Saturday, September 16, 2017

5:45 a.m. Alarm rang

Papa Jim downstairs to let the guard out.

Mama Alice headed for the shower.

First hot shower in ten days.

Had almost forgotten what this luxury felt like!

6:15 a.m. Dressed and downstairs to make lunch for six of us.

Papa Jim will stay at Shiloh and be the guard.

Will fend for himself when he gets hungry.

7 a.m. Began making breakfast for all seven of us. 

7:55 a.m. Francis and his youngest sister, Corine arrived.  

(She's been working with us during her summer break from University.)

Turned the cooking over to them.  

Table already set.

Coffee already made.

English muffins already toasted.

Just the eggs left to cook.

Started gathering cleaning supplies.

8:05 a.m. Guy arrived.  

Asked him to open the house.

Seven outside doors.

Twenty-three windows.

8:10 a.m. Doris arrived.

Asked her to finish collecting cleaning supplies.

8:20 a.m. Sat down to breakfast.

Well, as soon as the prayer was finished, Mama Alice popped back up.

While they ate I showed them our lunch.

No sitting down to eat lunch.

Will eat while working whenever anyone gets hungry.

Made six quesadillas.

We each get four quarters.

A slice of banana bread apiece.

Five small bottles of soft drink.

DON'T TOUCH LITTLE WATER BOTTLE.

That's mine!!!

Next passed out job assignments and showed cleaning supplies that were going with us.

Ate my breakfast.

9 a.m. Collected our cleaning supplies and lunch bag.

Papa Jim let us out at the gate.

Walked passed the little studio apartments next door.

Arrived at our destination, the big house on the corner. 

Introduced our work crew to new missionary neighbor family.

Had received permission the day before to clean their house for them.

Been in country six weeks.  

Mom fell sick with chikungunya two days later.

Our David had chikungunya twenty-six years ago.

Dreadful, unrepeatable illness.

A week and a half later (Mom still sick, but slowly recovering) had a big robbery in the middle of the night.

Lost three laptops (one brand new) and two I-pads.

Very traumatic for all.

Mom relapsed. 

Relapse of any illness always harder to recover from than orrigional illness.

Turns out their domestique (highly recommended by the previous missionaries to rent the house) is not worth having around.

Takes all morning and then some to wash dishes.

Seldome sweeps the floors.

Forget mopping.

In six weeks has cleaned the master bath one time.

Cleaned kids bathroom three times.

(Getting the picture yet?)

He does not work Saturdays.

Thus our offer to clean the whole house from top to bottom.

Showed Francis the kitchen.

Had received permission for him to cook the noon meal for them.

Helped him look in fridge, freezer, and cabinets for what the possibilities might be.

Showed Corine the dining room and living room windows. 

Cleaning them was her job.

Showed Theirry the dining room railing.  

(Seventeen years old son of Cameroonian friends who is living at Shiloh while attending university.)

It's filthy dirty and it buggs Mom to have to look at it but she's not be able to do anything about it.

Told him when it was sparkeling, he would help Doris with sweeping and mopping.

Showed Doris the large living room that is down a level (more than a sunken living room, it's a whole floor below the rest of the house).

Showed her the large entryway, hallway, powder room, and dining room.

Sweeping and mopping and scouring the bathroom were her jobs.

Showed Guy the upstairs.

Large master bedroom suite.

Three bedrooms and an office.

Kids bathroom.

Asked him to start with the master bath and then advance to the kids bathroom.

Guy could only work until noon as Marie is sick.

Had to get back home to take care of his family.

Since Mom has been continuously sick, unpacking and setting up the house has been done in fits and starts.  

I searched for and found clean sheets and clean towels.

City water had been off since 7 a.m. so I could not do laundry for them.

Back downstairs to wash the mountain of dishes and help Francis find things.

Periodically checked on my crew. 

1:00 p.m. Insisted that Guy go home. 

Wanted to finish but wouldn't let him.

Sent Theirry up to sweep and mop the office.

Aside from all the unpacking and setteling in left to do, the upstairs was sparkling clean.

Family sitting in their clean dining room, at the table set and decorated by Mama Alice, eating yummy lasagnia made by Francis. 

Also had a nice salad, freash pineapple slices, and cold filtered water to drink.

Mama Alice ran out of steam.

Turned the rest of the dishes over to Doris.

Theirry swept and mopped the stairs.

Corine finishing up the last living room window.

Can actually see outside!

Amazing!!!

Francis cleaning stove and all counters.

Theirry gathered all our cleaning supplies and set them outside.

Then he swept and mopped the kitchen.

One by one we went outside and began eating our lunch.  

Corine finished last.

Asked Dad to let us out at their gate.

Returned to Shiloh.

Mama Alice went to bed!

Our team finished their lunch.

Took the five loads of laundry Mama Alice had washed through the night, and Joseph had hung out at 5 a.m., off the lines.

Folded and put everything away.

Everybody went home.

Except for Theirry who lives here.