The Rains Came Down

Today was one of those day we did not know how we would be everywhere we needed to be and get done everything that needed to be done. Early in the week Karen and I formed a plan A. This morning I made a plan B, just in case.

Marc left here at 8:00 to go to Manos Felices for a meeting and Rosy's grades,which, by the way, were great. He was then going to the market and on to get the employees' green cards, which have to be picked up every month. We also thought he could do all that and be back here to take six of the kids to visitation in Sabana Grande.

Karen was taking six kids to Tegucigalpa for visitation.

It was also pay day. I was going to get that ready to hand out at 3:00. I knew I better get payroll done early, because I felt like I would be going to Sabana Grande. Marc called at 11:00 and said there was no way he would be back here at 12:00, he was still at the school. I moved myself into a higher gear.

The children are always so excited on visitation day. Leaving here with the kids, I could see the clouds forming. I prayed the rains today would not come until I got back from Sabana Grande.
The parents of the kids I had live way up on a mountain. The road follows the ridge. There has been enough rain already that the road is washing out and in pretty horrible shape. I drove slowly up the road.

These parents are so poor. They have nothing. They live in a shack that we have tried to repair. If we make it too good, the owner will take it from them because they do not own the land on which their house sits. Karen packs the six children's lunch and they have to split it eight ways, thus learning to share with the parents. Today, they insisted I come in and sit. Sit on the only seat, a couple of blankets folded up. I was hoping I could get up. The house is full of holes. Not tight at all.

It began to rain. I opened the window. The chance of this being a light rain looked pretty slim. It went from barely raining to a downpour. Not gradually, but all at once. The parents have no concept of time. They did not know we had been there an hour and 15 minutes instead of two hours. I said we have to go NOW. The father said you can't leave, it is raining hard. I am thinking that is exactly why I have to leave. I ran to the car and the kids followed me.

Many times the parents want to ride to the bottom of the mountain with me just to be with their kids a little bit longer. I was shocked when they ran out and got in the car today. I turned the car around, put it in 4 wheel drive, drove slowly and cautiously, and prayed unceasingly. My original thought was to drive as far left as I could and stay away from the ridge. The children are squealing with the delight at all the waterfalls rushing off the mountain. To see all that water rushing off the mountain was not a very comforting thought for me. All I could think about was what was rushing with the water. Rock? Mudslides? Was the road going to wash away completely?

My thought then was maybe the ridge was not so bad. We were going downhill and water was rushing down this same hill a lot faster than I was driving. My final game plan was to drive where the least amount of water was, sometimes that was near the mountain and sometimes near the ridge. I just drove slowly and all was well.

I was so glad to finally see the highway. I stopped to let the parents out, knowing they had to make that long walk back in the rain. The parents could not get out of the car and I remembered I had the child locks on. That is because Rosy rides with me and I have to contain her inside the vehicle. The parents were not behind me, but on the other side of the car. I jumped out of the car and ran around the car to open the door for them. Since we are at the bottom of the mountain, the water that is rushing down is pooling at the bottom. I was in at least four inches of water. My jeans, my shoes and my socks were soaked. For some reason, when I got out of the car, Reina started crying and yelling my name. I have no idea what she was thinking.

I was so thankful to be back on the highway. There was still many, many waterfalls and a lot of water rushing across the road. I was no longer in four wheel drive, but still drove slowly the rest of the way home.

When we drove through the gate, I breathed a big sigh of relief and said "gracias a dios."

Terri