"His ways are not our ways...."

We're back from our 8th trip to Guatemala! This trip is one that will not soon be forgotten! We had our friend Chris and Don back to finish up some tiling projects. They are hard workers and I will find Opal House a little empty without them in the future. They have been an inspiration to me as they don't allow their little knowledge of Spanish to keep them from meeting new friends each time they return. I can be a little shy when it comes to getting to know people and so I need a little nudge to get out their and meet the local community. But Don and Chris have made a 'path' for Will and I and we intend to nuture those new relationships that have been made because of them. Thanks guys :) We love you.....Well, this trip was truly an example of watching God take circumstances that would have otherwise been incredibly bad and turn them out for our good. The guys spent the week shopping and installing the tile for the different casitas; getting them ready for our first family. I was busy one day sweeping the main house for the umpteenth time (dust bunnies procreate at an alarming rate up there...), when suddenly I heard Will shouting for the guys to come and help him because Pedro had been in an accident. Pedro is our caretaker. He and his family live on the property. To make a long story short, Pedro was taking the Honda Passport to the local mechanic. Will was following in our van. Pedro was supposed to make a right turn onto the main road. Instead, he gunned the engine, made the turn too wide and ended up going over a ravine on the other side of the road!!! The Honda turned multiple times and all the while Will is watching this in horror! He saw the Honda in its last few flips before it came to rest about 300 feet below him. He saw no movement and so he ran back to the house to get help....praying all the way. We all took off and followed behind him (I said a loud prayer myself, not knowing exactly what was going on!) Will started attempting to scale down the ravine and was about halfway down when he saw Pedro climbing past him! Will thought it was an apparation! But it was Pedro, and miraculously he was not killed or seriously injured! We couldn't believe it. If you had seen the car yourself, you would wonder how could he have made it out without serious injuries. He ended up with a separated shoulder and some bruised ribs. Will ended up taking him to a hospital in Solola while Chris and I took their kids out to dinner. Needless to say, the whole family was pretty shaken up. But as I mentioned earlier, God took what could have been a tragedy and turned it out for our good. The local community came out to see the commotion and they were saying "Glory to God", because they could see that it was a miracle he came out as he did. They also asked if we needed anything. The children of this local neighborhood had carried the whole back spare tire up the ravine, along with other parts of the car that had broken off, to present them to us and to keep thieves from stealing them. One of the children had the rearview mirror which had hung a rosary. This was presented to Don. It's now displayed in our living room at Opal House as a reminder of God's protection! It was a strange way to be introduced into our new community and neighborhood, but we are so grateful that it happened!