A weird day

It's been a strange day all around. It's late tonight, and I really should be fast asleep... but I'm still trying to get my head around all that happened tonight! It's really been a very, well, "classic" sort of day when anything and everything seems to happen all at once.

First, it started out with church. I was going to jump in the truck with Wes and a few other folks from the compound. Of course, trying to go anywhere with 4 individual people is rather difficult and takes time for everyone to gather. Whilst waiting, Kristen was munching on an apple. Yup, a lovely green apple. I think she saw me eying her apple, so she ran back to her house and brought me one. Wow, amazing little fruit. It's only the third apple I've had since leaving Canada, I think. That would be one apple every two months. Whereas at home, I eat an apple every day - like, 30 a month!

Anyways, it was a good apple, let me tell you. I happily munched all the way to church. Once we got to church, it was clear we weren't getting a seat inside! It was a special baptism day today - one of the big Ministers in the government, who also happens to be a Major General in the local military, was being baptized today! It was really quite something, actually, 'cause this man is a powerful man here. And if he ends up doing his job with Christian principles, and trying to do things that will honor God in this country... things could actually go somewhere! He even said in his short testimony that he wasn't doing this for political reasons, but because he really does have a relationship with God. So I pray that there will be more Christians like him taking a public stand and acting on their beliefs.

Anyways, it was quite the day - so we ended up sitting outside under a tent, in plastic chairs, watching the thing on a tv screen. The drama involved in getting the tv positioned to the right place at the right time, and actually getting any sound out of the tv... well, that's a whole 'nother story. It seemed like it would have been a really funny story to blog this morning while it was all happening - just imagine a crowd of angry church-goers trying to give advice to a group of priests in their collars and Sunday suits, in the hot sun, as they fiddle around with various configerations of tvs, tables and extension cords.

Needless to say, we missed quite a lot of the service, and I really have no idea how the actual baptism went, or even most of what the guy being baptized had to say. So I didn't come home from church feeling real edified... but I DID see the president as he arrived with his entourage! It was also quite another thing to see the president's body guards all dressed up in their Sunday finest. Normally, they're wearing guard/army uniforms. But today they were all decked out in their safari suits. It was also interesting to note that the armoured truck which follows the president everywhere he goes had to stay outside the church compound, along with the armed guards. I didn't see a single armed guard within the church compound, which is unusual when the president is around. There are usually a large number of large men with large guns in the immediate vicinity of this president! So I can officially say that I have attended church with the president here!

[The section that was here before has been edited from its previous version... just wanted to say thanks to those of you who prayed for my friends. God has softened their hearts and they are working things out, but it still burdens me a bit, knowing that my friends are struggling!]

Phew, man, that was enough to really take it out of me today. But I had also planned to have an "art afternoon" with another friend here. So she also came over, and all of us spent a few hours creating some lovely things with watercolors. I think it was good for P to spend some quiet time doing something completely different. I know it was good for me. We had some great worship music playing on my MP3 player, and all of our creating felt so worshipful. Here's a sample of what I created - I have to admit that I was quite pleased with the results! The green leaves are from an avacado tree named Alvin, and the flower was based on the frangipani flowers that grow on the tree outside our house.
The painting of Alvin isn't quite done yet, and I've been completely inspired to make painting more of a regular hobby. It was really so relaxing, and I just really like what I created today, which is, in itself, somewhat unusual!
It was quite a rush to get my paints cleaned up, get the tea ready for the fellowship time and get all the chairs together etc. But I made it! I got to sing two songs together with everyone... and then a big old van arrived full of people.

Hmmm... they were looking for me. A young white guy jumped out of the van and told me that Richard had said to find me, and could 8 of them sleep in the guesthouse tonight!? Gulp. 8?! We had already turned people away earlier today. But these poor people had been on their way to a workshop, which is co-sponsored by our organization, in a town about 5 hour drive away, and they had been stopped at a checkpoint. Someone at the point took their passports away, and locked them in a drawer and wouldn't give them back. So they couldn't carry on their journey, and instead had to come back to the city to get things sorted out. Keep in mind, this was after 6pm on a Sunday evening in a town where you normally have to pay over $100 per person per night to stay anywhere. So I caved, and told them they could all sleep on the floor in the room where Richard's tools are stored! Jackie about killed me when she found out that I let 8 extra people stay in the guesthouse... but I simply couldn't turn them away into the street when they came begging... This American guy didn't even ask for a room - he just asked for a piece of floor where they could lay down...

Anyways, it took me quite a while to get them all settled in, and I was seriously scraping the bottom of the barrel to get them mattresses, sheets and anything else that they could use for sleeping! So once again, I worked up quite a sweat trying to get these folks settled into a room for the night. I hope they manage to get on their way tomorrow, because we are packed to the rafters for the rest of the month. And I really WILL have to kick them out tomorrow, regardless of whether or not they have a place to go!

I tell you, the life of a guesthouse manager ain't easy when you just want everyone to be happy! I've really gotta get some sleep, 'cause tomorrow is already looking like it's going to be another crazy day...