06/10/2026
Rising Rivers and Landslides
Tomorrow we are scheduled to serve in Pasaco, Pastor Danny’s community. We are in the middle of Guatemala’s rainy season, and heavy rains have caused rivers to rise and landslides to become a common sight along many roads.
Jeff and I drove to Antigua this afternoon to return our rental car. Praise God, both the ministry truck and SUV are finally back from the mechanic after what has been a long year of repairs and return visits to the shop. More times than we can count, we thought a problem had been resolved, only to have another issue appear or discover that the original repair was not completely fixed. Along the way, we passed several recent landslides, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change this time of year.
The river shown in this video was filmed yesterday. It is one of the rivers we must cross to reach the community. Pastor Danny said the water level has gone down today, but with more rain expected overnight, conditions could change quickly by morning.
The challenge is that we must leave home no later than 6:00 a.m. to arrive by 9:00 a.m., and often we do not know whether the roads and river crossings are safe until we get there. Sometimes we are able to make it through without a problem. Other times we have driven for hours only to discover the river is too high and have had to turn around and come home.
What makes the decision even harder is that crossing the river in the morning does not guarantee we will be able to cross it again in the afternoon. A few hours of heavy rain can cause the water to rise quickly, so we must consider not only how to reach the community, but also how to get our team home safely at the end of the day.
We never want to cancel a mobile clinic if there is a safe way to reach the people who are counting on us. At the same time, we have a responsibility to protect our team and be wise stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us. A round trip to this community is at least six hours of driving, and fuel in Guatemala currently costs around $5–$6 per gallon, so once we leave, turning around is never a simple decision.
Please pray that God will give us wisdom and clear direction before we leave in the morning. Pray that the roads remain open, the river stays passable, our vehicles continue running well, and that nothing will prevent us from serving the families who need medical care, encouragement, and the love of Christ.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer. ❤️🙏
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