if we have been destroyed or have no joy in life.

I do have at least one thing in my own life that eats away at me in a similar way that David's attachment to his son nearly ate away at him and his kingdom.  (One disclaimer: In this post, I am in no way saying that the death of a child is similar to the annoyance of a dog - my focus here is on how the controlling factor of these two things can destroy.)

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but since most of you will find it comical, I'll go ahead and share.

One massive joy-stealer in my life is Reagan. Jason's dog.  I've written about Reagan before (1 year ago to be exact).  I wrote about the need for "blinders" to block him out of my line of vision.

Oh, if only I could block him out of my life completely.  Then things would be better.  Or so I think.

Like King David, I have become fixated on something that holds my gaze, when there are much more beautiful things to behold just inches away.

Why do I let a dog dominate my life?

Both King David and I let something temporary become a controlling influence in our life when it has no business holding that kind of power over us.

King David got a wake up call from his commander Joab who reminded him of the bigger picture of his people and his kingdom, and how his distraction of his grief was beginning to have a significantly negative impact on the world around him.  King David responded and was able to move out of his grief for the sake of his people.

I got a wake up call of sorts last night, as Jason and I were watching the Red Sox (Jason's team) and the Orioles (my team, which is doing horribly right now!).  Reagan proceeded to go through his nightly routine of licking.  Licking what, you ask?  Anything around him - Jason's legs, the couch, etc.  For the most part it's his paws.  It can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, with occasional breaks.

And it annoys pretty much everything out of me.

Imagine a pig - not a dirty pig, but more of a consistent licking and grunting background noise type pig.  This goes on for what feels like an eternity.  Every. Single. Night.

I've found that if you nudge him every minute or so, sometimes he will get annoyed, and give up on the licking.  But recently, he's gotten mad and angry that he's being disturbed during his incredibly important licking procedure.

Last night, I reached down from the couch and gave him a nudge in his rear end to try and distract him.  He didn't like that one bit and whipped around to eat me alive. Let's just say he definitely let me know never to do that again.

So, there it is.  I've lost.  To the dog.

I have had my wake-up call. Not only is there absolutely NOTHING I can do to change the situation any more than David could change his, but also it is time to realize that this (relatively minor) annoyance is causing destruction in my life as a whole.  

Does this realization mean that I now love Reagan and will embrace him wholeheartedly?  Absolutely not. That is an impossibility.  But it might mean I stop torturing him while he is attempting to clean his feet for the thousandth time.  It might mean I find ways to distract myself from his pig sounds.  It might mean I try to think of the big picture of the rest of my life and how, in comparison, an annoying dog really should not have much weight on how I view the rest of my life.

Does this mean we should simply ignore all annoyances in our life?  I don't think so.  Many small or large annoyances, especially in marriage should be communicated about and dealt with so they don't build on each other and come out in some other ungodly way.

But I do think that most times, annoyances are a matter of the heart and perhaps should be checked to see if there is an ungratefulness or impatience or jealousy or selfishness or simple ungodliness that is playing any part in the reason why we are so annoyed.

I'm not saying any of those play a role in my situation... but then again...maybe I haven't dug far enough yet...or still refuse to admit it...

As Jason and I have come to say about everything in life...."It's a process."

Flashlights, Sandbags and Potting Soil (and marriage)

While you can talk about hypothetical situations, you don't really get to observe how someone will react until the event actually plays itself out.

Over the weekend, we lived through "Erika" - a hurricane turned into a tropical depression, turned into just a big rain storm.

Let me just say that Jason and I had very different ways of preparing for the storm.  And in the process, I realized that we both have a long way to go (me more than Jason perhaps), in allowing room for someone else's perspective on things.

The Flashlight:
Jason: "Honey, we need a flashlight."
Me: "We have a flashlight already..."
Jason: "But it's just a small one..."
Me: "We have lots of batteries for it... it would be sufficient..."
Jason: "I still think we need one. We need a big one.  It would be good to have regardless of the storm."
Me: "But, what do we really need it for?  We don't need it to see anything during the daytime.  Sunset isn't until 8pm, and besides, when it's dark, we go to sleep, so really, there's no need for a flashlight."

Somehow, I think living in S. Asia for 3 years (with very infrequent electricity) prepared me well for hurricanes.  And I do realize now there is no harm in having a reliable flashlight, but I've already built my pride up, so I'm not about to tear it down ;-)

The Sandbags:
Jason: "Honey, I got something to help us prepare for the storm...."
Elizabeth: "Uh oh, please tell me you didn't buy a flashlight..."
Jason :"Nope, this was free."
Elizabeth: (relaxing a little, but still uncertain): "What did you get?
Jason: "SANDBAGS!"
Elizabeth: (silence)
Jason: "For our back porch, to keep the water out.
Elizabeth: (silence and increased blinking as if that could somehow double check my hearing at the same time)

Turns out...the sandbags were at least somewhat helpful... :-)

Jason: "Yup, they were giving them out, lots of people were getting them..."
Elizabeth: Oh my heart.  Seriously?  We do not need sandbags....I can't believe...."

There was a bit more discussion as I tried to grasp what would compel my husband to get sandbags.  I definitely didn't agree with it, but also couldn't entirely disagree with it either.  I mean, the next 3 days were forecasted at 100% chance of rain with flood warnings and watches for our areas - and our ground was already soaked from previous rain.

So, yeah, a few sandbags probably couldn't hurt...but again, my dire need to be self-sufficient combined with my ever rising ego refused to entertain the idea that we might need sandbags.

Jason: "Honey, this is me taking care of our family and our home...so, I think it's good."
Me: (still silence for the most part)

The Potting Soil
Me: "Honey, I might go to the store and get some potting soil to replant these plants..."
Jason: "What?
Me: "Yeah, I need to re-plant those plants we were just given...my goal is to keep them alive."
Jason: "Do you really need it?"
Me: "Yeah, for the plants, when I re-plant them in bigger pots, I need more soil..."

Uh oh...Nala and Reagan...are on the wrong side of the sandbags :-)

Jason: (silence)
Me: "So, I was gonna go get some, did you want to come with me?"
Jason: "Why do we need potting soil for plants that are going to die anyway?"
Me: (frown and frustration) "Honey......come on......"
(after a few minutes)
Jason: "Well, sure I'll come - maybe we can stop and get some more sandbags."

---------------------

It's about priorities.
It's about listening.
It's about entering into someone else's world, even if just for a minute.

Marriage requires you to take on a new perspective.

It's a perspective that we should be taking on all the time -- the perspective of someone else.

The re-potted plants in the new potting soil :-)

Considering someone else's needs, wants, desires above our own.

We can do this in our lives as singles, but we must do this in our lives as married people.

I'll admit, I'm not very good at it.
I want what I want, and I want it when I want it.
And if your needs differ from mine or infringe upon my wants, then they are wrong and ridiculous, and how is it we could have possibly joined our lives together in holy matrimony given that we differ on these two seemingly life or death issues!?

Until......just a drop of reason trickles in.

We step back and a sunbeam (or sometimes a rain cloud) of reality gives us the perspective of the other person.

It huts a bit, but our fingers begin to loosen the death grip on our own agenda.

And it all of the sudden becomes about caring well for someone else.
Being there for them, in his or her own frustration, dilemma, joy, excitement, fear or anxiety.

We are able to enter their world, even if just for a minute.
We can listen.
We can make them the priority, not the flashlight, the sandbags, or the potting soil.

Watching paint dry... Literally.

THE BEFORE PIC

"Honey...we are literally standing here watching paint dry."

My husband, Jason, and I stood about 15 feet back from the house.  The sticky air and unrelenting Florida sun penetrated our entire being; sweat dripped down our backs.  Jason held the paint can, I held the paint brush.

We watched the house - hoping that the lighter and darker shades of paint would somehow become the same color as we literally watched the paint dry.

It all started about a month ago, with a mysterious white stain on the front of the house and a letter from the Home Owners Association informing us that we needed to deal with it.

Attempt #1: So, a couple weeks ago, we took a trip to Home Depot and Mr. Paint Guru told us to get some CLR (Calcium Lime Rust Remover) and a scrub brush.  So we did.  We hosed down the wall, sprayed the CLR, brushed it and rinsed it - several times.  The stain came off, but not completely.

Attempt #2: So, we decided to paint over the stain - as a few people had suggested.  Well.  Have you ever tried to match a paint color before?  If not, let me just say that if you want to feel ridiculous, humiliated and have your pride hurt a bit, go ahead and try it sometime.

It is basically impossible.

Let me explain.

We brought in a paint chip the size of a quarter from one side of the house to Home Depot to see if we could get the same color paint.  Mr. Paint Guru mixed us up a sample of that color.  And just to be sure, we went ahead and got samples of a shade lighter and a shade darker.  We bought two paintbrushes and returned to the house.

We tested the 3 shades on the side of the house - and found one that matched the best.

The problem is that the Florida sun has totally bleached the right side of the house, but not the front.  So the color that works well on the side doesn't exactly show up as the same color on the front.

Needless to say, we painted over the white stain in a semi-inconspicuous area on the front of the house to test out the paint.  Initially, it looked much worse than the original white stain.

But then, as we watched the paint dry, the color darkened to match the color of the house much better!

And thus began the "paint a little, wait for it to dry, check it, then paint some more" routine.

After several cycles, we finally finished.  We do think it is less noticeable than the white-stain from before.  And after sweating and struggling through the 'watching paint dry' process, I don't think we're biased at all.

Still, as the outcome wasn't perfect, both Jason and I kind-of felt like we had wasted a bunch of our time - especially given that we need to re-paint the whole house anyway in the next few months.  Painting the stain was only to buy a little more time with the Home Owners Association, which might work, or it might not.  We'll see.

Either way, watching paint dry today cause me to wonder if there are other situations that I am going through right now that feel similar to the agonizing process of waiting for paint to dry.

Normally, I'm all about efficiency and making the most of the time while I wait for something else.  However, today, there was nothing else we could do, but wait for the paint to dry.

If we had gone ahead and painted more before it was dry, it would have been a huge risk because we couldn't be sure of the outcome since the smaller section hadn't dried yet.

THE LAST PIC

If we had given up at first glance thinking the paint was the wrong color, we might have missed the hope-filled moment when the shade ever so quietly turned darker to more closely match the color of the house.

What areas in my life am I currently finding it hard to be patient?  Where am I tempted to rush in and take over before waiting to see how it might end up without my interfering?

What relationships or tasks in my life have I wanted to give up on because they didn't turn out the way I initially planned?

What situations in my life appear to be much worse at first glance, but in reality only need a little more time to reveal something better than I could have imagined?

Maybe sometimes, in a particular decision or attitude or action, the only response I am called to in that moment is to wait and watch.

Maybe sometimes there's more to be revealed in the process than I realize.

Maybe sometimes I need just to watch the paint dry.

"I told you so"

Yes, it's that warm out already!  Baseball season has started. 

Here is a glimpse into a moment in time that took place this evening:

Setting the stage:

First, we're down to one car right now, while mine potentially dies (we'll find out tomorrow if it's the transmission :-/).

So, I picked Jason up from work.  We had a picnic lunch of ham sandwiches at the little league baseball field.  We went to watch watch some kids of friends from church and students that Jason teaches.

Then we went to trace the route we will take early tomorrow morning to get the car to the mechanic.  We can only drive it about 5 mph, so we wanted to check out some back roads to get there easily.

The conversation:

Me: ...looking at the map intensely, and giving Jason directions: "Honey, turn after the mechanic's street, not down that street, but after it. The one with the mechanic has dead ends - you can't get through"

Jason: ...Turns down the street the mechanic is on.

Me: "Honey, why did you turn here, I said it had dead ends and we couldn't get through…"

Jason:  "Oh well, maybe we can get through…" ...continues to drive down to the end, where it was pretty sketchy and very clearly dead ends.

Me: "I told you so."

Jason: "Wow, really?  If I said that to you…. I think basically neither of us should ever say that to each other…"

Me: "Well… I did tell you…and I'm kinda stressed out cause you have to get to the PTO meeting, and I'm trying to save us time by not having us go down streets with dead ends.

Jason: "Well, I'm not stressed out, you don't need to be either."

Me:   …giving up on that for now…..   "Okay, turn here… and go all the way…."

We turned around and went back the way I originally said.

A few minutes later:

Me: "I'm sorry I said I told you so."

Jason: reaches across the car and gently takes my hand.

Me: …hesitating to respond…. I finally take his hand and say: "But, I'm only partly sorry…"

Jason: "what?"

Me: "Well…I am sorry, but I also feel like you didn't listen to me at all, and didn't even want my help and just didn't care that I was trying to help you with directions…"

Jason: "I'm sorry I didn't listen, you're right, I did need your help and I should have listened to you… I'm sorry."

Me: "I'm sorry too…."

After a few more minutes….

Jason: "Maybe you're next blog post should be, "I told you so.."

Me: a stare back at Jason.

Jason: "I'm just saying."

Between the highlights, the lowlights and the in-between times, one thing is for sure:

There is no one else I'd rather figure life out with than my Jason.  

What's that smell? Present day reactions that stem from past life experiences?

A couple of days ago, I smelled something.

Something foul.  Briefly looked around.  Nothing.

Later on, I smelled it again.  Told Jason about it. He also smelled it.

We took out the trash.  Smell remained.

The next night, we still smelled it.

Looked through the fridge, the pantry, checked our shoes for gross things.

Finally, Jason exclaimed: "Ah ha!!  Found it!"

He had traced the smell and one lone fruit fly up to the top of the fridge where there was a piece of tilapia that had been there for… who knows how long.  Honestly, probably only a couple of days.

It started coming back to me.

Last week I made 4x the recipe of Chili - to have on hand and to give to friends.  In addition, I had just bought another huge 4lb bag of tilapia to put in the freezer.

In order to make room for these items, I had to completely re-arrange our little freezer.

Can I just say that years of packing for weeks in a carry-on have made me an excellent space saver and packer?  I also excel at Tetris ;-)

In the process of re-arranging, this little piece of tilapia must have gotten pushed back on the top of the fridge, and never got put back in.

Regardless of how it got there, Jason was more than exuberant that we had found the source of the smell.  At dinner (go figure, we were having tilapia, no joke), he shared his ideas on how this fish on the top of the fridge could become a blog post.

So, in his honor, I decided to write this post - taking his thoughts, mixed with my own, all initiated by the fish on the fridge.

Here's the analogy. Take it as far as you want.  Like all analogies it eventually breaks down.

The freezer is like our life.
The fish on the fridge represents major life change or transition.
The new 4lb bag of tilapia represents new life experiences.
The chili represents… uh, yeah, see…it's breaking down already…let's leave the chili out of it.

The moral of the fish on the fridge story is that while there are seasons when we need to clean out our life in a variety of ways, if we de-clutter too quickly, there may be experiences that are overlooked and while seemingly not a part of our life anymore, they can still cause a major stink sometimes.

Further Explanation for those who dare to follow this analogy any further:
Cleaning out various parts of my life might mean physically giving some of my material possessions away.  It could mean spiritually refreshing myself in God's grace after living under the law for too long.

Cleaning out could involve emotionally digging into the past to see how my (false) beliefs about events and circumstances affect my current realities and responses to situations.

Focusing on the emotions part for now: If I don't process my major life changes, there will be a distorted perspective through which to view and handle new experiences, which can possibly result in a stinky reaction or response.

So cleaning out, through processing, and debriefing, and surrendering, is necessary.

All major life changes have an impact on who we are today.  Sometimes our past plays a huge role in our positive outlook on life.  Sometimes, it contributes to a latent frustration through which we filter our experiences, whether or not they are similar to the past experiences or something totally new.

Many times, it takes a hint of a stench for us to realize there is something not quite right.  Initially, we can ignore the smell.  But there is an unsettling feeling inside of us, knowing it's there.  We can remove surface emotions (the trash), but that is only a cover, because it's not the real problem.  The stench will continue to grow.  Until we find the source of it, it will increasingly infiltrate our every being (and room in the house).

Let me make this analogy more personal.

Recently, I have reacted to some things (aka: my husband), in some not very pleasant ways.  Shocking, I know.  This is the stench that has come to the surface.  It has grown to the point where it is something I want to deal with.

By God's grace and the help of mentors, I have started working through some past life changes and transitions.  Unpacking, de-cluttering, processing.  Seeing what's behind other things.

Realizing there are deep core beliefs that have been formed by some of my life's transitions.  These core beliefs have a major impact on how I view the world and how I respond to situations today.

Goodness gracious, no wonder the odor is getting so bad.  Some of this stuff has been there a long time!

I wish that the deep stuff in my life was as easy to get rid of as a fish on the top of a fridge.

It's not.

It's hard.  Really hard.

But, to end on a positive note…

I will say that recently (two days ago), I was able to see a tiny bit of fruit of this processing.  A situation arose and instead of viewing it through my mis-proportioned expectations, I could see just a tad more clearly into reality.  I could then respond just a tad more appropriately than I might have a couple weeks ago.  Breakthrough.  Seriously.  It was big, for me.

And as I walked the dogs around the block I felt a little bit lighter.

I can see that God is giving me grace to re-train my mind and strength to examine by beliefs in certain areas to the point where I can apply a realistic filter to situations instead of the negative or frustrating one that I have been using for so long.

It is hard.

But, it is good.

It is a process and will take time.  Maybe lots of time.

But, it is worth it.

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." ~ Psalm 139: 9-10

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Christmas already?

What is the deal? I saw this two days ago in a store.

Is it Christmas already? What country am I in? Did I just change time zones? Did I fall asleep for 2 months and it's now December?

Wow... it'll be here before you know it!!

"Teach me Hindi"

This morning Bina came to my room and said in her “Blizzard language”,
“Teach me Hindi. I don’t know Hindi, you teach me.”

This is not the first time one of the girls has asked me to teach them Hindi. Most of these girls come from rural areas and do not speak Hindi- the national language at home. So when they get here, they feel a bit lost. They learn the language very quickly, of course, by playing with the other girls. But initially, it’s hard to understand what’s going on.

Of course, the funniest thing is that they ask ME to teach them. I think I just now realized why they ask me. While they may not fully understand everyone else around them, they usually can understand when I talk to them, because my language is about the level of a 2 year old, pretty basic, and understandable!!

Cockroach!

As “Danny” from ‘Mountain’ team was recording Jesus and the Paralytic story, a huge cockroach crawled out from under the padding of the studio and right under my feet. Trying not to create any sound, so as not to interfere with the recording, I quietly tried to hold up my feet until the end of the recording. The three other men in the room of course didn’t think it was a big deal…but held their laughter at me until Danny was finished his story.

It’s definitely not the first cockroach I’ve seen, and I’m fairly certain there is one living under a steel box in my room, but I’ve decided as long as it stays under there, it can stay there. ;)

NOTE: The other bugs that were driving me insane about a month ago seemed to have ceased. It must have been the time of year, combined with the dryness just before monsoon or something that brought them out of hiding (i.e. out of my wooden furniture, and door). But either way, they are no more, or at least dramatically decreased. Praise the Lord!

I've had it!

So, after realizing that the bugs were mainly coming from inside the wooden furniture in my room, I firmly decided to get rid of all wooden furniture in my room. That meant, all furniture. Except for 2 plastic chairs. I just couldn't take it anymore, and wasn't going to be persuaded to do anything less than remove all of it!! Sarina (left) and the other girls helped me move it all out and into another room.

Unfortunately, I still had bugs for a while (they crawled in under the door, or snuck in when the door was open). But, in general, they volume did decrease dramatically without the furniture in my room!!

Itty Bitty

On a more positive note, I suppose Springtime has hatched some new lizards, cause I’ve seen two itty bitty ones in my room.

I found this guy crawling on my sheets…but he’s soo cute, I had to take a pic.

And just so you can see the size, I have my 2 inch thumb drive next to him!!!

Lizards are definitely welcome in my room as they eat the mosquitoes!

(But they do leave droppings just like mice!!)

When life gives you bugs, make a collection! :)

So, in addition to the one crawling on my arm in the middle of the night last week,
two days ago, in the middle of the night when it was so cold, I was using a sheet to cover up, all of the sudden, from underneath the sheet, I woke up to another bug crawwling on my leg – eww!!

Yesterday, I decided to keep a record….

This photo shows one day’s slaughter.

I thought I’d share it with you all.

Another note: There was a lady here at the hostel/orphanage that sweeps the hallways (and whom I’ve taught how to crochet since I’ve been here, and now she’s better than me!), and she was standing next to me when I was taking this picture.

I should have taken a picture of HER face.

She made no comment and was just like, “You’re weird.” I wanted to say, “Haha…I know! :)

Another Friday Night

So, two nights ago, I was exhausted beyond belief. After a very long week meeting with teams from sun-up to sun-down, I came home Friday night and was sound asleep by 7:30pm. Of course, I knew Helen would be coming by around 8:30 or 9:00pm with dinner and would sit and talk. So I left the door open. I was sound asleep, when I felt an irritation on my left arm. I ignored it, figuring it was sweat, bed-bugs, or mosquitoes, none of which I really cared much to do anything about. And none of which I really could do anything about even if I cared! But then the twitch seemed to move down my arm. And it wasn’t hovering over my arm the way a mosquito does. It was actually walking down my arm. Yes, it was definitely not sweat, not bed-bugs, not a mosquito. It was something much larger. I immediately sat straight up and used my right arm to fling whatever it was off of me. I didn’t fling it very far cause it landed right next to me, still on the bed. I pretty much jumped from sitting position right over top of it to land on my floor next to the bed. I dashed for the light a my flip flop, and was armed, ready to attack, in less than 2 seconds. In my mind I prepared myself…’No matter how big, or how small, you have to crush whatever it is, no time to think, no time to prepare, you just have to smack it with all you’ve got.’ And, as soon as my eyes saw the big (at least 2 inches- which is really big, especially in the dark!) black bug, I did exactly that. It wasn’t very pretty, but it was eliminated.

Oh, gotta love Friday nights.

(If you want to see a picture of it, check this out (I didn’t really want bug-guts on my page, so am not pasting it directly on my blog --http://picasaweb.google.com/elizabethstories/Bug11May#5334396424053090578
(I didn't realize til I took the picture how long the atennas were!!!)

“There aren’t any spiders in America, right?” (And a few other funny quotes from my life here)

“So, if people use toilet paper, they don’t use any water at all?” (Question asked by one of the staff at the orphanage here, after discussing some recent guests who had put the toilet paper down the toilet instead of in the trash can and had left of stopped-up mess when they left)

“There aren’t any spiders in America, right?” (After cleaning my room and getting all the cobwebs and spiders out!)

“Will he be able to just work in his field for a few months, and live off of that?” (Comment by Manny, after telling him about my dad losing his job, because both him and Sam have prayed for my dad’s job for a few months)

“Wow, you’re making your bed so thick!” (comment made by one of the girls at the orphanage as she watched me lay one sheet down as a mattress cover, and another sheet down as something to cover up with when it’s “cold.”)

“Oh, they have mosquitoes there too?” (Returning from Thailand, I had a few mosquito bites, so someone asked me this question)

Staff: “You’re looking very skelt!”
Me: “What? Can you spell that for me?”
Staff: “You know, skelt….skeleton?”
Me: “Okay, is that a compliment?”
Staff:“Well, just because you’re wearing something different today, you are looking more skinny, so you are skelt.”
Me: “Oh, okay. Thanks.

My favorite:
Conversation with Mommy about how hot it was, and how I was triyng to find a way to get cooler…
She said somewhat sarcastically: “Why don’t you just stand in the cold shower until all the water runs out?”
I replied, without even thinking that it was strange that this happened: “It already did.”

16 mosquito bites, and a Fitted Sheet

After the third flight, I got into the jeep to take the 4-5 hour ride to Pan Town. It’s funny, the jeep was actually the ambulance of the organization I’m working with here. The reason they brought the ambulance was because of the election rallies that are happening right now. The election parties can demand the use of any vehicle they want for however long they want to use it. However, they can’t demand the ambulance, so they sent that vehicle to pick me up from the airport! We did go through several rallies- see pictures.

Of course, since I still didn’t exactly want to return to life in Pan Town, I tried to prepare myself for the worst. I told myself, it’s going to be really, really hot. And probably there won’t be any water. And probably my room will be dusty. I figured that was enough. And to no surprise, my expectations were met. Right now, there is sweat dripping down my back. And I just took a cold shower about ½ hour ago. Seems I might need another one before bed. There was no water when I got here, and I was told that drinking water was also scarce. And my room was filled with dust, spider webs and spiders, and termite dust all over- in spite of the “Terminator” liquid I had applied before I left! On top of that, I woke up this morning with at least 16 mosquito bites on one foot.

Welcome “Home.”

To my surprise, I wasn’t much bothered by all of it. In many ways, it was like I was on auto-pilot, just going through things. But I think at that point in time, it was a good thing to just go through it, and not think about it too much!

Helen, and I cleaned the room and the water eventually came later that evening. It’s still really hot, of course. But I’m dealing with it. Of course, the best thing I had to look forward to when I got back was blowing up my air mattress, and putting on the fitted sheet my aunt brought me from home! And I have to say that fitted sheet has been a source of joy the past two days!!

"I have something to show you..."

Some bits of some conversation that occured on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning during tea break:
Me: “Hey Sam I have something to show you!”
Sam: “Oh really!!!! What!?! Please, show me!!”
Me: (thinking in my mind- okay, it’s not that exciting, but okay…) My sister sent a picture of her and a friend, would you like to see it?
Sam: “Oh. Okay, sure, show it to me.”

Wednesday evening, before leaving the office:
Me: “Oh, I have something to show you.”
Sam: “Oh really!!!! What!?! Please, show me!!”
Me: (again thinking in my mind – okay, it’s really not that exciting, but okay…). “I took a picture of the dust left by the termites, would you like to see it?”
Sam: “Okay. You have to stop.”
Me: “Stop what?”
Sam: “Stop telling me you have something to show me.”
Me: “Why?”
Sam: “Well…should I tell you?”
Me: “Yes, sure.”
Sam: “Well, do you know what I think you are going to show me when you tell me you have something to show me?”
Me: “Um…no, what?”
Sam: “Well…when you tell me you have something to show me, I expect that you would be showing me the picture of the boy that your parents have chosen for you.”
Me: (gasp!)
Sam: “You shouldn’t be showing me a picture of your sister and her friend, or termites, or anything else. It should be the boy that your parents have chosen for you!!!”

Needless to say, I told my mom that night that she better start working on that!! :)

A few more presents left by the termites...

We're working on a solution....hopefully I'll write about that soon.

Rain, clear water...but the termites are still here!

1) Today, it rained for the first time since October (or maybe even before then).

2) I could see the bottom of my bucket of bathing water today- the water was so clear!! (Typically, even when the bucket is half full I can’t see the bottom of it, cause the water is so full of iron).

Wow, so many things to praise God for!!

Now, if I can just figure out a way to get rid of these termites/driller ants living in my bed, and furniture, I could sleep without all the cracking/chewing noises at night, and I wouldn't wake up to piles of sawdust under my table, bed, and clothes rack!

3 stages of work...

A quote from a friend:

I have found that

there are three stages in

every great work of God;
first, it is impossible,

then it is difficult,

then it is done.”
~Michael Oh

SAM BUGS in Brazil, and Thailand!!

An email from a friend in Thailand:

Those bugs are called "drunk bugs" here in Thailand. They always precede a rain storm. They are drawn to light, so what the M people used to do is turn off all lights and sit out in the open where the wind would keep them from huddling around too much and they would cover their heads too. The other trick we learned was to put a white plastic bag on the end of the light fixture. This seems to draw the bugs and as they lose their wings the creepy crawly bodies drop into the bag and stay there. There's also less litter from their wings all over everywhere too. If you have more than one light to work with, turn on one outside or in another room where you aren't, while you sit in the dark or outside. They don't last too awfully long and you can usually resume work in about a half hour. They are nasty to be sure!! Hope this helps.

The first pictures are from a friend in Brazil, The SAME BUGS...And how they dealt with them one night!!

I found one more way to deal with them this week.....FRESH PAINT!!! (Although only the wings sick...not the bodies of the little critters!!) See the second pictures - with the purple wall in the background.

Bases Loaded...

If only the only frustrations in life were as hard as tagging someone out in baseball!!

(What's even more funny about this comic is it from an Indian paper- a country that knows a lot about cricket, but not much about baseball. I wonder what percentage of the population understood the humor behind this comic!!)