Wedding, etc.

We headed out to Canilla on Tuesday morning after a run to the market for some last minute wedding items. We got to meet Katie's family, who had just come in from Guatemala City with Aaron. Just a mile or so from the house, the front springs on the F-350 broke. So we went out to the airport and pulled the springs off to be sent to Quiche and have a new set made.

Anyway, we then headed up the mountain to rehearse for the wedding. It's a beautiful location, but nearly a mile from the nearest road - which isn't the greatest road, either! Then all 40 of us sat down to a wonderful steak dinner at the house. The rest of the night was spent arranging flowers, finishing the cake, moving beds and vehicles around, and miscellaneous stuff.

This morning was the wedding itself. It required several trips to the site to get everything and everyone there, but they were able to borrow enough vehicles to get it done. (The 4Runner is in 100 pieces due to an engine problem, the F-350 has a broken front spring, one Tacoma has a transmission out, the other Tacoma is at the airport in Guatemala City, and our Nissan is struggling a little bit.)

The wedding itself was beautiful. Katie's dad (who is a pastor) and our friend Rodamiro co-officiated in English and Spanish, respectively. Ryan Ficker translated both pastors into "the other" language. Craig and Matt provided the music. Isaac tried to participate, but Heidi was able to keep him, if not calm, at least distant from the proceedings.

After the wedding, we shared a wonderful meal back at the house again. After the cake and the presents, we got ready to leave. We took the broken spring from the F-350 to bring to Quiche. We got about halfway back to Quiche when the truck basically breathed its last. We were at the bottom of a hill and couldn't climb it. We were in 4-low and 1st gear and did about 1mph at a maximum of 1000rpm to get to a flat spot. We called the Fickers and they said they'd come get us.

We turned around, since we had been climbing, and descended as far as we could until we got to another hill we couldn't climb. By then, it was after dark. Craig and David came by about half an hour later and towed us back to San Andres where we left the truck. Then they brought us back to the house in Quiche. They'll spend the night here, take the broken spring to their mechanic here in Quiche, then go home.

So now we're safely home, praise God, but without a vehicle. The Mazda is in the dealership in Guatemala City, awaiting the arrival of a head, which needs to be replaced because it cracked. They're not available in Guatemala, so it'll have to be imported, which should take about two weeks. The Nissan is in San Andres with a serious fuel delivery problem. Luckily, tomorrow is a day off, but we'll have to start cancelling clinics until we can get a vehicle repaired.

Anyway, God always provides, so we'll do our best and hope He can get us some good news soon.

Now some pictures. The first is the three of us (Isaac, Heidi, and Matt) on top of the mountain (at the wedding). The second is of Aaron and Katie getting married. The third is Isaac having a happy moment on the ground at the wedding. The fourth is of Heidi and Isaac on the trampoline at the Fickers - sometimes it's the only place we can put him to make him happy!

More news tomorrow...

Oh, and welcome to this world to our newest niece, Isabella Grace Kubera. She was born on Monday. (This makes three new babies in the family: Isaac, Pandora Grissom, and Isabella.)