Mexico Memories ~ sick day

Things are swinging right along.......... We have put together a kids carnival out of cardboard, toilet paper and plastic water bottles.... We have found wonderful new friends that speak English and we are able to converse with people without looking like total goobers, they are ever so patient with us as we try to speak Spanish..... Our hosts have shared with us new games, and stories to entertain the kids and give the gospel message.... we are having a blast!!!!!

I am awakened at 3 in the morning, by someone rustling through my backpack.  My backpack was the designated mommy medicine cabinet....  I sleepily ask "What do you need?", Tayler answers with " Mom, where are the Tums?  Tabby, Sara, Megan and I don't feel so good."  Now, these are words no mom wants to hear in the best of circumstances. The current location of these children, does not make this statement remotely ideal. In fact, it makes my blood run cold. I tell them which pocket they are in.... they pass the bottle around..... and we all lay back down.....  It lasted about 10 minutes.  I forget exactly which one was the first to go, Sara or Tabby..... but once it started... it didn't stop.  A half hour later, I know there is no possible way I am going to go back to sleep.... My heart aches for these girls, they are in a different country.... and I am sure they are missing their mommies something fierce.  I go downstairs to get a washcloth wet, and to get a bottle of water for them to rinse out their mouths with.......... and I find two boys splayed out on the floor in the "living room" .  It is Cory, and Evan.  Now there are 5 that are sick.  Now I know for sure it isn't going to pass quickly.... nor will these be the only 5......  Before 5 am we were up to 7.....  by noon.... it had claimed all but 5....  By 8 am we had the Doctor on the phone.  He knew what we had been given to eat the night before, and he was sure it was food poisoning...  He came over and checked everyone out, made sure they weren't dehydrated.  Mrs D. and I were pumping the medicine and electrolytes down all of them as fast as we could.  They just moved all their pillows and sleeping bags to the living room..... Pastor Nelson brought them movies.... they hooked up the computer and watched some cartoons, and politely tried not to die.  Poor things.

I eventually got it too...... but not till after dinner....  then a few more fell in the next days..... I think there were only 2 people who didn't get sick with even a sniffle the whole time we were there.

Even though they were sick, miserable, laying on a concrete floor covered in thin carpet.....running for a bathroom every so often........ they were troopers.  I never heard a complaint.  No one asked why, instead, they asked... " I wonder what God wants us to learn from getting sick?"    Even in their sickness they were taking care of others who were sick.....  They chose to serve each other, when laying there and moaning could have been the easier option.  We learned that God wanted our focus on HIM and the things HE was going to do on this trip...... Not on US and our prideful thoughts about how good we had been doing.....  We thanked Him for bringing us up short, early in our trip, so that we could see the things that He had planned.