Sorry, mom & dad, I was determined to live by the 3-5 year rule, but I knew that you’d hear about it somewhere else before then.
So yea, I have not been afraid by the driving in Honduras or Guatemala until we traveled to our ministry site this month. Weaving in & out of traffic- no problem. Riding in the back of a pick up truck- sign me up. Riding in the back of a poorly a/c’ed bus next to the bathroom- easy peasy. Blowing a break & (looking like we were) going over a cliff- not as much fun.
I heard whispers that the driver took the curve too fast or that the road was slick. All I know is we heard a loud pop, saw smoke, and we weren’t slowing down as fast as my brain told me we should’ve on that curve. It was absolutely terrifying.
My thoughts went from: I knew I was gonna die randomly. To: how do I not know how many breaks a school bus has? To: I’m not ready to die- I still have so many things I want to do. To: What is my family going to know of my death? To: How will the bus drivers’ families know what happened to them? To: I haven’t said everything I needed to say. To: What will a whole squad dying achieve? To: I don’t understand, God.
Now, I heard later (of course!) that the bus driver knew exactly what he was doing and that there may or may not have been a large rock that would’ve stopped us from going over the cliff. But from halfway back on the bus, I couldn’t see all this. And I didn’t trust what I didn’t see.
The cool part, though, was that multiple people had visions of angels surrounding the bus. And pretty soon, singing broke out. Prayer broke out. And more singing. And tears flowed.
It is amazing how much holding someone’s hand- someone that is freaking out as much as you- can bring out strength and comfort. And I love how scary situations bring out the comforting and calm sides of people. It’s beautiful. I love how God sends such peace through His Holy Spirit when we call out to Him. He stops the tears and calms hearts and gives us the strength to just keep breathing.
So, this story, obviously, has a happy ending. We got to our ministry site safely (with a police escort, no less!). I was tempted to kiss the ground, but decided against it. We were introduced to our wonderful hosts. Tents are up (HOME SWEET HOME!). My ankles are fine and my stomach is almost to normal (5 more days of the antibiotic). I can’t wait to tell you guys stories about Quiche (pronounced keet-chay).
A few prayer requests: My energy level is kinda crappy (pun intended) and at almost 7,000 feet altitude, this is a little worsened. I’m ready for my body to be completely back to normal.
Pray for squad unity, as we’ll be all together this month. We’ll be breaking into teams for the work we’ll be doing daily, but we have meals and evenings together. We also get to cook for ourselves all month, so just pray that we’ll plan & work together well.
Pray for our hosts, Erv & Sally, as they’ve faced a lot of spiritual warfare recently. Pray for peace and wisdom.
Thanks, guys! And if y’all have any prayer requests, feel free to email me (top left of the screen). I would love to be praying for you guys, too!
