This last week has been tumultuous. We have been experiencing major striking, road blocks, and rioting here in Puerto Cabezas for the last week. The problem is over upcoming elections and unfulfilled promises by the central government. With three US partnership teams out in villages and Viola stuck in Managua, it has been a logistical nightmare.  Two of our teams ran out of fuel for vehicles and cooking.  Our vehicle that was to supply them could not pass the roadblocks. While we are not targets of the unrest, we are certainly victims.  The team from FBC Groveland, FL was able to return from about 10 hours out on Thursday night. They arrived at the road block at about 11:30. We were able to meet them with a truck on this side and they walked across the barricade and were able to return safely to Puerto Cabezas, arriving at 2:00 am.

Flights to and from the Capital were to resume on Friday morning.  The Groveland team left on the first flight. Viola returned on that same flight along with Sue and Roy Beard, short term volunteer coordinators. As they were leaving the airport, a mob showed up demanding the closure of the airport. The police close the gate as Viola and the Beards left the airport.  Over the next couple of hours fighting broke out between two opposing group in front of the airport. The problem continues to be the elections and unfulfilled promises by the central government. One group wants to postpone the regional elections and the other is opposed to postponing the elections. Two people were killed, dozens injured and two government cars were burned. The city hall was ransacked. The police and the military stayed out of it. 

Needless to say no more airline flights arrived or left. Nor did we expect any the rest of the weekend. So the decision was made to try the get the two remaining teams out by land through Rosita. It is a 12-14 hours drive. Rafa, our administrator, was able to arrange for one of the buses that was stuck on the other side barricades to take the 18 volunteers to Managua. Jim left early to bring the two teams back in. Bribing his way through several road blocks, Jim was able to reach the team from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and get them back through the road blocks. The other team from North Carolina was cutting lumber and was able to return just in time to load on the bus to take both teams to Managua. The bus traveled all night and arrived at the Managua airport just in time for them to catch their flights to the US. For them this was an adventure and we are praising the Lord for protection and guidance.

On Saturday morning everything seemed to return to normal. Viola and Jim drove into town to make some purchases and life appears to be calm. The local bank was open, as well as all the stores. Saturday school classes were going on. The government has agreed to sit down and talk with everyone. Not sure what the future holds, but for now things seem to be peaceful.  The airport opened back up at noon and flights were resumed as normal.  A partnership team from FBC Gardendale AL was able to arrive on the last fight ready for ministry.

While we certainly would not expose our partnership teams to danger, living and traveling in this region has its risks. We tell folks all the time “if it was easy, someone would have already done it.” We (the Baptist Mission) are well known and well respected on the Atlantic Coast. All of our vehicles have the Baptist Mission emblem on then and we seem to get preferential treatment whenever there are barricades or police stops. We are usually waved on, once they see that it is the Baptist Mission.  The US embassy has called us several times over the last couple of days, both to check on us and to ask our view of the situation. We responded with our non-political assessment of the situation and the level of safely.

The last several days have been a true test in patience. Continue to pray for the situation:

Ø  Pray that peaceful minds will prevail and that no more violence will take place.

Ø  Pray that the partnership teams who have made a commitment to ministry will be able to come and share Christ in the midst of hopelessness.

Ø  Pray that Jim and Viola will make wise decision regarding ministry, travel, and partnership teams.

Ø  Pray for our pastors and church leaders in Puerto Cabezas, that they may be a calming influence in the midst of a conflictive environment.