December 7 2009 Stopped By The Grocery Store To Pick Up A Few Things

Every day in the life of a missionary is interesting, but today was one of those days I could have done without. Since everyone loves my baking, I decided to bake a lot of things, so I went to the grocery store with a friend. When we came out, we caught the guard at Mas X Menos taking the air out of the tires. AND YES THAT IS PLURAL NOT JUST ONE TIRE, BUT TWO TIRES. I was furious…. “What do you think you are doing?” I screamed. Meanwhile, Edwin who had accompanied me on my shopping trek, stood and silently shook his head!

Then the guard informed me that I had been parked for more than four hours in the parking space, which was a lie, so I diplomatically called him a “LIAR”. Then he said he was positive, he had looked at his watch and I told him he "needed to learn to read". Then he said the owner had ordered them to "take the air out of people’s tires when they were parked too long". Then he did the unthinkable and accused me of being a Mel Zelaya supporter, of visiting ex-president Mel Zelaya at "Hotel Brazil" and using their parking lot as a place to park. (the Brazilian Embassy is where the deposed president is holed up so it is called Hotel Brazil 4 months and counting) So not only did he take the air out of the tires, BUT he accused me of fraternizing with a left wing, socialist, womanizer, abusive, deposed president who is a friend of Hugo Chavez’s and an enemy of my precious United States of America. I am not sure that there is much he could have said to make me any more angry.

Because of ex-president Mel Zelaya and his LIES several of my medical teams have canceled. Many poor people who need surgery have not been helped. He said blood was running in the streets when he was deposed...

So I marched in to speak to the owner of Mas X Menos. Meanwhile my cold groceries were getting hot. I gave the owner a piece of my mind and then I called the police. He thought that it would be another Honduran "moment" where the police take a couple of hours to show up, but they were dispatched immediately and were on the scene within 5 minutes. Meanwhile the CRIMINAL came to the SUPPOSED end of his shift and left and NO ONE could remember the name of the man who let the air out of my tires. How stupid did they think I am? How do you have an armed guard and not know his name?

Meanwhile one of the managers came out to tell me that it was not a Christian thing to do to get upset and call someone a “LIAR” and she started preaching to me…. Needless to say… she heard about how God hates liars… she heard about how Jesus turned over the tables in the temple when the people were doing wrong… and after about 5 minutes of the "sword" part of the Word of God, she stuck her tail between her legs and walked off… I am not sure she left convienced, but she sure left with an earful of justice and not mercy. I once wrote a book on Psalms 103:17 about the mercy of God being towards them that fear Him and .... well that is a different story for a different time.

So the owner proceeds to tell me that I have been parked there for 4 hours because “his guard says so”. So I told him that I knew they had video and he needed to look at the parking lot video before calling me a liar and see who was telling the truth. When he insisted that the guard was correct, I asked where they had a time limit posted on how long I could shop? I had just spent more than $150 and a little less than $200 in his store on baking supplies. That is more than the average Honduran makes in 3 weeks and I was only there for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

So I will not return to Mas X Menos for several months and I will not spend the $500 a month I usually spend there and they can do without my money for a while and they will pay for their sins!

Sometimes I get frustrated with third world living! UGH! But tomorrow will be another day and things will go better I hope. Maybe I will stay home and bake!