The best laid plans

Since I already mentioned that it's critical for the team to pack its flexibility, we had an opportunity to use some of the flexibility this morning.

Every minute of the team's day is accounted for and scheduled.  This especially includes our mornings, which requires that the individual team members succumb to the overall team's movement timing.  The team leaders have been very fortunate to have the team collectively be accepting to the full and orchestrated schedule that have led to few instances of tardy team members.

(Greg - in case you are reading this, I have been invoking you when we gather the team to get ready each morning and evening.  I hear the words "it's okay to be on time" just as you say before our team's meetings back at work and the team hears the same from me as a result..  Thus, this time-tested phrase works on mission in Guatemala too!)

Funny thing with that the team members having to commit to being on-time, many other timing circumstances can still not be controlled.

The first instance for today was that when we were leaving to go to the school in Chicabracan, one of the drivers decided it was time to get gas for the van then, rather than before the team was picked up.  5-10 minutes lost there - hmmm, no biggie.

Yet, as we turned off of the main (paved) road to go down the gravel road into Chicabracan, I thought that everything was back on track and it was time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, hear the tap-tap-tapping sound of the molina grinding the corn, and to smell the morning glory of the countryside.  Also, I got to listen to the team perfect their musical program for the afternoon.

Well, all of this "being in the moment" feelings had to be set aside when we came to a stop about a quarter of the way down the road.  It turns out that men were working on building a potable water line through the area, which meant that this road was impassable.  After driving in reverse, uphill for an fifth of a mile, we got turned back around (after discovering that another road option was not possible either).

We found the "right" road and made it to the school, but only 30 minutes late.

Unfortunately, by being a half-hour late, the team had to scale down and rearrange its first (full!) hour program on the fly.

The challenge for the team is that we had to remember that the task of our activity was not as important as the relationship that we were continuing.  We could have easily cut-out our traditional half-hour bilingual greeting and prayer with the teachers, parents committee members, and team members.  Yet, our efforts would have been hollow without the basis of a relationship.