Two Sagas

There were a few things from yesterday that I wanted to share, but I have heard that some people don't like reading book-length blog posts, so I thought I would not add it to the post earlier today.

The Vegetable Saga 

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of experiencing the process of peeling vegetables. As I wandered around Monday afternoon, doing my random media things, I discovered this group of kitchen crew members clustered around a giant pot on the floor, peeling vegetables and half-heartedly attempting to ensure the peels landed in the pot rather than the floor. Soon after I arrived everyone basically abandoned the goal of keeping things off the floor. After taking some pictures of the piles of potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and enormous things that I think were turnips (maybe?), I decided to join in and find out what it is like to peel vegetables in Mississippi. I was properly schooled in peeling by the group and after dropping a potato I was officially counted a member. Six young people in close proximity, each brandishing a peeler, can be a daunting sight. There is the constant possibility of accidentally peeling someone else's hand instead of your vegetable, but somehow we avoided any serious wounds, and I think actually there was only one slight injury which was self-inflicted. As we were reminded after finishing, it would have been smarter to keep the peels in the pot, but since there was no way to redo the past, we also had the exhilarating experience of scraping peels off the concrete. And here is documentation of this auspicious occasion. Of course since I claim to be taking the photos, there is no proof that I was actually there, but that is irrelevant...

The Peelers!

Whatever things these are, they grow them gigantic in Mississippi. 

The maker of messes

The Peelers (for some reason I feel like this would be a great band name and a great band album cover...)

At Lakeshore most trash is either burned or composted. Once we picked up the peeling mess it was deposited in the compost bin

Thus ends the Vegetable Saga 




The Saga of the Dog and His Friends 

This story includes these elements: a group of small children, a dog, Mississippi mud, a borrowed vehicle, a police officer, and of course the protagonists, our LBC ministry team.

Once upon a time (more specifically, yesterday) there was a ministry team visiting a neighborhood in Lakeshore. There was a group of kids playing outside one of the homes. There was a large red dog, presumably belonging to the children, but which was wandering the area instead. One person on the team, though not especially fond of dogs, gave the dog a friendly pat, which was apparently a sign of eternal friendship because when the team prepared to depart, the dog was determined to join them. They attempted to lose the dog by driving faster, but after the dog swerved in front of them several times, it was determined that this was not a wise idea. They realized it would be slightly awkward to approach a house, preparing to share the Gospel, and having to start the conversation by saying, "I'm sorry, I ran over your dog." So suffice to say, they did not do this. When the team exited the vehicle (which had been borrowed by someone at LBC), the dog was still circling them. Dogs have a habit of avoiding vehicles, as it typically means they will be taken to the vet. Perhaps this dog had never been taken to the vet, for it showed no fear of the van. Instead, it leaped into the vehicle and proceeded to explore every space in it. Let's talk about mud now. It rained on Sunday. Therefore it is muddy. I suspect that it is muddy here regardless of the rainfall, just because it is Mississippi, but the downpour on Sunday only exacerbated the situation. The mud is also a very singular color, being a deep red/rust color. And while the group watched in horror,  the dog was kind enough to spread this mud over every seat in the vehicle. They attempted to extricate the dog, but only succeeded in separating the dog from the dog collar, and you can guess which of these two escaped them. A police officer showed up at one point, and the group gave him the collar and he said he would find the dog, which was by that point wandering the neighborhoods looking for another friend to haunt. The ministry team had the presence of mind to invite the police officer to our evangelistic service on Friday night, so perhaps the Lord will use this situation to bring someone to Himself! The ministry team was left with a troubling thought: the vehicle loaned to them was covered with Mississippi mud. Returning to the church and confessing this tragic event to the vehicle owner, they were relieved to discover this forgiving and flexible lady did not mind the situation at all, and in fact since she had six of her own dogs, the muddy dog tracks in her van did not bother her. So this was a happy ending to an unexpected situation!

Thus ends the Dog and His Friends Saga.