I don't even look up the news anymore. I pick up bits and pieces around the table during meals but mostly I expect we won't know if we can leave until the day arrives. And it is quickly approaching. This morning the table talk was that all airports had been closed due to rioting except San Pedro and only Continental was flying out. At lunch, I heard all airports were closed, American reporters were missing, and people died during riots yesterday. I have no idea what the truth is. I just have moments of panic, where I realize I am more attached to my plans of departure than I should be. Moments when I wonder about our safety. Such moments feel overwhelming, but I don't regret coming. I imagine myself to be a rubber band, stretching to some unknown point as God deepens my faith, and maybe that of those who love us.

Despite the unexpected national chaos of this country, I marvel at the little things that are hard, but not really when looked at in a broader perspective. This afternoon, I baked six cakes. Tomorrow we go to the village to do a one day vacation Bible school for the kids and cake is the treat. I've never baked a cake before without the normal conveniences---a rubber spatula, a timer, non-stick cooking spray. And I've never baked a cake before with sweat running down my face. But baking a cake here is easy, it's possible because we have a good oven. And what's a little sweat for a bunch of kids who might get cake once a year? Mama said the kids will all look alike to us, so once they get their cake, they have to leave otherwise they keep coming back for more and we won't know who eaten and who hasn't.

Tom and some of the other men around here are currently at the village doing pick up soccer with the kids. Tomorrow they will do it again, right before the VBS. That's all the advertising that will be needed because word of mouth is quick and efficient. I suspect the whole village is the size of my neighborhood with about ten times the number of residents. I haven't mentioned Tom much...he's been building with Chris: storage closets, a work bench, shelves, fixing kitchen cabinets that were falling off the wall, etc.

And earthquakes....there are at least two tremors a week here. I felt one this morning. It put cracks in the wall of the house where the orphans live. Until May, there weren't tremors here.

And a fun story to end for the day: So all the kids are five an under. Papa decided one day it was time to potty train the kids. He trained eight of them at once. First they went to the bathroom every hour eventually they went to every two hours, then three. It took less than a week. Impressive, huh?