John The Baptist took us to Mayan Gold !

OK ok here is what happened. Carlos introduced us to Juan Bautista a Baptist preacher working in El Corpus (His name is John Baptist and he is a Baptist. AKA John the Baptist). He invited us up to the church to meet a man who was part of a huge outreach in El Salvador they claimed to have seen 2500 salvations during the multi week event. Sounded interesting enough so we picked up everyone- 9 total in the Isuzu p/u. Up an up we go passing a small crowd near a sharp turn. On a very steep section above El Corpus the truck bogged down and stalled. Everyone got off and down we went. It took 3 attempts to get up but finally, as the radiator redlined and boiled over, the little truck made it(I carry lots of water). We were early so John the Baptist asked if we wanted to visit the gold mine. Gold mine? Sure. He did not know the owner but took us there and asked the guard if we could take pictures. The guard called the office and the General Supervisor Gerardo was there from Salt Lake City Utah. He too was Baptist and spoke English. The company he works for (www.Mayangold.net) made millionaires out of the family that used to own the mine, with gold up, there doing well too. Gerardo gave us a personal tour through the mine that began with the Mayans then Spanish Conquistadors. It has a 500 year history and the original tunnels are in place. They found even more shafts after the mine tunnel collapsed on a holiday. The new owners mine chemically with cyanide and the Catholic Church has been harassing them and calling government agencies. We walked through the mine and the darkness was amazing. Sermon illustrations abound here. The deeper into the world you go the darker it gets. The light fades away and stays near the entrance calling those in darkness. You walk into a 500 year old gold mine and the darkness overtakes you faster than your eyes can adjust until you have NO light. You cannot find your way lest someone lead you to the light at the entrance. John 12:35-36 comes to mind. We went all the way back to the cave in section where you could see the sky and a honeycomb of old tunnels. I could have stayed all day and talked he was a wealth of information, but time to meet at church. We invited him to our house for some of Lisa’s cooking he said he might take us up on it. Church was good and we did meet with a man that worked in a large crusade event in El Salvador the church is willing to help with the event we are working toward in December.He also asked us to play a movie in yet another village in the mountians in March. On the way down the mountain, the crowd we saw now had a bus pulling a truck out of a ravine. I stopped and helped a little and took lots of pictures. I was the anchor holding several men as they helped each other up the cliff. The truck hit a rut on the edge of the road and went 500 feet down the very steep cliff. Amazingly the driver rode it all the way down and was only scraped up. The people in the back jumped out and grabbed branches. The truck is only good for parts. It took them 4 hours to pull it up with a school bus.
Baluarte Church, the one we have been going to in our free time had a day of mourning. A church family’s baby that has been in the capitol in the hospital died Friday Night. Pastor Canidido called and asked if I could be available to pick up the mom and dead baby and bring them back. We agreed but Carlos told them about the comfort and cost of driving the Isuzu so they found a better way. We have not met this family as yet but have helped provide blood as was needed. It has been a touchy subject, so I do not have a lot of details.
For a final note Sasha played music as the Ladies sang for Church tonight, then the men got up and I got harangued into singing as well. Oblivious I received the paper hymnal that has the upside down cover. So I am up there singing in Spanish with other men but the congregation sees the American holding the hymnal upside down….All got a good laugh.
Unworthy Servants to a Worthy Saviour
The Ritchies