The Flood...by Lucy

As Mark wrote last Wednesday, this is what it looked like when we woke up. We were surrounded by a cloud all day. It was no big deal, just a little colder than normal. But nothing could have prepared us for what awaited us Thursday morning. We are supposedly in the dry season here in Mexico, but we woke up to pounding rain, cold temperatures, wind, and no electricity. Not only that, but when we stepped out of bed, we stepped into water!

Usually during rainy season, it rains for a little while each afternoon, then stops. This rain was like nothing they normally experience. The wind was blowing rain at the wall outside our room. The rain came in through any crack or hole it could find. It ruined the top of Aaron's dresser, which was just under the window. It came in Rosa's room and in the hallway where all the medical supplies are stored for EMMC's.
We started mopping up water, and moving things "up" about 7:30 a.m. and continued all day. Did I mention that we had no electricity so it was very dark while we were doing this? When we looked outside, what we saw is that we were inside a rain cloud! We figured by lunch, it would be finished. After all, we were in the dry season! In the meantime, Ashleigh had to get to the airport for a trip home to Ohio. After several tries to get the car started in the rain, they finally pushed it to the hill, and it started as it began to roll down the hill. She and Magda were on their way by 9:30 a.m. Little did we know how bad this storm was. They were detoured numerous times because of fallen trees and at one point, they went through water that came into the car above their legs (sewer water, that is!), getting them both, and Ashleigh's luggage, soaked. The trip should have taken a couple of hours, but they did not arrive at the airport until 4 pm! Ashleigh had to arrange for a new flight, find some dry clothes, and spend the night somewhere in Texas.

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, we were still mopping up water as fast as we could. Did I mention that we do not have real mops here? We were using towels, and wringing them out by hand. The rain just kept coming. The family met to pray, and Mark and I prayed while we were working.
About 4 p.m. , there was a meeting on the roof. It was decided that we would cover the wall with plastic, and pray that it would at least slow the water coming in the wall.
Cirino tried puttiing dry concrete mix at the edge to act as a speed bump for the water, and send it to the edges to pour off the wall. It didn't help much. By the time Julie and her dad, Dave, found the plastic sheeting, and got back, it was dark. At about 9 p.m., Mark and Dave went up on the roof with flashlights, and Aaron, Joanna, Angie, Diana, and Martita, and I stayed at the bottom of the wall to secure the sheets with concrete blocks in the dark. We all ended up drenched (as if we could get any wetter!). We sent Aaron and Joanna to sleep at the Zaragoza house (their first sleepover here in Mexico), while we kept up our "flood watch" in the basement. Mark wanted to take a quick shower to try to get warm, but our pilot light had been blown out by the wind, and we had no hot water! We set a timer for an hour because the plastic seemed to be helping, and tried to sleep. Every hour for the next three hours, we checked to see if we needed to wring out the towels scattered at the base of the wall. By 2 a.m., the rain had stopped and all was quiet. We went to sleep, and woke up to a beautiful blue sky! Praise God!
Friday was spent cleaning up, and putting things back where they belong. Of course, I still can't find some things I misplaced at that time! Power did not return until 7 p.m. that night. Things seem to be back to normal here at the Ranch, but the storm is still causing damage in Mexico City. A canal broke, causing a lot of flooding. It is still not fixed, and the flooding is getting worse, and major roadways are closed, causing horrible traffic jams.

Thursday I thought the rain would never end. My hands hurt from wringing out the towels. My back hurt from bending over constantly. I was wet and cold. But just like everything in this life, the rain was temporary. It eventually came to an end, and the sun came out. The flooding too is temporary. The canal will be fixed, and the water will recede. The only thing that will remain is Jesus, so I have to keep my eyes on Him, and know that "this too shall pass." And I've never appreciated the sunshine and blue sky like I did when the morning came!

All readers experiencing snow in Indiana can take comfort from this. This too shall pass!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For the light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, and what is unseen, is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18