Container

Okay, some people have asked, so we'll answer. We've talked a lot about the "container" that's coming. Those of you who don't have international shipping experience in your jobs might not know that the way things are normally sent by water from one place to another is in shipping containers. These are the large boxes you see on the backs of semi trucks and stacked up next to ports.

They come in various sizes. Ours is a 40' container. It was loaded full of stuff, put on the back of a semi truck, driven to the Port of Houston, shipped by oceanliner to Guatemala, and is currently in one of the port storage facilities waiting to get all of its papers cleared by the myriad agencies who have their fingers in this type of thing.

On this container are many of our personal things. All of Heidi's medical books, her microscope, Matt's recording equipment, some kitchen stuff, and various other things we thought we'd need here when we started packing last spring. (Having not lived here before when we were packing, there should be some pretty hilarious stuff on the container! We just KNEW we needed tupperware?!?!)

A 40' container holds A LOT of stuff, though, so it's not just our things on the container. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 computers which were donated for local schools, an anesthesia machine, a cement mixer, and lots of medical supplies are also on board.

So when this thing clears customs and whatever else it has to clear, it'll come by semi here to Quiché and we'll have Christmas all over again. The latest estimate is...well...we don't have a latest estimate. It COULD still be another week, but let's pray not.

Anyway, here are some pictures just to help with the visualization.