A Desperate Call For Prayer.

One family lost two family members today. Please pray for this family...

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

I want to start this out by saying we are all safe here. And we thank God that we are. And I would also like to start out by telling you that today, we witnessed something so tragic that nobody should ever have to see in their lifetime. I would also like to start this out by saying thank you to my family here in Guatemala. The visits and support tonight have been over-the-top and we are so thankful to have each of you looking out and caring for us. That being said, we are praising God for his power over our group of interns right now.

Today, at the CTC site in El Cerrito, we experienced a tragic accident. I will not share all of the details because it is so much to grasp right now..At this site, there is a steep hill as the entrance of the place. A big, moving type truck was pulling up the hill to leave. Just as it reached the top, it slid backwards, turned...in its path, hit a taxi (stopping the truck from rolling all the way down the hill to all of us below), hit a tree...and hit a woman and her baby. Both were killed. As bystanders at the bottom of the hill, we are all distraught and shaken up tonight.

Minutes before this, I was taking a group of the kids from one building to the next, this road was in my path. As I reached the second building, I helped translate for one of the North Park Team members. She wanted to give a beanie baby to this sweet, little girl in a lavender shirt. So, I stand there with her and converse with the mother of the child and the team member. As the mother and daughter walk up the hill, I start to walk into the building with the rest of the group. Seconds later, they are hit.

Our fearless intern, Kaitlyn, runs to the scene because she is certified in emergency first aide so she is on it right away. She tends to the little girl, finds a slow pulse. Once she notices she is bleeding out, she finds the intestines of the girl hanging out of the body. Immediately, she knows the girl didn't make it. Please keep her in your prayers as she cannot get this image out of her head and was most certainly the most effected by this in our group. The ambulance shows up literally no more than 60 seconds after the accident and takes the victims.

Immediately, word spread to the community and everyone came rushing. We hurried inside to keep the children that were there occupied by singing songs and playing all the games we could think of at the time. We come to find out that this is the second time an accident like this has occurred and the community has been requesting a walkway for the mothers and daughters to walk safely for some time now.

After the son of the mother who had passed came back to the scene with some friends, we knew that it was time for us to get out as quick as possible. Problem is.. we are waiting on new buses to pick us up as ours are in the parking lot with no way out. All of the sudden, Amed (the director of Buckner Guatemala) came running down the hill for us to get in a bus and get out fast. So, we followed his instructions with no doubt!

When we finally got home tonight, we find Amed waiting for us at home. He was waiting for us to check on us. He lets us know that earlier this morning, he had been looking at the statistics of how dangerous the political situation is in Guatemala right now and he was concerned for us and already made some calls to the office in Texas. He advised us to leave earlier than we expected to (which is July 2). If he has instructions, we follow. So, now, we are discussing how to make these new plans. Then, he goes on to explain that he was thinking that before the accident and then this happened...he was like a comforting Grandfather today as he hugged us, talked to us, and looked out for us. He apologized for his country...that almost made me cry. This country has meant so much to me the past three weeks and to hear him say that broke my heart.

After our conversation with Amed...began our night of phone calls, emails, and visits. Our family here has been more than supportive tonight and we love so much that we have them in our lives. To just have shoulders to cry on, stupid jokes to make us laugh again, and a comforting phone call checking in means so much.

I did not want to share all of this to scare you, but instead to ask for your prayers and let you know what is on our hearts right now.

There is nothing I know more to do in a situation such as this than to pray. And as I have been talking to God all day long, I have felt his presence and his comfort in our group of interns as we take the next steps tonight. Tonight, I ask for your prayers. I ask that you pray together or alone, out loud or silently...whatever you prefer. But, I ask most of all, that you pray wholeheartedly. I ask that you pray for the community of El Cerrito, Guatemala as they experienced this tragic accident today. I ask that you pray for the family of the mother and daughter that passed away today. I ask that you pray for the country of Guatemala as they face so many dangerous situations everyday. I ask that you pray for our group of interns as we are all emotionally unstable right now and looking to our God now more than ever. I ask that you pray for peace, comfort, and strength for anyone who was affected by this today. I will be sure to keep you updated. Thank you so much for your love and support. You have no idea how much it means to us.