Posts Tagged ‘road’

Packing the truck

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Whenever we travel into the village, there are so many things that vie for space:

-building materials

-diesel for the truck

-fuel for the generator

-tools

-camping supplies

-water

-guitar

-Josiah’s bike

-our clothes

-FOOD!…

My co-worker, Sarah, is one of the best!

My co-worker, Sarah, is one of the best!

It’s like a giant puzzle trying to fit everything in.  We start early so there is time to move things around and find the best spot for everything, making sure to fill up holes so as to make use of every available space.

Packed to the gills, errr... back window

Packed to the gills, errr... back window

When I took this picture, there were still overnight bags to go in, a cooler to keep perishables for the first week, our water filter (two 5-gallon buckets on top of one another), and a box with our veggies and fruit for 3 weeks that had yet to be added.  But, we always get it all in.

And, there is still a waiting list of more things that need to go out…

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Down to the bottom of the Canyon

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

One day during Holy Week, we went down to the bottom of the canyon to the ceremonial center.  It is there that the people do their traditional rituals according to their beliefs.

The ceremonial center

The ceremonial center

We went down with some friends from our village who also wanted to see the dancing.

I got sore and numb riding in the back. With all the people, I didn't have any space to change positions.

I got sore and numb riding in the back. With all the people, I didn't have any space to change positions.

We drove for over an hour to where we had to park the truck.  (If we drove the whole way into the village, those performing the dancing would “confiscate” it for the rest of the festival and “use” it in whatever way they chose.)

The "bus"

The "bus"

So, we left the truck well out of the village and walked the last little bit to the village.

The final descent

The final descent

The long suspension bridge

The long suspension bridge

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Lumber

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Monday, April 12th, 2010

Unloading the lumber

Unloading the lumber into the schoolroom

On our last trip, we were able to finally talk to the foreman at a lumber mill on the road to our village.  We placed the order for our lumber needs for our house with him. He said they’d have it all cut and ready within a week.  The foreman ended up getting called away for a family emergency and the mill workers were coming up on a week’s vacation, so it did not look promising that things would work out as we planned. In the end, a week and a half later we got our wood delivered to the village thanks to our friend who hauls our freight.  He went out of his way to make sure we received exactly what we ordered.  Tuesday, as the workers were supposed to be getting off for a week’s vacation, he had them cut the sizes they lacked for our order.  The boards were loaded directly onto the truck and he brought us a full load.

We got everything stacked and stickered.  This is our roof, our inside walls, and our doors.

Full lumber order

Full lumber order

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Mexico Flexico

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

One of the things about living in Mexico, or anywhere overseas, is that you have to be flexible.  We set the dates for our trip several months ago, because we were taking a dentist from the US with us to treat dental needs in the village.  And, we had to work around our dentist friend’s schedule.

So, we picked him up at the airport and headed for the village.  We drove into this:

El Aguacero

El Aguacero

And, when we realized that the ugliest part was moving toward us and toward the area where we were hoping to drive, we turned around and went back to a coastal town.  Before we got there, it started to rain and it down-poured for a good 4-5 hours and then drizzled the rest of the day.  It was A LOT of water!  With that kind of rain, we knew the roads would be in bad shape for the next few days.

After 3 days of waiting, we made it into the village safely!

We set up our tents just below our house construction site

We set up our tents just below our house construction site

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We’re Back

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Sunday, February 28th, 2010

We praise the Lord that we made it back safe and sound once again from a trip.  Again, things did not go according to our plans, but God opened up the door for us to get up to the village after a few days of waiting for the roads to dry out.  And, after waiting, they were in the best condition we’ve ever seen them!  The government is working on the road in the hopes of paving it.

Watching as the guys get the floor ready for the outhouse

Watching as the guys get the floor ready for the outhouse

We were very busy the days we were there and got a lot done.  We would have loved to stay longer, but we had to get back so the kids could start school again.  We’re lining things up for the next trip in just over a week.

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Packing again

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

We’re getting ready for another trip into the village, and that means packing again.  It’s getting easier and easier, because after a few times, I know what I need and what I don’t need.

Backpack 003 low res

Please pray for us for safety in traveling.  Please pray that the roads would be dry enough to make it into the village.  Please pray for us as we are with the people, that we might communicate love and grace.  We’re taking a dentist in with us for a dental clinic for all the indigenous in the area.

We’ll also be working on Katie’s and my house. Please pray that we might be able to move forward on it.  We’ve faced a lot of disappointments in the last weeks and it hasn’t progressed like we’ve hoped.  Pray that we might be able to get some things done this trip.

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2nd Time’s a Charm

Posted by Rachel Chapman on Monday, January 4th, 2010

We have the distinction of having the worst road of all the places where our organization works in Mexico.  We travel 63 miles and it takes between 6-8 hours.

This last trip we weren’t able to get in on the first try.  Two and a half hours into the trip, we descend into a valley, cross the river and then climb up the other side of the mountain.   Well, as we began to descend, it began to rain quite steadily.

Uh-oh... steady rain + dirt road = MUD

Uh-oh... steady rain + dirt road = MUD

We noticed that the river was a little higher than normal, but nothing we couldn’t cross.  But, then as we started up the other side we had problems. We were loaded down with materials for building and all of our camping stuff for 2 weeks.  The rain had made the road extremely muddy and we weren’t able to make it up the hill.

This is the hill we couldn't get up. This picture does not accurately convey the mud or the slope.

This is the hill we couldn't get up. This picture does not accurately convey the mud or the slope.

After several tries we backed down the hill and got out to fill the road with rocks and small branches for traction.

Trying to create traction

Trying to create traction

After an hour of playing in the mud, our efforts had no effect.  We still couldn’t make it up the hill.  So, we turned back to the coast to wait for the roads to “dry out” a bit.

We waited two days and tried again.  We battled again at the same hill, but this time we were able to make it all the way up and eventually to the village.

Another picture of the mud!

Another picture of the mud!

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