hot water heater and toilet seat meditations

Addy: Papa?
Neal: Hang on Ads. I'm busy.
Addy: Uh Papa?
Neal: Addy...I said I'm busy just a second and I will listen.
Addy: NO PAPA! There is something you MUST come and see.

Of course that got Neal moving. And what Addy wanted him to see was a steady trickling of water that was running from the utility closet down the intake vent...onto the floor...and around the corner under the washing machine.

Neal: God job on seeing and thinking about that water, Addy.

Of course we called the emergency maitenance line...and of course the poor man had to come and look at it...and of course we need a whole new water heater. Hopefully to be replaced in the morning.

Bill (the maitence man): I have turned it so water doesn't go into the heating tank...so you can still wash your hands and stuff with cold water. Now if it busts open...you can call me.
Me: (in my head) ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!! (outloud) But that won't happen right.
Bill: It shouldn't.

Just before this I was grumbling while cleaning my gross toilets and floors from this weekends bug. Gross gross gross.....how grosssssss is this. I hate it when my family gets sick...and it is soooo not fun to clean everything afterwards. I hate cleaning possibly microbial filled toilets and blankets and clothes. Ick-o.

THEN...I was immediatly humbled by these thoughs.

"What does a family in Africa do when they get sick."
"Geez...they don't even have nice shiny white toilets to urp in."



This is a picture I snagged off of a blog called Rocks In My Dryer. I didn't ask permission first...so I hope its ok...I will stop by her blog and tell her I did it. I think her name is Shannon. She has just been on a trip to Uganda.

*Sidenote*

My parents took a trip to Zimbabwe last summer to a mission that their church runs. This does not make ME anything...but I feel like perhaps a small part of me went. And I have not been there first hand...but maybe a little bit second hand. I have heard her stories and seen her pictures--which I think is different that just reading about it online or in a book. And I have had dinner personally with the african couple that is in charge (at least partially) of running the mission. I try to keep the orhpans my parents have adopted there in my prayers and heart always. They have adopted a four year old named Michal and a teenager named Hazel. I try to send things to them each time their church ships a large container. Again...I do not think this makes me anything

Then after I was grumbling about not having hot water I was humbled by these thoughts.

"Ok...I had hot water already to get my dishes in the dishwasher and take a bath."
"There are no baths and no dishwashers in Africa."
"Mostly there is no hot water in Africa."
"There is probably very little plumbing in Africa."
"I will have hot water in the morning."

There is a lot I don't understand about God. There are a lot of thigns that go around and around in my mind his nature. Espcially the issue of wealth in our country and in Africa. Endless questions. I am often unsure about how to pray for money. Like...how could God care if I can pay for my car insurance when most of the world has never been in a car. I don't believe that there is an easy answer for this...so don't try to give me one. I soothe my questions by thinking that God has put me here in America and I must do my best in this situation...but really deep down...I will have to ask HIM my questions one day to find my peace about this.

In the meantime...I have decided to not feel selfish and ugly about the water and the sick kids clean up. I'm really quite lucky.