August 30

Thought we were back in Virginia last night. There was a very ominous cloud we saw building west of us on the way home. Must have dumped a ton of water because there was standing water on Bridgeport Way as we headed to the mission office. There were even broken branches from the trees (which I didn't see until my morning walk today). Then power went out about 8:30 p.m., complete with what we assume were exploding transformers. It didn't come back on until 5:30 a.m. Of course, we didn't have the earthquake they apparently did have back home shortly after midnight.

Ever since we arrived just as the rainy season was winding down, we've been hearing people talk about what lies ahead for us. Rain, rain, and more rain, accompanied by bone-chilling cold. I keep wondering whether all these dire predictions will make the reality less severe because we expected even worse. Or maybe we'll just be prepared to experience the difficulties.

When it comes to the challenges of the last days, I have a suspicion that the latter is more likely. Whatever it takes, folks!