At risk of making the understatement of the year there have been some pretty significant changes in the last couple of weeks for all of us. It is impossible to think there is a single one of us who has not been impacted in some way by the Coronavirus crisis. In this post we would like to give you a glimpse into how CV19 has affected life in Honduras.
On Sunday March 15th the Honduras government made the decision to close the borders effective at midnight. We were given about 4 hours notice. At that time they began to implement many of the initial preventive measures outlined by the CDC. With the restrictions there were exceptions so that many things could continue largely as normal, except of course entering or leaving the country. However, we knew life was beginning to change. We were wondering just how much it might change.
At this time there were 6 reported cases in the country. Just a couple of days prior there had been 3.
Over the course of the next couple of days the number of cases increased slowly but gradually and the travel restrictions became more intense as many of the exceptions to travel were being removed while more things were being ordered to shut down. There was a period of confusion as to which curfew and which exceptions applied as there were so many conflicting reports and rumors circulating. The changes were more noticeable.
During this time San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba, the three largest cities in Honduras, were blocked off with none permitted to enter or leave and travel within strictly limited. It wasn’t long before movement within these cities was prohibited completely. Life had just changed dramatically for residents of those cities.
As cases continued to increase this became the norm as more and more smaller cities followed suit. It wasn’t long before Gracias, the largest town closest to us, was closed off. All of this was supposed to be in effect until March 22nd. However by Thursday March 19th the reported cases had grown to 24 and a complete nationwide curfew was implemented. This is when life changed dramatically for all of us.
All businesses, except pulperias (small neighborhood convenience stores) were shut down and everyone was required to stay home. The only exception is that we can go to our neighborhood pulperia for basic supplies. To enforce the curfew multiple checkpoints were set up all across the country. This curfew is scheduled to be lifted on March 29th and we are praying to that end.
The hunt for information about how to get American citizens stranded in Honduras back home was underway. Like the curfews, there were so many stories and rumors circulating it was very hard to understand what was happening, how or when people were going to get home. Fortunately within a few days we began to hear about evacuation flights being scheduled.
Beginning March 24th community leaders began to take matters into their own hands by erecting more road blocks in and around Gracias and La Campa. While some of these roadblocks may not have been completely “official” it is understandable why they were being established.
I’d like to take a brief detour from the story. There are some who are claiming on social media that Honduras is under martial law. While I am not a legal scholar it seems to me that the words “martial law” are somewhat of an exaggeration of what is actually happening. Yes, constitutional freedoms to circulate freely have been temporarily suspended. However, the elected government is still in control and all of the remaining laws have remained in effect and are being enforced by the police. One might call that martial law by another name but considering that the military has not taken control of the streets nor the country it is accurate and balanced to report that we are not under “martial law”.
But there is something else that you may find more remarkable based on the reputation that Honduras has in the media; the country has been completely at peace. Until very recently there were no uprisings or protests, there has been no looting of stores even though many more Hondurans are doing without more so than usual. Within the last 24 hours there have been a few incidents in some of the larger cities where people are running out of the basic necessities for living. There are also many who are suffering economic hardship because they are not allowed to work. One such example are the taxi and bus drivers but there are many, many others. Please pray that decisions are made as soon as possible allowing people to return to work and to be able to get the things they need to survive without compromising public health.
Whether you think this virus is being exploited for other purposes or that it’s severity is simply being blown out of proportion, the Honduran people largely have respect for the measures being taken to stop the spread of a potentially dangerous virus. People here understand how fragile the healthcare system really is and that it would not take much for it to be overwhelmed. In these circumstances a perhaps not as deadly as predicted virus could still cause a lot of damage.
There was something else that we found very encouraging. Jean and I were in San Pedro Sula on Sunday when the announcement was made about closing the borders. We had a volunteer who had come here to serve at CRILE, the therapy center in Gracias, and at La Casa De Rubén who was scheduled to return to Georgia on Monday morning. Obviously she couldn’t and there will be more written when that chapter is finished.
Due to the border closure we found ourselves nearly 5 hours away from home, with a volunteer who was not permitted to leave the country, and needing to get a few things with a 6:00 p.m. curfew looming (this was the first curfew that was to be in effect until March 23rd). While Jean was talking to Delta about the changes I (Greg) went out to get the few remaining supplies that we needed for ourselves and some others in La Campa. Even as the new curfew was drawing closer I didn't witness the panic buying and hoarding of toilet paper or other supplies that had been common in other parts of the world. The lines were a little longer but people went about calmly purchasing just the things that would be needed.
You might at this point be wondering about La Casa De Rubén. Well, we have been unable to visit La Casa De Rubén since March 14th but we are very happy to report that everything is going very well there. We are so thankful for all of the staff who are working so hard to make sure that Rubén, Rosalina and Marlen are being cared for properly. We are so thankful to the family who owns the grocery store from which we buy all of the food for the house. Maria, our director, had made sufficient plans for the house to be stocked at least until the 24th, the first shopping day after the first curfew was to be lifted. However, on the 19th when the new and extended nationwide curfew went into effect, again with very little warning, Maria, our director, talked to the owners and they agreed to make a special delivery of food as all movement within the city of Gracias, except for medical emergencies, had already been prohibited. This delivery provided enough food for the house to last until the end of the month.
One aspect of our ministry that has been impacted very significantly, besides the fact that we can’t leave our property, is that short term mission teams are unable to come and serve. Before the border closure and curfews kicked in the team leader for the group from Kentucky made the decision to postpone their trip until July. We have heard that many June teams are cancelling and in fact one of our June teams has made that decision. Based on the information we have at present cancelling June trips is not unreasonable. Jean and I had made plans to visit the states in May but at this point it is looking very unlikely that we will be able to make this trip.
None of us know what the future holds. Based on what I am seeing it seems hard to imagine that life will return to the previous normal that we all knew prior to March 2020. Does that mean all is lost? Absolutely not! I am starting to think that a new normal, at least in some areas, might not be such a bad thing. Unfortunately I think we collectively as humans, and within our communities and families, and individually, will have to pass through some trials to get there. In my spirit I sense that we are just barely into the beginning of the trials. I don’t enjoy trials any more than you. How we respond to the trials has everything to do with where we end up.
In the world right now most everything looks bleak. People are infected and many are dying from the Coronavirus. Entire nations are shut down. People are stranded, struggling to get back to their home countries and families. The global financial system is under extreme stress and in some ways is collapsing before our very eyes. Incredible amounts of wealth have been wiped off the books in an unprecedented amount of time.
Life as we knew it has changed. Dramatically.
Will the financial system recover? Yes, eventually. Will everyone who wants to return to their home country do so? I think so. But we can tell you that it is not done easily based on our experiences of the last week figuring out how and helping others to return to the U.S. from Honduras. And there are any other number of other things happening that could be cited.
But the main question is this-are you fearful or faithful? I’d be lying if I said that we have not been fearful at times. But mostly, we have been faithful and I encourage you to be faithful too. Place your faith in God if you are struggling with all of the changes and difficulties because He is faithful. He has promised to never leave or forsake His children. He never promised that we would not have problems in this life. But He has promised to be with us when the problems come. One of the greatest opportunities for His children to bring Him glory is by standing firm in our faith during the greatest of challenges. So now is our opportunity, those who claim to be Christians, to be the light in the world during these difficult times, to draw others to Jesus as we love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Personally, and on behalf of FHD Missions Honduras we thank all of you so much. You are a greater encouragement to us than you can know. If there is anything we can do, any way that we can pray specifically for you, please contact us. May you find the peace from God that surpasses all understanding during these difficult times. Blessings to you and your family.