Let me see. Yesterday was just one of those days that those of you with multiple children will understand even if you dont have double digits. Christine has gone back to school so its just me at home. I am so thankful that school has started which gives me some quiet time in the morning to do the laudry, make lunch, and get a jump start on dinner, so that I can be fairly calm when the chaos ensues later in the afternoon.
Anyway, yesterday, the power had been out for going on 72 hours. Running water was shut off around 2, right about when the kids came home, meaning none of my beautifully filthy children could get a bath. It was one of those days when everyone just seemed a little louder than usual, and no one wanted to listen or acknowledge anything I said. Oh, I forgot to mention... Remeber the seven children that were living her for a while until we found them a mom? Well when she took them, she already had a 2 week trip to Kenya planned, so they are back with me for a bit. The 4 from accross the street that were burnt are also still here... in case you lost count, that is 22 children and one Mommy.
It had rained all day, making my firewood wet and impossible to start a fire on (power was still out so the electric stove inside didn't work), it was nearing 8 and dinner wasn't ready, the big girls had gone to get water from a well to wash our feet in (I can't stand when my kids get in clean sheets with dirty feet!), and 20 children were running around my house pretending to be zoo animals. Just close your eyes and laugh with me for a minute. please.
She didn't answer. "Joyce?" No answer. "JOYCE?" No answer. So I got up and went around the circle counting heads. 19. No Joyce. I yelled her name inside and outside, tripping and stumbling through the dark, still with no answer. My mom-self began to panic, I ran to check the bathtub even though I knew there couldn't be water in it. I grabbed my phone to use as a light and ran around the compound. Nothing. Then as Agnes went to check the garage, she tripped and fell. When I went to make sure she was ok, I tripped too, over Joyce's legs. There she was, fast asleep and halfway under the kitchen table. We all fell to the floor in stitches!
That was God's little gift to me yesterday. Not only an opportunity to sit on the floor and CRACK UP with my children, but a little reminder of how much I love and value each of my children individually, even though there are so many of them. A reminder that even on days when they don't listen and make so much noise that I want to pull out all my hair, I wouldn't trade any one of them. He reminded me that when even just one of His 6 billion plus children turn away from Him he is saddened and seeks her out, the Sepheard who left His 99 sheep to find just one, and REJOICED and laughed when He found it. He reminded me of the sorrow He must feel when I stray from Him, don't trust Him, don't ask Him and the way He rejoices when I come back and lay at His feet. He is seeking you. He values and loves all of His children, even though they are too many to count. Ten minutes later, the power came back on.
This morning I woke up at 5 to make breakfast for ALL 22 of them, double checking the circle this time. When I was in the kitchen cooking the eggs, I kept thinking I smelled something rotten, but didn't think too much of it. When the kids left for school I went to investigate. Maybe the trash can? No, I cleaned and bleached that yesterday. Maybe the fridge? No I cleaned that out already too. It smelled like it was coming from behind the stove so I pulled the stove out from the wall. I don't know exactly how to describe this. There was a very large rat who had crawled up inside the back of the stove. All I could see was his very long, thick tail and a clawed foot. I had cooked him; I am assuming days ago, and he was totally rotten. The smell was enough to make me vomit. I put on my electirician hat, opened the back of the stove, threw up, and pulled the decaying rat piece by piece out of my stove. Then I sprayed everything in my whole kitchen with bleach and poured the already made coffee back through the filter, because I'm gonna need it a little stronger today (great trick Suz!!). I am simply sharing this with you so that today as you get ready for whatever work is ahead of you and think of how daunting all you have to do is, you can laugh and rejoice that you do not have a rotting rat in your stove. No, I do not have anything eloquent or wise to say about the rat or what God taught me through it. It was just plain nasty. But I am sitting here laughing about it because I know that God has gift for me today, a lesson for me today, someone's heart for me to change. And if some rotten rats come with that... Bring it on!
