While serving in Ciudad Juarez, I rented a little house, a “casita” (pictured above). Houses there are built of cement blocks. My home had no insulation outside and no dry wall inside. This means those blocks radiated the heat of summer and the cold of winter.
Oftentimes during the winter it was colder inside the house than out. I started up my heater the minute I got home. When I broke down and bought a thermometer I discovered it was, on average, 48 degrees inside the house. Little bit chilly.
One December I remember it being so cold. I would sleep fully dressed, hat and sweatshirt included, under six blankets. I had my heater running all the time. I was still cold and could not seem to get warm. I had the flu or a winter cold, runny nose, headache, problems breathing and was tired. The more I slept, the more tired I became. I almost died that winter, twice.
What did I have, you ask? Stupidity; lack of cultural knowledge. You see, I was poisoning myself. Propane heaters are normally used in Juarez. Most people turn it on for an hour or so and then turn the heater off for the night. Multiple generations live together so the body heat is enough to keep the house warm overnight. But I lived alone and was freezing to death because of this. The longer I slept with my heater running the sicker I became. Carbon monoxide kills. Thankfully I was able to determine the heater was the problem and I turned it off at night and I got better (your eyes get so dry around propane).
But if you go back and read again, I said twice. That’s right. Twice. I was stubborn. Or I guess I should say I was cold. C O L D cold. The following January the temperature dropped even further. I felt so cold I left that propane heater on again all night long. I remember thinking, I am okay with dying and if I have to choose, I pick poisoning over freezing to death. So I got sick again. Luckily I came to my senses and stopped using the heater. God called me to Juarez to serve the people there and how would I do that if I died from stupidity? So yes, I got rid of that propane heater. I donated it to a family that did not have one. I moved to an electric space heater that would not kill me.
Well, not until I got the electric bill! 🤦‍♀️

Much Love (keeping it real),
Deborah