Sunday, August 26, 2007

Arrival in Monterrey & Providence along the way

Hello everyone, this time from Monterrey in northern Mexico! If anyone out there still remembers the 'end of the school year' feeling, that's a little how I'm feeling right now. After nearly 10months on the road I'm now within 5 days of crossing out of Latin America into western culture! I'm looking forward to crossing into US soil but it's also a little daunting to think that for the first time in 10 months I'll be able to speak english, I'll be able to understand everything people are saying to me & I'll be able to read the road signs. I could possibly have 'culture shock' in heading back into my own culture! I'm speaking more & more Spanish as well so it's a little sad to leave before learning 'enough' of the language (however much that is). This week Nikki & I averaged well over 40km a day & we are feeling the pinch a little now. The scenery was breathe-taking though & we met some great characters along the way. The Lord provided for us with a roof a number of times when it looked doubtful that anything would become available. On Monday we stayed in an empty chapel, which wasn't overly comfortable (Nikki had my hammock & I had the concrete floor... owwww). Then on Tuesday we stopped under a tree for a bite to eat when all of a sudden the house behind us became frantic with people running everywhere as they tried to kill a rattle snake that had ended up in their living room! We watched in amazement as they swept the snake out with a broom & then... disposed of it. At that point, without warning, heavy rain started to fall & as we gathered our gear together the family, still standing over the 'disposed of snake', called us inside to shelter. The father was an American citizen & Pentecostal preacher & after a great chat, we stayed for dinner & were offered the spare beds! Then on Wednesday, after a huge 52km day, we finished in the dead of night at a town with no church & no hotel. Actually, I couldn't see many people either. Nikki had been praying for somewhere to stay & so I asked the Lord, "Ok, what's the deal? Where are we staying?" A building off to my right hand side caught my eye & I felt the Lord say, "You're here". So, Nikki & I wandered over to the darkened, lifeless, closed building & as we did, a man walked out from the back & through the side fence. He was a Police officer & had just knocked off work. We chatted for a moment & he happily invited us to travel the 40km back to his place for the night & then he would drop us back first thing in the morning. Great stuff! Thankyou Officer Hector! I've found this week a little 'heavy' as I've walked. Although there is predominantly a huge welcoming from people of all walks of faith to pray for each other that we'd be united completely in Christ, there has also been the odd rejection. I've found it difficult to swallow that praying for each other to be united in Christ is even an obstacle at all. The question of 'why?' has popped up a lot this week. In the end though, I can only keep walking & keep praying. Christ implored us to pray for our enemies, so praying for other Christians should surely be within our limits. My favourite moment from this week though had to be the communities of Gophers we passed along a 50km stretch of highland plains. They were very inquisitive & consistantly called out to one another as we approached. I'm not sure if the farmers appreciated all the holes though. There are also a lot more snakes in this area, one of which was slithering down along the edge of the road next to where I needed to walk. A few accurately looped stones to the left of its head & it kindly headed right & off the road into the grass, where 5ft black snakes belong. Walk on. I hope everyone back in Australia enjoys the last week of winter & I look forward to seeing everyone soon (11months actually). Oh, & to anyone who has sent me an email & is waiting for a reply - I currently have 128 unread emails, so please be patient! I'm plugging away slowly. God bless & please pray on! Sam.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching & to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread & to prayer." Acts 2:42

Saturday, August 18, 2007

'Rattle Snakes & Cactus' and the 81km

Hello once again, this time from Matehuela, Mexico. Nikki & I are both in good health & continuing to walk & pray for unity. We have travelled far into northern Mexico & the scenery is constantly changing around us. Up until yesterday I thought that I wouldn't have a great deal to write about. The only thing of real note was an incredible thunder storm that swept across a plain & competely saturated us for the final 5km of that day. Oh, & the passing of the strawberry & cream highway stands from last week to the rattle snake & cactus stalls of this week. Bizzare. And yes, the 'rattlers' were for eating... I'll have a cactus thanks! Other than that it was a 'quiet' week of slogging it out from town to town & the daily chores that go with it. That is of course until yesterday. It began as normal; 4:30am alarm, 5am wake up holding alarm... & then hit the road under the cover of morning darkness. After only a kilometre or so Nikki & I rounded a small hill to be met by an amazing sight - car headlights stretching in a dead straight line all the way to the horizon. That was one very straight piece of road & it was home for the day. In fact, the other end of the road was some 60km away, so a car that appeared on the horizon with it's lights gleaming stayed in view for well over half an hour before flying past at 100hm/hr. Traffic was intense even for that time of day & so the darkness of the night was split in half by this pin-straight flickering fire light of car headlights. Nikki & I were scheduled to walk 42km for the day & back it up today with another 42km to Matehuela. However, after tipping 45km, we still hadn't found a place to stay & the locals were all indicating that we wouldn't until Matehuala itself. Nikki was struggling with leg soreness & so travelled on ahead by truck to secure accomodation at 'the first hotel'. I wasn't sure how much further I would walk, but eventually I would also need to find a lift or sleep on the side of the freeway with the living 'rattlers'. 50km came & went, then a sign marking the Tropic of Cancer & then sunset. Not sure of how far I would be walking I kept drinking more & more water to ensure a repeat of 2 weeks ago didn't eventuate. The night time walking was pleasant & once again I could see the stretch of car headlights, but this time from the other end of the road. Some of you may remember a certain day back in February when I walked 66km & came face to face with a Puma in the dead of night. That night pushed me on many levels & for only the second time in my life I once again visited kilometre 66. Although there were no Puma's about it felt strange to push on past that mark into 'new ground'. Praying & singing the whole time my body began to hurt less & less & after 73km I eventually pulled in to a service station to restock my food & water supplies, which had just run out. Nikki was carrying our money & I had only a $20 note in my backpack hip pocket, but it would be enough to feed me for the moment. Twice that evening I had been offered either water or food from people as I passed by & a packet of donated biscuits had ended up in the same hip pocket. On arriving at the petrol station I discovered that the note was no more! I must have pulled it out with the biscuit packet at some point & so it's probably still sitting alongside the freeway somewhere. Oh the agony! A shop full of food, a stomach with none & no money. To rub salt into the wound, I was busting to go to the toilet & in order to open the door I had to pay $2... I had $1. A moment of staring at the door in disbelief & I turned & continued walking, praying even more for the unity of all Christians & also for the faith of the Mexican people. It was another 7km to the hotel (or so a sign told me) so, with my body still working (apart from an angry stomach) I walked on through to kilometre 81 &, much to my delight, discovered that Nikki was there (fast asleep in bed) & I had a great little room waiting for me. It was now 2:30am. After having a substantial dinner I finally slinked into bed at 4am, 23hours after waking up. I'm very thankful for being able to finish of the final 3km into the city centre this afternoon & apart from muscle soreness, all is well. Only an hour ago I had $50 stolen from right under my nose so that ticked me off to no end but such are the obstacles in this 'race'. Tomorrow morning we head north for the final stretch to Monterrey city, which we are hoping to cove in 9 days or less. Please pray for unity (for truth & love) & I hope you have a beautiful week! God bless, Sam.
ps: A few times in prayer this week (and in particular in praying for unity with those I may not currently be 'united' with) I was reminded of something my mate Simon once said to me. It was a simple encouragement to always defend people behind their back. And, as Paul wrote;
"Remind the people to be subject to rulers & authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, & to show true humility toward all men." Titus 3:1-2

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Saved by Scarpa, Racing Heart Rate & a Dead Dog

Greetings from Santa Maria del Rio! An interesting week to say the least & my boots have played a major role a few times. This is stunning countryside Nikki & I are walking through - stark mountains, cactus everywhere, farmers on donkies - but the walk very nearly came to an end a few days ago. For the last four days in a row we've been unable to find accomodation in our destinations & have thus been shipped off to neighbouring towns for the night before returning the next morning to resume the walk. On one particular evening after completing our scheduled walk Nikki & I needed to walk an extra 6km off the main road to a rural hotel. A few kilometres down the road we managed to thumb a lift. Nikki jumped in the front but as I was trying to squeeze myself into the back seat the young driver impatiently took off with my right foot still firmly planted on the ground. The movement forward caused my foot to lift slightly such that the sole of my boot was now facing the rear tyre & in a split second the car mounted my boot with me being contorted & pulled out of the car. Thank the Lord his Dodge didn't have enough power to get all the way over my boot & onto my ankle & with Nikki & I yelling at him to stop he depressed the clutch & the car roled backwards & back to the road! Incredibly my Scarpa boot somehow managed to hold steady with a car parked on top of it & I literally walked away with nothing more than a dusty trye mark imprinted on it. My knee is still a tad sore from the twisting motion but other than that, walk on. In other news, earlier in the week I had a nasty experience after pushing too hard at the end of a long day. Nikki was suffering from massive leg pain & so caught the bus to our destination after completing 40km of the day's 53km. Me, in my stupidity, decided to take on a challenge of increasing the normal km rate to finish off the final 13km in 2hours rather than the expected 2&half hours. Especially after having already walked 40km that day it was not a moment of wisdom. I knocked off the final 13km in 1hr & 50min but my glee soon turned into 'whoops' as my body went into melt-down. I'd pushed too hard & now my heart rate was soaring (200bpm) & my temperature rising. It took nearly 2hours to get everything under control & to a point where I could stand up without feeling faint. It was dumb on my behalf, so, note to self; 13km can be covered in less than 2hrs but is seriously stupid to attempt. DO NOT ATTEMPT. My boots have also been involved in a nasty incident of a different kind that nearly saw me throttled to death by Nikki. While searching for spot to sit down & eat lunch along side the road I accidently trod smack-bang in the middle of a dead dog that had been festering for at least 6months. I laughed it off but Nikki was mortified. We eventually found a nice little spot (away from the dead dog) & Nikki placed her backpack on the ground. Unbeknownst to her, the mouth piece of her water bladder had slipped down onto the ground & then I, not looking, stepped on it, leaving a dirty great big 'dead dog' foot print all around & over it. Nikki's reaction was, well, priceless. My reaction was to rapidly apologise & then assist in washing it by providing water from my water bladder. I removed the mouth piece to increase the flow of water but I misjudged the force at which it would exit the nozzle & instead of wetting her mouth piece the water shot straight over the top & into her open backpack... ouch. Some days just go from bad to worse. I retired from humanitarian work for the day at that point. Anyone else want to walk with me? Poor Nikki. I'm currently in the market for a new pair of socks after leaving my 2nd pair on a clothes line at a priest's house but I'm not having much success - size 16 socks aren't sold here. I'm having to wash my one & only pair every evening & hope that they'll be dry by morning. Also, one of my walking poles is struggling badly. The tungsten tip fell off & the plastic it was protecting is no match for the bitumen roads & is lossing a few mm every day. I'm hoping it will stay long enough for me to reach the USA where I should be able to find a replacement. As I mentioned earlier, the scenery here is amazing - very typically Mexican. We are still, however, having trouble with the locals who refuse most often than not to return our greeting. People stare at us all day long as we walk & if we say hello or good morning they either continue to stare or quickly look away as though they've been snapped out of a trance. In a moment that was straight out of a Hollywood film this afternoon, Nikki & I walked through the towns main square while a huge Mexican ensemble played a very upbeat tune with the locals looking on. As the tune came to a thunderous end not a single clap was to be heard. Instead, every single pair of eyes (including the members of the ensemble) was wide-eyed as they followed us across the square. It was a little unnerving. I smiled at one guy & said hello but he then looked confused & turned to his mate beside him for what I think was moral support. I'm pretty sure a pigeon taking off was the only movement apart from the two Aussies. So, that's been my week. I hope yours was dead-dog free & painless. Please continue (or begin) to pray for an increase of love & truth so that all people of faith may be united in Christ. God bless & peace be with you! Sam
"May the Lord make your love increase & overflow for each other & for everyone else, just as ours does for you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Mexico City, Alltitude & Brian

Hello from Teculopan! Population: Well, that depends on how many truckies have stopped for dinner... Another week has come & gone & so has Mexico City. A very cool & steep climb took us up to around 4000m above sea level before we descended into the expansive city. I have to say, I didn't see the poverty I expected to. A lot of work has gone into housing developments & so the slums I expected to see everywhere were actually difficult to find along the route we walked. The pollution however, was not difficult to find - it was difficult to escape. I saw one bloke riding his bike with a gas mask on, not a dust mask, but a full-on gas mask. I wouldn't have minded borrowing it at the time either. There was a horrible smell around that reminded me of rotting flesh & sewage in one. It was in truth difficult to breathe. Thankfully it only took three days to cross the city & Nikki & I are now trekking along through beautiful rolling farmland with a gentle cool & clean breeze blowing the whole time, although Nikki is currently having to grit her teeth a bit & push through some pretty major foot/leg/everything pain. My only problem is that my body is so used to walking through stupidly hot weather & the consequent constant sweating that now I'm in nice cool weather, well, my body isn't sweating out what I drink. If I have to take another toilet break Nikki is going to punch a hole in my water container! Nikki celebrated her 25th birthday in Mexico City in style with a few chocolates & a massive lollie-pop but that was about the extent of it. For those following the walk with an itinerary at hand, I'm no longer walking from Mexico City to Monterrey via the route outlined, instead, I'm heading inland up through the centre of Mexico along the major freeway. It turns out this route, though appearing longer on the map is actually shorter (and safer). So from here I head to San Jose del Rio & then straight up through the centre. We are currently 107km down the freeway & the hospitality has been super! The thinner air up here has made it difficult to sing or even make cow noises at the cows... so I've been given an opportunity to pray a lot more. There are many death markers along the side of the road here so I find myself praying for them & particularly for their family left behind. More & more as well I'm praying for & thinking about the unity of all people of faith. Particularly about my continual need for a deepening of coversion, humilty & God's mercy. Nikki & I still get heckled every now & then but that's all part of the deal these days. On one particular day I received a passing slur by a fellow driving a car with a 'Jesus' sticker on the back. I thought to myself, "Your actions are speaking louder than your 'word' mate." My mind heads off on tangents very easily & I quickly found myself remembering a conversation I had with a fellow called Brian Shadbolt 2 years ago at my grandfathers funeral. I grew up on Flinders Island & Brian & his wife Maureen owned the farm down the road from us. I hadn't seen him for quite some time (& haven't seen him since) but we walked & chatted as we made our way down through the cemetery. I noted that I'd only recently discovered that he was a Christian (& had been since before I was born) & this made Brian laugh. He was almost embarassed that I didn't know; that it wasn't obvious. In fact I think his words were along the lines of, "That's not good at all!" But here's the deal, Brian didn't have a Jesus sticker on his ute or wear a huge flashy gold chain with a cross on it but if there was one couple on the island who, as a child, I trusted & looked up to, it was Brain & Maureen. I wasn't keen on getting too close to his beard as a kid but over time I grew to love Brian being around because he was always happy. Always. His actions spoke louder than any words could. And then, as if to make my day complete, I logged on to the website & checked the prayer list & there at number 154 was Brian & Maureen. His actions are still speaking louder than his laugh. I hope you're both well! I've also found time to check up on the Australian Football results & I'm very pleased to see that my team, the Geelong Cats, are on top of the ladder by a mile! Sorry about your Tigers Luke. The walk continues & so does the prayer, "Father, please unite all people of faith in truth and in love." God bless, Sam.
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. James 2:22