Thursday night.
I spent my whole day at the office updating the directory for the research department's biggest project, the top 1000 corporations for 2008. Since I couldn't take as much responsibility in the project such that I might be pulled out of the department any time, my temporary boss asked me to help out with the phone calls instead. Given the 1000 corporations, Judy and I had to call each company, check if we have the right phone number and address.
Since it was also Thursday, our cell group day, Ate Rona and I decided to buy something for Ate Beth's birthday. I left the office earlier than usual, went straight to Go-Nuts Donuts and bought their Mix-n-Match treat. By 5:30pm, I was already headed for home and expected to be at the church before 7pm.
A few minutes before seven, rain started to pour. A few minutes more, the roads were flooded. Quite shockingly, I have never seen that road get flooded with the 18 years that I had lived in Cainta.
Then, I started to pray. More than that, I was singing in my head. Though it has been raining this month, God has not let me go in the flood just to get home. I had never been stuck anywhere in the rain and I knew, at that time, God was not going to let anything of that sort happen to me. In other words, I was singing praises. I have always been in love with the rain and it has never been a pest in my life.
By the time I got to Bayanihan (where flood is most likely deep), the jeep to where I was didn't have any problem and I was praising God even more.
My mom texted me a few minutes after, telling me my dad was going to get me at the subdivision gate. After waiting for about 30 mins, I saw my dad in a raincoat holding my pair of slippers. That meant only one thing. I was going to go in the flood. Oh no.
We started walking near our old church building. It was flooding alright, but it was only less than 6 inches deep. I was still happy.
By the time we reached San Francisco Street, oh my, the flood started to climb up to my knees.
By the time we were walking in front of our new church building, it wasn't just flood. It was a mega-flood. Tne waters had reached half-way my thighs. It was still raining. My bag was already wet, and did I tell you? I was wearing my favorite blue skirt that day. And it was just flooded, it was a flash flood. The water current was strong that I had to walk really slow in fear that I might slip (and drown...)
What was even funnier was that I was reminded of how I praised God a few minutes before I started walking in the rain. And I knew, someone wanted me to take back my praise.
Instead, while I was walking through the flash flood, I was singing. From the verses of Close to You, I headed for the notes of For All You've Done. Though it was a pest that I was walking inches deep in dirty flood water, I knew what it felt to be a David, singing praises to God despite the whatevers in life. And to that, I was even more glad.
