We went to get money out of our team accounts for the
bus fare and found out the team accounts were empty. Each team tried and each
time the same result, which left us stranded in the Cancun airport with no money to get
to Palenque. A decision was made to forgo the race until a later date and just
try to somehow get to our destination as a whole squad. By pooling together our personal money we were able to shuttle everyone to the bus terminal and after some thought it was decided that half of us would board the 9:00 pm
bus to Palenque and the rest would wait at the bus stop until the next
available bus at 11:00 am the next morning.
one of the numerous speed bumps that frequent the streets of Mexico, all the while trying to stay warm inspite of the constantly blowing AC. At 10am the next
morning I awoke from a surprisingly peaceful nights sleep to find our bus
stopped on the side of the road. We had broken down. It was explained to us
that something was wrong with the air
pressure, affecting both the brakes and the locks on the under luggage
compartments. There was nothing we could do, our luggage was trapped and we were stranded.
of waiting around Stephanie decided someone needed to inform Ashley and Jimmy
(both AIM workers who were awaiting our arrival at the Shekinah Bible School)
what our situation was. The opportunity quickly arose when a police officer
offered her a ride. Acting quickly, Stephanie informed the group of the plan,
she, accompanied by myself and a fellow teammate would get a ride to the bible
school and from there find out a way to get the rest of the squad to Shekinah
as well as find out the whereabouts of the rest of our squad that we had left in
Cancun.
As the three of us hopped into the police car with
officers Ramon and Fredo, we were greeted with upbeat jazzy tunes pouring out of the radio. We were in for a good ride. Ramon sped off, passing cars left
and right, using his police status to bypass anything and everything.
Needless to say, we got to Shekinah in record time. After parlaying
the exciting events of our arrival to an eager Ashley and Jimmy, we arranged to pick up the rest of our squad. Within two hours we were all safe and sound at Shekinah, settling into our
lodgings and trying to wind down after our intense journey. Yet, there was still no word from the other half
of our squad.
“No news was good news” is what we decided concerning
the rest of the racers when they did not arrive that evening. We said a prayer
for their protection as they traveled and headed off to bed. While we slept God was at work. After a restless
night sleep, plagued with humidty, I awoke to the wonderful sound of the
remainder of our squad arriving. At last, now four days after our departure,
all 32 of us had arrived safely in Palenque.
for us, it all worked itself out. With God on our side we arrived safe and
sound and with
smiles on our faces we managed to defeat our first big obstaclewith carefree and joyous spirits. The numerous hurdles in our original plan may
be one for the books, but I think the most notable thing should be the amazing
unity our team has started off with. I pray that this will set a precedent for
our entire year, that we may continue to put our trust in God and that we may always enter obstacles with a smile.
