The other night, while I was walking the dogs, I noticed that my neighbors had set up a tent in their front yard. I could see blue light flickering, as I got closer, I realized they must have been watching a show on a portable DVD player.
The next morning, again, while I was walking the dogs, I noticed that the kids were still sleeping inside, but there was the distinct whir of a fan blowing inside to keep them cool.
Not quite what I call “roughing it”! 
It just made me laugh – especially imagining how that kind of camping out compares to what I usually do.
Here’s my tent – my home for much of the next year:
Our adventures will certainly not be glamorous.
Tammy Peters (WR July 2008, Team Solteria), who is currently in India, painted the following picture of their current living conditions:
All 25 of us are staying in a concrete house in dirty, old bunk beds with mattresses that are as soft as wood. It is an unusually uncomfortable 90 degrees at night and about 110 degrees during the day with 100% humidity (last night I found one of my journals with mold on it!). I have never been so consistently hot in all my life. We drip sweat nonstop. Our only relief is the fans we have on constantly. That is, when the electricity doesn’t cut out. Sometimes we run out of water, like the other day. We went without water for 2 days. Imagine 25 of us sweating and smelling like spicy dung (their food smell comes out of our pores) and no showers. We can’t wash clothes (no washers here). The toilets don’t flush and a majority of us are “adjusting” to the food (if you know what I mean). The smell is less than pleasant. The dishes can’t be cleaned, so they stack up and the clumps of leftover food start to reek. A great time for the insects! Ants race in orderly lines along the walls, mosquitoes and huge flying ants welcome us in every room. But wait there’s more, my all-time-favorite… MICE!
… There is trash EVERYWHERE! The cows like to chew on it… The streets are covered in filth and poop. Not a day goes by that I don’t see men and beasts (namely cows and water buffalo) defecating in the streets. There is no such thing as a smooth road.
… Among the physical challenges there is a spiritual oppression I can’t fully explain.
Tammy is not complaining, and I am not including this so that you’ll feel sorry for us and the “sacrifice” of our creature comforts. In fact, Tammy concludes with praise for God’s provision and love.
Sometimes it takes a dose of “roughing it” – of getting out of our comfort zones – to remind us of what is really important. People live in really rough conditions all over the world, every day. It is possible. And God is there too. Let HIM be our focus and our strength.
In a related story, my squadmate Lindsay Heston woke up this morning to a flooded street, which meant that she was unable to go to church, even though she was scheduled to speak. Instead of freaking out, she maintained the perspective that God could reach the people’s hearts without her.
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