Sunday, September 22, 2013

Out of the Mud



The ever-growing sink hole in the highway behind our house.
This last week has been pretty trying on the transportation front.  Thankfully we have been able to get to all of our clinics, but not without effort.  The back road that is open from Chichicastenango to Saquilla to Xalbaquiej to Mactzul I to Lemoa (the entrance to the paved highway to Santa Cruz) has been closed at many points due to heavy trucks getting stuck in the muddy narrow passes.  This has added 30 minutes to an hour to our drive time sometimes as we look for alternative roads.  Thankfully we have two co-workers Manuel and Tomas that live out on that road and have been bringing the trucks in to which ever side of the road block we need and the rest of the team walks across the blockade to meet them or transport to another meeting point.  Friday we got back at 6:30--not terribly late in the grand scheme of things, but too late for two of our promoters to find a ride back to their town. So we had to help them pay for a private vehicle to take them back (about two days' pay).
This weekend we are in the Capital meeting with Rick Harper our director to go over plans for the coming year, budget and other items.  It was such a relief to get out of Chichi for a few days and enjoy the concrete world of Guatemala City!  We love our quiet town of Chichicastenango, but have had it up to here with the sink hole, rain, drainage issues, new bus terminal behind our house, loading and unloading zone in front of our house, traffic jams, getting stuck in the mud, backing up-uphill-in the-mud-to-help-oversized-trucks-pass, government officials visiting and promising large sums of money to do a half-baked repair on a serious problem, and the looming dread of looking for another house to rent in the future. 
So we are grateful for the weekend escape, even if it is for work. It's good to be able to work without coming home in muddy shoes and pant-legs everyday.  If Guatemala City seems beautiful, just think what heaven will be like!
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.   Revelation 21:15-21

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