Hot Mess

Two weeks back in Moz and I’d love to tell you how perfect it is… but there have been a few bumps. In reality all the issues are manageable and I’m still so happy to be back. I assure you much of this post is written in jest. Sure, things could be better but bottom line is Nunu and I are happy and healthy!

My first few nights we drifted off into peaceful sleep to bountiful breezes off the Indian Ocean coupled by the hum of our generator and fan. Dealing with the vast temperature change from Michigan to Moz can take its toll and so as I would roll over in bed grabbing at my sheet because I was cold, I would smile, thankful for the chills… considering them to be a blessing.

The openings for our windows aren't perfectly square and because of this the screens don’t sit just right and often there is a small crack of the worst size possible… mosquito! After a few nights and a few more mosquito bites than I can handle, we decided to start sleeping in a bug net. I also went in search of the bug spray I had left behind last year, ready to sleep with it on but came up empty handed.

The generator started pulsing and we decided better to not use it until we had it looked at, which meant a few nights with no fan. Little did you know that fans are not just to keep you cool but also to blow the mosquitos around… so it’s harder for them to land on you =)

A few days ago the bug bites started getting out of control, even with the net I kept getting more and they were itching like CrAZy… I kept thinking to myself, “These itch SO MUCH MORE than American mosquito bites!!! Or “Maybe I have developed an allergy to mosquitos?!?” Walking through anything grass-like is a form of torture; as each blade touches my ankle, it ignites what is the most intense desire to scratch off my skin. The itching is so bad, that it feels good to scratch even an inch away from the bite.

Nunu on the other hand who likes to sleep with a sheet covering him from head to toe has very minimal bites. It was then that Time Hop (a smart phone app that shows you pictures and updates from social media from the same date last year) reminded me of those nasty bites I had exactly one year ago. Could it be? That would explain the INSANE itching I’m experiencing?

The 3 bites on the left looking more and
more like blisters as I scratch.

 I did a search online and after my shower decided I would put toothpaste and bandages over ALL of my bites and change all our bedding. Hoping to dry the bites out (or something) but also with the Band-Aid I’m able to walk in the yard without worrying about the grass getting to my bites and more importantly I can move around in bed not worrying about how one leg might touch the other.

I slept well with all my bandages and only had some minor itching. The next morning I rolled back a few Band-Aids only to realize that indeed some of my bites were not mosquito. The mosquito bites improved and just looked normal. But then the bites that were looking more like blisters had flattened and turned purple… my best guess mite bites.

After a night with toothpaste all weird bites
turn purple-ish. Only one mosquito bite
in this group (center sort of right)

Between meetings and spending my hottest hours of the day outside, I spent most of Friday under a mango tree. Not my typical cashew tree because the guys working on the septic tank were under there. Almost every day since my arrival I have spent a couple hours under a tree, the only problem being a few pesky flies.

I guess it would be just after noon, I noticed that my arms were a little pink and so I went in and put some sunscreen on my arms, face and chest. I didn't bother with my legs because they never get as much sun as my arms and face. In the last 15 years I would guess that I've been slightly burnt on my legs twice, even on days when the rest of me is absolutely fried!

By the end of the day, it was obvious that I was burnt, very burnt. Not only that but I also had some amazing Band-Aid outlines! If I had to pick two words to sum up my look it would be… hot mess.

So much for my bandaids being a secret.

The good news is that the mite bites don’t itch anymore and so while the sunburn is painful and left me with sore limbs feeling like jello… it could be worse. There is something about living surrounded by blatantly obvious poverty: it gives you perspective on a daily… no hourly basis. Sure this situation stinks and I’d rather not be dealing with it, but it’s life.

Then there is also the fact that we have a goal and it’s much bigger than sunburns and bug bites… it’s much bigger than us. So we push forward past the pain, knowing that of course there will be bumps in the road. Pretty fitting for a girl whose favorite verse is Philippians 3:13b-14… “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

So we press on and continue to build the ministry that God has called us to… and ask that you would remember us in your prayers.

No lecture needed. Lesson learned,
sunblock first thing every day!