Random stuff

So, yesterday, a woman from the church named Angelita (Gela for short, the g sounds like an h) was here cleaning my appartment, as she does every week. I stepped out for a moment to speak with one of the other stuff, and in the process a turantula decided to emerge from whatever hole he had been living in. So, I took a picture, so that you may see what "companions" I have.

Thankfully, they live OUTSIDE my appartment because my appartment is so well sealed and closed off! It is the place I am least worried about being stung by scorpions or finding snakes in my shoes. And while spiders and cockroaches and tiny baby toads seem to be able to get in from time to time, a turantula would have a hard time doing the same. Gela decided to kill it and said it wasn't the first she has killed while here cleaning for me. This wasn't the first time I've come across them here on the base, either. Shortly after I arrived here, I walked out onto the base after dark one night, and there was one just to the side of the sidewalk, though I didn't see it until after I passed it and heard it move..that was shocking! And during my visit in September, there was one perched on the outside of the screen to my bathroom window! Thank goodness for that screen!! I'm told their bite isn't as bad as that of a scorpion, that it's more like a bee sting, but I certainly hope I never have to find out! Please keep our protection from "animalitos" (little animals) in your prayers. I've heard four or five stories in the last week of scorpion stings, and I'm told that this is when they are out the most due to the rains. Please pray that the Lord would protect the local people here and that when the scorpions or any other animals do come around, that he would make them visible before they have a chance to harm anyone.

On a nicer note, yesterday I was driving to Arrayanes for family group, and the sky was just so amazing that I had to take some pics of the clouds.

I love big puffy clouds like that! Especially when they add such depth to the landscape! You will notice two roads here in these pics...this is the end of Cofradia and the beginning of the dirt/gravel, pot-holed road to Arrayanes. I would like to point out that back before the rainy season started, NONE of that grass was there...you could not tell that the road to the left was in existance back then! It's amazing how rain changes everything....something to ponder. :)

Sandy went to Family Group last night, and it was quite enjoyable. We had a good time goofing off with her aunt Erika, who coincidentally is only like 6 months older than I am (!), while we waited for everyone to arrive. All of the Family Groups right now are practicing teaching the scriptures through story-telling format. They had a conference on this during the summer while I was in the states. The premise is that in oral culture, the best way to make spiritual application and teaching stick is to share it in an oral fashion--through stories. So, the conference teachers gave us lists of stories that span the Bible, and each week one or two persons in each group share the next stories and share the spiritual application that they have gleaned from it. The great thing about this approach is that those who can't read are able to participate and apply the scriptures as well, not only in their own lives but they are also equipped to share the Word of God with others too! It's pretty neat.

After Family Group, Sandy and I headed back to her house to find Lupe in order to go find Favi and discuss details of prayer group. Things will be changing a bit and we need to make some decisions. When we arrived we found this cute little scene:

This is their dog, Arnold, and their new female puppy, Sweetie. Now, they also call her Julia (j sounds like an h), because initially they couldn't say Sweetie very well--I came up with that one, cuz she's just so sweet looking and in temperment. At first Arnold wasn't so sure about her, but they are now fast friends, so this was just too cute last night! Sweetie, loves Sandy to death..she'll follow her around, and as soon as Sandy picks her up, she'll hunker down and fall asleep. It's really funny because the puppy was given to Sandy's youngest sister, Aide (pronounced I-day). Sandy picked her up after I took that picture of the two dogs sleeping, and she just made herself comfortable...it's really quite cute!

Just some random things I thought I'd share!