Of Mice and ..... Cockroaches?

We survived. Two adults, three teens, seven weeks, ONE camper! A feat not to be taken lightly. How did the time fly by so quickly?

The last couple weeks in Ohio saw us packing up our home away from home and one thought occupied my mind. Actually it was more than one thought,  because there is never just one mouse. It invariably always becomes mice.

So what does mice have to do with packing up the camper? To explain  I will need to rewind time back to the very beginning of summer, back to when our friends, David Grissom and Greg Wolfe, "unwrapped" and moved our summer home from its winter dwelling to its luxurious vacation spot- David and Ann's backyard. It was discovered then, that the camper had served as a winter home for a community of mice!

Evidence of such abounded throughout the camper. 

Evidence I barely saw because of the sacrifice of time, energy, friendship, and yuckiness! Ann, Sarah, and Barbara cleaned, washed, scrubbed. How can I ever thank these precious friends?

Sorry, Barb, I couldn't find a picture of you!

Even after moving in, we continued to find evidence of the infestation. Carl spent hours removing panels and insulation looking for the ever present strangely suspicious smell. Finally, the source, a deceased decaying furry creature, was discovered, removed, and appropriately disposed of! Eventually the smell dispersed and life was normal again! Well, as normal as life can be living in a camper!

So as I repacked the camper, the biggest thought on my mind was what will this look like the next time we are home. And what can I do to prevent it?

I experienced an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu last weekend as we arrived at our apartment in Taiwan. No, it wasn't mice this time, but .....

Cockroaches!

Evidently our kitchen was the place to be the month of July, that is if you are a cockroach. And it must have been some party. Can't, no don't, want to even let my imagination start down that path.

Yuck.

Dead cockroaches all over the floor. (Carl disposed of at least 20 in our first 24 hours home) Not only that, but cockroach poop all throughout the drawers and cabinets. So gross! A real appetite stealer! The teenager watching our apartment apparently killed a small army every time he came to empty the dehumidifier. Carl is in the process of cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. Evidently, our uninvited house guests left behind not only poo, but egg pods. Double Yuck!

Can I just add here that I totally love, adore, and appreciate my husband!

Two different continents.
Two unsuspecting homes.

Two irritating, disgusting creatures.

Same problem.

Why?

My mind pondered that question. Your brain does strange things while in the throes of jet lag.  Nevertheless, I thought about it, and actually came to a realization. With spiritual connections, no less.

We have never had a mouse in the camper before. It was never a problem. Of course, even though parked in the driveway, we were in and out of it often. Our presence was known.

And while we do see cockroaches occasionally, we have never had so many at one time. But then again, our humanness is all over the kitchen. (We are bigger, stronger, smarter and, therefore, rightly scarier, right?) 

After Nick left Taiwan, the house was devoid of human smell, sound, vibration- presence. Naturally, those life-loving partying cockroaches enjoyed the kitchen fearlessly.

Take a leap with me here.

 When we are praying, reading our Bibles, worshiping, spending time in the  presence of God, He abides with us. His presence is with us.

But what happens if we don't make the effort, the time, to walk closely, to abide?

Isn't that when we find ourselves tempted to think, do, say things we know are wrong? Our attitudes     begin to stink, our thought life deteriorates into a more carnal nature. Without His presence, little varmints begin to sneak in, just like the mice in Ohio and the cockroaches in Taichung.

I don't know about you, but just the visualization going on in my head motivates me to keep praying, worshiping, and reading!

How about you?