48 hours

Oaxaca has been making international news these last few days. So... what exactly is happening in Oaxaca? I will try to help you see things through my eyes, but you may understand things better if you first read either or both of these 2 articles:

CNN.com - Force last resort in Oaxaca unrest
Guardian Unlimited - Mexican city grinds to halt

So, starting on Thursday morning, the plan was that the city would shut down for 48 hours - gas stations, grocery stores and major businesses would close, no buses or taxis would run. People were lining up around the block to gas up their cars, families stocked up on food, and the ATM was empty because people withdrew so much cash in anticipation of something happening.

I was going to write about how weird it was that the streets were empty, that stores were closed, and that the city was at a standstill. But, that is not what happened. When I left for school on Thursday morning, I walked past the open supermarket. There were taxis driving buy on the busy street, and I could see buses in the distance, running their regular routes.

There wasn't anyone at the corner where I usually catch the bus, so I began walking along the bus route to get to school. The streets were kind of empty, and I never saw my bus pass by. Once I got closer to the town center, I saw why. The street was blocked in a couple different places by stolen cars/trucks or large tree branches. There were smoking remains of bonfires that had burned during the night and early morning. The blockades were (as the articles mentioned) reinforced and there was new graffiti on the walls, declaring the governor an assassin and ordering him to leave the government.

But through the weirdness of it all, I never felt like I was in danger. Today, there were even more people out on the streets, going about their daily routines. I'm sure my bus is still running, just not on its regular route. I am including a photo I took this morning of one of the barricades.

In the left part of the picture, you can see a stand that has been painted "Fuera Ulises Asesino," which means "Leave Assassin Ulises (the governor)." The sign standing up on the center of the barricade says "Estamos listos" - "We are ready." This is in anticipation of government force.

When I am sitting in the house, reading on the internet about what is going on, it can make me afraid to go out. But many times what is in the news is only the exaggerated dramatic part of the story and, in reality, it is safe to go out.

Please continue to pray for Oaxaca - the lack of tourist income is affecting nearly every aspect of life here. The news that there are new travel advisories out for tourists is yet another staggering blow to people's hope of recovering the devastated economy.

In the midst of chaos, how good it is to remember that God is not in some far away place, but is watching and moving - in ways that we cannot understand. How important it is to truly say: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done."