Once every few months, we have to make a road trip 3 hours away to Ambato to have our oil changed in our truck at the dealership there. Lately, however, the rains have been so hard and for so many days that it has caused many mudslides, with the mud piling into the road and the road becoming impassable. (The gas stations in our town ran out of fuel because the delivery trucks could not pass).
From Puyo to Ambato, there is only one road. One way in, one way out. We had been so involved in the work, preaching the message daily, praying for the sick, feeding the hungry, that even though we knew the rains had been torrential, we did not know the depth of its destruction. We knew we had to go to Ambato for our oil change, and so ‘carefreely’, we called and made the appointment.
As we drove on the only road out, we began to see the mudslides. The beautiful mountains fallen, destroyed. But as we approached each one, they were like the last, passable. We made it safely to Ambato with no problems. And the dealership was surprised to see us! They immediately asked how our trip was and if it had not been affected by any mudslides. We said, “No”, thanking God for a safe journey.
What we did not realize is that only the day before had that road been impassable. As we made the trip home that evening, the winds were so strong and pulling us all over the road. We made it home safely, but only a few hours after arrival did the rains begin again.
The next day we went into town, and someone asked if we’d heard about the mudslides. Our thoughts were, “Which ones?” They said, “The ones that just happened again last night. The road to Ambato is closed”.
We praised God again, because He opened up the roads for just one day so we could pass through to make it safely to maintain our truck, so the work would not be affected and could continue!
