Things that Creep and Make you Shriek

A couple weeks ago I killed my first snake. It was close to sunset and one of the other nurse’s here (Michelle) was going to try and take a shower before dark. Its usually a bit of a scrabble to get the showers in before sunset, something about the dark is more synonymous with spiders, snakes, and things that creep and make you shriek, so the darker it becomes the more motivated we are to embrace the cold water and get in and get out . Well the sun was quickly fading and from the general direction of the shower we heard a shriek…and then Michelle say…it’s a snake! Danelle then immediately told me to go kill it! I am not terrified of snakes but I definitely wouldn’t call them the most wonderful creature in the garden either if you know what I mean. As I was finding the knife Michelle described the snake to us and from that description Danelle wondered if it may be a serep, the word “serep” means sundown, and the snake is so called because if you are bit by it in the morning you are dead by sundown.
When I arrived at the shower the snake was hanging from the roof and stretching its way to a tree. I was on a mission to kill and I didn’t want to botch the job by hitting the snake in the wrong place and then having it lunge at me…or by glancing it, and in doing so fling it upon Michelle. So after several prompts from Danelle of, “kill it” I jumped and swung, and it fell to the ground…with several more whacks it was dead, mission accomplished. Upon examination we didn’t think that this was the deadly “serep” and in reality it was a fairly small snake. But regardless, the thought of being interrupted by a snake coming through the ceiling while taking a shower…is never a fun thought. I have only seen two really big snakes the whole time I have been here and unfortunately or perhaps providentially I haven’t seen these ones long enough, or been close enough to get a picture.

Another similar bathroom experience that we had involved a large black scorpion. This encounter was from the first night that we arrived and Danelle being apprehensive about venturing into the bathroom alone took me along to investigate. I glanced through the bathroom and declared the all clear. But Danelle wasn’t so sure, and good thing too because in the toilet there was a large black scorpion, to which Danelle flatly exclaimed there is a scorpion in the toilet! She then asked what do I do, the girls next door, hearing the news about the scorpion, said “pee on it.” Danelle opted not to do that and flushed it down. I was reminded that what was previously foreign to us is now a potentially ever-present part of our bathroom experience and daily lives. This is not the only time I have not fulfilled my role as a spotter but I think we talked about that in our audio blog on this topic already.

Because of all the things that creep and crawl on the wall and in the stall, one of our favorite texts now is Psalms 91. Verse 5-7 says, “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but none will come near you.” There is also a book called “A thousand shall fall” that is a true story and inspired by this Psalm. The book is the story of a Christian who served as a German in World War II and through his faith in God, found the promises of the bible to be abundantly true when we follow God’s commands and leading. If you haven’t read I highly recommend it as a worthwhile read.

Thankfully not all things that crawl are creepy. The locals here have pet dogs and cats and some of them are very cute and lovable. One of the teachers (Rinal) has a dog named puppy, who no longer is a puppy but is still everyone’s favorite dog. Puppy has a playful yet submissive spirit and loves to walk along with us on the trails. Rinal treats Puppy very well and they are constant companions. Unfortunately not all locals treat their pets as well as Rinal does his. Most of the dogs here are small, mangy, and ridden with fleas and their owners not only make fun of their misfortune they add to it by abusing them. I wince when I see them pinched, kicked, and laughed at…and would love to comfort the poor animal with a gentle pat…by as I mentioned they are ridden with fleas, so I find that a morsel of food works just as well. Because most of the dogs are so small and underfed they sometimes have ferocious battles over scraps, which again many locals just laugh at.

Many of the church members treat their pets well, and I have to remember that when they don’t I am viewing their actions through the lens of my culture and upbringing which is vastly different but not necessarily superior to theirs. For instance last night I was watching the “Animal Planet” doing a documentary on animals that have been abandoned or abused. I hate that…but what makes me wonder sometimes is the amount of money, resources, and time that is given to the protection of animals rights…while at the same time in America children are being abused and abandoned just as frequently as the pets. If I came from another culture and found out that somebody gave charity to an animals rights organization but nothing towards the interests of protecting children I would think that was pretty messed up too.

I know that in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth all that He had made was “very good” (Gen 1:31). The world as it is now was not God’s intention or original design; He is our redeemer and restorer because He desires that we and the world can once again be “very good”. God hates sin because the consequence of sin is death and since sin entered the earth sin has had an eroding effect on all of its inhabitants. God’s mercy and justice are perfectly bonded in love and God’s justice says He must put an end to sin and all of its consequences. God’s mercy says if you believe in Him there is no need to perish with sin, yet if we cling to sin we must accept its wages and consequently we choose death instead of the gift of eternal life.

Because of God’s love the earth continues yet because of God’s love the earth cannot continue as it is. In the book “Desire of Ages” the author explains that even nature itself including the sparrows in the trees would cease to exist if God removed His hand of protection and allowed Satan full dominion. The same author also describes how Adam must have felt when experiencing the effect sin had on nature, seeing a flower wither and die for the first time may have been to him as dreadful as the death of a human being now is to some of us. God tells us that we need not worry because even “the lilies of the field grow and they do not labor or spin” “and the birds of the air do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet our Heavenly Father feeds them” (Matt 6:26,27).

Many people here like to hunt birds for sport, and theoretically hunting would be a good way to bond with the culture. But I cannot get past the fact that I love the way birds sing, and I know that God created them…and I could, for no purpose take pleasure in killing them. I also am reminded a story my dad has from his childhood of killing one, and the regret that he had as a result. Danelle wrote a blog earlier about how the Palawano’s mistreat the birds as well and it really can be quite disturbing, because they don’t just kill and eat…they often kill and then play with the victim in similar manner to that of a cat. However the boys that caught the bird in these pictures found it dead, I was kind of glad to here that they never killed it though I don’t know how it died.

Even if we have not ourselves been the victim or rape, murder, divorce, or death we all have seen it and know that these things and worse exist. If God is love, justice demands that there be a penalty and that penalty is that sin and those who cling to it must perish. But His mercy says He desires that non should perish, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, yet we can choose to receive life if we simply accept his sacrifice and cling to him instead of to our sins.