Journal 1
As with all the teams who travel to Honduras, our day started early…at 3am (or earlier for some!). Dale was thankful that her husband Donnie made room in the truck for her since they brought all the duffels to the airport. All the team members showed up on time! Barrett enjoyed sitting next to his mom Susan on the flight to Honduras. Peggy was thrilled that we were served food on the plane!
We were all thankful to arrive safely, especially our team leader Shirley. She was especially thankful that all her team members made it to Atlanta safely (2 came from outside Virginia), and then flew to Honduras together. Yolanda was happy that her children, Tariq and Nareesa, were with her. Sharon noted that as soon as the team was whole, everyone just clicked together. Evelyn was happy to see old friends and new. Donny was just happy that he didn’t have to be the chief cat herder for this group; that honor goes to Shirley. Michelle was thrilled that after we landed, she found Diet Coke and Coke Zero in Honduras!
Once we got to Alfredo’s house, we met with the Honduran staff who were here. Larry was reminded of previous trips to Honduras and the happy memories he made during those times. Carlos was so happy to be back with the Honduran staff. Beverly was thankful for the warm welcome that Nury gave to all of us, welcoming us “home to Honduras” and back to the FOBF family. Tariq enjoyed his first cup of coffee on the front porch of Alfredo’s house with the mountain view. Nareesa was thankful to practice Spanish again with everyone to get ready for the week!
It’s been a while since some of us have been back; for others of us, it seems like just a few weeks. For those of you who haven’t experienced the splendor of Honduras first hand, a quote from the recent movie Force Awakens sums it up nicely. The main character, Rey says, “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy” as she is approaching a lush planet that looks very similar to Honduras. Susan appreciated the bus ride that we had from the airport passing through gorgeous countryside with rolling hills and majestic mountains in the distance. The greenery everywhere was just so vibrant and alive. Jay said that even the fruit stands, fruit trees and flowers on the side of the road growing wild were absolutely beautiful.
After a wonderful dinner, we had a great devotional about a pilot who offered to help a blind woman by walking her dog during a brief layover. People ran when they saw a pilot (wearing his aviator sunglasses) walking a seeing-eye dog off a plane. The moral of the story is that not everything is as it appears. We need to remember that as we work for the families of Honduras this week.
