El Infierno

Monday night there was another mini earthquake, though I feel that ´tremor´is a more appropriate term. A grade 1 seizmic rumble, lasting 40 seconds. I was reading in bed, and actually, I didn´t even get up or even feel alarmed. Something is definitely wrong with me, because the rest of the house was pretty freaked out. Nothing even fell over, but I imagine that living in a country where earthquakes have a reputation of death and destruction will instill fear in people.

This morning we visited a mother of a student for a socioeconomic interview, and the tremor was the first thing that came up. The mother made a casual remark about the possibilty of divine intervetion in the quake. FR jumped at the opportunity to second that motion, then lauched into a 20 minute prosthelitizing session using the soon-approaching apocalypse as a spring-board. This was the longest evangelical session she has ever indulged with a client, and although I was worried both about ethics and time constraints, the client seemed receptive.

Here are some of the things I learned:
1. The quake was a sign that Jesus is returning soon, so people need to accept him as the one an only son of god.

2. There is most certainly a hell (and when the client suggested that we cant really know what lies beyond, FR corrected her in saying that) the New Testament speaks of hell and damnation, and the bible is the DIRECT word of God. Since man can neither add nor remove a single word from this immaculate work, we know for a fact that there is a hell.

3. The ´nucleus´ of hell is reserved for the worst sinners, and is divided into sections, varying by sin.
3a. ´Fornicators´in which giant snake-like creatures crawl into sinners´sexual orifices, engulf and destroy their internal organs, then emerge from their mouths.
3b. There is also a section for insolent people who deny God and listen to rock music. They are forced to stand or move about forever and nails come up through the ground and stab their feet.

4. The people in hell are forced to wear labels seared into their chests, similar to the concept of a scarlet letter. The labels indicate which sin has brought damnation upon them, and are made of an ´aluminum-like material that doesnt melt or burn´

5. Here on earth, there is really no such thing as a Friend, just companions, and co-workers. People who say they are you friends but offer you temptations like beer are not your friends. People who do not always follow through on their word are not your friends. The important thing to know, however, is that Jesus Christ is a true friend, the one true friend of all people.

Needless to say the session ran very over time, and the Pro Ciegos driver returned to the projects to retrieve us. A loyal but ornery man, he was not pleased when we finally got back in the vehicle. The overtime was worth it to FR and me, but for very different reasons.