I had some difficulty sleeping last night. You know how it is, tossing and turning, looking for a better spot in the pillow and then finally you drift off. I used earplugs because I share a roof with a new born baby and at least one mouse both of whom can wake me up. The baby (Pastor Peter and Dorcas’s child) sometimes wakes me up by crying. The mouse can wake me up by chewing.
I was awakened by daylight at 6:30. One of first thought was, I did not get a shower last night due to Church Services. Each Church has a Friday night service. Didier had gone to one and I to another. Apparently in all the busyness, my hot water had been forgotten. To heat a couple of gallons of water, someone must be active. Charcoal must be purchased, lighted, water drawn from the well, placed over the hot charcoal. Then the water must be carried to my room. This process surely must take two to three hours before I get the water. At home it is so simple.
I am thankful that some one left some Baby Wipes here. They work.
I have eaten a Mandarin Orange and will probably have some Trader Joe’s Granola without milk. Some kind soul left the cereal behind. I appreciate it very much. Not only is it good but it reminds me of home. Who would ever have thought that I would find Trader Joe’s food in Africa?
I am typing this as I await hopefully having some hot water brought to me for my Starbuck’s Via. I really appreciate it even without sweetener and milk. I could have gotten milk when Didier and I were shopping, but the milk was not refrigerated in the store and would have had minimal refrigeration here as the power is generated here for two hours a day.
Yesterday morning Pastor Peter and I were conversing. I was struggling trying to understand his use of the English Language.
His vocabulary is limited. In Swahili, mine is not existent. He told me that he was going to call on people from his Church. I think he was inviting me to go with him. What he said, came across to me as, do you want to shower? Now I am sure that he meant do you want to share my day’s activities with me? I was already committed for the day.
Didier came just a few minutes after 8:00 with my container of hot water and clean clothing. Again I am so thankful. I have eaten my dry cereal, three dried apricots and have had a wonderful cup of coffee. I am alive mentally.
Tomorrow is Sunday. I will preach in Pastor Didier’s Church; he will interpret for the congregation. He asked me if I had nice clothing for Church. I explained to him that I had not packed a suit as everything I brought was in a duffel bag. I knew that I should have a white shirt and a tie, but knew that everything in the bag would be wrinkled. He said, “That is alright because we have a saying that people are dressed like Americans in our country, because they do not care how they look.” We laughed over that.
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