Border Day

 

We arrived at the border before 6 am. Fridays usually means long lines. Orlando could tell right away that we would be there all day

 

Mandy, expressing our feelings of driving through Mexico! :-)

 

 

The nice part was that there was lots of time for visiting!  :-)

 

The little girls and I stayed in the trailer most of the day since it was near or at 100 degrees. The dogs were panting so we wetted them down a few times. :) The trailer actually stayed pretty cool thankfully.

 

The parking was tight! 

 

Waiting, waiting..

 

Finally the lane next to us was cleared and we quickly had to scramble into the truck and take off. The US customs decided that both Grady & Jeremy had to have the trucks and trailers xrayed. They had to drop we ladies, the children and dogs off at a grassy field. Thankfully there was some palm tree shade.We were sitting there waiting for what seemed like 1.5 hours.. in the hot sun with no water. Thankfully the children were pretty peaceful and sweet despite the wait. The wind really picked up which was a welcomed relief.

The guys finally got the clearance to pass over to Mexico! We were all praising the LORD! Thankfully Mexico didn't require an Xray too! Whew! We just had to have a quick inspection, go in for visas (in a/c!!) and pay duties on  the bikes. The Mexico side took much less time thankfully! All of us were excited to make some progress.

 

 

Now that we were over the border.. at 5 pm, where to stay? The border had been so busy that the hotels nearby were all full. It seemed a little crazy to head into the most dangerous part of Mexico at dusk, hoping to find a place to stay..

 

 Orlando told us that the military had bases set up at some gas station so we would wait until we came to one of those 'bases'. Sure enough right around dark we were able to stop at a heavily guarded gas station/motel. The Kings were able to pull into a hacienda type motel which consisted of an enclosed parking lot with a pool in the middle. Really pretty! Since our trailer is quite a bit taller we had to park outside of the protected wall in the parking lot adjacent to the main highway. We hesitated leaving it so far away from where we were sleeping.. worried about break ins and leaving the pets in there.. but we were assured that the military would be guarding it. What a blessing! We rented 2 rooms for our family and enjoyed a nice restful night of sleep. Neither the bullet holes in the bathroom window or the remembrance of the sewer rats we had seen when we first pulled up kept us from falling fast asleep. Praise the Lord he had provided for us once again.

Restful stay and last night in US

After getting our items listed and our paperwork sent to the border, we found a nearby RV park where we and the Kings each reserved a spot. So exiting to get a bath, do laundry- the Kings even went swimming! Our family dropped the trailer and headed out to the Post Office, Walmart, dinner w the Kings & Orlando and finally back to the export office to pick up our finished paperwork

                                                                            
                          

Cooling off a the RV park

 

 

 

Last Walmart stop

 

Orlando suggested this authentic Mexican restaurant. We got 20 handmade corn carne asada tacos, 4 loaded potatoes, 6 cups of stewed beans and sodas for $30! The waitress was so nice- she spoke about 10 English words.. and I speak fewer Spanish ones. We had a fun conversation while cleaning up a huge water spill at the table. :-)

 

With the 2 family meals and Orlandos meal the ticket came to only about $70

 

Goodbye Texas! Tomorrow- the border!!!!!

Last leg in the US

 Wednesday night Grady picked our Belizean friend up from the airport in San Antonio. We took him to a hotel and spent the night in a Lowe's parking lot again. We left early and headed south to the exporting company in Pharr Texas where we would complete the process of exporting our vehicles and goods. The thermometer read 101 when we stepped out of the car at the import yard. It was HOT! Our poor Oregon bodies were running to catch up! 

 

The little girls donned their hats and shades :-)

 

We had to pull everything out of the back of the toyhauler to list and send to the MX border

That took at least an hour in the hot sun. Jeremy and Stephanie's process took a little less time because they had planned ahead and listed it out on a printed piece of paper. Theoretically we were supposed to have done that also but we were a little less organized! :-) 

 

Sweet Shade!

 

Stephanie was so kind and let us use a few of their ice packs!

 

Ryan, Checking out some of the creative towing and hauling combos! There were little compact cars hauling 2 small cars behind.. lots of crazy loads!

Inside the yard we met a lot of Guatemalans and San Salvadorians who were also exporting- mostly salvaged cars.. we are in Mexico as I blog this and many of our San Salvadorian and Guatemalan friends that we met in Pharr, TX are keeping us company along the way here- we are seeing them at the gas stations etc. Everyone kind of watches out for each other while traveling through. They are known for helping anyone who breaks down along the way. Even if it means sacrificing their own safety or losing a day of travel, they will stop to help anyone.  

 On our way from San Antonio to Pharr we experienced high winds which caused our trailer to continually swerve dangerously when passed. While at the yard Grady decided we should move some of the heavy things around so as to distribute the weight more evenly. That was one seriously scary ride. The Kings who were traveling behind us said it was frightening to watch. We praise the Lord he kept us on the road.

 

Getting the 'low down' on the border crossing process

 

tres amigas 

 

Orlando, giving us specific directions and warnings. It seems like the yard is the place where the drivers and importers share information as to where the cartel are- where and what to avoid based on their recent driving experiences. Most of the guys buy totaled cars in the US and drive them down to fix and sell for a living on a weekly or monthly basis.

 

By the end of the day I think we all were feeling a bit of 'What ARE we doing?!' :-)

Christian Love

It had been a very long push to make it all the way to San Antonio, TX  to make our connection with Orlando, our Belizean friend who was flying in on Wednesday evening and who would be helping us through Mexico. We had experienced storms, car problems, grumpy children, delays and difficulties (along with a lot of fun things too of course! :-) I think we were all a little exhausted and road weary.. Wednesday was a free day though-since we had arrived in San Antonio Tuesday night we had most all day Wednesday to run errands and purchase a few additional things needed for Belize and the trip


 Ashley, Amanda, Grant & Timmy took the little kids into McDonalds to play for a little bit while the dads & Ryan went into Home Depot.

 

Looks like Grant needs a little pick me up here! :-)

We were both parked at the Home Depot when a SUV pulled into the parking lot. It turned out to be a Christian brother and sister from Romania. He encouraged us in the Lord, told us to seek Jesus and was so blessed to hear how both our families were going to Belize and seeking the Lord. He asked if we would be there for a while- and if they could get us Costco  pizzas for lunch!

                              

 

Brother Val & his sweet wife

 

We were very grateful that Val prayed very specifically- that our vehicles would have no mechanical issues, that the children would not get any diseases and that we would be protected from evil people. This man was such a truly filled follower of our Lord Jesus. He encouraged us that wherever and whatever God calls us to that we would have faith and follow him always.. and encouraged us to continue to seek and place our faith in  Jesus-not systems or denominations. What a blessing!!

 

The not only brought pizza but also apples, soda, strawberries, cookies, bagels, juice and even a huge Costco cake!

 

We all were so encouraged in the Lord! 

 

 Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Throwback Thursday!

We were so blessed that some of our friends stopped by 2 days before we left for Belize... including the Rubin family who came all the way from Centralia, WA-3 hours away!

 

 

The Rubin kids taught Grace how to make friendship braclets 

 

Precious friends!

 

These two are adorable!

 

Mrs. Rubin and her baby. Panacea is such a good friend! Hearing that our 5 new homemade ladies & girls swim dresses had accidentally been donated to St Vinnies in the big push to move, she stopped by a fabric store and brought us some swimsuit fabric to make more! :-)

 

Willow & Panacea

 

Baby Cason gets a bite 

 

The Guse and McDonald young people sang 'God be with you till we Meet Again' S

So sweet!

 

Saying goodbye to our special Willow

 

We will miss everyone so much!