Flooding

It started out simply a rainy day. It often rains in the night, so I thought little of it. The rain continued; the clouds wouldn’t lift. We were supposed to go to our friend Lidio’s house for arroz chaufa (a rice dish) for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner. It would be an all day affair. Our problem now was getting down to town. When it rains a lot, the road isn’t safe to drive on. Also, we don’t have our own truck, and the one we often borrowed was needed elsewhere. We can’t walk the 45 minutes down to town in the pouring rain (nor do we want to ride down in the truck like usual as all but the three in the cab would also be soaked). I enjoyed the extra time spent at home getting things done so that later in the week I would have more time to go to the Casa de Esperanza.
We finally went down to town in a different truck in the afternoon when the rain had finally stopped. When we arrived, we found out it wasn’t just another rainy day. The creek beside our road was roaring, flooding down our road and the other hills and into the town. The two large rivers that meet in town were furiously roaring down their paths and had extended their borders to cover many streets and fill many homes. One part of town looked like it had simply experienced a rainy day. Another part of town was under water. Our friend Juan Carlos had family members stuck in their homes, so we went in our truck down the water-filled (ankle-deep) streets. Many people were in the streets, most up to their ankles, some up to their knees in lower sections of road. Angry brown water coursed through the streets. Murky brown water set contentedly in other streets. While Nick and I were at our worship band practice, the waters receded a bit, but then as we were back at Lidio’s house and eating pizza, it began to rain again. Though the rain is more of a drizzle than a downpour, it comes fiercely down the mountains and all goes to the same place-the rivers that can’t hold it all. We went out into the streets twice, backing up to a porch and taking one home’s inhabitants, the friends or family of Juan Carlos, to Lidio’s house. Other people wanted to stay in their homes. This is dangerous, as it tends to rain in the night, which can cause waters to rise drastically. They also told me this is prime territory for snakes. Lord, protect those who live near the river! Lidio lives near the river as well, and I heard there was also water in his home that morning. To make things worse, one of their family friends was found dead in his home that morning. I think he died from natural causes; I know it wasn’t from the flooding. It was a traumatic day. Though things rage on outside, sometimes we cope by continuing life as normal. So, back at Lidio’s house, we continue eating pizza, playing games, and chatting like nothing has happened. It is good just to be together, sharing sadness and increasing joy. I hope we are an encouragement for the family. I enjoy being with them.