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| Our caravan for the journey south! |
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| Yummy grapes! |
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| Blueberries! Still |
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| Too long in one vehicle :) |
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| Pretty much, I froze! |
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| Shams & I |
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| Beaver & kids |
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| Becca and I |
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| Mom, Zoe, & I |
This part of the trip started at about 2am. Parents drove me to the airport, I flew out, got on my connecting flight, went through customs, caught a bus to the bus station in Cancun, MX. That was uneventful.... except that I almost missed my bus trying to buy credit for a borrowed Mexican phone. While waiting for the bus to the south, started talking with a "little lady". "I need to give her a GLOW tract". We all loaded up. Oops, I missed it. I sit down next to a young Mexican guy who speaks English. I'm so tired, I just want to sleep! So I get some sleep, read some, talk a little.
I thought to myself, "My trips are so uneventful". About 4 hours after leaving Cancun, the bus comes to a halt right behind a semi truck. I always love it when I am stuck behind a semi! Can't see a thing! What's going on? Everything is in Spanish,.... Hmmm, a road-block, huh? Teachers, yeah, they are protesting. Oh, teachers aren't scary people, they'll move shortly. At least when it gets dark. It's raining! Yay, they'll go home. 1 hour later: I'm enjoying this book. 2 hours: it's about time we go. I want to get home! People are waiting for me, phone doesn't work! 3 hours: can't we walk through and catch a bus on the other side? The driver gets up closer, a bunch of people leave; oh, do I ever want to go with them! Probably not safe for a gringa with a bunch of junk to walk through a road-block. The "little lady" I talked to at the bus station told me she was going to go check it out. Bueno, me voy tambien. I got up, so did the guy I was sitting next to (who had walked to it once already) and a middle-aged gringa.
Four of us, without our stuff, took the 10-ish minute walk to the block. It was actually quite intimidating! Fires by the sides of the road, people standing there with masks on, sticks and machetes in hand. I mean, a ton of people! They told us we could walk through, so we continued on our trek. Over barbed wire, stumps, trees; around people lying on mats talking; beside people eating supper; next to people singing; through another group of armed people on the other side. Around 400 people! What did we find on the other side? A bus or taxi to take us and the rest to our destination? Nope, only more vehicles; frustrated people trying to get to family emergencies, home for the night, or vacation. I keep thinking, "there must be taxis back there somewhere!" Ok, maybe not. Back to the bus we go!
At this time, about 4 hours after our nice trip was halted, there are only about 8 of us left on the bus, + the driver. What to do? Go back an hour to the closest town? Everything inside me screams, "NOOOO! I want to go home tonight!" Then I realize how unsafe it is for me to go through there alone with all my junk. Or with one other lady who wants to go. No, I better stay on the bus.
A "gringo couple" are included in the 8. I go back to talk to the "little lady". She said we should stay in a hotel and that the two of us could get one. Somehow I started talking to her and the wife of the "gringo couple" about what I do in Belize, about Jay (see older blog), etc. We had great fun and the hour flew by. 8 of us got off the bus. 7 of us decided to stick together. We went to find a place to stay. Got rooms, the "little lady" and I staying together, then they wanted to get supper. Ugghh, it was 11:00pm by this time and I wasn't dying of hunger, because Becca had packed me amazing meals! Well, I'll go with them.... Hmmmm, smoothie sounds good! Fun chats. Wow, it's crazy what kinds of bonds are built with people under such circumstances. That night, the "little lady" told me to say my prayers, and so we were able to pray together and then in the morning, we talked a little bit about reading my Bible.
Early that morning we met again to figure things out and headed to breakfast. We packed up and dragged/carried our junk back to the bus station. After some negotiating (by those who spoke Spanish fluently), they decided we could catch the next bus around the road-block, without paying again! We waited, talked, shared stories, pictures, and experiences. The "gringo couple" live in Belize as well, and are nice. Finally, the bus comes and we throw our bags under and jump on! Super curvy roads, man was I car-sick! (bus-sick?) Finally, we made it to Chetumal! Said our goodbyes (I gave most of them my e-mail address, on a GLOW tract; made sure the "little lady" got hers:), except 4 of us went to the boarder together. Uneventful boarder crossing, besides being ripped off by the taxi because we were all gringos.
What a relief to see the little grey truck coming with two of my dearest friends, Keila and Katie! I don't think I was ever more excited to see them! My 3 new friends and I cram into it. We drive to the nearest town and drop them off at the restaurant. I'm pretty sure I'll see the "gringo couple" again!
As I think back on my day, I'm amazed at how God arranged things! My plane was late landing, my luggage took a super duper long time to get there, I had to wait for the bus TO the bus station, had to wait a while for the bus south. How is it that God designed I would be on that bus with just those people? I don't know, but I know that he arranged divine appointments from that trip! I don't know what the outcome will be. Even though this trip was one of the most stressful, scary, exciting, exasperating trips I have ever taken, I can see how the hand of God arranged every circumstance. When you are tempted to worry, to wonder: "why does this have to happen to me?", remember:
God "never leads his children otherwise then they would choose to be
led if they could see the end from the beginning." PK 578
It was SO nice having you here again! I miss you tons and can't wait to see you again.
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