Do We Need the Clutch??

Apparently the answer is "yes"! Last Sunday, Don was driving home from clinic in San Andres (by himself, because everyone else had decided to stay and go to church that evening). The kids and I waited and waited for him to return so we could eat supper and watch a movie together. Finally at 6:10 or so, David came over and asked what was up with my husband. Apparently Aaron had passed him on the way to San Andres at the halfway mark (an aldea called Lililla). As Aaron passed him, he could smell clutch which I guess you shouldn't smell, right?? Anyway that was at 5:20 and Lililla is only about 15 minutes away. David was about to get in a vehicle and go looking when Don came walking/jogging up. He made it a little farther than Lililla but still quite a walk away from the Fickers. Don and David took off to tow the truck home.

Yesterday, David, Don and Craig (Caleb and Samuel helped too) worked on taking the truck apart. Notice the tow rope! They are taking the truck to the airport to work on it.


I don't know what this is but I am assuming it works better on the inside of the truck!

They took off all of the broken parts and Don put them on the bus to leave at 6 am this morning for Quiche. A mechanic friend there, Martin, will get them off the bus when it arrives (at around 9 am) and try to find new parts that match! He will put the new parts on the bus in the afternoon (if all goes well) and we will have them tonight. We will need to get money to him as well (apparently car parts aren't a whole lot cheaper here than they are in the US) but we don't want to send cash on the bus for obvious reasons!

I felt this overwhelming sense of thankfulness all day yesterday. I am so thankful that we decided not to go to church Sunday night. The clutch would have gone out while we were all in the truck on the way home in the dark. I am so thankful that it didn't happen while we were on our way to or in Mexico (we have to leave Guatemala at the 6 month mark to renew our 90 day tourist visas). I am so thankful that we have a Toyota and we can get parts in this country. I am so thankful for friends who know how to fix these things and other friends who will take broken parts off the bus and put new ones back on it. I am so thankful to the Lord for protecting us and watching out for us and providing for us everyday. He is good all the time!