We awoke Thursday morning after a somewhat toasty night, and I took another cold shower to start off the day. When I got up at 5:45 the temperatures outside were nice, and we enjoyed a pleasant walk to the restaurant for breakfast. By the time we finished eating we could feel the temperature and humidity rising. From that point, sweat was our constant companion throughout the day.
As we left the hotel we once again had to deal with a low entry arch and the water tank strapped to the top of Dick’s Land Cruiser. We gradually worked our way through with first me and then Teisha standing on the back bumper to weigh down the rear. We had to do a little bouncing and a little scraping, but we made it through and hit the road. (I think the hotel may be missing a little bit of their arch.)
We headed back up the mountain to Jessica’s family where we spent time explaining the medication we had purchased for Hector’s head rash and applying his first dose. We then set to work installing the water tank which will automatically fill when their water is on every other day. This will be a huge blessing to the family as they will no longer need to fill pitchers, barrels, and anything else they can find to provide a reserve for the dry times.
Dick and I worked well together after he learned to appreciate the Leatherman tool I always wear on my belt. He had spent much time over the last few weeks telling me how useless it is (even insulting it by calling it a Swiss Army Knife), but suddenly found himself needing it a lot. After we worked through his tool prejudices things went smoothly and we were able to complete the job in under an hour. Between Dick and I we had come up with a thorough list of the parts we needed, which was good since the nearest hardware store was about 25 minutes of rough road away. After the tank was installed we prayed with the family and headed out again.
On the way down the mountain we passed a group of ladies who were walking and decided to offer them a ride. We piled five women and two babies into the Land Cruiser and I hoped on the back bumper and hung onto the luggage rack for the rough ride down. Thankfully, Dick drove more like a gentleman than usual. (Gentleman is not a word that is usually associated with a description of his driving, and it is very relative.) However, as we were driving through the river he somehow managed to make sure that his rear bumper dropped below the water, soaking my boots. He said it was accidental, but he said it with a grin and while turning off his hearing aids.
From there we headed to the home of Sergio, a teenager who has Spina Bifida. He had received a new (to him) electric wheelchair the week before and it was not working. Dick was concerned because you never know the extent of the problem in a situation in which a chair has no power. It could be a bad charger, a bad connection, or a bad computer. We were pleased to discover that the battery connections had come loose as the batteries had shifted in transit. Once we discovered the problem it was a simple fix to reposition and secure the batteries.
The wheelchair is extremely important to Sergio because it is his only means of getting to and from school. The journey involves several rough areas with some steep climbs, so he needs a robust chair. While we were there Dick broke out his programmer and made adjustments to assure that he could climb the hills. He boosted the speed and power and made several trips up and down one of the hills himself. The kids in the neighborhood had fun watching the gringo go up and down, up and down, up and down...
By the time we left Sergio’s house we were extremely hot and sweaty and headed for the nearest air conditioned restaurant for a late lunch. I don’t think cool air ever felt so good!
After lunch we swung back by Herlindo’s house. As soon as we pulled up we realized something big was going on because the yard was filled with balloons and people. We found out that after having nine children together Herlindo’s parents finally decided that it would be safe to get married, so we had walked into a wedding reception. We were warmly welcomed by the family, offered drinks, and shown all the kids report cards. We then gave Herlindo the medicine he needed and explained the dosages to the parents. The medications are for a very bad stomach parasite that is in the family’s drinking water. It is the worst kind of parasite and requires strong medications to eradicate.
For some time now Dick has tried to explain to the family that their water is bad and they need to use the filter he had provided for them. Until now, they did not believe that this simple little device would make the water safe, so they just continued to drink it without filtering. Dick and Pat arranged for a doctor to call them and explain the situation and that the filter would work, and that seemed to convince them to use it. Only one problem…they had lost the filter. So, we hooked up another gravity feed water filter and taught them how to use it. Please pray that they make good use of it as it is imperative for the family’s health.
From there we headed home to the cooler temperatures of the inland mountains and refreshing showers. As we looked back on the trip we were blessed and amazed at how God caused everything to come together for such a great and productive trip. Through the heat, work, and rough roads He was with us the entire way.
Good evening from San Antonio Aguas Calientes!
Daryl, Wanda, and the Crew
Here are a few more pictures of our trip:
