Thursday 31 December, 2009
Friday, November 27, we left Guatemala and will return January 5th 2010. You can see our trip summary below. The couple of weeks before leaving until now have been absolutely crazy. We had to get both trucks fixed, we hosted visitors and students, got the dog's exam and papers in order, oriented our new director, packed for leaving Guatemala the night before leaving, finished our clinics (which were extra busy), and sparing the details made it out of Guatemala to Mexico City and then to Ciudad Juarez and beyond. All of these events were complicated by Mayan protests blocking the roads to where we need to go, a loaded truck hanging mostly off a bridge blocking our way, a seven month old baby dying in front of us at the clinic minutes before we were on our way out the door to Mexico, confusion of where to get a permit to import the truck into Mexico, Mexican Federales, the moving of the location of the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, the changing of the process and timeframe for receiving approved visas, snow in Ciudad Juarez, the extremely difficult and expensive process of changing flights, and the bus getting a flat tire on the way to the airport, and snow in Houston which resulted in a canceled flight. The last several weeks have consisted of these things and more but again I will spare the details.
What do we have to show for all of this? We finished our first year in Guatemala. Areli finally has her U.S. residency (green card). We had a good time with my family in Michigan, earned a few bucks working which covered most of our travel and immigration expenses, and are currently enjoying a good time with Areli's family in Mexico City.
When I think about this past year with our first year in Guatemala having come to an end, what was the theme of 2009? Suffering. We did not suffer with the basics (food, shelter, and physical resources). Our mission organization generally supplied these needs and we are very thankful for this. However, I am learning that whenever a Christian is in the war, there will always be suffering and God allows in order to prove His power, our weakness, and so He may receive glory. We suffered in many ways this year: spiritual attacks, physical sickness, relationship conflicts, the difficulty of being away from family and loved ones, cross-cultural frustrations, and the everyday trials and frustrations of working with the poor. To date, we have not suffered like the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:23 and following), those of the early church, or those today face similar life and death circumstances. We are thankful for this and equally thankful that we have been counted worthy to suffer even a little bit for the Lord. I would like to say that despite all of our trials this past year, we remained filled only with joy and gladness. That wasn't the case, but we are learning. May God accept our work this past year as a sacrifice and continue to use us for His glorious plan for the people of the earth.
Here is a short goodbye video from Lake Atitlan, which was a product of one of the unplanned events mentioned above.
Our trip summary:
Friday (November 27): Quiché, Guatemala to Tapacula, Mexico (truck).
Saturday: Tapachula, Mexico to Mexico City (truck).
Sunday: Mexico City to Ciudad Juarez (Interjet).
Monday: Medical Exam for visa.
Tuesday: Visa Appointment (approved).
Wednesday: Visa Picked up.
Thursday: Hopefully arrive in Los Cabos (Aeromexico).
Friday: Beach in Los Cabos.
Saturday: Travel to Detroit (Continental). Spend the night in Ann Arbor.
Sunday: Visit Hope Church in Ypsilanti. Travel to Kalamazoo.
Monday (December 7): Began working at the Family Health Center for a couple of weeks.
December 10-12: Travel to St. Ignace. Early Christmas with my family.
December 19: Travel from Detroit to Mexico City (Continental). Holidays with Areli’s family.
January 4-5: Travel from Mexico City to Quiché, Guatemala (truck).
January 6: Clinics resume.