Home is where the roof is

So, have you ever had one of those days where you think that all that has happened is just plain ridiculous. You know that moment where think nothing more can happen and then looking back you realized that was just the beginning. Oh where to start.... If I had to guess, God is trying to get it through my very thick skull that this is not my home and that heaven is. You know that verse from Hebrews that says we are citizens of heaven. Other verses such as resting in Him seem to be of most importance lately. At one point this summer (or winter depending which side of the equator you are on) I realized that I had stayed in one place for more than three days. Eventually I was able to say in a home with a wonderful family for about three weeks. Then, I was back at Joshua for a few days and then off to Karansi with a team for about a week and a half. When I finally returned to Joshua, I was so happy to realize that I could settle in somewhere. Well....

The roof to the house that I was staying in needed to be replaced so we needed to move to the tent. The tent has beds in it and is attached to a bathroom so it is not quite like camping at home. There is a thatched roof over the tent to help protect us. We had to pack up everything and put it under plastic sheeting on the bottom floor of the house. It is the dry season, but what if.... I went to Magugu this past week and when I returned home, I discovered that the roof over our tent was now gone. I could not help but laugh.

So, now is when the real fun begins. Yesterday morning as I was working at the Imara office, I felt an earthquake. It was the most significant one I have felt. Then, I look at the window and I see rain. Oh no, the tent has holes.... The rain is not too heavy but we realized that if it rains more all will not be well. We have the base manager put duct tape on the holes. Duct tape isn't actually water proof. So last night, we go out to town and come back to a pretty heavy downpour. We need to call for help because our house is raining on the inside. I go to call and ... the phones are down. So, I walk up to his house. As I am telling him about everything, ...the power goes off. We do not have enough buckets for all the holes. There is plastic sheeting on the ceiling of the bottom floor but it is about to burst because of the rain. Our beds are wet inside the tent (even my pajamas). We have no idea where anything is because we have had to throw everything everywhere to protect it. We sleep in someone else's home. The rain continues to increase in intensity and we go back to empty buckets and see what else we can do to control the damage. At the moment, my roomates and I just laugh. What else can you do.... When we return to the house where we are staying, their cat left a nice little dead mouse at the door for us. I think that was his way of offering us a sympathy gift.

Plus... I move again next week to another part of town.

All I want to know is does this earn me an Africa merit badge???