Safety First is our motto.......

Here in the Romania/Moldova Mission we are very safety conscious.  Every missionary apartment has a water filter system, a CO detector, a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher.  And we are given instructions on how to use them.  Every apartment inspection involves checking all the safety equipment.  So what we will forever after refer to as "the unfortunate fire extinguisher incident" seems very unusual.  After our senior couples conference when we were loading the car for the trip back to Arad, I went back up to our room to get more bags.  When I came out the hotel door this is what I saw.

Somehow Brent had managed to set off the fire extinguisher that is stored in the truck of the mission car (along with the jumper cables, flares and washer fluid).  The devastation was stunning in it's completeness. The whatever-the-stuff-in-fire-extinguishers-is-called was everywhere.  I looked up and there was Elder Heninger looking out his hotel window at the scene.  He said he had been sitting by the window reading when he saw a puff of what he thought was smoke  floating up past their window.  When he looked out, he thought that the car engine had exploded.  As the "dust" settled he could see Elder Wahlquist standing there with the extinguisher in his hand, covered in dust and laughing.  Brent told me later that there was nothing else he could think to do except laugh.

So Elder Heninger took a picture or two.

No matter how hard he shook, the dust was there to stay.

Because we were going to be stopping in the city of Sibiu to visit their branch the next day, we tried everything to get him looking presentable. Wet towels just seemed to rub the dust around. We finally gave up and he just looked very dusty in church.  When we got home and took the clothes that had been effected to the cleaners, there was no language barrier.  The clerk just kept shaking her head and made disgusted noises.  We definitely understood that the job of getting the suit and two raincoats clean might be impossible.  And then we took the car to get it cleaned inside and out.  Again, some communication is universal.  He just put his arm up to his forehead and shook his head.  Needless to say he received a big tip when he made the car look like new.  We pick the clothes up tomorrow...........