This morning I had to go pick up my renewed passport. The news said that anyone outside of the US who applied for a passport on June 9th or after would not get their passport. The computer system was hacked and they reportedly stopped processing passports in any country outside of the US on June 9th. Guess what day I applied for my passport? June 9th.
I thought about alternative plans. I could get into the US with my passport, so I could leave for my vacation next week. But afterward I wouldn't be able to get back into Honduras. To enter Honduras with a US passport, the passport must be more than 6 months from the expiration date. My passport was good until September.
Thankfully, everything went well. When it was my turn the lady went to the back and returned with an envelope. My passport was inside. Yay!
After leaving the US Embassy I went to Los Pinos for the last day of dance VBS. It was strange because even with my passport in hand, I still felt really anxious. It was like I drank 5 cups of coffee.
I missed the morning class. They said it went well. Goodbyes were tearful. The girls in the afternoon all came, along with some of the younger kids who came earlier in the week. One student was totally new. It was a boy. My favorite thing about this week was watching the kids who really LOVE to dance. He was one. He just let loose. He didn't seem self conscious or uncomfortable being the only boy. He just danced!
Dancing brings a kind of joy that I don't see in the kids at any other time. Some of them just love to dance. They seem to forget about the world around them and think only of the freedom they feel when they dance. It is absolutely beautiful to watch.
I am grateful that we were able to host this dance VBS and especially grateful for the dancers who paid their own money to come and teach the kids. We hope this will be an annual event.
On Sunday the kids will dance at the church in Los Pinos. The Pastor is a really special man. Churches in Honduras can be very territorial. Pastor Nikolas is a one of a kind. He is grateful that we want to serve in his neighborhood. He allows Molly and me use the church whenever we need a safe place to meet.
I am excited to present the dance to his congregation on Sunday. I hope it will be a blessing to them. We also made a beautiful banner to leave with the church as a thank you gift.
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| Rooted in Love ♥ |
Today I was hoping to make it to the gym. I talked to Molly about leaving early, but for some reason I didn't feel comfortable leaving. Now I know why. As I said I was feeling anxious. I kept trying to pinpoint what was bothering me, but I couldn't figure it out. My passport was in hand, the week of dancing and VBS was over. It was a great success. And yet, I couldn't relax and enjoy.
Finally I decided to head for home. First I noticed a ton of people were walking toward me on both sides of the road, but there was no car traffic. That seemed strange. Then traffic backed up. It was sudden, but not unusual. I noticed one car turn around instead of waiting in the line in front of me. Then everyone started turning around. I could see police lights but couldn't tell what was going on until some buses and tractor trailers did three point turns and headed back. There was a crowd in the street and only 2 cars in front of me. Some of the police were wearing masks.
I was so close to home, I didn't want to turn back. There is a way to go around, but it is about 6 miles longer and would have tons of traffic. I decided to be stubborn. If I had to wait for a while, it could still be better than driving back and around the long way.
Just then the police opened a hole in the crowd and waved through the two cars in front of me so I followed them through. People were everywhere, but the crowd was calm and parted for us to pass. First I saw one car that was really smashed up. I thought that was horrible, but what I saw over the next half mile or so was shocking.
Fany called me to tell me not to go that way just as I made it through. She said a tractor trailer lost its brakes and came down the hill, taking out all of the cars in front of it until it ran into a cement home. It was carrying something flammable, she said. I had seen cars that were almost flattened and the tractor trailer jack-knifed into the house. A news anchor stood next to my car as I drove through the crowd. Turned out she was the same one Fany was watching on TV.
When I got home Fany invited me in. They were watching the news. Depending on which channel, the news reported between 2-7 people were killed, more than 15 injured.
I started doing the math. There were about 20 cars in front of me when I got to that spot. The rest were taken out by the tractor trailer. If I had come down that hill five minutes earlier, I could have been one of them.
As crazy as it sounds, afterward my unease went away. All of the unexplained anxiety I felt all day was gone. I was not one of those people. I could have left five minutes earlier. But I was home, safe, watching the horrible scene on tv.
Fany called her family who would be on that road, some coming home from school and some going to work. Everyone was accounted for and safe.
Sunday after the kids perform at the church, the team will go to the airport and our week of hosting will be over. We, the adults, were just as blessed as the children we served. I can't wait to see the kids of Los Pinos so free and happy again. This week their smiles were brighter. Their whole demeanor felt lighter. This week I learned that dance can be magical. This week I saw God use the medium of dance to empower and bring immense joy to kids I love in Los Pinos. It was beautiful.
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