July was a productive, but challenging and intense month for Peace and Hope Trust. We were shaken by Pastor Mark’s very serious motorcycle accident on his “Ride for Peace and Hope”. Thousands of people had Mark in their thoughts and prayers and we are so overjoyed to have Pastor Mark safe and sound, albeit in considerable pain.

This was a month of great progress for our work in Nicaragua. We hosted numerous teams and installed a wonderful playground at the orphanage and installed a life-saving VHF radio in the jungle village of Esperanza along with many other challenging and hope giving projects…many thanks to our brave volunteers and their supporters and churches.

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support this summer. We are already planning a one week “Living Thanksgiving” project for November...we will be sending out information in the weeks ahead.

Sincerely,
Peter Coleman
July 2009

It is Thursday, July 23rd. After a four day car ride with my nephew, Joel, doing most of the driving, I arrived at 13 Thoreau Circle Saturday evening around 6 p.m. Had a wonderful time visiting and getting to know Joel - again - this time as an adult. Sybil had gathered a few friends to greet us. Since Saturday, my breathing has come far easier, the pain of broken ribs is something I will have to deal with for the next several weeks, although I like to think that they are getting better. I have concluded that my trek across America was far more than a mc trip. I visited with important people in my life and have found that each one ministered to me in ways I did not expect. The trip was used by God to help this 'retired' pastor to begin the process of determining what God has in store for me in the next chapter of my life.. How can I begin to thank so many of you who have prayed for me, and walked with me through this trip and particularly through the accident? I am truly convinced when all the pieces have been put together, that God chose to spare my life, and brought me through this accident with minimal broken bones and more than a person going 70 miles per hour on a mc should have had. I thank you and our Lord for his watchcare over me. Now it's time to recoup and reflect. That is my intention for the next month or so. My family doctor said that this is the time for me to pull out my favorite books and read. That's what I'm going to do. Thank you again for taking an interest in Peace and Hope Trust. May God continue to bless this ministry in the years ahead.

To bring you up to date. Following a terrible Sunday with both pain and sickness, Monday and Tuesday were days of slow recovery at Russ and Birgit's home. It was determined that Sybil would fly back to Boston on Monday (she did!) Thankyou, Dave and Marilyn, for picking her up at Logan at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning my nephew, Joel, and I left Tucson heading east. We made it as far as Santa Fe, Mexico by last evening. Had good and interesting conversation with a nephew I have not seen in a long time. Up at 5 a.m. this morning. On the road by 5:45 a.m. Breakfast in Raton, New Mexico. Beautiful, changing scenery as we climb higher and higher. Had a brief stop in Colorado Springs to visit with Harvey and Nancy Karlsen. Warm, tender and far too brief a visit! We rolled on with Joel doing most of the driving and ultimately made it to the middle of Nebraska where we have settled in for the night in Lexington. Hope to make it to the middle of Indiana by tomorrow evening. The pain continues, especially when I cough or move much. Other than that, the trip is uneventful. God is so gracious in seeing my through this accident. I am very anxious to get home and be with Sybil once again. I reminded myself today that it has been over 6 weeks since leaving Beverly. Will attempt to bring you up to speed tomorrow.

I start out each day with a map in hand thinking I know what the day before me holds. So on this Tuesday I left Sierra Vista, Arizona at 6:30 a.m. sun shining, a beautiful day. I drove north through the mountains on the northeastern edge of Arizona, stopped for lunch at 9100 feet, cool, wonderfully spectacular, drove down through Alpine, a small village with an extraordinary view. Cross Route 40 and decided to stay on Route 191, a two lane, scenic road that I had been on all day. Found myself in the middle of nowhere - an Indian reservation on the way to four corners. I had just come down a 7 mile stretch of straight road (I mean really straight - not a turn in it!) I had it on cruise control going about 70 miles per hour. (speed limit was 75) I saw what looked like a gentle curve way up ahead. As I approached it I reached over with my left hand to turn the cruise off. Two seconds later I caught the side of the road and shot off into the dirt and grass. Needless to say, I did not get up. When the dust had settled I found I could not breathe. The wind had been knocked out of me. Almost immediately cars began stopping. The ambulance was called. I lay there for 40 minutes, the ambulance ride to the nearest clinic was 30 minutes away. The bottom line is that I had 4 broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a long tube was put in my side. I was air vac to Phoenix where I remained until yesterday. Presently, Sybil and I are back in Tucson with my niece Birgit. I am making arrangements to drive back to Massachusetts, actually, I will not be driving myself back. Joel, my nephew, will be driving. Sybil is flying back on Monday.

I have discovered over this trek that the word adventure has changed definition as time went by. It changed from rainy, cold, crosswinds, and 18 wheelers to hot, thirsty, no breeze, dry and 18 wheelers, to a mc accident, in a desolate part of Arizona, to pain, nausea and an amazing God who saved a 67 year old man from something much worse than broken ribs and punctured lungs. I can only thank you for your continued prayer and concern. I will probably not add to this blog until early this fall when I return to Arizona and finish the trek I started across the United States and back.

Just one further comment. I had lunch with Nathan (one of several nephews of mine). I was very impressed with his maturity and disposition. He has been through some very difficult experiences in the past 10 years. He has worked them through with the Lord's help and has come out a stronger man of God for it. The time spent with various relatives over the past three weeks has been used by God to make me ever more thankful for them all. I am particularly thankful for my two children, Peter and Debbie, who have grown into healthy, positive, godly people. Sybil and I could not be more proud of who they are and who they are becoming! That's all.