Monday, May 31, 2010
Waiting
We made it back to Guatemala City! Last night news reports told us that crews had labored through the night to clear the Pan American Highway well enough for slow passage. So we spent our last day in Chichi (Sunday) together as a group, with the cyclone passing and the recovery efforts in progress. We did offer our services at the private hospital in town, but it was sufficiently staffed. Everyone seemed grateful for the reprieve in terrible weather - the rain stopped and gave rescue teams the opportunity needed to save more homes from being destroyed by the dangerous, unpredictable mudslides.
After some bitter sweet goodbyes with the staff and loved ones at Casa Del Rey, our van left at about 9:00 am this morning. It took us nearly 6 hours to reach Hotel Barcelo here in the city..a trip which lasted barely 4 hours originally. Our Marimba music helped to pass the time. Because of the obvious affects from the weather and volcano, it was slow moving. Dangerous pieces of roadway had collapsed along the way, revealing how devastated some areas must be. Rushing water continues to drain from the mountains. At times, incoming and outgoing traffic took turns (with the guidance of traffic police) to maneuver around huge amounts of land which covered entire sides of the highway. It was crazy to see chunks of the mountain lining the road, especially when it meant driving even closer to the already encroaching road ledges.
Our drivers let us stop at the airport (which is still closed) to update our flight information before coming to the hotel. Thanks to Amy and Rachel, we did reserve enough seats to get home. Unfortunately, our flights are postponed until Saturday and Sunday (worst-case scenario we think) this week because ash is continuing to be cleared from the runways, etc. We were originally supposed to leave today. Hopefully we can snatch earlier flights out if at all possible; we are doing everything we can to made that happen! Once arriving to the hotel, we said goodbye to our amazing Guatemalan drivers who took great care of us throughout the entire trip.
SOooooo, here we are again at Barcelo making due with seriously limited supplies! We are being resourceful with just about everything, including supplying our own water bottles form local stores haha. We all brought suitcases full of supplies for our clinics and barely anything to wear for more than the 10 planned days. It's pretty interesting what outfits we're coming up with.
Thank you for your continued concern! Good continues to provide and has kept us mostly cheerful...with some stress here and there. Our team is for sure growing through the hardships - we keep remembering those who continue to suffer and are grateful for every single safe part of the journey. Even a staff member here lost family members in the disaster, so the hurt is everywhere.
We just keep hoping to hear some good news from Continental and are checking every hour on flights and whatnot. Dealing with the travel insurance is always fun, too ... especially when it might run out before we can leave!
When in doubt, we remember that we have the Rotary Letter in our possession. Haahaha.
After some bitter sweet goodbyes with the staff and loved ones at Casa Del Rey, our van left at about 9:00 am this morning. It took us nearly 6 hours to reach Hotel Barcelo here in the city..a trip which lasted barely 4 hours originally. Our Marimba music helped to pass the time. Because of the obvious affects from the weather and volcano, it was slow moving. Dangerous pieces of roadway had collapsed along the way, revealing how devastated some areas must be. Rushing water continues to drain from the mountains. At times, incoming and outgoing traffic took turns (with the guidance of traffic police) to maneuver around huge amounts of land which covered entire sides of the highway. It was crazy to see chunks of the mountain lining the road, especially when it meant driving even closer to the already encroaching road ledges.
Our drivers let us stop at the airport (which is still closed) to update our flight information before coming to the hotel. Thanks to Amy and Rachel, we did reserve enough seats to get home. Unfortunately, our flights are postponed until Saturday and Sunday (worst-case scenario we think) this week because ash is continuing to be cleared from the runways, etc. We were originally supposed to leave today. Hopefully we can snatch earlier flights out if at all possible; we are doing everything we can to made that happen! Once arriving to the hotel, we said goodbye to our amazing Guatemalan drivers who took great care of us throughout the entire trip.
SOooooo, here we are again at Barcelo making due with seriously limited supplies! We are being resourceful with just about everything, including supplying our own water bottles form local stores haha. We all brought suitcases full of supplies for our clinics and barely anything to wear for more than the 10 planned days. It's pretty interesting what outfits we're coming up with.
Thank you for your continued concern! Good continues to provide and has kept us mostly cheerful...with some stress here and there. Our team is for sure growing through the hardships - we keep remembering those who continue to suffer and are grateful for every single safe part of the journey. Even a staff member here lost family members in the disaster, so the hurt is everywhere.
We just keep hoping to hear some good news from Continental and are checking every hour on flights and whatnot. Dealing with the travel insurance is always fun, too ... especially when it might run out before we can leave!
When in doubt, we remember that we have the Rotary Letter in our possession. Haahaha.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
And the Challenges Arise...
Thursday we journeyed into Joyoabj, Amy's old home town with our expert driver Armando guiding us safely through the windy dirt mountain roads. We were greeted with warm hospitality from the people of the village welcoming Amy and her family, especially her childhood friend, Daisy. We also got to tour her father's school which is attended by the village children who are sponsored by generous donors by way of scholarships. That night is when the rains began and triggered the first of many mudslides to follow. It was an eventful evening on our way home because Bill took us on the "shortcut" home. By this he meant a ridiculously scary, dark, muddy, cliffy, nailbiting trip. We did enjoy some good laughs along the way out of fear.
Friday was another great community outreach day for the team: Becky G. filled in as a substitute art teacher for the missionary kids here at Casa Del Rey, Kimmy visited her World Vision child and family, Becky B. and Lynn had a sick day due to Montezuma's (repetitive) revenge, and the rest of us traveled out into the country for a special OB/Gyne clinic with Dr. Lisa. She and her husband, Kemmel, work rotations in this wonderful clinic through International Medical Talents who provide treatment with a regular dentist, physician, and nurses. That evening Senora Rosa treated us to a special dinner of tamales in her cozy, typical Guatemala home in Chichi - she is an amazing cook and hostess, making the most of their extremely limited living space. We found out later they had spent week's grocery money welcoming us into their home.
Everything began Saturday. The rains continued...what we thought was just a normal amount for the rainy season was rapidly turning into a record-breaking amount. Our team ventured out on our only vacation day to Lake Atitlan. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see the lake or much of anything for that matter. We spent a few hours in the lake-side town, but it didn't take us long to realize the weather was deteriorating and it was time to leave. This was one of the most dangerous rides home yet, because the roads were quickly being covered by mud, rushing water, and rocks from the falling hillsides. Armando, again, got us safely home. It was by no coincidence that we left when we did because the only road going in and out of that area quickly became impassable. We almost got stuck at the bottom of this dangerous valley where thousands of people were killed instantly by mudslides in a previous year.
We got home just in time to hear the volcano had erupted again, further covering Guatemala city in ash, and serious mudslides were wiping out nearby villages to which we had just provided clinics. The power was out all over Chichi, including where we are staying. Sadly, we learned a family's home from our Wednesday clinic was overtaken by the devastation...a young boy was rescued from his home and brought to the tiny Chichi hospital here. The leftover supplies we brought with us were donated to this hospital. We visited him that night to hear he lost his mom and sister; Don Guiermo and the pastor prayed with him at his bedside.
We spent the dark night gathered around the fire also praying for the people affected by the multiple natural disasters...the predictions for the tropical storm were only getting worse. While it was a long shot, we prayed for sunshine in the morning. None of us knew how fast the winds would descend upon us or how much longer the rain would fall. However, we decided to leave the next morning in a chicken bus better equipped for the long journey to Guatemala City where we would wait for the airport to reopen. There was great concern that the only bridge leading out of Chichi would collapse under the pressure from the excessive water, potentially leaving us stranded for months, no exaggeration. It was a sleepless night.
The sunshine prevailed this morning and it was reported 11.6 inches of rain had fallen in a matter of only 30 hours. We were packed up and ready to leave promptly at 8:00 am but road conditions prevented us from leaving, again. A kilometer of mud covers the Pan American highway - closing access to travel. Sirens and ambulances have been constant throughout the day as people continue to dig out what remains of their homes and families. We have been absolutely blessed with protection here but are grieving for those less fortunate.
To make the best of our circumstances, we attended the missionary church service. It was a powerful message from Genesis appropriate to every person in a different way. Late this afternoon the power was restored and we finally got to charge our cells. The news reports here are showing sink holes the size of city blocks in Guatemala City and Armando is keeping us updated on road conditions which don't look promising. We hope to leave tomorrow, God willing. We've been told the earliest flights out are Tuesday or Wednesday if we can even get seats.
Friday was another great community outreach day for the team: Becky G. filled in as a substitute art teacher for the missionary kids here at Casa Del Rey, Kimmy visited her World Vision child and family, Becky B. and Lynn had a sick day due to Montezuma's (repetitive) revenge, and the rest of us traveled out into the country for a special OB/Gyne clinic with Dr. Lisa. She and her husband, Kemmel, work rotations in this wonderful clinic through International Medical Talents who provide treatment with a regular dentist, physician, and nurses. That evening Senora Rosa treated us to a special dinner of tamales in her cozy, typical Guatemala home in Chichi - she is an amazing cook and hostess, making the most of their extremely limited living space. We found out later they had spent week's grocery money welcoming us into their home.
Everything began Saturday. The rains continued...what we thought was just a normal amount for the rainy season was rapidly turning into a record-breaking amount. Our team ventured out on our only vacation day to Lake Atitlan. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see the lake or much of anything for that matter. We spent a few hours in the lake-side town, but it didn't take us long to realize the weather was deteriorating and it was time to leave. This was one of the most dangerous rides home yet, because the roads were quickly being covered by mud, rushing water, and rocks from the falling hillsides. Armando, again, got us safely home. It was by no coincidence that we left when we did because the only road going in and out of that area quickly became impassable. We almost got stuck at the bottom of this dangerous valley where thousands of people were killed instantly by mudslides in a previous year.
We got home just in time to hear the volcano had erupted again, further covering Guatemala city in ash, and serious mudslides were wiping out nearby villages to which we had just provided clinics. The power was out all over Chichi, including where we are staying. Sadly, we learned a family's home from our Wednesday clinic was overtaken by the devastation...a young boy was rescued from his home and brought to the tiny Chichi hospital here. The leftover supplies we brought with us were donated to this hospital. We visited him that night to hear he lost his mom and sister; Don Guiermo and the pastor prayed with him at his bedside.
We spent the dark night gathered around the fire also praying for the people affected by the multiple natural disasters...the predictions for the tropical storm were only getting worse. While it was a long shot, we prayed for sunshine in the morning. None of us knew how fast the winds would descend upon us or how much longer the rain would fall. However, we decided to leave the next morning in a chicken bus better equipped for the long journey to Guatemala City where we would wait for the airport to reopen. There was great concern that the only bridge leading out of Chichi would collapse under the pressure from the excessive water, potentially leaving us stranded for months, no exaggeration. It was a sleepless night.
The sunshine prevailed this morning and it was reported 11.6 inches of rain had fallen in a matter of only 30 hours. We were packed up and ready to leave promptly at 8:00 am but road conditions prevented us from leaving, again. A kilometer of mud covers the Pan American highway - closing access to travel. Sirens and ambulances have been constant throughout the day as people continue to dig out what remains of their homes and families. We have been absolutely blessed with protection here but are grieving for those less fortunate.
To make the best of our circumstances, we attended the missionary church service. It was a powerful message from Genesis appropriate to every person in a different way. Late this afternoon the power was restored and we finally got to charge our cells. The news reports here are showing sink holes the size of city blocks in Guatemala City and Armando is keeping us updated on road conditions which don't look promising. We hope to leave tomorrow, God willing. We've been told the earliest flights out are Tuesday or Wednesday if we can even get seats.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
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