Day 13: Bad news in beautiful Oaxaca...we need your help!

In the last few days, our entire team finally united in Mexico City, welcoming Nijiko and Megan to the crew and taking time to get reorganized at Axel’s super "tranquila" home in Cuernavaca.  However, the ambulance experienced some trouble on the road from Puebla to Oaxaca as we felt the wheels wobbling, heard ominous clanking noises and occasionally saw alarming black smoke wafting up from the under the hood.

Mechanics in Oaxaca confirmed the bad news yesterday:  our 20 year old ambulance is in need of a new rear differential and brakes before going any further in our mission.  Some of the parts on the Ford diesel van are not readily available here in Oaxaca (or even Mexico), so we may have to have parts shipped from the U.S., potentially delaying our travel for up to a week and costing over $1000 USD that we did not anticipate.

The worst news is that the entire mission is potentially in jeopardy.  Plagued by repair costs, time delays and questions of the safety and reliability of the ambulance on the road, right now we are evaluating whether or not we have the resources to fix the ambulance and get it safely (and running smoothly!) to the hospital in Comayagua, Honduras.  If not, we may have to abandon ship, something that none of us wants to do!

Dear friends, we need your support.  Even the smallest contribution makes a big difference right now, and will help us determine whether we fix the ambulance, or abort the mission.  Any remaining funds will be donated directly to Santa Teresa Regional Hospital.