A Different Answer to a Prayer

September 8, 2022

Yesterday we arrived in Guatemala City about 3:30, and Gady picked us up about 4:00 pm.  We wanted to visit a lighting company, LuxLite, to see if they had spotlights, and they closed at 5:00, so we decided to hurry over there first.  While we were there it started raining a little.  We had all our luggage in the back of the pickup, and three of the bags were cloth duffle bags, which could get wet.  They contained items we will need for the Book of Mormon pageant, so we were very anxious that they did not get wet.   We used to have a big plastic cover in the back of the pickup, but it wasn't there, so we rushed out of the lighting store to go buy something that could cover things, to protect them from the rain.  We didn't know where to go, near the industrial area where we were, so we prayed that God would help us find a place that would sell plastic to cover our bags.  As we drove along we kept looking for a place that might sell the big plastic sheets, or something like that, and then we noticed that the rain had stopped.  Interesting, we didn't need the plastic bags if we didn't have rain.  That was a real "aha" moment for me -- God knew what we needed, more than we did.  All we needed was to stop the rain. 

The bags did get a little wet, but we were able to dry them out at the hotel, so that everything was ready to travel on to Coban the next day -- and everything made it nice and dry. 

It was a big lesson in being willing to let God decide how to answer our prayers.  Sometimes we don't see the bigger picture, but just focus on the little details of the moment.

We are anxious to get to Senahu, to begin working on pageant details, but the roads are essentially closed because of so many mud slides during the heavy rains this last week.  One 14-yr old boy was buried in a mud slide, but he was rescued.  He had lots of internal problems, but we are all praying for him.  He was a member of one of the seminary classes in Senahu, and will probably be in the pageant, if he gets well.  You might remember him in your prayers -- Bitner Oswaldo Tiul.  Please pray for him.  I put his name on the Prayer Roll for Jordan River Temple.

We will meet with the Mission President, Elder Alvarado, today, and President Coy, the Coban Stake President.  We will focus on pageant details in Coban for the next two days, and then travel to Cahabon on Saturday.  We are really looking forward to meeting with our friends in Cahabon, and especially to go to Church with them.