The Day the Church Flooded (and other unexpected happenings)

Altotonga, Mexico --

Saturday, 9:27am-- Stretch! A long day ahead of me, I think. I'm getting a later start than I expected for the day, but then again-- I got a later start to bed last night than I expected. Oh well-- gotta get going.

10:23am-- Chris calls me as I'm about a block away from the club. I had left a message not too long ago-- had he moved my disc I had in the upstairs office? No... hmm ok. Where in the world did I put that then?

12:45pm-- Ok, dance class is over. I'm packing up my bookbag as the girls are chatting by the cd player. Last thing to put in-- Windex I brought from the house-- I had cleaned the windows upstairs in the Club before dance class-- and they needed it! Alright, let's go. Poor girls- I worked them out this morning and did a lot of isolation exercises to help them with body control. Hehe... we'll see who comes back next week.

1:04pm-- "You... speak... spanish?" "Si." "Uhh... you speak... ingles?" "Yes." I pay the guy at the veggie shop his 6 pesos for the tomatoes and onion I had bought. On the way there, I had considered what all I had in the house (not much) to eat... tortilla chips that I don't want to get too bad. I'll make chilaquiles! The guy who had asked me that question now asks me outside the shop-- "Can you talk to my patron in the United States?" (but, in Spanish)... Now, do I really believe that's what he wants from me? Of course not. Why would he need me to talk to his patron (who, I'm about 98% sure, is Mexican and would speak Spanish)? No, this is to start a "friendship". Of course, he sees that I'm obviously in a hurry and gives me the option out-- "Or are you in a hurry?" "Yes, I'm in a hurry. I'm sorry. Please excuse me." And on my way I go. I don't believe his story for a minute, as I contemplate on the short way back to my apartment-- and if it were such an important situation, he would have explained for about 15 minutes the situation. Thank God for the easy way out of that one!

2:40pm-- I'm rushing around the house, having finished eating my chilaquiles (which turned out pretty good, thank you). The USB memory for the video I did, my Bible, my indispensible notebook, a jacket for later, the discs I'm loaning Aaron, the mp3 for the song that the dance girls will be doing... keys to my house, keys to the Club, 20 pesos for whatever I may need to buy, cel phone.... Ok, I think I can go.

4:00pm-- Everything is ready to go upstairs. The band had a good practice for tonight's praises. The chairs are set up. The dvd is on downstairs and ready to go (just waiting to turn the speakers on...)... I lay the format out to the group and we stand together in a circle, holding hands and praying for the meeting.

4:51pm. "Janine, Magno has to go pick up his mom at 5:45, since Julio normally does that but he has the teaching tonight. [So, his 13 year old brother will go take the car to take his mom to their church.] So, work that into the schedule"-- Chris tells me. Magno is the drummer for the band. Alright, move worship to the end. I'm sure glad I knew this ahead of time... but it's easy enough. Now, inform the group.

6:15pm-- Julio is in the middle of his teaching (which is really good-- on integrity). And supposedly there are drops coming down from the ceiling tiles. I look back at Chris-- What's going on? He doesn't answer. Apparently not a big deal. Man, it's a downpour outside. It's raining hard. It hasn't rained in about 2 weeks. So, this will be good to get all the dust down.

7:00pm-- I'm scrambling to get everything back in a working order downstairs as you have to switch between the offices upstairs and downstairs and answering kids requests to buy a soup from the kitchen. I see Chris go into the church area that's blocked off by the wall. Then, it occurs to me-- Cesar said something about the church. I walk in-- NO MANCHES! The church is about an inch, in some places about 2 inches underwater. Oh junk.

7:53pm-- After the second resurge of water, we've just about got all the water up. All the youth worked hard to get the water out-- using everything imaginable to get the water up. I don't know how many trash cans and buckets and sweepvacs we emptied full of water.

8:54pm-- We're finally out of there for the night. While Chris was working on the drains (the concrete blocks up), which were apparently clogged up, which forced all the water up from the drains, Vonda and I were doing normal Saturday night closing up. Cover all the games, turn off all the technology, count the money, rat-proof the kitchen since we'd be leaving the drains open tonight. The Club looks a mess.

9:30pm-- Yes, my fam is online! I get to talk to them!

11:40pm-- Upstairs in now clean. I just need to finish doing the dishes and sweep and mop downstairs. I know I won't have time tomorrow to do this, and I just need to get it clean. Can't forget-- 2 more emails to send...

Sunday, 1:26am-- I'm out of the shower, and everything seems to be done. I have my schedule written out for the next week, with what errands I need to run what day and who I need to visit on which days and so forth. Looks like a busy week. What's new... Is it really 1:26am?!? Gosh... It's quiet time for me. I like them better at night. I do practically everything better at night. Sometimes I do switch it up and do it in the mornings, and throughout the day. There are various verses that are throughout my house that I meditate on when I see them. But I'm more a night owl. I like to be up early and get going early, but my most creative and inspirational ideas come at night. That's why I usually clean house at night and work on my teachings at night.


2:12am-- Be as innocent as a dove and as shrewd as a snake... I was almost asleep, but I "jumped" out of it, still contemplating a meeting I have tomorrow... well, today. The phrase keeps running through my brain. I need wisdom in dealing with this particular person...

7:15am-- What in the world? Who's calling? No, that's my alarm clock. No, no, no...!!!!7:24am-- Ok, now I do need to get up. I totter downstairs and get coffee ready. Thank the Lord for coffee.

7:56am-- On my way down to the Club to meet Chris to finish cleaning out the drains. It's still raining, but not bad.

9:56am-- Let's see what one more bucket will do, Chris tells me, as I lug a 5 gallon bucket of water to the other drain to pour down. Yeah, right. I stopped believing that about 10 buckets ago. I'm now on about 30. I'm gonna be buff.

10:11am-- I comment to Chris-- I think that when I am 40 years old or so, I'm going to be pretty dang intelligent for a woman on the mission field. He's definitely agreeing. Look what I've learned in the past month-- how to build a house, how to fix the sound system, how to clean drains, where to go to get the broken glass slats fixed... various other lessons. I may become a Ms. Rose someday.

11:07am-- Back up the hill I head. You wouldn't believe the junk we pulled out of the pipes. The church is back in order. Everything is set up for service, the sound system and cords all back in their places (Aaron came down to do that)... the leak upstairs taken care of.

12:50pm-- I'm walking through the tianguis (market) that's set up outside of my house. There are a million sounds-- the whiny music northern music, hard rock music, the hot new pop songs, people talking, the lady at the corner yelling out, "Ajo, Señorita, hay ajos!" I go to the bread store and the friendly lady sells me the card to put more credit on my cel phone. Then 3 blocks up the street and one block over to Aurrera.Aurrera always makes me feel more American. It's a department store that you can get even some American things there. There's real Kraft Mac 'n cheese, croissants, and various other things that you normally couldn't find here about 6 months ago. So, I like to go there. I have come to know a variety of people there, by chatting with the cashiers and other youth who work there. While going through, I scour everything looking for things which are at the best deal. Even with the light bulbs, the off-brand is 65 centavos cheaper (that's about 6 cents cheaper). While looking at light bulbs, I browse to see what other things they have in this aisle. I've never stopped just to look. I turn around and my eyes go wide. I exclaim, "They have duck tape here!" What novelties! Checking out, I chat with a youth, and say my goodbyes to others I know, and then carry my bags 3 blocks back down and a half-block over to my house in the rain. I'm already pretty wet. But soon, I can change into dry clothes again...

3:00pm-- My alarm clock goes off again. Of course, I'd only slept like 15 minutes... but I did need a cat nap to get going for the rest of the day. I know I don't have time to hit snooze-- so I get up and make it downstairs to heat up the left over chilaquiles sauce and make lunch and then get read for church-- which is at 4.

6:07pm-- We stand up as the preaching is done. The pastor calls Chris and me forward to pray for the youth. I go up and stand behind them. They drop like flies. It was amazing. Even teens who normally don't come to church or who are just hard-hearted are dropping and cry. Everyone except one went down. And then like half the adults. It was amazing-- I feel the Spirit of God moving through me as I prayed for them-- and I'm just astounded. This is the first time I've seen anything like it happen here in church. Anything close.

7:07-- Finally, I'll be out of the Club for some 36 hours. I had the meeting that I needed to have and it went better than I expected, though I was cautious. Another person who doesn't want to recognize my leadership here insulted me with a smile--twice actually. I smiled back and replied intelligently to the comment(s). Oh well. You'll get those people everywhere you go. Grin and bear it.

8:22-- Japanese time...

9:15pm-- Making my banana yogurt. I buy natural yogurt from the store, and then I buy bananas from wherever. Chop the bananas, put them in the blender, a bit of vanilla extract, a tbsp or 2 of sugar, blend, then mix the banana puree and the yogurt in a bowl, and I'll have yogurt that's good for 2 weeks. Add a little water, mind you, before blending the bananas. I pour some over the cheap corn flakes that I buy. Why? It's healthier-- I don't put much sugar-- and it's equal parts of yogurt and banana puree. It's good for breakfast to get me going. And it's cheaper. I'd pay the same amount for flavored yogurt (which I don't really care for) and this way it's made just the way I like it. Well, I could get the yogurt at a different shop and it would be cheaper-- but it comes in a bag and without an expiration date. I'll pay the extra 80 cents to the other store for the peace of mind that I won't food poison myself.

Now, I've heard from seasoned missionaries that in order to stay healthy and not get sick very often, that you're supposed to eat at least a tablespoon of plain yogurt everyday (or, with a banana puree mix). Has something to do with the bacteria that you need. Plain yogurt-- not the flavored and messed with yogurt that they have in the stores. And not frozen yogurt either. Now, I've also heard a tablespoon of vinegar everday. I think I'll stick with my banana yogurt (apple yogurt is good too-- though that's a lot of extra work).

9:39pm-- The water heater is ready to shower and I'm going to get ready for tomorrow. I'm going to Xalapa to get a guitar from the Club fixed (hopefully) at the music store. and go to the eye doctor since I've been having headaches. I'm pretty sure I need a new prescription. I lucked out in that both places are on the same street. Maybe I'll run by Walmart and see what they have there. In any case, I need to get my stuff together... documentation and everything so that I can be ready to get on the bus at the station at 8am. It's a 2 hour ride, so I'll take a book along with me. I'm praying it'll be nice tomorrow.

What a weekend this has been...