I am a rock star!

Yesterday was a bad day.  It was the first time I questioned if I really belong here and if I want to stay.  I was up all night, itching and waiting for a phone call that never came.  The Catholic Church across the street was singing until 4 am!  Lourdes said it must have been a vigil of some sort.  I still never tire of listening to them sing.  Every hour I showered and applied more Caladryl.  Nothing is helping with this rash.  It continues to spread.  It itches worst at night.

I finally fell asleep at 6am, then woke at 8:30 long enough to call Lourdes and tell her I am skipping church this week.  They are having a big carne asada dinner after the service to raise money for the mens' conference.  I feel so ugly and disgusting and itchy.  I couldn't deal with putting on a happy face and going out in public.  Ended up sleeping much of the day away.  I was sad and homesick, counting the minutes until the day was over.

Jairo and Lourdes spent the day/evening with Jairo's sister, Rosario.  Lourdes said she sees improvement, but Jairo sees none.  They had me send pictures of my rash to the Dr who was there with her.  I was so shaky, it was hard to take photos, but I sent them and he prescribed a cream.  I did some research on line.  It's an over the counter cream for dry skin.  We confirmed that the Dr will be at the breakfast program tomorrow, so I will let him see it in person and see what he says.

Last night I slept much better but woke to find the rash has now spread downward to my knees!  So basically my calves and feet don't itch.  I knew it would be nice to get out of the house, stop thinking about things that are making me sad, and see the kids.  When we pulled in the driveway about 20 little ones chased after the van to greet us and I immediately felt better.  We have to ask them every day not to get too close to the van, but I must admit it feels good to be greeted with hugs before you even get out of the car.  It's like being a famous rock start every morning!  They even asked why I wasn't at church yesterday - they noticed my absence.  That felt nice.

Aside from the fact that wearing clothes makes my itching worse, I had a really nice day.  Lourdes explained to the kids that she will not be here starting on Wednesday.  She told them that I will be in charge and they need to be respectful to me (which they really are) and they need to control themselves from cursing or hitting each other.  She reminded them they have to leave when they are done, and there will be no tutoring or Doctor visits while she is gone.  She also announced that I will be working with the preschoolers when I get back.  I've always specialized in teens, so I'm going to have to research how to prepare these kids for school.  I already know the kids I'll be working with, and I love them, so it will be fun.

Marlin already had all of the food prepared when we got there, so we went straight into prayer time.  Today there were about 55 kids.  There were a lot of times I wished I had my camera in hand.  The kids were really cute.  Bigger kids helped the little ones.  They played well together and cheered each other on.  I tried to help Marlin as much as I could, but it was difficult.  I am weak today.  It was hot in the kitchen and the heat was overwhelming.  I kept thinking what a wimp I am.  Marlin is fighting a cold and she worked hard without complaint.  I kept stepping outside for a breath of fresh air.  At the end of the day, she was scrubbing out dish towels so I went over and watched.  I admitted that I am not good at scrubbing in the pila yet.  She took the time to show me how to hold the towel, what part of my hand to use for scrubbing, and how to know when it is really clean.  We stood at the pila, side by side, and scrubbed all of the towels.  I liked that.  It will take a while for me to be as efficient as Marlin is.  She gave me a big hug at the end of the day.  Lots of times Marlin and I communicate without words.  She is a special friend.

When I got home, I showered again, lathered myself in Caladryl and took a nap.  I haven't been taking Benedryl since last night, but I am still tired!  This stupid rash is kicking my butt.  I am trying hard not to complain about it, but I am not successful.  I see so many others around me facing things much more difficult than a rash without complaint.  I have room to grow in this area.