Orocuina

So, this past week we took a trip out into the rural area of Honduras, to a small town called Orocuina. We left Sunday around 12:30 and the trip was supposed to take about 3 hours. It was the 4 of us team members with Barry Horst and Nathan Bert.

About an hour into the trip we heard a strange rattling noise in the back right tire. So we pulled off to the side of the road to check it out. It didn´t take long to realize that the axel had slid back and now the tire was rubbing against the back bumper of the car. So...we called home to Kimberly Horst and told her that we would need her to bring us some tools so that we could fix the axel and continue on the trip. Til Kimberly was finally able to get the proper tools and find a friend to come with her, it was about 4:00 when they arrived. Then of course we had to wait for them to fix the tire.

The other problem we had was the heat! Tegucigalpa is cold compared to the weather south where we were going. It was probably in the 90´s or 100 degrees in the sun. Needless to say we had a miserable time waiting in the hot sun for 5 hours. Til we finally got going it was about 5:00 and we still had two hours to go. At about 6:00 it started to get dark. Traveling at night is never a good idea in Honduras as it is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, as we were now out into the rural area it is far more dangerous. And the last part of our trip was on a dirt road for 30 mins. The last hour of our trip to Orocuina was rather scary. But we made it safely.

In Orocuina we stayed with host families and did some evangelism in the streets. The houses there are a lot less modern than here in the city. We had an outhouse for a bathroom, dirt floors, cold bucket baths, and a fireplace for a stove. And lots of bugs and spiders living inside the house! The heat down there was almost unbearable, we went to bed every night soaked in sweat. And sitting around during the day, even in the shade...you just sweat.

Today we returned to Tegucigalpa. Unfortunately, on the way home we had more car troubles. This time it was something in the engine and the car completely shut down and wouldn´t start up again. So Jenny, Gina, Leo and I hitched a ride on a bus back to Tegucigalpa. And Barry and Nate waited for a tow truck to come and get the van. We arrived back safe and sound about noon. But I don´t think any of us will be riding in that van again any time soon! All in all it was a good week and we learned so much by living under those conditions for a few days.

Below are some of our pictures from the trip. The first two are from the car breaking down...THE FIRST TIME. The other pictures are from our stay in Orocuina. The roads in Orocuina, as you can see, are not even dirt roads, they are just big rocks in the middle of the road that you drive over. And the last couple of pictures are of our house and host mom in Orocuina. Enjoy!

Bus incident!!

Last week we did street evangelism with Mike and Shaun´s parents. This was something uncomfortable for the whole team especially trying to go door to door in a different language. We learned a lot about allowing God to work through us and not relying on our own abilities. It was truly amazing to see God work throughout the week. 8 people received Christ during this time and we give all the praise to God. We also connected these people and many who didn´t receive Christ with cell groups from the church that we attend in hopes that they can continue to grow in their walk with Christ.

This week we´ve been working with a dental team from the States as translators and helping in anyway we can. Each morning we take a taxi to a hotel where the dentists are staying and then we travel on a bus with the dentists to the work site which is about 40 mins outside of the city. On Tuesday, Jenny woke up and was not feeling very well but decided to go anyway thinking that she would get better as the morning went on. However, by the time we reached the work site, she was actually feeling worse and was pretty upset. So, while everyone was getting off of the bus I was trying to calm Jenny down. Finally, Jenny and I were ready to get off the bus. But as I stood up, I notice that the bus driver had gotten off and the door was shut. I quickly ran up to see if I could open it. But I could not. And there is no lever in the front of the bus to open the door, you have to have the key. Unfortunately, everyone else was already up at the clinic and the bus driver was no where to be found..... we were locked on the bus!

First, I tried to climb out the window but believe it or not I couldn´t fit. Actually, I probably could have fit but it would have been very difficult to get out because those windows are really high up off of the ground. Besides even if I could have managed to get out there was no way Jenny would have been able to get out. Then I noticed that the drivers window was slightly bigger than the other windows. So, I was able to squeeze out of his window and grab onto a ledge on the house right besided the bus and I was able to swing myself to the ground! Then it was Jenny´s turn and she slowly squeezed out through the window and let herself down onto my shoulder and I then let her down to the ground.

Also, rather amusing was that Gina showed up just as Jenny was climbing out of the window and she got to witness the whole event. It was rather amusing although Jenny didn´t seem to think so at the time. But needless to say we got out and had a wonderful day working with the dental team!