Peace March in Roatán – many pictures

We had quite an afternoon yesterday. At least a thousand people showed up here in front of the radio station to start off a peace march sponsored by the municipality and some churches. I really have no way to judge with any accuracy how many there were, because there were too many for me to be able to see them all at once, even from an elevated vantage point. It could easily have been two thousand for all I could tell. And as the march proceeded, more and more people joined in. There were also at least two funerals at the same time, so there was the potential for even more people. Several of my pastor friends were there along with as many of their people as could make it. It was exciting to see so many of my island friends from various churches and walks of life expressing themselves so clearly and passionately, yet with an orderliness that is not part of the stereotype of Latin America.

There was even a private helicopter overhead. I assume it was carrying reporters or else some very rich people. I’ve priced it and it’s $1,700 for a half hour!

I didn’t actually march along with the group, but I mingled among them and went ahead to be able to take pictures. As we neared the cruise ship pier there was a house on the curve with a mom and her kids up on their front porch about 10 feet above the street. They graciously allowed me to go up there to get better pictures. Soon, the porch was packed with photographers, including a cameraman from the local TV station.

At one point, a lady told me to make sure I get the pictures on CNN. I told her I didn’t know that I could do that, but they sure would be on the internet, so here they are. There is considerable resentment here with what I call “the Communist Network News” and other mass media outlets over the lopsided coverage of events in Honduras. But there is even more resentment against Chavez and his pot-stirring meddling. The folks I’ve talked to don’t seem angry at the US response, but they are shocked, dismayed, and completely amazed that a democratic nation would turn against a friend who was so firm in upholding the rule of law in the face of intense pressure to allow one man to subvert the law.

So here are the pictures. In the captions I’ll try to translate any signs that need it. Please keep praying for a just and peaceful resolution. Pray that the press would give a more accurate picture of what has happened. (The best I’ve seen is the Wall Street Journal.) And pray that God would use these events to revive His church here in Honduras.

[Show as slideshow]