Sunday, August 10, 2008

Matt 1 Banana Snake 0

So it is Sunday. Here at DEN-L in Gbarnga Liberia that means that there is not a whole lot going on. That actually might be a bit of an over statement. There is nothing happening here at all. No one comes in other than a couple of the kitchen staff, there is no electricty which means no computer for movies or anything like that. Everything is closed in town. So I had developed a routine while here.

Usually I wake up, have my own little church service here at the compound (I get weird looks while singing hymns to me myself and I but whatever), then i read a while (today is Audacity of Hope, GO OBAMA!!!!) then I eat lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on the porch of my building making rings for different people out of coconut shell.

So today I was sitting there carving away at my coconut shell creation working on my masterpiece and Terese came out to talk with me (the intern from Ivory Coast). We were talking a bit when all of a sudden she started shrieking at the top of her lungs. Almost simultaneously, one of the kids that works here, Amos, starts smacking the ground with a mop handle. all this is of course happening behind my back so i dont know what he is doing. I jump up screaming something amazingly eloquent like "what the hell?!?!?" to see a three foot long green banana snake writhing on the ground about a foot or so from where my leg had just been.

I look for a second at the snake who is now hissing at anything and everything and quickly stomp on its head with my heart now pumping like crazy. First thing out of my mouth is "Amos you are my hero." second thing is "was that thing poisonous?" answer "yes, its a very bad snake. It kills many people." good to know right?

Thats my drama for now. So if you are the praying type, make sure to thank God for Amos for me tonight cause without him around I don't know that I would be typing this story now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't know what they think about hugs from strangers, or anyone for that fact in Africa,,,but please convey in whatever way possible my sincere thanks to Amos and his stick and Therese for her heartwrenching scream and to Heavenly Father for putting 300 pounds of pure adrenaline behind your foot! I am glad that you are safe! By now it is just another story to add to your collection of stories and another gray hair or two for me to hide from friends and family but I am without a doubt still grateful for their quick response as well as yours...hopefully you weren't wearing your "chucks" but knowing you you probably were! Sounds like they did the job. Isn't that your second snake encounter?