Trials and tragedies...

Day 14...

Some unfortunate news rerouted our plans, as two of our dentists, Byron, and David were in a car accident. We loaded our stuff quickly and hurried to the scene from Puerto Barrios. While Byron and David were not hurt, the wet roads were very slick and made the tail end of the truck slip out and fatally hit a motorcyclist. Here in Guatemala, laws are similar to the states. Not only will Byron have to live with the idea that he took someone's life, he might have to go to jail for fifteen years or more for vehicular manslaughter.

Byron is a good man. He is funny. He is kind. He is smart. He is a server of God, and the idea that he could potentially spend some of his life in jail when he's just about to start a family doesn't seem fair. Catastrophe has hit La Mision all at once again, so soon after Brenda's death.  We are asked to stay calm and to not blow anything out of proportion, but we are asked to pray.

Witnesses testified that it was completely an accident, and Byron was not at fault. While that is a huge sigh of relief, Byron and David are still going to be shaken by the idea that a man died because both were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is hard to understand why things happen the way they do. The man who died was a fifty year old John Doe. No ID. No idea where he lives, or if he has a family to go home to. Somehow, I have to believe God has a purpose for these catastrophes. Something to show us.

We spent most of the day traveling as we set course to Guatemala City. The Guatemalans have been very humble. The expensive dental equipment loaded in the back of the truck was stated to be "God's material," and not important to worry about. In the states, we would worry about the material and less about what God was trying to show us. It is a true test of faith and humility to show what kind of people we truly are. Praise God that Guatemalans can show me that there is more to life than worrying about the material, and more about the opportunity to spread God's love. It makes me question what kind of person I am if I were in Byron's situation and really tests my faith.

The question that remains is, if it were you, how would you cope?