Don’t want to see what we saw today ever again…

Don’t want to hear those tires slide, don’t want to hear our friends body hit by that car… Rosario Vasquez is a friend of Vine International here in Guatemala.  Rosario helps Cindy and I each Friday to keep the house clean.  We have friends in for a variety of reasons, “half-way” house (half way to the airport), over night stays as missionaries come and leave the country, teams, etc.  If Cindy had to do it all she would not be in shape to help in the warehouse.  Rosario has been helping the Vine team in Guatemala since before we came.  Rosario works the nursery at Union Church and has seven children and several grandchildren with more on the way.

We pick her up each Friday at the bus stop about 3 km from the house.   We watched, as always, her cross our street leading to our housing development when a white SUV speeding out of no-where struck her in the street.  She went 6 feet up in the air and at least 12 -15 feet up the road before landing like a rag doll.  Cindy and I rushed to her side.  I was closest and first.  I must tell you I thought she would be dead… as I got close I could see her lips moving a little and her chest rising and falling amazingly unlabored at about 14 breathes per minute.  With as calm a voice as possible I said her name a couple of times – no answer.  I started to look her over, as my years as an orthopedic physician’s assistant kicked in.  No obvious angulation of legs, thighs or arms.  But there was an obvious and significant head injury… and still no response to HER name…  I prayed aloud,  “Jesus help us.”  (Tears starting to come) And Rosario said outloud, ” OHH Jesus, Senor” and opened her eyes and stuck her hand out for mine.  I have never heard a sweeter more precious prayer… She could not understand but the Name in my prayer and I could only understand the Name in her prayer but I tell you we were in agreement.  I passed her hand to Cindy – my size and white hair were needed to stop traffic and get them around our friend and my wife.  Someone in the crowd called the bomberos (volunteer firemen and EMS – by the way from a station that we support).  They started arriving in their personal vehicles.  I helped them get  Rosario on a back board and into the ambulance.

While our attention was turned to Rosario, the driver of the car left.  Not unusual here we understand.  The police arrived and we gave them our info.  Later they met us at the hospital we were told she would be at and they couldn’t find her.  They got on their radios and found her in another zone in the city.  If they hadn’t been there we would have lost her, the bomberos took her to a different hospital further away and in an area we have not had the opportunity to explore.  These officers said they would drive slow and lead us to the other hospital – except for the driving slow part it worked.  In Guatemala traffic this is more amazing than it sounds in print.

Our language skills are not where we can do some of these discussions needed to change hospitals and areas of the city, etc.   God at each difficult turn and at each hospital gave us someone in the crowd who stepped forward and interpreted for us.

Rosario is admitted to the hospital.  Doctors are in some deep meetings to discuss what to do about her head, some talking surgery and apparently some  encouraging observation.  Three daughters and a son-in-law were there when we left, some of her churches staff responded wonderfully.  We notified Dennis and Doris Rice the first thing this morning, Peggy who often asks about Rosario (and Rosario keeps up with our kids), and our home church in Asheville, NC is praying for our sister in the LORD.  Please join us in prayer for Rosario’s health, peace for her family, that we can find the hospital on our own tomorrow as we go back to see her and pray with her and her family.  We REALLY covet your prayers in regard to this issue.  It is a family issue for us.

In Christ

Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon