En Confianza...Entre Amigos

May 18, 2012 - Guatemala

"En confianza...entre amigos." This is the slogan of Agencias Way in Guatemala, and it means "With trust, between friends." Agencias Way has built a thriving business with a great business model based on building relationships with people, helping to meet the needs of the people while building a successful business. Agencias Way serves a lot of the "common folk" outside of Guatemala, bringing everything from essentials for the home to medical care to many people.

With trust, between friends.  That was my day today.

When Cecy Quiñónez told me that she needed to make a short trip to deliver a couple of wheelchairs to some rural Guatemalans, I should have known better, but I agreed anyway. After a few detours, one washed out bridge, and some other issues, the whole journey through Jalapa and Jutiapa, Guatemala, took about 12 hours from the moment we left the house to the moment we got back. I am pretty exhausted tonight, but I would not trade this experience for the world.

I'm not really sure how Cecy even met these people, but the Lord dropped them in her path some way. The first was a lady named Elsa who was diagnosed with diabetes and has since had one foot amputated. She lives on a mountain outside of Agua Blanca, Jutiapa, Guatemala. The second was an elderly gentleman named Raul who has all sorts of problems, and by the way his feet are swelling, I assume that one of those problems is kidney failure. Raul lives near Miramundo, Jalapa, Guatemala.

I won't even describe the route we took, because I was clueless most of the time, even though I drove the whole time. We were on numerous unpaved "short cuts" that were described to us by the locals, many of which wound through the mountains. Even though I am sure that most of these actually took longer, the scenery was spectacular. If I had a nickel for every time someone today told me, "Turn at the gas station," I would be a rich man. Do you know how many gas stations there are in Guatemala? Oh, and praise the Lord for four-wheel drive! The only time I have seen more of Guatemala on a given day is from an airplane!!

Anyway, this was an amazing day. As I mentioned, Elsa lost a foot due to diabetes, and we are all afraid that this is only the beginning. She and about 11 or 12 members of her family live in one small room and sleep in about 4 beds. Her family is not able to carry her, so the wheel chair will make a difference. It is about the same situation with Raul. We don't know all of his problems, but his family says he has polio. We saw about 10 people who live in one room, and that is also the kitchen. As with so many houses in Guatemala, there is a constant open fire that creates risk and fills the whole living area with smoke. The drive up to Raul's house was only possible with four-wheel drive, and at some points, I didn't think the car would fit. It did. Raul's family said they knew "about God," but did not claim to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of standing there and hearing Enrique and Cecy share the gospel with this family. The seeds are planted, and God's word never comes back empty.

Raul's story requires just a bit more telling here. There was no way we were going to find this place, so Raul's son, Migual, met us in Jalapa, and since it was already 4:00 in the afternoon and we had not had lunch, we invited him to join us at the local Pollo Campero. Miguel told us his story, and it was quite moving. I sat there an looked out the window of the restaurant at the Agencias Way across the street, and there it was again. "En confianza...entre amigos." I was reminded that we were making some amazing new friends today, and it was incredible how they took us into their confidence and shared some very intimate details and struggles. We told them that these wheelchairs came from God, not from us, and maybe there was something about this that broke down barriers, creating an immediate bond and trust. God's grace was all over the place. As we went back to the car and showed Miguel the wheelchair that we were going to take up the mountain to his dad, we realized for the first time that it did not have the foot supports! So we began to look around Jalapa, Guatemala, for a wheelchair store, and amazingly enough we found ONE, and we bought their LAST SET of foot supports, that JUST HAPPENED TO FIT this particular wheelchair...and were the SAME COLOR. At moments like this, you know that God is parting the sea for you!

Once again, I sit here amazed and the experiences that God has given me. How can I not be thankful? And how can I not have joy for what God is doing? What a blessing to have new friends here in Guatemala.

With trust. Between friends. Praise the Lord!

Elsa with her new wheelchair

Elsa and family, with the new wheelchair

Raul and his new wheelchair

Raul and his family, with the new wheelchair