We at the Rodrigues household enjoy an active lifestyle. Heaven forbid that we should ever call our life “normal.” No, that would be monotonous and dull; and we prefer excitement. Thus, the Saturday before last when we finally had a quiet weekend planned (aside from the usual church commitments of youth group, worship team, etc.), God providentially provided an unplanned adventure.
Friday night is usually a late night for us. I have membership class at church, followed by a discipleship Bible study with one of the teen girls. Fred has a Bible study early on with some teen boys and rounds out the evening with the weekly pastors’ meeting. The pastors’ meetings always go much later than planned, which means we arrive home late, as well. By the time Fred arrives home on Friday night (he goes straight to the church from work), he is ready for bed; and since my pregnancy began, I’m quick to follow.
That Friday evening was no different, except that Pr. Tiago loaned us his truck for the night, so we had a more convenient way home (vs. the bus). Fred took his shower while I did a few things around the apartment; then we lounged on the bed, discussing some situations with the teens, church, etc. I was feeling especially exhausted that evening and very much looking forward to sleeping in the next morning; but I had specifically chosen to get ready for bed as a method of “tricking myself” into staying awake during our conversation.
When I woke up at 2:00 AM still fully clothed with the light on and Fred snoring softly beside me, I realized that my method hadn’t worked; so I got out of bed, changed clothes, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and turned off the fan.
Fred and I use the fan to quickly dry the tiled bathroom wall/floors after we shower in hopes of discouraging additions to the immense population of mosquitoes we are already house in our small apartment. It’s a old, rusty fan (What isn’t rusty here in Fortaleza?), but it has served us well, especially during the nighttime hours when its perpetual motion helps deter (since it does not entirely keep) the remaining mosquitoes from consuming us during our rest; however, since my swollen feet have become an issue (see previous blog entry), we have been sleeping in the air conditioning to provide partial relief during the night.
On Friday night, I nudged the fan closer to the toilet when I turned it off so I wouldn’t trip over it during my nightly trip to the restroom. As I did so, the face “fell off” its screw. This was not usual, but I was too tired to fix it then and decided to leave it for the following morning.
Since I was two hours behind my sleeping schedule, I woke up at 7:00 AM instead of 5:00 for my early morning bathroom trip. The moment I opened the door, I knew something was burning. I immediately looked around the kitchen and living room (oven, appliances, lamps, etc.) but found nothing except a layer of fine black soot covering EVERYTHING.
When I returned to the kitchen, I saw a puddle of plastic on the bathroom floor. The plastic was already hard and as flat as a pancake. The metal face was laying on its front, the plastic fan blades melted into its frame. The blackened body of the motor (whose color matched the side of the toilet) was on the floor. All of the wires and internal parts had melted into the plastic pancake.
The smoke from the fire left an oily black film, both inside and outside of the cupboards. Some of the dishes looked clean, but when you wiped your finger across them, it turned up black.
We had received a borrowed, full-sized but filthy refrigerator on Wednesday (to replace our two dorm-sized refrigerators), after which I spent the next two days cleaning it with some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease. I had just finished reinstalling all the shelves and our food on Friday afternoon. It now needed to be cleaned again – the outside, anyway.
As for my beloved books, I had spent Thursday afternoon wiping them and the bookshelves off in my battle against mold (It’s definitely rainy season!). Now the books and the shelves had to be cleaned again. Everything had to be wiped down, from the ceiling to the floor!
Fred and I had planned to go look at an apartment Saturday morning, so we left on that errand; but from our 11:00 AM return until late that night, it was the F&F Clean Team. We got the bathroom and the outside of the kitchen cupboard doors done, but there was still left plenty more left! My feet, of course, reflected the day’s work, but I’m learning to deal with it – I just don’t look down.
Our full Sunday schedule didn’t allow us to clean much beyond that over the weekend. Then, between Fred’s work schedule and my busy week (last week of the quarter), the clean-up progress has been slow; however, slowly but surely we’re gaining – at least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
We discovered later that there was a “brown-out” that night (when the electricity level suddenly drops very low, then comes back in a sudden burst). Depending on their severity, brown-outs can do extensive damage to appliances, etc. Our next door dorm neighbors had an air conditioner meltdown that night. Thankfully, it didn’t affect our borrowed refrigerator.
In spite of the challenges, I am thankful for many things. First and foremost, God’s protection. In our bedroom, the 6-inch door ventilation panel is covered with glass for air conditioning efficiency; thus, we heard nor smelled anything of the fire. You can see in the first picture that a bathroom towel lay on the floor just inches from the fan. If it had caught fire, the curtain would have, next the plastic drawers, etc. Had the bathroom fire gone into the kitchen, it would have cut off our only escape route since our robber-proof windows also prevent any fire escape, especially with my rounded belly. Needless to say, the outcome of the fire could have been much more severe.
There have been times in that past six months that I have been tempted to complain about our cramped quarters; but as I cleaned, I found new reason to praise God for a very small apartment: significantly much less to clean! Another blessing is the majority of our household furnishings are not yet in our apartment (there’s no room!), so they were spared any damage. Also, our computers and other tech stuff were either covered or in the closed bedroom.
We are thankful for many, many things, including you who pray for us on a regular basis. I don’t suppose that many, if any, of you ever specifically prayed for our safety during a fire; but God knew just what we needed in answer to your prayer for protection. Thank you for your faithfulness.
This situation also provided lots of learning lessons. It was a poignant reminder of what is important in life, and it’s not unstained Tupperware lids or immaculate books or even clean walls. As Dad always told me, there are only two things in life that matter: people and God’s Word; because those are the only things that will last for eternity.
I have been amazed at the pervasive presence of soot in the apartment. There is not an item that was left unblemished, even if not perceptible at first glance. While cleaning one day, I considered the parallel between the soot and the pervasive effects of sin in our lives. Sometimes the effects of sin are black and obvious, like the heavy film that covered the toilet, and usually such apparent effects appear in the areas of our life most closely related to the sin; however, although we may not see the more subtle effects, that same sin inevitably has a dulling effect on all aspects of our Christian walk, like the fine dust coving my dishes, because if nothing else, it impedes our relationship with God,
“Confession and communion.” How often I remember Pastor Sauser reiterating that while I was growing up. Who of us doesn’t sin on a daily basis? There are no super-saints in the Rodrigues house, that’s for sure. And so we practice the walk of faith, constant confession that we may have continual communion with God.
And thus our exciting adventures continue as God provides daily protection and grace.
