Week #6
Sunday, October 24,2010
5:15am
I would like to set up a little scenario for you if I may. The time is roughly 5:10am on a stormy Sunday morning. It is pitch black outside in the middle of Eastern Africa. I’m awakened to a loud CRASH and suddenly, I’m engulfed in water. I can see nothing. All I can feel is water everywhere and I’m paralyzed. No motion is physically possible. As my senses awaken from their peaceful slumber, all I know how to do is yell for help. My tentmate and dearest friend, Sarah, is nowhere to be seen (quite possibly because it’s pitch black out)….or felt for that matter. As I continue to panic and put everything together in my head, I quickly realize that our tent has collapsed on top of us and there might physically be no way out. I feel trapped. With my body shaking from the cold, I cry out longing to know where Sarah is and if she’s ok. I yell “Sarah Sarah Sarah!!!” in hopes that the others might wake up too. I hear Sarah’s faint voice cry out once and only once…for one person. Our hero. Neal. haha.
Essentially, this is the set up of our living arrangements while in Kenya: Outside of Pastor Simon’s house is a huge white tent. One used for large events and things of that sort. Inside of the white tent are 10 smaller individual tents, creating the Team Kenya Tent Village of Kijabe. Above mine and Sarah’s tent, rain water likes to accumulate outide of the white tent creating a huge bulge that has to be frequently emptied. This morning, so much water had accumulated throughout the night that the poles of the white tent came crashing down on my side of our smaller tent. Probably more dramatically than necessary, I freaked.
Fortunately, Neal came running out of his tent to help Sarah, quickly followed by Sandy, and a weird, half-dressed Sam. Nick was there soon after he had finally found the correct way out of his tent. The tent-demolished. Our belongings-soaked. Our clothes-disgusting. If ever there was a need for flood insurance, now was the time.
Knowing Sarah had made it out ok, I began frantically searching for a way out. When I began to see a multitude of headlamps, I knew I was headed in the right direction. As soon as I was able to recognize I had made it out alive, I did the only thing I knew how to do…cry…LOUD.
Since “the catastrophe”, we’ve moved inside and currently comfortably reside there. In the aftermath, I was traumatized and still have not step foot back inside the big white tent yet. But, every day I’m able to look back and laugh a little bit. After all, it’s water under the bridge, right? (terrible pun) While many of us have discovered a liking for Luke Bryan’s song “Rain is a good thing”….On THAT particular morning, Rain and I were absolute worst enemies.
2 more weeks my friends. It’s quickly coming to a close. Can’t wait to hug and see many of you. You are greatly loved and missed.
From Kenya….around the world and back,
Brittany (commonly called “Brick-uh- mee” to the Kenyan natives)
