Let the Work Begin!!

I have returned to Guatemala after a quick visit in Florida with my parents.  We had a great vacation and it was so good to share some time with them!

Today, was a little more of an adventure than what I had expected. 

I went to Quiche this morning for worship and then spent a few minutes with Aura, our dentist, before I jumped on a bus to return to Chichi.  I sat in the front seat since I knew I would not be on it for long and within a few minutes, I realized that something was not quite right but did not know exactly what it was.

There were two ayudantes, guys that collect the money but usually there is only one.   One had his back to me but he was constantly flushing his face and hands with water. There is a five gallon bucket that they keep in front of the buses to use when the bus needs water or the brakes get hot.......it is not for drinking.  When he turned around, I could see that his bottom lip was severely bleeding and he had blood all over his shirt.

As we left Quiche, I noticed how slow the driver was going.  He driving very slow, which again is very unusual.

When we approached the bridge in Sepela, the driver pulled the bus over before the bridge, blocking the road from a bus that was coming from behind.  The guy who was bleeding, quickly grabbed a machete from under the driver's seat and jumped off the bus.........the driver and the other ayudate followed him.

Many passengers jumped up and ran to the back of the bus to watch the action. I stayed in my seat and watched through the mirror. These three guys were trying to bash out the driver's window and get to the driver with the machete.

I decided that it was better to get off the bus and go to the other side of the bridge.  I did not want to be sitting there if they all returned to our bus. Several others thought the same as I did so we walked across the bridge and we continued on a van to Chichi.

I ran a few errands and then decided to walk home.  The best part of the day was running into Lisa and Kemmel!  They were headed up to Chichi for lunch.

In front of the police station were the two buses. Parts of the driver's window and the door glass were shattered. That glass is not thin so they had to really have had some adrenaline flowing! There must have been an altercation in Quiche before I got on the bus.

The police probably slapped their wrists and sent them on their way.........it is just the way things are.

I hope that tomorrow will be a little calmer.  We will have clinic in Lemoa and all of the babies will return with their lab work.  We will see how many will be good candidates for surgery in August.  I will keep you posted.