On the way home from prayer group tonight a lady asked if I pass by the exit for the University. I said yes. She expected Pastor Ruth to be at prayer group tonight, because she always is, but tonight Ruth couldn't come. That was going to be her ride home. After some brainstorming she realized if she could get to the University, she could ride a bus home with her husband.
I told her I would take her to her husband. She said, "Just let me out here." I said no, I want to let you out directly to your husband. She said that's not possible because he was still in class, but she could go into the university and meet him at the building where his classroom is. Not my favorite option, but the safest I could think of as we were in the middle of some crazy traffic.
We got to the front exit of the university. It was dark. It gets dark here at 6 p.m. every night (Oh how I miss 9 o'clock sunsets!) and by this point it was 7:30 pm. She said, "I am going to jump out quickly and you go. It is dangerous here." I hated to watch her leave, especially when I realized she had 3 bags with her. That made her more of a target. If the streets weren't packed with cars I would have insisted that we stay in the car or go to a nearby restaurant and wait. I should have planned better. But with all of that traffic we didn't have time to make a plan.
She jumped out and I watched until I couldn't see her anymore.
Then I turned on the radio as I sat in backed up traffic. A music program ended and news started. After counting down all of the people who were found dead today, tonight's topic of discussion was the assaults of people who ride the bus home after classes at the University. Specifically the route that the lady from my church and her husband were about to take.
For the next 15 minutes people called in to the radio show, talking about having been assaulted on that bus route. Lots of people had to drop out of college because all of their books were stolen (sold on a street corner near the U the next day) and they did not have enough money to buy all of their books and supplies again.
All I could do is pray. I love Honduras but I hate that people here have to put themselves in such danger to do everyday things, like go to college.
