Another fire on the mountain

Today was better than I ever expected.  Memo was filthy dirty, as he was yesterday, so I told him he needed to shower.  He said he did not want to go into the showers because it was too cold.  He wanted to bathe in the sun.  I handed him a towel and a bucket of water.  When I came back he had soaped up his shins and was using his fingernails to scrape away the dirt.  It was not coming off.  I grabbed some shampoo and he stood and shivered while I dumped water over his head and washed his hair.  He does not get it that if you look upward the soap doesn't get in your face, but he still giggled the whole time.

I finished cleaning his legs, scrubbed his neck and behind his ears.  Finally I lifted up his arms.  There were layers of black dirt caked into the folds of his skin!  I told him IT'S BLACK!  He giggled harder and I scrubbed more.  When we finished I wrapped him up in a towel and told him to move to a sunnier spot.  He asked me to carry him.  So I picked up the bundle of clean Memo and carried him to a sunnier spot.  I thought about how different the culture is here.  I was very conscious that Marlin and Jacky were working in the kitchen on the other side of the window only feet away, but here it is not strange to bath a child that doesn't belong to you.  I did tell him he had to wash his own butt.  His response (you guessed) was a giggle.

The individual prayer time for the kids was amazing.  Lourdes helped at first.  Then she got busy with other things.  My Spanish was definitely adequate.  The kids liked the individual attention and appreciated the prayer a lot.  The most common prayer request by far was that their parents could find a job.  One boy said he prays every night that he would be well behaved at school the next day, but every day his teacher says he has poor behavior.  He said he really wants to be good. That was my favorite prayer request.  He is a sweet boy, but he really does have a hard time controlling his behavior, even at the Breakfast Program.

The saddest prayer request was the boy who said he feels anxious at all times if he is not inside of his home or at the church.  I asked if he feels safe at school.  He doesn't feel safe at school because there are so many fights there and the streets are dangerous.  Can you imagine being 11 years old and scared all of the time?

Then of course there was Memo.  He sat on my lap and asked for work for his ma and pa.  I thanked God for the opportunity to share a special time of prayer with such a special boy.  When we were done praying I told him okay, now go wash your hands and you can eat.  He usually is eager to be first in line to eat, but today he was more hungry for attention.  Memo didn't want to leave.  He said, "But I need more prayer!"  I told him to eat first and we could pray more after I prayed for the other kids.  I assumed he would forget by the time he got done eating.  I was praying for one kid after another, non-stop for four hours.  Finally I looked up and there was Memo, standing alone.  He was waiting for more prayer.  I offered the chair that the older kids had sat in, but he hopped into my lap.  We prayed again that his parents would find work.  I prayed that he could feel the love that his family at home and at the church feel for him, as well as God's love.  We hugged and snuggled.  Then he asked where Lourdes was.  We found her in a classroom.  I told her Memo had needed two prayer sessions today.  He announced that he still needed more.  Lourdes took Memo and prayed with him the third time.  She said later that he was concerned about his parents finding work.  Jairo and I agreed it was as much about the individual attention as the concern for his parents.  In any case  Memo got lots of love today.

Memo

We had our discipleship group afterward.  By the time we finished I was exhausted.  I had been eager to saunter through the aisles of the grocery store, but I realized before I passed the vegetables that my brain was too tired.  I grabbed milk and yogurt, my staples, and left.  Driving at 5 pm in the middle of the city can be hard, but I took Belinda's advice from yesterday and nosed my way into traffic.  I made it out of the parking lot and into the roundabout - even into the middle lane - quickly.  Once again I was thanking God for driving in Chicago all of those years.

Since I haven't had a haircut since December I stopped to make an appointment.  She said she was just finishing and could cut my hair right away.  What a nice way to relax.  I sank into the chair and let Albita do her thing.  She has a mirror, but you have to stand up to see into it.  Thankfully, Albita is great at cutting hair, so I don't worry about it.  She has a tiny little place with no running water.  She washes hair with a bucket of heated water.  Her hair cutting chair is a cushioned office chair.  She cuts hair from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.  She does manicures, pedicures, waxing, carries the best products and is an amazing stylist.  I left relaxed and feeling like a new woman.

As I got close to home I could see light that could only be fire in the sky.  I didn't realize it was close until Jerry, who lives on the same property was watering the ground and said he will wake up early to water again tomorrow.  He told me not to worry, we are safe.  He said the fire is on the other side of the mountain.  To me that sounded far away.  I went into the house, put away the groceries and went upstairs.  There was a strange sound like running water.  Finally I realized there was no waterfall in my bedroom, it was the sound of the fire and it was coming closer.  I looked out the window and it was huge so I called Carlos and started thinking about what I should put into my car besides the cat if I needed to evacuate.  (Oops.  Just realized I never thought of my passport.)

I looked out the window and saw Guillermo, Carlos' son standing outside.  He told me not to worry because the fire was on the other side of the road.  It was a huge fire.  Ashes and sparks were falling on our heads.  We took comfort in the fact that most of the property on that side has already burned.  There is not much left that is flammable.

We watched until it seemed to be more under control.  Guillermo asked if I ever hiked up there.  I said no.  He said it used to be beautiful.  There is a big cliff on the other side of the mountain where you can sit and look out over the world.  Guillermo said he will take me there next week, but it will not be the same.

We called Carlos to say that the worst was over.  I was happy to hear Guillermo tell his father what a huge fire it was because I didn't want Carlos to think I was overreacting.  Hearing the crackling of a fire freaks me out.  Especially outside my bedroom window.

Today is my brother's birthday!  Happy Birthday Bob!!