Yesterday (March 6th) we traveled to Coban to meet with the Mission President. Our interpreter, Gady Juarez, wanted to stay in Cahabon, so we were on our own -- with Google Maps. When we got to Carcha (just North of Coban) the map directions took us through some strange roads (one time it was a one-way street, and we were going the wrong way). We stopped and said a prayer, and then we saw a sign to Chamelco, and thought we knew the way to Coban from there. But Bob felt like we were going in the wrong direction, so he pulled off the road to look at the map, to figure out what to do. I also desperately needed to go to the bathroom, and there were some nearby buildings that we thought might be helpful. (Interesting bathrooms, but they were open and available.) But, when we tried to start the car again it wouldn't start. We thought it was a battery problem. So, we were lost, and the car wouldn't start. Bob remembered our friend Otto, who lived in Chamelco, and we were finally able to get him on our phone. He knew the area we described, and he also knew how to get to our friend's house in Coban (where we would be staying for the night), and he soon arrived on his motorcycle to help us. He and Bob worked on the battery connectors, and tried to clean them off, but it still didn't start. And then I remembered the baking soda. I had a package of baking soda in our suitcase.
So, a little background. Back in Cahabon, I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies, to invite people over to meet them. I had found some chocolate chips in the mall (in Coban), but the recipe called for baking soda. We could not find baking soda in Cahabon, so the next time we went to Coban (4 hour drive) we went to the mall and asked where we could get some baking soda. They said I had to go to the pharmacy, so I did -- and purchased some baking soda. The next batch of cookies was much better.
As we were getting ready to go to Coban this time, to meet with the Mission President, I thought it would be nice if I could make them some chocolate chip cookies. I put all the ingredients in my suitcase, and at the last minute I remembered that I also needed to take some baking soda.
So, here we were in Carcha, lost with a battery that didn't work. I remembered that baking soda helps to clean the battery poles, so I produced the soda, it helped clean the poles (with some fizzle), and "vuahlaw" -- the car started.
Our friend, Otto, that came to help us, also knew where we were going -- to Gary and Claudia Vela's house. So he led the way, and soon we arrived at our destination.
Our friends told us about a different mapping program -- WAZE. We installed it on our phone and it was very helpful to get to the Mission Office, and back to our friend's house. Another "small" miracle to help us out.
I've thought a lot about that that experience in the last few hours (now days). The baking soda was truly an answer to prayer, but I wonder how these things are prepared in advance, to be available when needed.
So, in the end it was a four-fold miracle: (1) An available bathroom when desperately needed, (2) A friend who knew how to find us, who was a good auto mechanic, (3) The baking soda to clean the battery poles, (4) WAZE mapping app, to get us to the Mission Office.
We actually made it to the Mission Office on time (6:00 pm)!
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Please go to our website: welcomehand.org and check out our Family to Family Corn Project. For only $25, your family can provide a bag of fertilizer to a very poor farm family in the Cahabon District, which will help them have food for the coming year -- and begin the process of becoming sustainable. This is no small thing!!! We need to raise the money by April 1st, to order the fertilizer so they can begin planting about April 15th. There are 9,000 peasant farm families in the Cahabon District. We are trying to raise enough money for at least 1,000 families.
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