Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mary Beth Korney shares on a recent power outage adventure at Immaculate Conception Convent, Yuma, Arizona.
It all began with a normal Saturday routine, breakfast, morning prayer, Mass. Then as Sister Mary Teresa headed to the microwave, she saw all the lights go out. Thus, began the adventure for the next 14 days. All power to the house was out, but nowhere else. With it being a Saturday, no progress could be made to resolve the problem until Monday. We removed all perishable food from the fridge and freezer to the units at school. As evening approached and with no lights to guide us, two rooms at the Coronado Inn, owned by a parishioner, were reserved for us. A small refrigerator and microwave in the room proved to be a true blessing. As the days mounted up, we were very satisfied and amazed with all the creative meal solutions we came up with. A laundromat at the motel also served us well while sitting next to a palm tree right by the washer and dryer. However, trips to the house in the early morning before school was more than a little creepy with beams of flashlights darting around the dark rooms.
The corroded wiring underground from the house to the pole necessitated a 4-foot trench to be dug, and new wires laid. This took care of the immediate problem, but much more work is needed on the patched-up units on the house to be done later when parts come in. Our initial 3-day stay at the motel kept getting extended. On day 11 we got power back, which meant we had light and could move back in if we dressed warm. On day 12 we moved all our food back. On day 13 we got hot water and heat downstairs. What a blessing. On day 14 we completed the journey with heat upstairs.
In the meantime, Sister Jane Kinate arrived for visitation on Day 11. On the morning of her trip down, we did not know if she would be staying with us in the motel or the house. We rejoiced when we were able to bring her to at least a cool house. We were so blessed with having all our needs met during those days.
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