We’re having a group visit for a few weeks for a short-term missions trip next month, and between the guys and the translators coming from long distances, we’re likely going to have to put up quite a few people here in our home. The kids will all bunk up in one room, leaving a couple of twin beds free, and we have a couch and a couple of extra mosquito nets. As Marc was talking to one of the guys the other day about accommodations, he was explaining that things might be a little tight. He said (not an exact quote, but close): “We have a big living room with a carpet and normally there would be plenty of room to sleep on the floor, but you might not want to. Once the sun goes down, the floor moves.”

Yeah, if there’s anything we’ve had to get used to, it’s the critters. Ants (tons of them), cockroaches (blessedly few, though, praise God!), fleas, chiggers, crickets (everywhere), flies, and spiders. It’s impossible to keep them out, given that the kitchen is pretty much open to the outdoors and the doors stay open most of the day. The saving grace is that we see very few during the day (save for flies and crickets), so it’s kind of “out of sight, out of mind.” But, once the sun goes down, the floor does move… We sit down for family devotions in the living room and count the ants on the carpet and notice the crickets hopping here and there. The ants come into the kitchen for their nightly feast, so we just make sure to keep the food covered and the fresh fruits and veges in knotted bags.

When Jesus said to “count the cost of being a disciple,” I don’t know if this is what He meant.