Hi everyone! Hope you're doing well!! And I hope I can remember everything that is going on this week! We are very busy! In a
good way!
Well, the bus has challenged me this week so far. On Monday we went to CCR (Cornerstone Christian Ranch) for the events
of the morning there. On the way, we stopped at a gas station to fill up with fuel, bathroom break and a quick snack. Then after we
got started again, a motorcycle driver stopped us to tell us we were leaking fuel! It turns out there is a hole on the top of the tank,
and since the tank was full (only the second time we have filled up), the diesel was leaking out with every bump, acceleration, etc. That was something we needed to fix, but it was going to have to wait. After we got to the ranch, and driving up a steep hill to the church, the
fuel was leaking out pretty fast! We had to stop so I could raise an electrical wire up over the top of the bus. Because of the steep
incline, and the position of the hole (large enough to stick your finger in), diesel fuel was running out so fast, the ground got wet and
we got stuck and couldn't get up the hill! Beto backed down to get a running start, made it up the hill, only to catch the electrical wire
on the air conditioning unit on top of the bus, because I couldn't lift it up any higher! Needless to say, we stretched the wire quite a
ways before it slipped up and over the top of the bus! Whew!!  After we left CCR, we headed for Tela, we were almost there and the air pressure that runs the brakes, the shocks, and even the windshield wipers, had started to drop! This wasn't good! We watched and watched the gauge drop, knowing that at some point we were done. When there is no air pressure, the brakes lock up and you can't drive the bus anywhere! We were just about to Tela, 8 miles from Hope for Tela
where we were going, and we decided to stop. The air pressure was just too low, and we couldn't chance being stranded where we
didn't want to be, we wanted to choose where we stopped! (thank you, Lord, for wisdom) We pulled over in a gas station, within a couple minutes the air stopped, and we were done driving... at least we were at a station (which eventually closed for the night) where we could use the restroom, get something to eat and be safe because of the security guards there. Thank you Lord! Stephan from HFT came and shuttled us to their location, it took 3 trips! Sindy had checked with the manager at the station to be sure it was ok for us to
leave the bus there and she checked with the security guard who promised to look after the bus! Whew! What a day!!
The next day Stephan was able to take a mechanic to the bus and get it repaired! It turns out it was a hose that was bad and it
eventually just gave out. Now for a new hose...where were we going to get a hose for a large engine bus?? We were a little
concerned about that. Turns out, as answers to prayers often do, we had stopped and parked close to a "large truck" parts store!!!
How is that for some divine intervention?? After getting the bus fixed, we decided to stay the second night in Tela
because I wasn't in the mood to test the repair with an after dark drive. We went on to La Ceiba where the driveways were short and
in hard to access locations. During one of the entries into their parking lot, a rear bus window collided with a concrete column where
the gate was hinged, breaking out the window... hmmm, going to test our ingenuity on this one. Luckily, we were only 400 yards
from a large hardware store! While the team went into the church to resume adjusting, Sindy and I walked to the store. After finding
a broken piece of pressed panel that would work nicely, we discovered they wouldn't sell it to us! Because it was broken, they
couldn't sell or give it away, it had to go to the recycling center in San Pedro Sula! (after talking with 2 workers and the manager)... We
went ahead and picked out a pair of pliers and some wire, expecting that I would find something that would work... in the process of
scanning the store, I ran across a worker that had helped me before, he asked how he could help, I told him, he said "just a minute".
When he came back, he said he would put the broken piece and some boards from a broken skid out by the dumpster and I could
pick them up there...the catch was there are cameras, and I asked if I'd get in trouble for stealing? And he said "of course"
Well... I had to chance it so we bought the other supplies, went over to where the wood was setting, picked it up and walked back
to church! Thank you, Lord, for the provision and protection! I was able to get the window temporarily closed to keep out the weather
and potential unwanted people! Whew! When things go wrong like this, you know you're doing something that satan doesn't want
you to do, and we are just going to keep on doing it!
We had several schedule changes because of the opportunities our bus gave us, everyone rolled with the changes very well and the
changes all worked out for the best! The bus was still an extreme blessing! It made travel with all of the luggage and the team so
very easy! A shout out to Beto for driving a large bus and keeping us safe while getting us from one location to another!
In the meantime, the chiropractic team is blessing people with some much-needed care! We've been to Omoa, La Lima, Tela,
La Ceiba, Cofradia, La Lima again and Omoa again! We think 390 plus people were blessed! Wow!! Praise Jesus! From all
of the testimonies, the team is already planning on coming back again next year! That is so awesome! We met more missionaries
that may need our construction services! We were talking to two of them, when I explained what we do with the construction, they
just got wide-eyed, looked at each other and exclaimed, "this has got to be God!!" An amazing moment!
Saturday was an early start, up at 2:00 am to get ready to leave for the airport at 3:00 am. We'd eaten at La Plaza the night before
when a thunderstorm came through. And of course, the electric went out. It wasn't all bad except there were clothes being washed and
no electricity... and the door on the washer was locked shut of course... when we got back to the compound, we fired up the generator and got the washer running, after another 1/2 hour or so the electric came back on. We were then able to finish washing and drying normally! Thank you, Lord! And, because we'd gotten a lot of rain and were getting more rain, the drains in the yard were plugged so Sindy and I cleaned them out letting (I'd just cleaned them a week ago) the water drain out of the yard into the sea and not into the house!
After dropping the team off at the airport, we came home and had a nice long nap! And we're going to head to bed early tonight!
This week has been so very special, watching the hearts of young people change, watching the smiles on everyone everyday
get bigger and bigger if that's possible! The relationships that were built that will last a lifetime! All the glory and honor to Jesus!
We are thankful for all of you! Blessings, John and Tammy
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