Anna’s trophy
By Anna
City Hill Member
Gustavus Trip Participant
The title might freak some of you out, considering I already had an experience with bed bugs a few months ago. But before you get too distracted, take a deep breath and read on.
Our whole team (all the City Hill women and all the Gustavus women) was at Pefa today to play with and love the children and do a deep clean of the buildings. My day was focused more on the latter.
At Pefa, one of the older girls “Sarah” has a billion bugs (that’s a rough estimate) living with her in her room. So today, Amanda and I carried Sarah’s bed-bug-and-ant-infested mattress and sheets to the garbage heap down the hill. We bagged the sheets and the men that work at the orphanage said they would burn them. I swept most of the rooms, including Sarah’s room. I could see at least a dozen bed bugs, some alive, some dead, in the pile of dirt. I picked them up with duct tape and sealed the dirt and bugs in a Ziploc bag that also went in the garbage heap. I scrubbed my arms and legs with Clorox wipes and joined the team for lunch, being sure to stand a few feet away so as to not touch anyone.
After our lunch break, I went back to Sarah’s room with a rag and bleach solution. I picked up at least another dozen bed bugs on the rag from a quick wipe down of the floor. I proceeded to remove the bugs from the rag with, you guessed it, duct tape. Overall today I have seen far too many bed bugs for my comfort level. But it’s ok because God’s strength comes in my weakness.
I would not have chosen this job today but I can see God’s hand in it. Before, whenever I was at Pefa, I would avoid Sarah’s room and hardly step foot in it. Today, I spent more time in her room than in any other room at Pefa. I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to serve him by serving his daughter, and again I am reminded that God is so worthy of adoration in every moment: “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.” Psalm 47:6.
P.S. I have taken all sorts of precautions so as not to infect anyone else with any contact I may have had with bed bugs today. Mom and Dad, this is my formal request for use of the dryer when I get home. Love you!