Dear friends and family,
You may have heard that the political crisis here in Honduras has escalated rapidly today. Deposed ex-president Mel Zelaya, emboldened by support from US and Chavez in Venezuela, has returned to the country today and is currently “holed up” in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa – the capital city of Honduras.
First of all, let me assure you that we are quite safe. There is no reason to think that we are in any new or additional danger due to the political events here. We are so far removed from the seat of the crisis up here in the jungle on the north coast of Honduras that we see no almost no evidence of the political strife that is so prevalent now.
There is, however, a curfew that was instituted this afternoon and has now been extended throughout the day tomorrow. This is a prudent decision from the current government which will curtail the movement of the protesters who would simply love to take advantage of the situation and further their agenda of political disruption and even violence. All international flights have been cancelled. I (Dave) am SO thankful that I was able to get back into the country and be with my family before this happened. For those of you who don’t know, I just returned Saturday from a 2-week trip to the States.
We do urgently ask for your prayers for wisdom for those in the government and for prudence, safety, and peace for the people of Honduras. In the midst of all of this, we pray that God’s glory would be revealed and that He would draw many unto Himself during this time.
We ask you to read this article from the Wall Street Journal, which asks the question that all Americans should be asking of their government right now: Why isn’t the United States supporting democracy in Honduras? Even if Honduras (very understandably) isn’t on the top of your list of things to be worried about right now, all American should be concerned with the current administration’s response to this crisis.
The article can be found here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574423570828980800.html
The answer to this situation is not simply a political one, and I offer this political criticism as a Christian that recognizes the need for God to intervene here. But, I also believe that we as citizens must never stop asking the hard questions of those who would govern us. Please consider whether or not it might be appropriate to bring this to the attention of your local, state, and federal representatives. I assure you that, from my perspective, the actions of the United States have played a very detrimental role in this political crisis.
Lastly please know that we are well and safe. We thank God for each of you and we hope that you are well to. Please drop us a line some time and let us know how you are doing.
Thank you and God Bless,
Dave and Marinajo Fields
Mariah and Benny