Lipscomb mission team builds bridge in Guatemala

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David Fann, Instructor in Engineering at Lipscomb University, worked with faculty, alumni and students for months planning to replace a bridge in Guatemala that washed away in a hurricane. The Lipscomb group coordinated the trip with Health Talents International, a nonprofit Christian organization that works within the Churches of Christ to promote medical evangelism. Fann knew that Health Talents would locate a safe mission site where the services the group could provide would be beneficial to a large number of people.  “We knew that we were being asked to do something that really needed to be done,” Fann stated.  “Around 10,000 people will use the bridge over the period of a year.  Two villages will have easier access to the main road.”  

 So nineteen people arrived in Guatemala with plans in their head for the bridge and for work with some of the local children.  But being prepared never guarantees that you know what lies ahead when you enter the mission field.  The first unexpected adventure came during the first visit to the mission site.  The group had to cross the river before they could build the bridge to span it.  “There was a little difficulty getting over to the other side of the river,” Rachel and Rebecca Swift write in their trip journal, “but we finally succeeded with the locals’ help.”

Another surprise came when the group saw the mission site for the first time in person.  This mission trip differed from previous trips in that the local population from the villages of Chicutzan and La Cruz were asked to complete work before the arrival of the mission team.  When the team arrived at the bridge site, concrete platforms had been built, but not exactly to the requested specifications.  The Guatemalans had been worried that a bridge built too low would wash away with the next storm that moved through.  They logically decided to raise one platform several feet higher than planned to guarantee a bridge that would survive a flooding of the river.  No one consulted the engineers, though, about the change in plans. 

Being flexible and being able to change the plans at the site brought other challenges.  Dr. Kerry Patterson, an associate professor in engineering at Lipscomb, wrote in his journal about the revised plan to put a huge slab of concrete under the higher bridge tower to stabilize it: “This is really hard work.  They have poured about nine or ten yards of concrete with a portable gasoline-powered mixer that produces a small wheelbarrow for each batch.”  Concrete was moved one bucket at a time. 

Creative planning came in handy on the trip.  Fann explained that some equipment used for projects in Nashville could not be taken to Guatemala.  For example, cutting oil used when drilling couldn’t be taken on an airplane.  Lee Whitney, a retired engineer and trip participant, knew that pig lard worked as a replacement. So flexibility in plans and tools was a must for the Lipscomb team on this trip.  The work went on.

Then the day of celebration arrived.  The bridge was complete.  A reporter from Chicacao Channel Seis (Channel 6) interviewed the dignitaries from the two villages who will use the bridge the most.  Lipscomb students photographed the occasion.  Dr. Fred Gilliam, professor and associate dean of engineering at Lipscomb, writes, “Even as we were taking pictures, the people would applaud for us and show their appreciation for the work we had done.”  He adds, “In every sense, this project was a partnership with them.  A partnership in planning, in labor, in finances, and most especially in Christian spirit.  They knew from the beginning that we were here to help because of our faith.”

This mission trip gave the Lipscomb students a chance to use their talents for God’s purposes.  Fann believes that Lipscomb offers students the chance not only to study in a strong academic environment, but the university also provides them with many opportunities for what he refers to as “incarnational ministry.”  The students saw a project through from the planning phase to the construction.  They chose appropriate technology for the site and created a design that was functional and safe for the children who couldn’t wait to be the first to run across. During the trip, children adorned the students’ hair with flowers.  Local women baked bread and chicken as thank you gifts.  One villager gave a painting depicting the building of the bridge to the Lipscomb group out of gratitude for their work.  School children applauded at physics experiments and beamed at the sight of school supplies and coloring books donated to them.

The time in Guatemala taught Lipscomb students how to use their talents to the glory of God.  So nineteen people went to Guatemala with plans in their head for a bridge, but God had plans for their hearts and for his bridges—bridges for his kingdom, bridges that span across continents and connect people by faith and by fellowship.