B.J. Murrey - World Orphans, Central America

Well I am back in Texas, after a 3000+ mile journey north from Guatemala a little over 9 days ago.

I left Guatemala, driving 500 miles north to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico to meet some friends at a resort there, before continuing on toward the USA, driving through the entire length of Mexico for the 2nd time in 8 months. On the 29th, about 10am, I left Playa and began a marathon journey toward Dallas. I drove 22 hours, before stopping for a 2 hour nap at a truckstop in Veracruz, and then continued on another 22 hours the rest of the way through to Dallas (with another 2 hour nap near Austin). I arrived at my parents house at 6 am this morning, and slept for 5 hours. That makes 9 hours of sleep in the last 3 days. I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning!

Well I left Playa Del Carmen this morning after a week with some top notch friends I joined on their trip. Now, I am making my way north and west to Texas for the next 2 months. Slowly but surely, I have crossed 4or 5 Mexican states and at least 5 police checkpoints where Hummers with 50 cal machine guns mounted on top were flanked by the army wearing kevlar and toting automatic rifles. Most of them were happy to chit chat as they searched for hidden panels in my truck. Good thing my only drug habit is Guatemalan Caffiene in the form of coffee.

Only one ticket so far as I paid a FINE so to speak, for going over a speed bump too fast.... sheesh. $100 lighter... but making good time! See you soon.

Well, I'm on the road again starting tomorrow, and what an interesting (convoluted) mix of visits I will be making along the way. The plan is to leave about 4:30 am tomorrow morning and run for the border. I'm driving through Belize, to Mexico, to meet some friends for a week in Playa Del Carmen. In case you weren't aware, the last 2 months of my life were quite possibly the worst two in my life, so I need a mental, emotional and social rest. What better place than the beaches of Mexico with some of my closest friends?

After next week, I will be driving back up through Mexico, into Texas to spend some time with my church home, supporters and friends in Rockwall. I figure I will be here for about a week to watch a friend's house before heading out on the road again. I have planned to visit friends from Guatemala now in the USA, and friends in the various parts of the USA from the USA, as well as meet with people from Guatemala in the USA who I have not yet met before. This adventure should take me from coast-to-coast I suspect. Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Arkansas and more.

I'm expecting to have to change the oil in my truck at least 3 times before returning to Guatemala at the end of August. The loop around the USA should take me throuh half of the 50 states I would suspect. Should be one for the books. 4 countries, 25 states, 10,000 miles or more, and 30 days. My mind is going 90 miles per second right now fathoming the possibilites for the next month of my life and ministry. I'm excited about the great new things that are happening. I feel like a snake peeling his dead, dry skin off to reveal a sleeker, leaner, more powerful self below. 

 "Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!"

- 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tikal is one of the most amazing places I have been. Mysterious. Foreign. Ancient. Wild. It's a large, mostly-excavated site of Mayan ruins in Guatemala that people come from around the world to see and enjoy. I would let the photos "do the talking," but my digital camera's 16 GB card bit the proverbial dust before I got my pictures transferred off of it. I am still laying hands on it and performing surgery so maybe the pictures will resurrect themselves, but it's an unlikely diagnosis. Till then, I will share the pictures from my 2004 trip to Guatemala & Tikal, sans Jenna. Bummer.

We made the 700 mile round-trip journey in 2 days driving more than 6 hours each day. The roads were about half good, so it takes much longer to cover the same distance here than in the states. Jenna seemed to really enjoy Tikal. I am so glad, especially since it's one of my favorite parts of Guatemala as well. How many other countries of the world have a living history like this? The people that built these ruins between AD 70 - AD 600 still have relatives living here today! In fact, 50% of Guatemala is Mayan. Knowing where people came from plays a huge part in understanding who they are, how they think and why they do what they do.

Of course, there is most certainly an educational aspect to this trip. And since Tikal is so far away from Guatemala City, we passed through probably 5 different kinds of climates / zones on our way to Tikal. It was very interesting to see (in one day) how people adapt their style of living & construction to these different climates. If only my pictures would have survived the journey...