Weird Weather and Bad News

Last Sunday, church attendance was a bit light because many people were cleaning up flooding in their homes due to heavy rain on Saturday evening.  On top of the storm, there was also a high tide predicted in coastal areas on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, we visited an investigator in Belawan, the port city to the north of Medan.  With the tide in, we were up to our knees on a street where we usually park the car.  As we walked, we had to be careful to stay on the road and not trip into the drainage ditches on either side, which were even deeper.  The house we visited had a good outer wall around it that functions as a dike for normal tides. But water regularly leaks into the yard and we noticed water marks on the walls where past storms went over the outer wall.  Not being sure what the needs in the home were, but we brought them a watermelon. (Video of the flood at the bottom.)

This week we made two trips to the airport to pick up new young missionaries, which prevented a missionary from being alone.  One of the elders is a nurse, with a graduate degree in health and nutrition and some healed wounds from a stint in his country's army.  Another is an American who completed two years at Annapolis before taking a leave of absence; when he finishes his mission he'll be returning to the US Naval Academy.

On Wednesday, we came home after English class and a few errands, and kept looking outside to see if our driver would make it home on his motorcycle.  We think he made it home before the rain hit,  but the roiling clouds were ominous.  We'd never seen weather quite like this, with clear sky out at the horizon but angry dark clouds above it all, darkening the sky early.

On Saturday evening, Sister Porter went up to the roof to read scriptures, and was shocked at this sunset view.  Was that a bright space ship emerging from the clouds?  The "hat" at the left was quite blue with a bit of purple.  How strange!

Elder Porter said it had something to do with ice crystals.

We also got some Bad News from Jakarta.  After looking at 40 possible buildings and being turned down by owners, etc., we had a building that we were hoping would be approved.  The team in Jakarta was positive, but when it was evaluated by the area office in Hong Kong, it was turned down.  We were pretty discouraged.  The current building is only rented through the end of June, and the electricity goes out at least once each Sunday and also during English classes.  Our church sometimes rents hotel meeting rooms for Sunday worship, but in reality we have activities several times each week so we need a building of our own.

However, one good thing:  Phil's family called for Mother's Day and we had a nice chat.