On Sunday we worshipped with our friends at Monte Sion. Patrick and Karen shared their testimonies and the team spent time with the children. Everyone enjoyed the precious worship and time with old friends. The afternoon was spent in Panajachel where we shopped, went to a service at Solomon´s Porch (Christian Coffee House) and had a wonderful dinner. As we loaded the vans to return to Eagle´s Nest we were delayed a few minutes because the gate to the parking lot was locked. Little did we know that God was using this 4 minute delay to protect us from a horrible accident. As our vans climbed the hill to Eagle´s Nest we saw a tractor trailer truck overturned, blocking both lanes. We were the first on the scene. It was dark, raining, dangerous road, diesel fuel leaking. Tara, a nurse on our team grabbed the medical kit and jumped out with the men. Kendall was able to translate to help determine who was hurt and how badly. The rest of us sat in the road, on the side of the mountain, praying. The driver was already out of the truck and was fine, but his 10 year old son was hurt inside. He was in shock and had a huge bump on his head, but thankfully he seemed fine.
You have to understand that I have never seen a tow truck in this area of Guatemala. Maybe they exist, but they are not common. The men drove us back down to Pana where we hung out at Pana Rock. The owner of the Christian coffee house, Lloyd is in a band that was playing there. We were thankful for a dry, safe place to stay for a while. After an hour or so the great folks at Solomon´s Porch opened up for us to hang out until the truck was moved out of the hour. The team was able to debrief and honestly, it felt like a moment of bonding. We all realized how God had protected us and just how blessed we were!
It hit me later that Tara had been with us on a mission trip 6 years ago. She had felt a call to nursing but had never finished her degree. That trip was frustrating for her, but in the end she felt God calling her to go back to school. It´s been a long road, working, going to school and raising 4 kids. This is her first trip back to Guatemala and David and I were so thrilled that she was with us. Both she and Kendall were calm and helped that man and his son. God´s timing is always perfect!