On their first day they drove 637 miles to Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, to spend the night with their daughter, Karin.  A rear tire blowout the next morning, a scant 27 miles out of Dayton, slowed them down, but by the third day they had made it to San Antonio, Texas.  One of the reasons Ed and Joyce had been unable to begin the trip sooner was because of a series of complications involving ownership and registration materials for the van.  They finally left with an arrangement worked out with AAA to intercept some necessary materials at their office on the U.S.-Mexico border.  On their fourth day, Sunday, they found themselves just 171 miles from the border and unable to pick up their papers until Monday morning.

            On their fifth day they collected their papers from AAA and headed to the local Dodge dealer to have a couple minor things adjusted in the van—the reserve tank was still not working.  By noon they were passed into the hands of the Mexican customs officials. This was the first of which were to be many experiences with border officials using their positions and various schemes to extract under-the-table money from those who must pass through customs.  At some points it was obvious what was going on, at others it was a carefully worked out arrangement amongst the officials manning various checkpoints.  Seldom was it possible to obtain receipts for fees paid.  To try and make demands of, or buck these arrangements, quickly increased the probability of having very time-consuming complications.  At the Mexican border they were approached by a uniformed man presenting himself as a “health official” who asked the de Rossets to present imaginary, previously unheard of, official health certificates.  Ed informed the officer that they were unaware of that requirement which resulted in his and Joyce’s being taken aside into a small cubicle where the officer busied himself writing in a large book.  All the other officials along the customs counter had stopped work on their papers while waiting to see the outcome of their dealings with the “health official”.  After pressuring them for a while, he suddenly changed his tune and said that for a small consideration he would make a special exception.  Five minutes and three dollars later Ed and Joyce were once again in line to pass through Immigration.  The officials at the immigration station invented a need for them to have visas to go with their passports.  Ed and Joyce tried to advise that they were simply tourists passing through the country in transit to Peru, and therefore visas were not required.  In the end, Ed said they finally paid $17 in order to be released to freely travel through Mexico.

               Ed and Joyce’s son, Fred, had been spending the month of January in Mexico directing a group of students in a college travel-study experience.  Ed and Joyce had hoped to meet him in Mexico City, and Ed, Jr., had tentatively planned to return to the United States with Fred.  As they drove into Mexico City at dusk, they soon found themselves, in their words, “In one of the most horrendous traffic jams imaginable.”  After considerable time spent locating the hotel where Fred’s group had been staying, Ed, Jr., inquired as to the whereabouts of the group only to discover that the group had left that morning!  With no reason to stay in Mexico City they set out to find their way back out.  At one point they got pulled over by a policeman who got in the van and ordered them to drive on.  He gave them a long account of how much the traffic violation was to cost them and what sort of complications it could mean for them.  He was looking for a 300 pesos pay-off, but after several blocks he accepted 100 pesos and gave them directions out of town.

            On day nine, now in Tapachula, Mexico, they made a bad mistake in taking the road to Guatemala City, which resulted in a rigorous climb up to the city forcing them to take the mountain route to El Jobe.  In the end they crossed Guatemala and passed over into El Salvador with no further complications with customs at the borders. 

On their tenth day they traveled through three countries, passed through four customs inspection stations, and traveled 264 miles.  Fumigation became a commonplace event at border-crossings as many of the Central American countries were concerned about an insect that had been discovered destroying the coffee crops.  There seemed to be no international agreement about the best technique for fumigating vehicles.  The techniques ranged from casual spraying of the tires and wheel wells, to a thorough spraying of the entire exterior of the van and the interior of the floor.  The de Rossets found the customs inspectors at the Nicaraguan border to be completely unreasonable.  They demanded that the Ed and Joyce completely unload the van, in the blistering heat, in the middle of the highway!  As they unloaded, the fumigation inspector noticed their seven spare tires (two were mounted and five were new, unmounted tires).  He said, “Señor, we will have to confiscate those unmounted tires and burn them.  It’s the law.  We believe the insect is being carried from country to country in unmounted tires.”  Ed tried to suggest that they could spray the tires inside and out, but the officer continued to state that the tires must be burned.  Unwilling to lose five tires so easily, Ed, Jr., negotiated with them to accept $20 in exchange for letting them keep the tires, then Ed was able to get them down to $15 on two conditions—namely, that  the de Rossets had to ensure that no one saw them pay the official, and the unmounted tires had to be concealed in the load so as not to be visible from outside.  Their time at the border was not without its opportunities as Joyce was able to share the Gospel while they were detained.  They also met a believer who worked in customs and they were able to share with him for a brief time.  They had started the day in San Salvador, passed through Honduras, and stopped for the night in Chinandega, Nicaragua.  They continued to have difficulty finding places to stay at night where the van would be safe.

         Day eleven was a Sunday and they were warned that it was difficult and sometimes impossible to cross borders on Sundays.  They didn’t leave their hotel until the afternoon and drove 149 miles to spend the night near the border in Rivas, Nicaragua.  Advised to do as little driving as possible at night, they were able to confirm this with some European engineers they met at their motel.  The Inter-American Highway they traveled was used by motor vehicles and also by pedestrians, farm vehicles, ox carts, and cattle.  Excepting the motor vehicles, those using the path made no distinction between day and night, insofar as light and night driving accessories.  A second reason to avoid driving at night was the rumored incidents involving banditry and shootings on the roads at night.  The engineers they had met told the de Rossets that everyone traveling at night is armed, and cautioned them to never stop while driving at night, even if there were a body lying in the road.  Apparently, this was a common ruse employed to get a tourist to pull over.  Nonetheless, their driving took them along beautiful Lake Nicaragua and they saw their first smoking volcano.

            Day twelve included 376 miles of road traveled, and the welcome surprise of the McDonald's "Golden Arches" in San José, Costa Rica, and fresh water in San Ramon.  In Ed’s words, “The single most relished luxury of the trip would be looked back on as those times when we were able to find a good supply of fresh drinking water.  We would often go for long stretches and drink nothing but coffee and soft drinks for fear of using unclean water.”  After a difficult evening of driving (heavy fog, pedestrians, motorcycles with no lights, and deep drop-offs on both sides of the road), they were rewarded with a beautiful sunset.  Unfortunately, the setting of the sun did not result in a place to stay, and they continued for several more hours before they discovered a small Chinese settlement with a motel in Palmar Norte.

           Day thirteen proved memorable for the de Rossets.  They drove 465 miles into the Panama Canal Zone and met with a hostile customs experience.  They were told they had to have visas for their passports, despite being tourists.  Commanded to go back to the Panamanian Consul in El Golfito to obtain them, that required a return to the Costa Rican customs to request permission to travel to El Golfito.  They lost three hours and were advised that the man could have stamped the passports but was too interested in being obstinate.  On their return to the Panamanian customs checkpoint they were again detained.  Once the inspectors saw the load the de Rossets were carrying, they sent them to the main inspection house where they were ordered to prepare a list of the van’s contents.  They were in need of a friend, and at that moment the assistant customs inspector spoke to them in English.  Ed invited him to investigate the boxes they were carrying, and when the man saw they were personal things he spoke to his boss and the de Rossets were soon cleared to enter Panama.  They were incredibly thankful to the Lord for expediting the process!

            They drove what seemed endlessly into Panama; the further they drove the more sparsely populated it became.  It was soon very late, and they could find no place to stay.  They saw a sign which said, “Su-Lin Hotel 3,000 Feet,” so they turned up into the access road.  They found it to be a one-way dirt road that went straight up a huge mountain; it was dark and desolate, without a place to turn around.  It began to feel like a trap!  They did manage, with some “ticklish maneuvering,” to turn and get out.  It was a relief to be gone from there since it was well after midnight when they drove into Panama City.  The city was mostly shut down and the de Rossets had no idea where to go and could not find a place to stay.  When they spotted a tall guard standing on a grassy knoll, they approached him for directions and assistance.  They spoke to him in Spanish, but he quickly smiled and said, “Do you speak English?”  He turned out to be a Canal Zone Guard and proved to be a helpful friend.  The guard directed them to the Baptist compound in the Canal Zone and told them about the nearby International Hotel, but it might not be safe to leave the van there.  The Baptists weren’t home, so they at last opted for the International Hotel.  The hotel employees and the guards nearby assured them that the van would be safe.  Since it was now 3 a.m., they decided to take a chance and left the parked van unoccupied for the remainder of the night.

     The flight to Buenaventura was short and a 2.5-hour bus ride followed before Ed and Joyce arrived at their destination.  A stay at Hotel Comfort proved to be a misnomer as there was no water, only one hard, hammock-like bed, and a common bathroom.  They had been advised not to wear their watches and to keep a good grip on “billfold and purse,” however, they were very hungry and thirsty, so they ventured down to the docks.  Unable to get information about the ship carrying the van, they decided to walk back to town.  At the entrance they came upon a big disturbance—several soldiers were in charge of some thieves.  Two girls saw the de Rossets and warned them to get off the streets as quickly as possible and to take off their watches.

            Up early the next day, they went to the Prudential Company, but were told to find a ‘tipo’ (an agent who would handle all their paperwork for them).  At that moment one such agent came by; he took Ed and Joyce to a restaurant and told them to wait (too dangerous to venture out on the streets they were told) while he took their papers and left.  It turned out to be a very long wait during which they saw two policemen run by with pistols drawn in hot pursuit of two thieves who had just stolen a camera.  The agent returned mid-afternoon and advised Ed and Joyce that they could go down to the docks at 3 p.m.  When they arrived, they discovered that the agent had failed to get necessary permission papers for them to enter the docks.  This necessitated a brisk round-trip walk back into town for permission, but when they returned, they found out it had not been properly signed!  The agent took off to secure the necessary signature and just as he returned, they saw the van being unloaded from the ship.  They quickly took possession of the van; nothing seemed to be missing or damaged.  Not the end of the story, however, as they still had to drive all over the dock area getting this and that paperwork done until they were finally released to the dock parking area.  The parking fee was $2 per ton or $8 per day, but they couldn’t leave until the van was released.  They slept in the van Monday night with Joyce on the back seat and Ed across the two front seats with a suitcase between them to hold him up and fill in the center gap behind the engine cover.  They spent a hungry and restless night, and they had to trust the Lord to keep them healthy since they could only eat the food sold on the docks. (It made them shudder to see the black dishwater.)  During the entire trip the Lord was good, and they never once got the usual intestinal ‘bug’.  On the docks they shared the gospel with nine different people and later sent them correspondence lessons.

            Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m., the customs inspectors came and asked Ed and Joyce to unload the whole van.  Ed opened two large cardboard boxes and two big packing boxes before the officials told them to stop.  It was hard to believe the paperwork and graft money Ed had to pay out in order to get the van released, but by evening they were cleared to leave customs.  They had a long uphill climb to Cali, Columbia, and once they reached Cali, they needed a friend to show them the way out of the city.  When they stopped to ask directions, a man drove up in his pick-up truck and asked if they needed help.  He told Ed and Joyce to follow him and then led them for several miles through the city before he told them they were clear of the city and on the road headed south—how nice!  They then drove 118 miles and arrived in Santander late at night.  They started up a one-way street the wrong way and met a speeding military Jeep driven by a lieutenant accompanied by his girlfriend.  He said, “Hey, gringo, what are you looking for?”  “A place to spend the night,” Ed replied.  “Follow me, I’ll take you to the best hotel in town.” The de Rossets later concluded that the lieutenant had said this because his girlfriend worked there, but they had no doubt that the Lord had sent the man to aid them.  A safe parking place in front of the barracks was the man’s parting gift, and although the hotel was old, had no mattresses, and the sink was on the balcony in plain view of everyone, their weariness dispelled the importance of inconveniences.

      With only three days left to cross over into Peru, they had started to run low on gas about 223 miles out of Santander. Plus, they were unable to find a place to purchase gasoline as they approached Pasto.  Pasto was over the mountain, and they were driving on empty as they approached the city.  Once there they discovered there was a truckers’ strike, and no gas was available; another friend was needed.  Ed and Joyce soon met a man who took them to a line of cars waiting on gas rations, so they joined the line and passed two hours waiting for their 10 gallons.  Ever aware of opportunities, they talked to three young men while they waited and were able to lead all three of them to Christ!  They received their allotment of gasoline, but it was not enough to get them to Ecuador, so they got into another line only to discover it was only for taxis.  Ed found a soldier and asked if they could remain in the gas line and they were granted permission and received 10 more gallons.

            On the twenty-second day of their trip, they drove across some high, dangerous roads on the way to Latacunga, Ecuador.  The mountain scenery was stunning, and the canyons were so deep they could not see the bottoms.  At the Ecuadorian border they were met with sheer chaos which required them to travel “hither and yon” to get their paperwork done. Once they cleared customs they drove to Quito, a city of over one million souls at the time, and straight into a “terrible traffic situation.”  They had hoped to travel farther, but only managed to log 223 miles and stopped in Latacunga.  They again struggled to find accommodations for the night, but God sent some girls to lead them to a safe place to park for the night.  Unfortunately, sleeping in the van was no more comfortable than the previous time and they awoke to a flat tire.  Because the van had been so heavily loaded, they struggled to raise it on the jack.  Once they had changed the tire, they couldn’t get the jack to go back down!  But missionaries are a resourceful bunch, so they rocked the van until it fell off the jack.

            After 292 miles Ed and Joyce arrived at Huaquillas, the border town between Ecuador and Peru.  It was mid-afternoon as they drove into town and saw thousands of people walking the streets with buses and cars everywhere.  The International Bridge was a solid mass of people, and they soon discovered the reason—a soccer game between Peru and Ecuador.  They battled the crowds for hours before they gave up.  The van was showing all the wear and tear of carrying the heavy load. They had another flat tire to fix that evening.

“And thus ended our journey.  We saw the Lord’s hand helping us all along the way.  It often seemed that we had undertaken almost more than we were able to do or had the strength for.  But it was oftentimes at those moments during the trip that God brought keenly to our remembrance the certainty that a great deal of prayer was going up for us.  In this we found strength, reassurance, and courage in the face of difficult circumstances.  We praise the Lord.” 

Ed & Joyce de Rosset