Visas and So Much More

Today is a very blustery day which is refreshing after the past week which was scorching hot. And when I say blustery I mean gloomy and windy. It's still hot. I can still where a t-shirt and shorts the only difference is I am not sweating profusely. Things have been a bit slow around here lately. Since all the foreigners are gone the church has settled back into its normal pace. Ben and I travel around the city in what are called trishaws or three wheelers or tuk tuks. They are basically like covered golfcarts with a larger engine. I am not quite sure how else to describe them. But in the rain they are quite an adventure to drive in. That is for sure!
The most exiting thing that has been going on is the process of trying to renew our visas. In typical Sri Lankan Fashion the process did not begin until less than a week before our visas expire which has made it exciting to say the least. Today, Friday, our passports were taken to immigration with all the appropriate paperwork and denied! Apparently, Since Ben and I signed our old visas on our passports (like we were told to do the last time we visited immigration two months ago) they think that we got the passport stamps illegally and forged them. Great! So since monday is a holiday, Of Course! (since Sri Lanka is the country who acknowledges the most holidays) Ben and I have to go to immigration on Tusday, the day before our visa expires, and try to pursuade them that 1) we did not forge our old visas and 2) ask for an additional visa. Needless to say we need prayer! We already have a flight lined up just in case we need to buy a ticket last minute and fly out of the country. Life here is exciteing to say the least! So we will let you know what happens with our visas or maybe we will just see you! Please also continue to pray for my stomach because I have been having problems with my acid reflex.

Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day!

So we had a visit from the plumber again this week. Our sink was clogged with a month's worth of gunk and we were unable to do dishes for two days only adding to our cockroach problem. The morning of the plumber's visit we opened our kitchen door to find 7 dead cockroaches scattered on the floor and sink. YES I said SEVEN. They had gotten into the white powder we have been putting out to kill the ants. They are still living in our cupboard though so Ben decided to create his own handy dandy cockroach killer trap. He first got a clay jar filled it two inches full with stale beer and water. Dropped two sticks in it and topped it off with a little ant poison. The next day Ben found a cockroach floating in the jar! Ben-1, Cockroaches-0. (Photo for Proof Below)

We are praying the rain will subside soon. Our home is falling apart. New leaks pop up daily. Meanwhile, there is a miniature lake developing on what would be equivalent to a front driveway. Every time it rains, two or three times a day for a couple minutes or less at a time (and when I say rain I mean tropical torrential downpour) these mammoth sized puddles gather around the house (sometimes in the house). It is not our business to despise the much needed monsoon rain but we'd be lying if we said that we didn't ask the Big Guy Upstairs to turn down the waterworks once and a while. No matter though as we have devised a great way to scale across our gate whilst using the momentum of our bodies to close the gate- at the same time delivering us safely onto the other side...of the puddle/lake of course (As you can see Ben displaying above in his awesome rain boots).

Oh and today we visited a hundred and thirty two year old museum with 40 kids under the age of 12. They even had ancient urinals. Fascinating. We love you all! Thanks for Reading!

Coauthored By: Rylee and Benjamin Applebee