You have no idea what type of road trip we just got back from. Hmmm, how can I recap this? Apparently, Semana Santa is a BIG deal here in Central America. Umm, I'm pretty sure my companeros knew of this before we started off on our lovely trek to Rio Dulce to help the locals celebrate their holiday with our intention of bringing good cheer through our rousing music and offering CDs of every type of music imaginable. Sadly though, because Semana Santa is such a BIG deal there was nowhere to stay. I repeat NOWHERE to stay. We honestly felt like Mary & Joseph seeking lodging in Bethlehem. We left home at 8am Thursday morning and arrived in Rio Dulce, a bay town at around 12pm. From 12pm till midnight we knocked on every door in the city, I'm serious when I say every door and there was No room at any Inn. Our plan was to drive into the city, get set up in our hotel, read something, shower and change into singing clothes (not clothes that sing but rather clothes meant to sing in), and then head on out to the restaurants that let these guys sing during Semana Santa last year. This good plan did not pan out. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes that mystery can be painful. :) However, ALL things do work together for good, which is what kept me smiling and hopeful the whole long day. We started out just asking people if they had room, then we were telling people we knew they had no room but that we were in need of a miracle, then we were begging people to search the recesses of their minds for extra space at the Inn but to no avail. Renae even got in touch with an old friend of hers of great wealth who graciously gave her permission to let us stay at his good friend's resort home since his hotel was all full. He gave Renae directions, the name of the lady of the house and told us he'd call ahead and tell this woman that we were his guests and to let us stay with her. So, this was at about 11pm. We were brave, we were. No tears were shed, just lots of prayers and then utter thankfulness when Renae gave us the good news of a promised place to lay our weary heads, the same heads whose ears had heard the word "NO" one too many times. But we did not give up.
So, we make it to this vacation home that Renae's friend spoke of, it was so easy to find that we were thrilled. Renae and I jump out of the van in happy anticipation and climb the steps to the home of hearts that we longed for. Unfortunately for us the lady of the house was nowhere to be found so we gingerly walk over to the next door neighbors whose front door was open, showing the light from within. We knock on the door and see two less than friendly women who have had far too much sun in their long lives, missing teeth and all, drinking alcoholic beverages. After looking at us in disdain for a few minutes, we receive approval from the man of the house for entrance and proceed to explain our dire need for a roof and floor for the night. This man happens to be the brother of the woman we had been searching for. He explained that his sister was out of the country and so we start asking them if we can stay at her house anyway since they're related and in charge. You have to understand how desperate we were at this point. Did I fail to mention that Rio Dulce is not a sweet river at all, but actually holds firm in my mind as "Bitter Waters" and I tasted them one too many times. Why so many of Guatemala's finest retreat to this city during Easter weekend every year is beyond my understanding and I will just have to walk by faith, not sight. The city is muggy, dirty and hot as Hades, I assure you. So finding a place to stay, not just any place but a place with at least a fan was tops on our list. Back to the brother of the woman we wished to find. He wants to say yes and is beginning to lovingly tell us so when we are interrupted by the two women with overly taxed skin saying "No, No" quite loudly and defiantly. Sad. We step outside to let them decide and the prettier of the two women comes outside to tell us that although they would LOVE to have the foreigners for a night or two they are sadly out of space for us. Sigh. We thank them for understanding and not calling the cops and then return to the same van we'd spent the majority of our day jumping out of in search of lodging. To make a long story short, we ended up driving to the next little city whose streets were dark and had underfed men sporting large guns roaming the (if it weren't for them) empty streets. Oh boy, do I sound pessimistic? It gets better. After finding out that every room in every Inn in the next city was taken, David & Pablo started asking the night guards at the hotels if they could ask their bosses for permission for us to be able to park our van inside their gates, enabling us to "sleep" inside the van without the fear of scary people interrupting our humid rest. These nightguards tried their best but their bosses said another "no" and we were all the more desperate because this isn't like the States where you can just park in a Walmart parking lot and sleep your night out in relative peace. To make this long story shorter than it should be, my brother Danny finally speaks up and tells us that he thinks we should go back to one of the hotels we'd already discovered was full. So we did and guess what? The night manager, a sweet woman named Umpara, told us that she had 1 tiny room left! My jaw literally dropped, honestly it was a miracle! We knew there shouldn't have been a room left anywhere but here we were facing a miracle. But no, the fight wasn't over yet. Yes, there was a room but Umpara told us that only 2 people could sleep in it or else she'd get in trouble from the boss. I proceeded to tell her that "most of us are family, we can sleep in 1 room..." to which she agreed that yes, 4 people could sleep in the room. So, my brother Danny & I offered to be the ones to sleep in the muggy, hot, humid van and I was totally fine with the personal sacrifice until I walked into the hotel room and felt the aircon that I had believed in all day long, I had never given up hope of deliverance and here I was in the promised land I had waited for and in that moment I decided that the Lord was going to give me exactly what I'd expected---and He did! Right then when I was about to cry because I realized just how much aircon, a shower and a bed meant to me at the moment, Pablo & David came in to pour the good news on me: all 6 of us could sleep in the room if we could get out of the room by 6 am. Oh, yes. Yes, I will rise at 5 if I have to just to know that my prayers were answered and I was delivered from the battle. Thank You, Jesus for being real and for coming through for us even if it does go against natural reasoning sometimes and we have to wait a little longer than we're used to. I'm a spoiled girl, I've realized this on our special road trip. We are so used to getting everything we pray for from our wonderful God but sometimes He might want to see us believe before we receive. I believe, help Thou mine unbelief. I love You, Jesus. :)
