Thursday a.m.

Good morning! On this Valentine's Day, I am wondering how many women can carry 2 concrete blocks up hill for quite a distance? And do you really want a woman like that? Just think of what she could do to you, when you misbehave or when she is angry with you. Why did I start with that? I have no idea. I will say, however, that the Honduran women are very strong, putting a lot of us gringo guys to shame.

 

My day yesterday sure turned into something I did not expect. I had a couple of morning meetings. Then I got a couple of calls saying that my neighbor's house was on fire. I went out there and stayed for a couple of hours, trying to help out in any way I could. It was a bad deal, but no human lives were lost. A couple of cats died. The homeowners had 3 fireproof boxes for important things, and they all came through just fine.

 

It was a bit weird being at the fire, because I've been having trouble with my chimney. I choose to burn wood, and lately that has not gone very well. While I was in Honduras, there was a major problem. When I tried to fix it on Sunday afternoon, I realized it was beyond my abilities. I called in a pro. Long story short: my chimney has major problems and is unsafe and unusable presently. A new liner and a bunch of other work are in process.

 

As I stood there watching my neighbor's house burn, I was thinking that it could have been mine. That makes all the inconvenience and cost of my situation a lot more bearable. It will be another week before we are back to havinge normal heat. In the meantime, we are using a fireplace and a backup electric furnace. We are getting along fine.

 

Today is going to be filled with lots of things, some of them from yesterday. My main project today is get my sermon under control for Sunday. This one has been difficult for some reason, but my class last night really helped me get a grip on it.

 

Hey, thanks for coming by. See you tomorrow, I hope.

 

P.S. My email is not working and hasn't been since yesterday afternoon. It's a Blueriver problem. Hopefully later today I will have it back.