Still on the ground Tapachula, Mexico

Here I write from our hotel lobby in the southern part of Mexico. In fact we are so far south we are only about 20 miles from the Guatamala border. We were hoping to arrive in Ecuador today, but yesterday after getting gas here in Tapachula we discovered a small problem when we did our engine runup. For those of you who know engine things, it looks like a lead from our right magneto to the number one cylinder is bad, thus causing inclomplete ignition of our fuel/air mixture. To remedy this problem we need to replace the harness on the right magneto. This is a very simple fix, but we are still waiting for parts. Hopefully they will arrive from our MAF program in Oaxaca tonite via bus or airline. Then tommorow we will be off to San Jose, Costa Rica or maybe even Panama City, Panama if we have time. We aren't counting our chickens yet though, as our parts havn't arrived and even when they do, we hope that they actually fix the problem. Although this wasn't part of the plan, we (my boss Dan and I) are doing fine. The Mexicans have been nothing but nice to us, and have done everything they can do to help us out. We have been able to sample to Mexcan food from the northern border, the middle of the country in Oaxaca, and now at the southern border near Gautamala. One of the neatest parts of travel for Rebecca and me is always trying the new foods and beginning to get a glimpse of the culture that food can bring.

Anyway, all that to say, I am fine despite being delayed a bit. Hope to write tommorow a little more south from here, so be in prayer for that to happen.


This is a picture of the Gulf of Mexico just north of Vera Cruz. The sights when we aren't in the clouds, have been very beautiful.


This is the pacific side of Mexico. We crossed the whole country yesterday and the endless beaches continued to be impressive.