Disclaimer: Yesterday it suddenly struck me, through my wife, that there might be some people who read my blog but don’t know me, Dick Rutgers, or Pat Duff very well. As a result, they might be tempted to read in some illusion of truth into my verbal teasing of the other two. I wanted to take a moment to make it clear that my respect and love for Dick and Pat could not be higher. Dick was the one who taught Wanda and I how to love the children of Guatemala and was one of the main influences used by God to bring us here. And Pat has become a sister to me as she has continued our “love lessons.” So, any teasing you see in my blog is just that…loving teasing.
Disclaimer to the disclaimer: Please do not share the above disclaimer with Dick and Pat. I wouldn’t want our relationships to get all mushy!
On Tuesday morning we left our motel in San Pedro Laguna after a quick breakfast and headed to a town on the other side of the lake. Although the town was only 14 miles away as the crow flies, it took us about 75 minutes to drive there. The roads started out nice and smooth, but our nice black top road suddenly came to an end and became a very bumpy and rutted dirt road. I observed that Dick has a talent for avoiding the potholes on the driver’s side but hitting them dead center on the passenger side. Somehow we all managed to keep our breakfast down.
Shortly after we returned to blacktop, we noticed an odd sound coming from the driver’s side rear wheel. Dick pulled over and we inspected the tire. At first glance, everything seemed fine, but then I reached down and turned one of the lugs…by hand. All six of his lug nuts had been jarred loose and spun freely. When I expressed my surprise, having never seen anything like it before, Dick just said, “Oh, it happened last month, too.” (Do I really need to say anything more about Dick’s driving?) After retightening the lugs, we were on our way again.
Our first stop was at a hospital where we were met by Dr. William Boegle. Will was a successful podiatrist in Seattle until he and his wife felt God’s call to move to Guatemala and begin a ministry for women and children in crisis. He also treats patients for free at the Christian hospital in which we met. You can read more about their ministry by clicking here.
A while back Will had introduced Dick to Emi, a little girl with Cerebral Palsy who was in great need of a wheelchair. We were returning to deliver that chair and make adjustments to assure a good fit.
Emi immediately stole our hearts. This precious 4 1/2 year old has bright eyes and a sweet disposition. Even though she is non-verbal, she communicated plenty with her eyes. Each of us had the 
opportunity to hold her and love on her for a while. Dick and I worked on making the adjustments while the doctor examined and treated Dick’s foot. (Yes, at the same time.) Dick had a run-in with a bike rack last week that resulted in a deep puncture and infection, but Will was able to provide sound advise and additional antibiotics.
What a blessing it was to meet Emi’s family! This is a family who not only loves their child with special needs, but is quite proud of her. They were quick to ask, with the pride evident in their eyes, if we wanted to hold her, and beamed as we did so. The appreciation they expressed repeatedly was both sincere and passionate. They are such a neat family.
We left the hospital, following Will on his scooter, and he led us to the roadside stand of a man named Ernesto. Ernesto was paralyzed from the waist down three years ago when the septic hole he was digging collapsed and crushed his lower spine. He now runs a little booth that sells videos and DVD’s that is about a half mile from his home. Each day someone has to take him to his booth and bring him home at the end of the day. He would like more independence, and Will wanted to know if an electric wheelchair could negotiate the roads to and from his stand. Unfortunately, after traveling the route it was determined that no wheelchair could handle either the incline or the roughness of the roads. However, several options were discussed, the best of which is a used Tuk Tuk adapted with hand controls.
We left Ernesto and went to Will’s house where he and his wife treated us to lunch and gave us a tour of their beautiful place. The view from their home overlooks Lake Atitlan and is surrounded by 70 acres of avocado trees and coffee plants. In addition to the work they do with women and children, this farm also serves as a non-profit ministry that provides income for local workers.
We left Will’s place and headed to Safe Homes for Children, an organization that runs a feeding program for children and a school. We went there to meet some of the children with special needs and see what equipment could be provided to help them. While there we met Angel, a sweet little guy that we believe has CP. He currently has a walker and is quite mobile using it, but it was quickly determined that he could be much faster with a pair of forearm crutches. In addition, we found out about several more children in need of wheelchairs and Dick decided it would be best to return at a later date to meet everyone and do a seating clinic to provide chairs.
From there we headed back home. Of course, very few things here are simple and straight-forward, and the return trip was no exception. We found one of the bridges washed out (we believe from the hurricane last May) and had to do a short detour around that took us through a stream and more dirt roads. Needless to say, by the time we made it back Dick’s vehicle needed a wash.
Yesterday, after a frustrating morning in my office (how could it not be frustrating after the wonderful days of ministry that preceded it) Wanda and I decided to go on a date in the afternoon. We took a crowded chicken bus into Antigua, had a nice lunch together, and spent about 1 1/2 hours at Hermano Pedro with the kids. You might ask, “What kind of date is that?” My response: The perfect one!
Good afternoon from San Antonio!
Daryl, Wanda, and the Crew
