Our time in Uyuni has been wonderful and we’ve been shown nothing but love and hospitality, but recent protests (regarding an unpopular decision by the mayor to alter plans for the site of the future bus station) have started to grow more contentious and look to be turning violent. As a result, our two teams made the decision to head back to the capital, La Paz, a few days early. As part of the protests, the major road between La Paz and Uyuni has been blocked for several weeks now. Our friend, Pastor Rolando, helped us arrange for two vehicles to transport the teams to neighboring Potosi, where they could still catch a bus to La Paz. Chrislyn and I, on the other hand, had arranged to fly to Peru, where we would spend several days as a delayed anniversary celebration/marriage getaway at Machu Picchu, and then reunite with the teams at our next ministry site in northern Peru.
We woke up around 5am this morning, throwing the last few items in our packs and gathering around a single propane heater to wait for our ride. As the minutes ticked, Chrislyn and I grew more apprehensive that we wouldn’t make our flight in time if the cars were any later. So at 6:20am, Chrislyn and I threw on our packs and started walking in the direction where we knew the Uyuni airport to be. It was still very dark and cold out (the water in my Nalgene bottle was freezing) at this hour. I was worried that Chrislyn wouldn’t fare well as her heels have been giving her trouble, but I found myself struggling to keep up with her. Forty-plus pound packs and freezing temps don’t make for the most enjoyable stroll! Twenty minutes into our trek, we came upon a blockade preventing all traffic from entering or leaving Uyuni, part of the recent protests. There were eight to ten men huddled around a large bonfire in the middle of the road. With a quick silent prayer and as much feigned confidence as we could gather, we forged forward. We greeted them as we would anyone else, “Buen dia!” and walked on by. Fortunately, their beef was not with us. Many sighs of relief, prayers of thanks, and ten minutes later, we were walking into the very small Uyuni airport. After contacting our friends back at the house, we found that they were just then loading up the cars that had only then arrived. Had we waited, we wouldn’t have made it in time for our flight. And even if we had caught a ride, they surely would have been stopped at the road blockade, and not necessarily so amiably. We thank God for watching over us and keeping us safe. We pray for the same protection over our teammates (and ask you to do the same) as they have a much longer trip ahead of them, climbing the mountains to La Paz onward to northern Peru by bus (40 plus hours of road time).
