Cooped up by the Coup

Family and friends have been asking us how we are doing following the coup in Honduras. We have been meaning to blog something about the political situation we find ourselves in here in Honduras, but it's hard to know what to say and we find ourselves waiting for something to happen to blog about... waiting and anticipating and agonizing and waiting. Not that we want anything to happen, except maybe a peaceful resolution to a crazy situation. Basically we, along with most of Honduras, are just waiting for this thing to be resolved so we can go on with our lives.

The coup actually took place while we were on home leave in Ohio for Mark (our son) and Kate's wedding. As a special remembrance, the army stormed into President Zelaya's home the morning after their wedding, removed the president in his pajamas, and trundled him out of the country. We were scrambling to keep up with the news from the states, trying to discern what was happening by following Honduran newspapers on-line. (They are not particularly known for their objective reporting). Thank goodness for email and skype so we could communicate with MCCers in country to get their take - although they also indicated there was massive confusion that whole day.

We returned to Honduras two weeks after the coup, not knowing what to expect and a little leery as we traveled from the airport to the office late at night. The main differences we noted were a lot more police and military presence and a lot less (like zero) mission groups and gringos coming into the airport. We saw a pro-Zelaya protest march going by the office the following day led by the teachers union, but it was quite peaceful and actually protected by police forces in front of and at the end of the marchers.

Since that time things have gotten more tense as both sides of the issue have become more vocal and the marches larger in size. There is always this tension in the air that things could go bad anytime. We are becoming more aware of what's going on and where NOT to be. Kathy and I are covering as interim MCC representatives for several months and we have become more atuned to all this as we feel responsibility for the safety and well being of the MCC workers in country.

We are also learning to plan our travels to avoid the frequent blockades of highways into and out of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Last week was the first that the pro-Zelaya protesters began blocking the exit routes from Tegucigalpa. Andrew was planning to pick up Liz, one of the SALTers near Danli, but didn't know whether he could get out... or if they could get back into Teguc. I climbed up on our roof, since we have a great view of the city, and tried to scope the roads with my binoculars to check for traffic (actually not a smart thing to do in a time of civil unrest) and saw some movement, so he and I made a run for it. Fortunately the Danli route was the one major road not blockaded that day and we retrieved Liz without incidence. The next day Andrew, Amanda, and Rachel took Liz to San Pedro Sula, leaving at 5:30 am to beat the blockade and we did the same the following day, taking the sun-rise special bus.

But in general life just goes on, even here in the city. When we read or watch the news, it's like watching something happen in a different place. I told Kathy today, it's like a bunch of bullies fighting at recess and the rest of us just have to stay away from the playground. Even today, Mel Zalaya made a dramatic drive from Nicaragua to the border crossing at Los Manos and took a few bold (or was it timid?) steps across the border. It was a big news event - there were a ton of reporters with him and thousands of supporters being held off in a town 12 km from the border by the military. It was a situation that could have blown up in a very bad way. In Nueva Suyapa, the only indication of trouble was seeing the airforce planes take off from the airbase in the morning. Otherwise, the buses were running every 5 minutes, the vendors still came by hawking their goods, the kids went to school, men went to their construction jobs, kids yelled "vendame" to buy at the pulperia next door, and the boys played marbles after dark on the street.

Let's just hope it will continue that way. Pray for common sense.... and peace to prevail.