Training...Prayers...

Pray for us this week as we are in training to refine our tools for our research work.  We are learning and sharing much together.  Then later in the week, we will put into practice some of the tools we are learning.  Pray for alert minds, abiility to grasp new concepts, and protection as we go out.  Updates will be forthcoming after it is all over...just enlisting your prayers.

Please pray diligently for Jeronimo this week...his trial began today.  Our lastest update from tonight...

Jeronimo Update: It is now 7:15 p.m. in Guatemala and the court is still meeting. Today, the judges moved all the prosecution's witnesses to the front of the line and listened to them first. Jeronimo's witnesses spent all day waiting to be called and no one was. Who knows how late into the night they will go. Let's pray for tomorrow...

Please pray with us.  We will keep you updated.

The way home again...

As we traveled home, we stopped in Cobán to refresh ourselves and enjoy time with special friends.  We stayed in a different place, a little hotel outside of town and found ourselves in the midst of garden beauty.  It was a quaint little place we hope to visit again.

Returning the next day, we passed the recent derrumbe near Salamá.  It had happened on Saturday, but we didn´t take a picture on Monday as we passed.  Saturday, it was MUD pushing its way down the mountain.  A week later, it was dirt still sliding down the mountain but with one side of the road cleared for traffic. 

What do you do when you see it coming toward you?  Thanks for praying for us as we travel.

Peten, Guatemala

We exited the river ferry and continued our trip north to Lake Petén, the second largest lake in Guatemala.  Since we were interested in the Itzá, we continued to San Jose on the northern side of the lake. 

We turned left on one of the roads into the town and looked.  I wish I had taken a picture but I just forgot...I was too busy praying while David was driving.  I don´t believe that road even had an incline...just vertical straight up!  When we got to the top and turned left, David said, "Wow, we haven´t done THAT before!"  Well, just to relieve your mind, we didn´t go back down that way...we would have ended up in the lake...haha  It was worse than a roller coaster!!

This is the road we took down...

what a rewarding view!

It was hot, hot, hot but as we traveled and researched the area, we enjoyed some other pleasant rewards.

This little fellow welcomed us to our room one evening.

It is especially for Anna Grace, our "little elefante AG."

And sunsets like this cooled the evenings.

One afternoon, we drove around the lake and enjoyed "postre and café" at a neat hotel on the lake as we saw some other interesting sights.

It was macadamia nut brownie with ice cream and delicious coffee.

We passed this really neat looking fence...rock between two layers of tree saplings.

Close-up view of the fence.

Yes, we love our job...not everyone gets to see such beauty!

New Travels

The recent numerous landslides changed our travel plans last week.  Instead of going to Uspantan to continue our work among the Quiche' we headed to the hot country to investigate the Itza'.  It was a long trip (just a 9 hour drive) with a few interesting sites along the way...

Sorry it is blurry but note the oil pipeline beside the road.

Love these buses around here...there is NEVER too much to go on top.

Our first stop was in Sayaxche where we visited with friends Wendall and Jane and David, Regina and Cruz. David, Regina and Cruz will soon be moving to this town so they (and the Parkers) were looking for suitable housing. It will take another trip or two to find just the right place for them. We enjoyed our time together and stayed in a nice hotel.

Recently, Jane and Wendall had stayed in room 6 (our room for the night) and when they left, informed the management that they had been shocked when they turned on/off the water in the shower. They were told it would be repaired. 

This shower was equipped with a widow maker (remember a tale of a widow maker in another hotel?)

We checked it out, and they certainly did fix the problem.

Close up view of the "fix"- black electrical tape around the handle...haha

As always, it is good to share time and meals with special friends and we try to take advantage of as often as we can.  Here is a photo of us all before we left to go our separate ways on Tuesday morning. 

David, Glynis, Wendall, Jane, David, Regina and Cruz

The road runs out in Sayaxche, but have no fear, we can cross on the ferry and continue on to Flores. 

The ferry that crossed ahead of us.

We only had an hour wait before we could cross the water and continue on our way.  The roads in this area are asphalt and flat...a welcomed relief from our usual rocky side of the mountain drives.

Special Days...

This is a special day of celebration...this handsome young man celebrates his birthday.  I thank God has bringing us together as husband and wife and allowing us to serve Him.  He is the godly man I always desired.  He leads by love, example, and word.  Together we will continue to follow God's will. 

Happy Birthday, dear David!

The rains came down and the floods came up...

...and the earth came tumbling down!  That is definitely true around here these days. This year our rainy season has almost reached the record rainfall amount received in 1949, and we still have 2 more months to go...usually the rainiest months of the rainy season. 

Pray for the people...on September 4, a large bus transporting 30 people about thirty minutes west of our home was destroyed as 3000 meters of earth fell from the mountain beside the major InterAmerican highway.  Twelve of these people, including the driver, were killed immediately, the rest were injured.  This morning in church, one of our worship leaders said that she no longer has extended family, her remaing uncles had been killed in the devastation yesterday. 

The weather does affect us as well in our travels. We were planning to travel down this same major highway on September 5 to continue our research among the Quiché, but obviously we could not because the road is still blocked with debris.  It is not uncommon for us to turn a corner as we travel and find part or all of the highway covered with earth or rock from a previous slide.  It is not uncommon to find areas where major bridges have been washed away or broken.  It is not uncommon to find area where part of the highway has been washed away or the earth underneath has wash away leaving great open spaces. Continue to cover us with your prayers for safety and alertness. We travel by faith, and by sight!

We will put part of our Quiché research on hold temporarily and begin another area until conditons are improved.  Pray that God will continue to lead our paths as we go in His name.