So
we have been in the Jungle now 5 or 6 days, it is hard to keep up with the time
out here. Our ministry has evolved into
picking beans and weeds and setting up the bean farm by tying string to bamboo
which serves as the bean stalks. Not the
most exhilarating or intellectually stimulating work, but we are helping the
people feed themselves and produce agriculture that they sell for profit in the
city. As non-exciting as picking beans
may be, our free time is full of excitement.
We have come across huge scorpions
and spiders. Due to our fear, we’ve
befriended one of the local dogs. We’ve
affectionately named our new pet, Trey, due to the fact that he has 3
functioning legs. Well Trey like any
man’s best friend is starting to become our protector out here. One day he shows up with the foot of what
seems to be a mid-size reptile. This
foot is too big to come from a lizard but not big enough for a full blown
alligator. We are at a loss for ideas,
but just know that a creepy lizard/dragon lives somewhere near us. Kirsten has also found what the locals have
told us is a fox although Kirsten believes it is some badger bear hybrid mix
mammal. You can’t make these things up,
we are simply coming across unidentifiable animals.
The reptile/dragon foot.
Our closest encounter came last
night as we were eating our late dinner.
We hear something running across the tin roof and down into our living
quarters jump two rats. Alex who is
deafly afraid of rats stands on the chair.
Kirsten, the adventurer, runs after the rat with Trey. Ashley, Lili, and I are somewhere in between
creeping close enough to see the rat although we are not as bold as
Kirsten. Eventually Trey kills both rats,
not to eat them but simply for show as he showed he will protect us no matter
what the cost. As the rats die, out of
one rat climbs a huge spider. This is
the biggest spider I have ever seen and it had red eyes, again can’t make this
stuff up. Trey cannot be convinced to
kill the spider and the spider gets lost in our living quarters. Alex made one of the funniest statements the
other day as he says the Psalms have a new reality to him when it says “God
protect me from my enemies.” Our current
situation and prayer is that God will continue to protect us from the crazy
wildlife around us. God, please save us
from our enemies, whether they be rats, spiders, or crazy reptile/dragons.
The tarantula.
