The Wrong Bus Stop
Fellowship with Arturo’s and Anita’s Family
Three wheeled moto-taxi that sounded “like a giant bumble bee”
Scenes from Tepextapuc
From Lexi’s adobe room
Praying for the man who’s wife died
Our hosts, Pastors Lorenzo and Jonas, getting shot at for sharing the Gospel
Rufina & Margarita
Up to the wildflowers on donkeys
Our next destination was a quaint town outside Oaxaca City. We weren’t sure of the bus connections, but boarded a grinding beater and jiggled down a highway into the dusk. Grady met a girl who gave him directions in Spanish. We thought she said, “Get off when I get off.” But when we stepped off, it was in the middle of nowhere.
What could we do? We began walking beside the dark highway.
Grady:
It’s hard to explain, but I was having a slight sense of despair as we were on our way to this place – wherever it was. Tired from traveling, I was anxious from not knowing how things would work out. My faith was small. I was focused on what I did not know. I believe your prayers helped change my outlook.
Don:
We heard music, Christian music. Then Grady saw a sign for a church. We knew we should follow the music.
Grady:
The believers were in the middle of prayer, so we filed into a pew. I noticed white hands crossed behind a man’s back. Can this be an American? What’s an American doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?
At the end of the service, we were introduced to Glenn, a cheerful laid-back missionary from the States. He introduced us to Arturo, the pastor of the church. The next morning, we met to discuss ideas for the book and who could fit a character we were looking for. They directed us to Arturo’s sister, Anita.
Fellowship with Arturo’s and Anita’s Family
We interviewed Anita and were glad to have found what we were looking for. She shared her testimony of how she received the Lord, and there was not a dry eye in the room. Her whole family had accepted Christ after her and now her brother and dad were pastors. We spent quality time with their family, and Don spoke at their church on Sunday with a message on forgiveness.
Seeing God provide again and again for what we have needed has been a wonderful thing to be a part of. It has also made me recognize that each new situation requires new faith to believe God for that which is unseen. When God tests us in a situation that requires faith, and we rise to the challenge and stand on faith, then we seem to have gained a new position in our walk with Christ.
Don:
For two weeks we stayed at the orphanage where Anita worked. In the book, this is where we meet Pedra. This little girl and her true life story are central to the novel. From the orphanage we met two pastors who hosted us in the mountain village of Tepextapuc, an exotic setting for Lexi’s saga. All this came about because we got off the bus at the “wrong” place.
Tepextapuc
Grady:
Don said, “we pretty much just stand wherever we are and look stupid, and God seems to bring to us whatever we need.” It’s amazing to see time and time again how God puts us in a place at the exact time we need to be there.
Three wheeled moto-taxi that sounded “like a giant bumble bee”
Scenes from Tepextapuc
From Lexi’s adobe room
Praying for the man who’s wife died
Our hosts, Pastors Lorenzo and Jonas, getting shot at for sharing the Gospel
Rufina & Margarita
Up to the wildflowers on donkeys
We quite often had no idea where we were going, when we would get there, where we’d stay, or how to get to the next place. From the time we left the orphanage, let me show you how it played out.
We were about to leave the pueblo for Oaxaca central, and as we walked out the door, Lynnae and Fairlight, two of the staff members, were headed to Oaxaca central to get groceries. They happened to have two seats available with trunk space which fitted our gear nicely. Thank you God!
While we were on our way to Oaxaca we spoke with Santiago, another orphanage staff member (and a character in the book), and he gave us directions to where we could get a ride to Puerto Escondido (a 7 hour stomach-tumbling trip) so we could continue with the research. The girls dropped us off and we said our good-byes. We went to the store to get lunch and as we walked out, a taxi rolled up and took us to our suburban ride station. We got there 10 minutes before the next bus. We arrived in Puerto Escondido and made the short walk to the hotel Santiago recommended. The hotel happened to be right next to the bus station where we purchased tickets for the next day’s southeastward travel.
We sat on the bus for 15 hours until we reached a city near the Mexican-Guatemalan border. Tired from riding through the night, we were both thinking about a hotel and some rest, but as we got off the bus an agent asked if we were going to Guatemala. The next bus would leave in 10 minutes and go to El Salvador as well. Despite our flesh saying no, we knew the Lord provided the ride and hopped aboard.
26 hours on buses since we left Puerto Escondido, and we made it to San Salvador, El Salvador. We needed a place to stay and there was a hotel adjacent to the bus station that offered discount rates to bus travelers.
All this fit into the novel as Lexi raced through Central America. Thank you God … once again.
Some may read this and think it was all a coincidence, but me … I believe it was from God. Don and I prayed for these things to happen, for the Lord to
direct our steps, as he says He will in Proverbs 16:9.