Sunday, October 16, 2011

Trouble on Two Wheels...

The day before we left the US to head back to Honduras, a cousin of Hailey’s invited me to go mountain biking with him just outside of Nashville, so I decided to join him. Of course I did not have bicycle, so I rode his wife’s bike. Even though it was a very nice bicycle, it was a few sizes too small. Nonetheless, I had a TON of fun riding the trails. At first I was a bit nervous, as the bike handled much different than my motorcycle in Honduras, and it actually took some effort to make it move (instead of just turning my wrist). As we were nearing the end of the trail, I had a minor accident. Nothing too bad, just a big bruise on the inside of my left thigh.

I learned today that accidents on motorcycles are motorcycles are worse than on bicycles. On my way into town to take one of our students to catch a bus back home, we hit a slippery patch in the road and my back tire slid out from underneath us. We slid on the dirt/rock road and finally came to a halt with the motorcycle on top of our right legs.

“Duele mi pierna…duele mi pierna,” cried Martha. (“My leg hurts, my leg hurts”)

I lifted the motorcycle off our legs, and we both lifted ourselves into a sitting position. My attention immediately turned to Martha, ignoring the fact that my shoulder and knee were in pain. After firing off several questions, I determined that Martha was not hurt seriously and a quick trip to the neighbor’s for some gauze and bandages would be the best choice. It was as I climbed back up on the moto that I realized that I too was injured, though I knew it was nothing serious.

When I returned from the neighbor’s, Martha was standing up with a small smirk on her face, so I knew that she was ok. We treated her cuts and bruises, and she even joked with me. “Last night I prayed that if this trip to my family’s house (the reason for going is not important) was not right, that God would not allow me to go. This is not what I had in mind!”

I told Martha that we had three options:

1) Continue on to Zambrano for her to catch the bus

2) Return to campus

3) Ask a neighbor if he could take her in his truck

She chose option one, so we hopped back on the motorcycle and finished the remainder of the trip with no problems. I waited with her for the bus and we joked about how the morning did not go as either of us had planned. I apologized to her many times and asked that she tell her father I was sorry and explain that I was not being reckless.

After I returned to campus, I cleaned my cuts and took Ibuprofen for a very sore shoulder. My injuries are nothing serious, but I will take a fall on a bicycle over a motorcycle any day. I am sure I will be very sore tomorrow, but am very thankful that our injuries were nothing more serious. It was a good reminder to live every day with joy and to be grateful for the life that God sustains every day.

Back in Action...

After a two-week break in the United States visiting family and friends, we arrived back in Honduras last Monday, October 10th. We landed in the airport and headed off in a taxi to the “bus station” where we would catch a bus to Zambrano. After arriving in Zambrano, we waited another 2 hours before our ride was ready to head back to campus. On our way back, we came to a river that is usually only a foot deep, but this time there were cars lined up on both sides waiting for the river to subside so that they could cross. We, on the other hand, decided that our truck was big enough to cross. After Hailey, Micah, and I exited the car and crossed on a small bridge, Elias took the plunge in the blue truck. Even though the water flowed over the hood of the truck, he safely made it to the other side. After another 40 minutes, we arrived on campus, exhausted from the long day of travel.

The next day, I was planning to head to San Pedro Sula to have a meeting with our organization’s attorney. However, two hours into the trip, our bus came to a sudden halt. After sitting for 15 minutes, we learned that there was a 5,000 person protest in the middle of the highway and that we would be stuck for hours, if not the entire day. After sitting a talking with my new friends on the bus, I decided to head back to campus since there was no way I could make the meeting on time. I got back to the nearest town, Zambrano, without a ride to campus. I started walking, thinking that not long into the 10 mile trip someone would pick me up and I would hitch-hike back to campus. Finally, after walking 5 of the 10 miles, I got a hold of Ira and he came for me on the motorcycle. We rode back in the pouring rain and returned soaking wet. What a day!

Now that we’ve been back for almost a week, we are starting to settle in again. We are enjoying our lives back here and the simple way of life. Although we are having problems with our water supply and electricity, we are grateful for what we have down here.

Thanks to everyone who made our short trip an enjoyable time. We look forward to seeing you all again (hopefully soon)!

Back in Action

After a two-week break in the United States visiting family and friends, we arrived back in Honduras last Monday, October 10th. We landed in the airport and headed off in a taxi to the “bus station” where we would catch a bus to Zambrano. After arriving in Zambrano, we waited another 2 hours before our ride was ready to head back to campus. On our way back, we came to a river that is usually only a foot deep, but this time there were cars lined up on both sides waiting for the river to subside so that they could cross. We, on the other hand, decided that our truck was big enough to cross. After Hailey, Micah, and I exited the car and crossed on a small bridge, Elias took the plunge in the blue truck. Even though the water flowed over the hood of the truck, he safely made it to the other side. After another 40 minutes, we arrived on campus, exhausted from the long day of travel.

The next day, I was planning to head to San Pedro Sula to have a meeting with our organization’s attorney. However, two hours into the trip, our bus came to a sudden halt. After sitting for 15 minutes, we learned that there was a 5,000 person protest in the middle of the highway and that we would be stuck for hours, if not the entire day. After sitting a talking with my new friends on the bus, I decided to head back to campus since there was no way I could make the meeting on time. I got back to the nearest town, Zambrano, without a ride to campus. I started walking, thinking that not long into the 10 mile trip someone would pick me up and I would hitch-hike back to campus. Finally, after walking 5 of the 10 miles, I got a hold of Ira and he came for me on the motorcycle. We rode back in the pouring rain and returned soaking wet. What a day!

Now that we’ve been back for almost a week, we are starting to settle in again. We are enjoying our lives back here and the simple way of life. Although we are having problems with our water supply and electricity, we are grateful for what we have down here.

Thanks to everyone who made our short trip an enjoyable time. We look forward to seeing you all again (hopefully soon)!