Hives, Hygiene, and Harassment
// September 23rd, 2009 // Uncategorized
I have hives. To be more accurate, I am a hive. It comes and goes, but for the last three days I’ve had repeated attacks of hives over my entire torso, my scalp, my arms, my waist, and my upper legs and *ahem* rear. It’s been very uncomfortable and very itchy, and it’s made concentrating on my ministry and homework and sleep all very difficult, leading to grumpiness in me as well. I’ve only ever once had hives and that was from a certain type of Christmas tree, so I have no idea what is bringing this on. All I know is that I’m praying against it and I’m taking Benadryl when I can afford to be groggy.
Hygiene might be the one thing I miss the most from home. I miss not sweating just from walking 5 minutes. I miss not being sticky every moment of every day (the stickiness is from my excess sweat, not the non-existent humidity). I miss being able to sleep through an entire night without being assaulted by legions of mosquitoes. I miss being able to wear clothes more than once before washing them. I miss being able to wash my hair once a week instead of once a day. I miss being able to occasionally go to bed without taking a shower (the dust covers you here). I miss being able to use tap-water to brush my teeth, rinse my toothbrush, and rinse the excess toothpaste out of my mouth. Honestly, I miss my cushy American lifestyle, and I’m still living in a nearly American style here. I’m not living in conditions anywhere near what the people we serve live in their entire lives, yet I’m complaining for the world to see. Help me pray through this, please.
We’re all harassing each other non-stop. I’m certainly no saint, and if I’m going to be honest I must admit that I may be the worst culprit on this one. I’m constantly throwing jabs and barbs and making fun of everyone and pointing out their flaws and whatnot, and it has to stop. This is no way to build trust and togetherness and an effective ministry team. I’m feeling genuinely repentant right now, so we’ll see if our interactions change. I know mine will, but I hope and pray that my changed heart will lead to a questioning team around me. I want to be the example of how to live supportively with a team, rather than an example of how to tear one down.
That’s all for tonight. I’m going to try to get some homework done here at the cafe.