There are so many things I want to write about…big things, little things, current things: the building project, the kids at CINAFE, our visit to some friends in another town. All are things that I want to share but God has put something else on my heart tonight. I’m supposed to be getting the kids’ English lesson ready for tomorrow in Tipitapa but God won’t let up.
It has been raining hard off and on for 4 hours now. We have numerous wet spots on our ceilings throughout our house. We just had workmen here a few weeks ago who were supposed to have repaired the roof…obviously, they didn’t. I have towels down in front of the bathtub as the water is now seeping in around it. Jim and night Felix have been taking turns sweeping the water away from the front door so it doesn’t come on in to the house. That happened yesterday.
The rains have been tremendous at times the last few weeks. We’ve not only had torrential rains, we’ve had some of the most magnificent lightning and thunder that I’ve ever witnessed. It has been both beautiful and frightening at the same time. The wind the other night was so strong that it blew down one of our platano trees…that usually only happens in the dry season as well as blowing the rain in around our window frames. The phrase, “God’s fury unleashed” comes to mind…but I know that this couldn’t even compare to what that would be like.
The heavy rains and the problems they are bringing with them for us are minimal. But we have friends who are on my heart tonight. Our employees all live in homes that are most likely flooded tonight. Several have dirt floors. I can’t imagine what they are dealing with as I write this. Day Felix has a roof that leaks when it rains and so do Danelia & Arturo, Miguel & Elizabeth, (yes, Elizabeth is back…that’s another story for another day), Teresa, Esmereyda, Margarita, Myrna, Claudia, Martin, our students in Tipitapa, our neighbors out back and on the hillside…so many.
A leaky roof in the houses of Felix, Danelia and Arturo (and the others) is far worse than our leaky roof. They will be having water running in through the holes in their roofs. All have old zinc roofs on their houses and have numerous rusted through places. I just can’t imagine what tonight must be like in their homes and I’m worried for them.
Life is so hard here for so many people…actually, for just about everybody. It’s just a matter of degree. The neighborhood where Freddy and Felix live is without water and electricity. The water company said it will be 5 more days before they get the well repaired. The electric company said they might be able to repair the blown transformer on Monday. Meanwhile, we’re loaning 5 gallon jugs filled with water for them to have drinking water. Tomorrow morning, I have no idea how many people will descend upon our house as I told Freddy and Felix that their families could come here and do laundry. We will do another water run tomorrow afternoon when we get back from Tipitapa.
This kind of weather is very hard on the elderly and children as they are the most vulnerable for respiratory illnesses and right now, that’s running rampant. Even some of the kids at CINAFE are experiencing bronchial problems. I know that next week, we’ll have folks who are sick with fever, cough and sore throats. It’s a tough cycle.
The rain is letting up some now. I don’t know if it’s over or if it’s just a period of rest between the tempests. So, I think I’m going to go to bed now that the sound of rain is not quite so deafening on our roof. But before I do, I would like to ask you for a favor. When you get ready to retire for the evening and you are able to walk across a clean, dry floor and can crawl in to a nice, clean, comfy, dry bed, please thank God for such a blessing. If you’re reading this, you obviously have electricity wherever you are, thank God for such a luxury. When you turn on your tap and you fill your glass with clean, uncontaminated drinking water, please take a moment and thank God for that ability. If you should have a cough and you take something to alleviate the discomfort from it, thank our heavenly Father for His provision of medicine.
And finally, please take a minute to pray for our friends who don’t have the same luxuries that you and I have and that we so often take for granted. Please pray that God would protect them, their families, their homes and their belongings. Not everyone will sleep as well as you and I will tonight.
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
Willa Cather
1 comment:
I'm still trying to figure out how 2-3 hours of rain these days can immediately cause so much damage to our community and to our lovely homes. I love the rain, but I just hate them when they get into my house. =\
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