God leads where no man can plan

The timing was not our choosing – late night arrival from ten days in the states one day to early morning departure the next day.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

The vehicle situation was challenging. After the cancelation of a couple of other vehicles at the last moment another truck was secured. God even uses "things" to perfect His plan.


The original plan was to make a couple of stops along the way, but reach El Limón Wednesday afternoon, begin some ministry there, spend the night, and do more ministry on Friday before launching out into nearby areas. Yet, even the stops were God timed.


Stop #1 – Guatemala City – tire repair on “the truck” – about an hour into the trip


Stop #2 – El Rodeo – rest break – about 3 more hours later


Stop #3 – Chiquimula – visit the pastor at the Baptist church – about 2 more hours later


Stop #4 – San Juan Ermita – visit the mayor’s office for approval of the trip; purchase of tortillas and use of their fire to heat water for ramen noodles and coffee for lunch – about 1 hour later


Stop #4 – Nearar – “the truck” brakes stopped working – about 1 hour later


God’s Plan: Car trouble and Ministry in Nearar


Included in the group of 15 were two seminary students, one of whom was a mechanic. As he worked on the truck and the evening began to darken, it was obvious here was where they would pass the night. Victoriano received permission to use the schoolhouse to house some of the team and part would pass the night in the man’s home across the road. Kristina, Victoriano’s wife, and the other woman on the team quickly set up their campfire with the use of a couple of cement blocks close by (and right before the man’s house entrance!) and prepared the dinner of handmade tortillas, black beans, and scrambled eggs and coffee. Friendships were begun with the surrounding children but it was too late to do anything but go to bed…on the concrete slab. Victoriano had neglected to share this tidbit of information with David but God had placed a rug in the back of Clyde “for such a time as this.” The usually warm Nearar was now cool…cooler…cold but with his jacket over his long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, socks and boots, and a cap, plus a towel for cover, laying on the rug using his small duffle as his pillow, he passed the night.


After a chilly night and a breakfast of black beans and tortillas and eggs, David and the guys working on the truck went to get supplies while the others began the outreach. Games, clowns, and clothing give-a-ways were inroads to the real reason for coming – the presentation of the Gospel. When David returned, Pastor Victoriano came and told him to come to the front of the group with him. While he was away, a man with a machete came from the community saying that the gringo was there to steal their children. Pastor V introduced David to the group saying that David was a member of his church, had come with the group to help, is a missionary, and that indeed “he did not come to steal children.” Wow! We had heard of this happening in other places but never where we actually were. But from then on, wherever David passed through Nearar, the children called “David, David!” We have passed through Nearar many times in the past but now he is known.


Securing a chicken in the neighborhood and preparing it (yes, that included the beheading, the plucking, all that “stuff,” as well as the cooking), the ladies added the meaty broth to their lunch of ramen noodles. Now with the truck repaired, it was on to El Limón! David needed his navigator, but alas she was at home, so instead he was taking the long way around to El Limón when he noticed there were no followers. Not a good sign. Going back, he discovered "the truck" was stopped – dead stopped. Needing to continue on the way before night fell, David and Victoriano put as much and as many as they could in their vehicles and headed on the journey with David to return to help. Continuing the long journey around to El Limón, David inquired along the way – everyplace was El Limón! They stopped at a school to stay for the night as David journeyed back to assist the other truck and found no vehicle! Definitely not a good sign! But he found the guys had pushed/sputtered their way back to the previous night’s schoolhouse lodging and parked it for continued repair in the morning. Now when they arrived back at this night’s lodging it was dark but the meal of black beans, tortillas boiled eggs, and warm coffee was delicious.


God’s Plan: Car trouble and Ministry in El Limón

To say this area was backward might be an understatement. Maybe it was the heavy amount of rainfall they have had, maybe it was the continuous drizzle, maybe it was the cold chill in the air, maybe it was the lack of bright lights, maybe it was the red muddy hill climb to the outhouse…whatever it felt really “third-worldly” that night. After some ministry time with the children and distribution of clothes, they all slept in one room. (This night was a warmer as one of the guys shared his blanket with David, however, it didn’t stop the breeze flowing from the window.) The next morning started with a quick breakfast of ramen noodles. They discovered that instead of being in El Limón, they were actually in Limoncita, a small village of El Limón. Here, as in Nearar, they were well received and open doors presented themselves.


On to El Limón they went which they discovered is actually Timoteo. The whole area is El Limón with many caserios (small grouping, kind of like a farm community). Though the people were friendly and some outreach was held, there was not the warm reception they had received before – probably not the place to begin to plant a ministry.


Next day, they returned to the broken truck and sputtered it back to the nearest town and to discover it was lunch time and the mechanic was closed. Knowing they all needed some nourishment, David took them to lunch at a place we have frequented several times. The mechanic diagnosed the problem as being the fuel pump. And after a couple of hours of trying to find one nearby and some other confusion, the driver decided that they could make it back to Chimaltenango. "It was probably just some bad gas that needed to spray out." So leaving about 4:00 in the afternoon, on to Chimaltenango they headed. With rain, lots of traffic, road block in the capital from a truck driver demonstration, the ride was interesting to say the least. But they arrived home about 10 pm – road-weary, tired, and rejoicing in the foundation that had been laid for future ministry among the Ch’orti’.


So what do you need to have a successful mission trip?


Well, at least for this one – 3 cases of ramen noodles, a case of #10 cans of black beans, a bag of maza, 5 flats of eggs, a bag of coffee, a bag of sugar, several large jugs of pure water, and 17 people anxious to be about God’s business.

The foundation has been laid.  Continue to pray for fruit to blossom...Nearar, Limoncita, El Limón...and to the ends of the earth!