Surprise! Here’s a Crash Course in Flexibility
Minutes after our arrival, our hostesses served us a meal of rice and lentils. That’s when I learned I’d be speaking at a women’s conference the next day.
Flexibility is the keyword. Within minutes of reaching our destination, our hostesses ushered us into a dining room where they served us a meal of rice and lentils – the first of many on this trip. That’s when I learned they had scheduled me to speak at a women’s conference the next day and for ten minutes in the Sunday church service. Surprise!!
By now we’d been awake for nearly 48 hours and our bodies were ready to collapse, but there was no time to rest. A wedding celebration was planned for that evening and we were invited to attend. We had a few minutes to shower (no hot showers here, but then, who’d want a hot shower in this heat??) and don fresh clothes.
Off to a wedding
The wedding bulletin said the groom was scheduled to arrive at 4:30. Some folks told us the ceremony would begin at 5:00; others told us we could show up at 5:30. About twenty people were present when the ceremony actually began. Another forty or fifty wandered in within the next half hour.
The bride, a converted Hindu, wore a white satin sari with gold embroidery and the groom looked handsome in his black suit. They celebrated their marriage with a western ceremony, complete with signing the register. Midway through the service, however, Gene and I began nodding off.
Off to bed
Rather than embarrass ourselves by snoring through the reception, we excused ourselves and stumbled to our room that was, thankfully, air-conditioned. We bid each other goodnight and collapsed in bed as a five-inch gecko on the wall stared at us. If I was to be bright-eyed, or at least coherent, for the next day’s conference, I’d need a good night’s sleep.
Guess what? Even with the help of a sleeping pill, I slept only three or four hours. Jet lag did its thing on my body and brain. Wide awake in the middle of the night, my thoughts flitted from one thing to another. And I began to worry about having enough energy to last the day. Only by God’s strength would I be able to speak for three sessions on Saturday morning.
Know you are loved,
Grace
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