The landlord's carpenter finally showed up on Wednesday to put a new deadbolt on our backdoor, ten days after the break-in. I didn't want to ask him if he finished the tomb...that just seemed to be too awkward for small talk. Thankfully, Jim stayed in the kitchen with him to watch the process as he finally had to show the carpenter (twice!) which way the lock was to go. In the process of trying to put the lock in, the carpenter broke off the edge of the tile on the backsplash, glued it back in place and then proceeded to break off several more chunks. He finally just took off all the broken pieces and so now our backsplash has a jagged raggedy edge. I wasn't too excited about how it looks so I can't imagine how the landlord is going to feel when he sees it!
The carpenter also was going to replace the broken kitchen window. He removed all the broken glass before deciding he couldn't do it. So we now have an entirely open window in the kitchen. This is the same man who is supposed to fix the roof in December...I was really looking forward to that being done but I can't say now, that I'm too anxious to see him on our roof. Jim managed to find some cardboard to cover up the window so we can at least try to slow down the entry of bugs and bats! Thankfully, we have bars on the window to provide us protection from two legged intruders. I've noticed God keeps ensuring that I don't settle in to a state of complacent comfort!
Our last week or so...
- We have our new day guard - his name is Enrique. He is a quiet young man, very pleasant but not much of a self-starter...we're the first Americans for whom he's worked. He's very used to being given step by step instruction...I think it's going to take some time for us all to get used to one another. His first day was actually last Sunday and he brought a gift to us - a well-used KJV English Bible which I imagine was left by a group at some point. It was a very sweet gesture and we were both touched that he would do something so thoughtful. Jim carried it to church Sunday and when Enrique noticed it through the car window, he smiled. He seems to be a nice boy and it does provide some peace of mind when we're not here in the afternoons knowing Enrique's here, but truthfully, I hate having a guard. I hate the reason for it and I hate how it feels. It is the rule far more than the exception for foreigners, but nevertheless, it's a standard I don't like. The one positive thing, other than having a presence around the house when we're not here, is the fact we're providing work for someone who needs it. I have reminded myself of that every day so far this week when I happen to look out my kitchen window and see Enrique just standing in the driveway. I can't imagine such a boring job and I can't imagine being so grateful to have it. We have just recently been advised it might be wise to also employ another night guard. We're still discussing that...peace of mind and safety are definitely important factors to consider and we would be giving yet another person a job...guess this just isn't how I envisioned this ministry working! At least not in this format, anway.
- Miguel told us this week that they finally were told what kind of cancer his little nephew, Kennet, has...it's lymphoma. Kennet is 9 years old and this has been a very scary time for the whole family. Unfortunately, the prognosis isn't good. He had his first chemotherapy treatment last week and will have a treatment every Thursday. Because the system here is basically socialized medicine, his treatments are paid for by the government but the level of care is not nearly what it should be. He is able to now remain at home but having the weekly treatments necessitates that he and his mother travel by bus for over an hour each way every Thursday. We would all appreciate prayers for this little guy...
- Freddy is now with us only 3 days a week...it was SO hard to give him up the other three days which he now spends working for Susanna. We have come to not only look forward to seeing his friendly smile every morning, but his work ethic is one of the best I've seen - here or Stateside. He is a blessing to us in so many ways and takes his roles seriously, both as our gardener and as the provider for his family. He is such an encouragment. He said he would stay later than usual the other day when I told him we were going to go to the store and might not be back before he left. He didn't want to leave the house unguarded. I asked him if we could help him with any groceries (he's the sole support for his family - his wife, toddler, mother and sister) and he said that we didn't have to do that. We told him we knew that but wondered if it would be permissable to perhaps bring back some beans or rice for them. He smiled shyly and then asked if we would mind getting milk instead for his son, Gabriel (he'll be two in December). Mind??? Food for a baby? Was he kidding? Of course, we would get him milk. I asked him if he wanted the regular milk in a bag. He said something but I didn't understand him and so we just smiled and said we would get milk. We went inside to get ready and when we came back out, he had gone next door to Don Carlos to bring a can of milk over to show me what kind he wanted. It was a powdered milk, which of course, can be mixed as needed and doesn't require refrigeration...the milk in a bag, does. I wasn't even thinking when I asked about the milk in a bag that he might not have a refrigerator. We got his milk and added in beans, rice, sugar, oatmeal and cereal. Oh, yeah...and a little toy truck for good measure. The look on Freddy's face was worth far more than the money we spent on the groceries. When I gave him the toy for Gabriel, I teased him and told him the toy truck was for his son and not for him. He laughed and then became very serious for a minute and asked me if I missed my family. My eyes immediately filled up with tears and I swallowed hard, and told him that yes, I miss my family very much. He said, he was sorry. It was enough.
- I went with Susanna the other day and we stopped by the Children's Center for just a few minutes. The house was unusually quiet and we discovered we were there at naptime for the kids. I wish you could see these children...they are so precious. The thin, frail, little newborn girl who came from the drug-addicted prostitute now boasts chubby little cheeks and her hair is filling out. She looked like a little angel sleeping there. Although it was naptime, 6 toddlers who were sharing the room with the little girl, started to stir when we walked in to the room. One little guy held up his arms, begging to be picked up. I couldn't do it as the children were supposed to be laying down for their naps and picking one up would be the signal for all the others to start to beg for attention. It killed me to have to tell him no. This is one of my favorite places to go and yet one of the hardest. The govern-ment has decreed that all the children in such care facilities must be returned to their families as soon as possible, regardless the reason they were removed in the first place. This means little ones are going back to situations of abuse and neglect...the thought rips my heart out and I realize that any small act of kindness we show will have more meaning now than ever before. Please pray protection over these children...
- Next Saturday, Oct. 18th, Susanna, Jim and I are traveling up to Rio Blanco to hold our first medical clinic! I am so excited! Jim and I found a Nicaraguan dentist who has agreed to go with us and we will all be working with a doctor up there in a yet-unknown area which will be chosen by Pastor Sergio, the pastor of the church plant in Rio Blanco. We will be taking some donated reading glasses, toothbrushes and toothpaste that the June team left with us...we know these things will be such a blessing to those who receive them. Our desire is to be able to do a monthly clinic there in a rural area and set it up using the one in Jinotepe as our prototype. Another prayer request...that we would be well-received, that we would meet needs and most of all, that God would be glorified in the process.
Okay, that's enough for now. Susanna is due back any time so I best wrap this up. I want to thank all of you for your prayers and we ask that you would continue to intercede on our behalf. We have had some difficult days recently. I told Mandy the other day that at my Bible study, our group was discussing Abraham's obedience in sending Ishamel and Hagar off in to the desert. One of the young girls said that she didn't think it was that big of a deal since God had promised that Ishmael would become a great nation. I hesitated to speak...new "kid" on the block sort of thing...but I did. I simply said that just because we receive a promise from God doesn't mean that there's not going to be pain in the process. We're not exempt, are we?
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