Rainbows and Flat Tires

Here we are, another week drawing to a close. And what a week it's been! Roughly 170 kids here, and, according to my sister, they eat "like banshees on drugs!" I'm not quite sure what banshees eat like, much less how drugs would affect their eating habits, but it is quite certain that these kids do eat a lot. And then, just for fun, they eat some more. There have been times when we've had a hard time keeping up with them...which has made for some stressful moments in the kitchen. But no one has starved to death yet, so I guess I'll consider the week a success.

Yesterday I went to Big T. in the afternoon to mail my visa application, so hopefully I'll get that before I leave again in August. One of the counselors had a pine cone hit his eye that morning, so I also took him in for an eye appointment. His stuff took a lot longer than mine, so I spent a lot of time waiting... Oh well.

That evening I went back to Big T. to go bowling with the children of the crew. That was pretty entertaining...for many reasons. First of all, my van got a flat tire on the way into town. Well, actually, it wasn't just flat. It was shredded. Flat tires are pretty routine on staff trips, but that doesn't make them simple to resolve. We did have a spare with us, but we lacked the proper tools to get it out. When the other van came back for us, they had a spare which we were able to take out and use. However, that wasn't the end of our problems. Both vans had jacks, but neither jack was of the proper height to lift the van off the ground, so we had to use rocks. And, well, to make a long story short, it took some time and ingenuity, but we eventually finished changing the tire and continued on our way. At least we got to see a rainbow as we were working. :)

Once in town we proceeded to their 6-lane bowling alley where we hung out most of the rest of the night. I didn't bowl myself, but I enjoyed watching others bowl. :) And I rather enjoy hanging out with high school kids, so yeah, it was fun. Then we got in the vans to go to the gas station and then home. The other van left before mine. And when we turned the key in ours...nothing. So we opened up the hood to discover that...the battery wire was utterly disconnected. And again we had no tools. So we held the battery wire on the battery while we started the car and managed to make it to the gas station, and eventually home. It was close to midnight when I finally got to bed.

This morning came quite early... As I was running to the kitchen (I always seem to jog places here...walking just is a waste of time) I passed another staff member who pointed up. I looked up and there above the mountains was yet another rainbow.

So to sum up, it's been a crazy week, with lots of ups and downs, joys and struggles. We've had lots of rain, which can make activities difficult. But then, we've had lots of rainbows too - constant reminders that God keeps His promises. Even the trials bring reminders of God's faithfulness.

Bonus: Here's an article from the Jerusalem Post...I found it rather amusing.