The Chicken Bus Travel

March 14, 2011
In amongst the scary turns and the construction on the highway from Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula I am taking a few moments to update my blog. I am returning from a trip to visit missionary friends in Tegucigalpa and a few days with Evelin at the rehab center. My friends, whom I had known from Costa Rica, just arrived in Honduras the end of January so I was able to hear about their ministry and see a bit of their life. I was reminded of the instability of life in Central America the one afternoon as I sat with my friends outside playing a game of Settler’s in the green area within the walls of their apartment complex. All of a sudden, not too far away, we heard the rattle of gunfire. It broke the tranquility of the afternoon. A little while later we heard a car alarm going off but it was a moving car alarm which meant it was probably being stolen. And then the final break in tranquility was when their neighbor, a lawyer with a bodyguard, pealed into the parking area and then left quickly. You just never know what to expect. But I am reminded that it is nothing in compared to the tragedy and instability in Japan right now. Because I had no internet much of the weekend I have not been able to keep up on what is happening there, but I know that it is not good.

The other main part of my trip was a visit with Evelin. I knew that it would hold challenges because on Friday she told me that she was ready to leave even though she is only two months into what is at least a four month program. I knew that there were lots of prayers being lifted up as I went into the visit and looking back I see God’s hand at work. I have discovered over the last few years that God seems to bring me back into Evelin’s life in just the right moments. I am honored that He continues to work through me in her life. Saturday evening we talked with one of the staff at Door of Hope and presented Evelin with the reality of the future, that which she preferred to overlook. Through sharing with her and a time of prayer, God spoke to her heart and convicted her she recognized that this was not God’s timing for her to leave. Her desire is to submit to His plans. I know that the road ahead of her will still hold many challenges but I am thankful to see her looking to fix her eyes on Jesus and not the battles within.

These bus rides are interesting. Whether it be bad movies which I would rather not see or now opera, I have not been too impressed with the on-board entertainment. I try to drown out the sound with an I-pod and music but it only partially works.
As I return to San Pedro Sula, I will be picking up my car from the mechanic and hopefully everything that needs to be fixed for selling it will be taken care of. Things seem to be working out quite well with selling it but I am praying that on the day of signing papers and everything there will not be any glitches as can happen in this country. I feel like I do not have too many days left for meeting up with friends to say goodbye but I am hoping that the time I have is sufficient. I just need to plan ahead and plan well.

With all of the curves right now, I am feeling that I would be better off not looking at a computer screen so my entry ends here.

*I must add one more comment on my trip, now that I have reached my destination. I was traveling in a coach bus which provides extra security and a place to store your luggage. It is not what they call the “chicken bus” – the type where you may have a live chicken trying to sit in your lap. Well, I discovered that I was on a “chicken bus.” Mid-way through the trip, a bag that had been precariously placed in the overhead compartment, came crashing down to the floor and rolled under my seat. I could not reach it so I left it there, especially because no one seemed concerned about it. When we reached the city and the bag rolled in the other direction, a bunch of liquid spilled out onto the floor. At first I thought it was my soda but upon closer examination of the bag and its contents, I realized that what lay at my feet was a thawing chicken – and a big one at that. Why someone decided to transport a chicken from one city to another on a four hour bus trip, I cannot pretend to understand. All I know is that once the bag was open more and juices were running out a very unpleasant odor began to seep from the bag. I was thankful to get off the bus and move into the terminal.