My Hurting Waffle and Other Happenings

     Have you ever had a serious conversation with someone who didn't speak English as a first language? Was there ever a moment where the language barrier made it difficult to communicate an idea? I was talking to a friend who was talking about her "eggo." I immediately thought about those tasty waffles I used to eat with peanut butter, applesauce, and strawberries on top. I started laughing. She was so confused because she knew what she meant, but I was dreaming of breakfast. After the laughing ceased, I told her we pronounce it with a hard "e" to make it ego not eggo. We both giggled about it again. Now, we talk about our hurt "waffles" if something of that nature happens. Today was one of those days that I happen to injure my waffle:

     It was another normal day in the life of a missionary: going to town, becoming legal in the country, getting called to be a secretary, driving a monster sized truck so we could pick up a fridge from town. I parked the truck in a lot then went about my business in town. The reason that I park the truck and walk everywhere is because the streets are often narrowed by all the cars parked along the one way streets. It is not practical to try and find a place to park at every stop. After running through town doing all the errands, the girls asked me to go get the truck so we could load up what we purchased at the store. I walked down the block to the parking lot and got turned around, ready to head back to the store. As I came down the driveway and turned the sharp corner, I heard a loud noise coming from the back right side of the truck.  OH NO! I had checked my mirror as I came out to make sure that I was clear of the little red truck on the corner, but had failed to recheck as I was finally pulling out. I was too focused on the sidewalk that was quickly approaching in front of me. I backed up in horror as the trucks noisily exchanged paint. Immediately, I realized that I was in the dually. There was no way I could have made that tight pinch without something scraping. I was stuck in a predicament: only one person had seen me, but he simply told me I could go out the other way and leave the scene. The little red truck was already beat up pretty bad; I had just added a little character to it. I struggled for a moment, but decided that I needed to do the right thing. I prayed the whole time as I waited for the owner to come out of the store. There he was, standing at the rear corner of the vehicle to examine his new paint job. Oh great! The fact that I am a gringa is going to make this even more difficult. I timidly got out of the truck and walked to the doom I had to face. As he looked up at me, a smile started to form across my lips. A feeling of relief swept over me as the pastor looked up from his truck at me. I apologized for the mishap and explained the situation to him. He energetically replied, "Oh, I thought I had already tied that back on!"We had a good laugh about it, then drove our separate ways. When we were driving away, I told the girls that I was glad only my waffle got injured.
I guess it pays to be honest. I could have driven off and escaped a potentially ugly situation, but then what would my conscience have been going through? Instead, I decided to trust God. He sometimes has funny ways to bring our confidence back in check.

Other happenings since my last entry:

• We got ELECTRICITY! Not that much has changed except the temperature of the fridge, but the possibilities are much more exciting.
• Three who were missing from our family have now returned from the States.
• I went to Mexico for two and a half weeks.
• Planted 55 plantains that will hopefully be producing within the next year.
• Learned how to drive the skid steer.
• Painted the kitchen and living room in our new house.
• My work permit was approved! Praise the Lord!

I Belize I had a mountain of red strawberries on my waffle after I drove away.