Honduras mission continues despite political unrest

Two Aiken County residents are currently in the midst of political and military upheaval in Honduras and one more intends to join them.

For the past 10 years, Sam and Roxanne Turnipseed and other members of the Honduras Agape Foundation have been making mission trips to Honduras. The Honduras Agape Foundation grew out of a response to Hurricane Mitch which ravaged the nation in 1999. The group includes volunteers from around the world who participate in up to five mission trips a year with teams of 16 members.

Roxanne Turnipseed and 17-year-old Cecelia Newman participated in a mission trip in June and remained in Honduras after the mission team left, awaiting a new team scheduled to join them on July 5.

"We went down in June, I came back two weeks this Sunday to do some business," said Sam Turnipseed from his Aiken residence. "My wife stayed. She has been working on getting a car out of customs in Honduras."

During the two weeks between the end and start of a new trip, Honduras became a hotbed of political and military action which left the U.S. Embassy calling for restricted travel in the area as demonstrations and roadblocks popped up.

On June 28, troops removed President Jose Manuel Zelaya from office and sent him into exile, naming Roberto Micheletti, president of the Congress, as provisional president. Zelaya wanted to hold a referendum which the nation's supreme court ruled as illegal and the congress voted not to hold it. When Zelaya proceeded with the referendum, the military stepped in and removed him from power.

At the time this was taking place, Roxanne Turnipseed and Newman were located in a small town of about 20,000 people about an hour and a half from San Pedro Sula.

The Aiken Standard was able to exchange e-mail correspondence with Turnipseed.

"It is very quiet in this town; all activity is somewhat normal, except the schools are closed. Today, apparently travel in and out of the city is not possible. The main highway has been 'taken over' by the locals I am told," wrote Turnipseed on June 30. "I am dependent on the Internet for news and the e-mails from the States. Cecelia and I feel safe as we are in a guarded home with a native Honduran and her husband, a U.S. citizen. If we need to hide, they know what to do and where to go."

Further communications with Turnipseed were unavailable, and the Aiken Standard contacted Sam Turnipseed. He confirmed she and Cecelia were safe and were traveling to pick up the car they were waiting for on Thursday.

The second mission trip that was scheduled to leave today has been delayed by the Honduras Agape Foundation. Despite the delay, Sam Turnipseed has decided to go to his wife and is leaving today.

"I plan to go down but I am going to be cautious. I am going to stay in the airport if it is unsafe to go to the Hilton. The Foundation can't sanction something under these circumstances, but I am going to join my wife," said Turnipseed. "I am not doing anything reckless according to my way of thinking. It is hard to tell if everything is OK. I plan to go down on Sunday even though they are calling for demonstrations to show the displeasure of the people with the change of the government, but quite frankly the people are behind the change."

The Turnipseeds ask that you keep them in your prayers in the coming days. For more information about the Honduras Agape Foundation, visit www.hondurasagape.com.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.