AGUA AGUA AGUA!!!

Okay, today was day three with no running water in my house. I had used several bottles of drinking water for things such as flushing the toilet, taking a shower from a bowl, washing my hands....I had given up on washing dishes because I kept thinking it will come back on.

So this morning with only about half a bottle of drinking water left, I decided to carry my towel and shampoo to Annette's house to shower before school. (Annette has a cistern so there is a back-up supply of water at her house for situations like this)

When I got to school I asked Henry (whose house is now on day 5 of no running water) what is going on with the water?! He told me that there is a leak in one of the pipes that was caused by the earthquakes and that they have estimated it will take FIFTEEN DAYS to repair.

When he said that my heart skipped several beats and I felt a little ill.....but then I thought everyone is in the same situation, I need to find out what they are doing. I don't know how to deal with this situation, but people who live here have a better way of coping with these inconviences.

I gave myself time to calm down my emotions and during break asked Pati what is everyone doing about not having water... people are keeping their pilas filled with water....and using that for bathing, washing clothes, flushing toilets, etc.

Many people here keep their pilas filled all the time, because you never know when there will not be water for a day or part of a day....I don't keep mine filled because the standing water breeds mosquitos...however......

Paty told me that if you have containers you can take them to the fire department and they will fill them with water for free that you can use to fill up your pila, or just keep in your house for your needs. MMMMMM...well I don't have any containers....

She also said that people are having water delivered in these big tank trucks and the school had done that this week, so she called to the office to ask Rosi how much it would cost to fill a pila. Well, you don't just pay for the amount of water you get, you pay for all the water in the tank, which they charge 800 lemperas (which would be about $43)....YIKES! And a pila full of water isn't gong to last all that long.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

Paty walked outside, because it was our lunch break time, and there was one of the water trucks delivering water to the school. So the water in the tank was already paid for, and they had some left in the tank. Paty ran over and asked and they said yea he could follow me to my house and fill my pila and it wouldn't cost me anything.

HALLELUJIA!

So I excitedly run and grab my purse and keys...and here is where the comedy begins!

So he is following me in this very rickety truck that carries a tank on the back, similar to a gasoline type tank only smaller. I turn down my street and suddenly realize he isn't going to be able to go this way because I have these arches that go over the street as you enter into my neighborhood. There is one road that you can take that doesn't have arches, but I haven't come that way. So I turn around and tell him in bad spanish that his truck is too big, which he has already figured out....

So we turn around and head off a different way to get to my house.

Okay, we are here....I go in and put Samson inside (a scarey notion in itself because he loves to play with any and everything he can get his paws on)....I go back outside and open my back gate so he can pull his truck in my yard. AHHHH the barbed wire - his truck won't fit.

So he takes this loooooooong piece of PVC pipe that he uses to connect to the hoses when he pumps out the water. But we use it to hike up the barbed wire so that he can pull in. So I have to hold the pole while he is backing in his truck. Oh yea, it seems a great idea! Only he has this tall spikey thing on the top of the tank, so it gets stuck and he gets out of the truck and has to climb on top of the tank and unhook the barbed wire, and get back in the truck and I'm trying to hold it up.....all the time hoping he doesn't run over my feet because he can't see me.

After several times of repeating the above steps he finally gets the truck inside my gate.

I run in to check on Samson and any damage he may have done....and I find something that I have been making for Josiah for the last 7 months (yes I'm slow) is spread across the floor....AHHH...I saved it, put it up high....then I went to the kitchen sink and out of habit turned on the water....HA!!!! Water came out of the faucet, however, a slower stream than normal. I just stood there laughing at this...oh well.....later it may not be coming out of the faucet, so it's good that he is here filling the pila.

He filled my pila YAE!!! Now to get the truck back out of the yard, under the barbed wire, so I can go back to school. (it has taken us more than 30 minutes to get the truck in and fill the pila - and I live about 2 minutes from the school!)

So we hike the barbed wire up again with the long heavy pole and he gets in his truck.

We are doing good then WAP...stuck again! So he gets out of the truck and helps me with the pole to get the wire above the spikes on the tank....he gets back in his truck and IT WON'T START!

He is half-way out of my yard....but still in enough that I can't close my gate so I am stuck with this guy until we get his truck out. I am praying!

So then he motions and vengas me ("venga venga" ) to come to the driver's seat of the truck. I get in (Oh what a funny site! I wish I had a picture! It was held together by rust and rope!) So he has a wire that he is trying to get to spark under the hood while he tells me to slowly pump the gas pedal. It doesn't work, he then proceeds to get a rock from my yard and beat on the car battery! Now a man walking down the street has stopped to talk to him and to me (Ha!) and helps the guy with the hot-wire...thankfully they let me out of the driver seat!

Finally he gets the truck started and pulled out of my yard, we clear all the barbed wire, and I am free!

I was so happy...and more than an hour later I get back to school! TOO Funny!

The whole time I'm there with this guy I'm just thinking we should have this entire episode on video...because we are like the two stooges plus you throw in the communication and it really gets funny!

I went to the store tonight and bought throw away cups, and plates and bowls.....I have washed all my dishes with the water that was trickling out of my faucet.....and am thankful that there is still water trickling out - no matter how slowly, it's water!

What an experience! For people who have used up the water in their pilas, and their faucets are not giving them anything, I don't know what they will do. Please pray for the city and for the wisdom to fix the damage that has occurred to the pipes in Comayagua!

Right now I feel truly truly blessed!

I never thought I would be so happy over having a full pila! I am now waiting on the water man to come deliver some more drinking water for Samson and I. I am blessed! Truly blessed! God provided all my needs today!!!!