Still here

8/19/90 Sunday 0723 hrs. Another day. Praise God! I completed my fast. The Lord has heard our prayers. We will get out of here. I believe that.

There was more gunfire in the night. It woke me up. I was going to come downstairs and heat up my plate of spaghetti, but I didn't want to wake anyone. I woke up before 0600, came down and had a bowl of Corn Flakes. I listened to the news at 0700. Iraq's Foreign Minister said that Iraq will not use chemical weapons, unless they are attacked by nuclear weapons. Those a##holes. I can't believe they seriously think they rate nuclear attack. Send in the Marines! The UN Security Council voted unanimously to condemn Hussein's actions and demand the immediate release of foreigners. The US ships have fired across the bows of two Iraqi tankers in the gulf off the coast of Oman. Oh man! Iraq has already claimed we have committed an act of war, by imposing a blockade. What will they do now?

Last night, Adrian got a call about some other Brits that tried to leave yesterday. Some were shot at. Another group was interrogated and taken to the Hyatt in Kuwait City. Their passports have been taken away. For a time, husbands and wives were separated. That must've been rough.

1120 hrs. The 11-o'clock BBC news said that Iraq is again requesting that all Westerners report to three hotels. London and Washington are saying stay home. Adrian got another call saying that those Brits at the Hyatt were taken away last night to unknown whereabouts. I'm not sure how much longer we will be safe here. A Kuwaiti couple that live across the way from here, came by this morning and told Sarah that they would go out for us to get milk and food. God bless them. We may be safe here if Iraqi soldiers have fears about searching unknown premises. Let's hope so. Please Lord, end this mess.

I'm getting a little stir crazy. There are little ants in the house. In the bathroom, they assail me when I'm on the pot. Which reminds me, the toilet upstairs has been clogged. I think Sarah blames me for some reason. But I know that one of the ladies threw a tampon in the toilet a week ago, and I think that caused the congestion in the pipes. But I bite my tongue, as usual. Can’t let the little things aggravate our situation. [20 years later, this type of situation is entertainment on reality TV shows]

It's 1325 hrs, five minutes till lunch. I still haven't had my spaghetti yet. Hope no one else eats it. I'm hoping to eat it for my supper. Somebody will probably gripe about it. I don't care. I just want to come home. I love you all. Hope the girls are getting along and not driving you crazy. I imagine your mother has chosen to stay with you under the circumstances. Hope you two are getting along okay. Are you managing the bills okay? Sorry to leave you with all this. A glimpse into the future perhaps? I sure pray it isn't a permanent ordeal for you. Not this soon. When I get back, you can be sure I won't be apart from you again. I don't think a few million bucks is an unreasonable settlement for the pain and suffering caused, do you? [When all was said and done, there would be no money, and I would travel again. Sometimes you just have to put things behind you]

1430 hrs. The Lord is looking out for us. A VIP Shiite just left here. He brought us food and meat. Praise God! He's the one who came by this morning. Sounded like he was pretty well involved in the Kuwaiti resistance forces. He told us that the Iraqi forces that were here the first two days, were Iraq's elite troops, but they went back to Iraq to be replaced by all this "junk" equipment that makes up their defenses now. He really raised our spirits, well mine anyway. He took our phone number. Said he had a better view of the area than we did, so he could warn us if we need to bug out of here. He said that Saudis are getting in, and so are weapons. He told us the booms yesterday were them (the Kuwaitis) blowing up the last three vehicles of an Iraq convoy, using a bazooka. He said they're eliminating about 20 Iraqis a day. He also told us that the gunfire at night is from the youths who drive around to piss off the Iraqis. He said the Iraqis don't like getting "fart" at, so the youth shoot at them to piss them off. He told us the tanks in the field were worth about 50 KD each, and that they could trade a dishtasha (traditional robes) for a machinegun. I guess there are also daily attempts on Hussein's life, as well. I don't know if the Muslims have angels, but I think God has provided us a guardian angel. Maybe next time I see him, I'll ask if he can get any communications out to the states.