Drat that Rat

This will be more light than serious. We've been so busy this past week with school, sickness, and a rat... that's right a RAT.

First, school: We are closing in on the end of our quatrimester. QUATRIMESTER is the appropriate way to refer to a 4-month period of school here in Latin America. In the states we would say trimester. However, quat (4) and mes (month) is how they refer to it here. There seems to be a sense of urgency in the school as we are all striving to finish well and cover all of the material in our curriculum.

Second, sickness: As a family, we seem to have been sick more this past several months than ever before. We've had little flu-bugs that have made the rounds in our house several times and we haven't been able to totally get rid of them. One of the main differences now is that Jeffrey is in preschool. The preschool program is wonderful, with excellent teachers, great classmates, and good fellow parents. However, we believe we are experiencing what most parents of children this age experience... the bacterial petri dish that is the preschool classroom.

Lastly, we've had a diversion these last days trying to rid our home of vermin. One night a couple of weeks ago, I heard what sounded like "screaming" in the house after we went to bed. When I investigated I found the source to be the shower drain. I figured it was probably a rat as I have heard them scream before. I ran the water for 5 minutes and the noise went away. Last week I was walking through our kitchen and I spotted a rat running across the countertops. He settled himself down behind our microwave. I placed a basket underneath where it was sitting and tried to scare it from behind into the basket. When I scared him he missed the basket, hit the floor and began to run. Karen was saying, "It's on the floor, it's on the floor." I came around the counter and met the rat head on. I'm embarassed to say I yelled in somewhat of a high-pitched voice (I'd say like a woman, but that's not fair to all you women out there). The rat continued to run up into the mechanics of our refrigerator. If you can picture this: I was on the floor with my face pressed to it while shaking the refrigerator back and forth. The rat surprized me when it ran out right toward my face. I jumped 3 feet off the ground and again screamed like... well you know. After speaking to my neighbors I found that it is prudent to keep a good sized water-bottle over the shower drains here (especially during the rainy season). It seems the sewers fill with water and the rats try to escape to higher and dryer ground. Now that we know, we've had no more sightings.

We are experiencing many transitions in our missions adventure. Many things we realized would be coming our way. But, you can never be prepared for every situation. Because of that it is ever important to remain dependent upon God for strength and wisdom. It is ever important to walk in His Spirit. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to experience the unknown.

Talk to Think

Have you ever wanted to say something for sayings sake? My wife tells me that I do this frequently. She says, "I swear you talk sometimes just to hear yourself talk." Actually, she is right. In order for me to think, I have to talk it through. Unfortunately, a good percentage of what I originally say is garbage. This stands to reason since it is the first time I'm "thinking" it through. I'll try to process the thoughts on this page more thoroughly before they make there debut. Thereby keeping the refuse to a minimum.

There will be a mixture of topics posted on this particular page. As the m&m title suggests, there will be some serious posts and some not so serious posts. I believe this format best reflects who I am. You never know which persona you're going to encounter. I'm kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Maybe more acurately to be known as Rev. Spurling and Mr. Sly. (This last statement might be some of that unprocessed thought I was talking about... you be the judge.)

Anyhow, check back and see what develops.

Choa for now.