Unseen Gifts & Familiar Sites

I’m not morning person.  My husband, Doug, would say that is an understatement!  So, when the alarm went off at 2:15 this morning, I struggled.  I looked out the window, saw snow on the ground, and knew it would be cold outside - not a good way to improve my mood.  At that moment I questioned my decision to return to Honduras!

However, once I arrived at our church and the other team members began to gather, my attitude began to improve.  Soon the anticipation of going and serving the people of Honduras in the name of the Lord with alongside these gifted servants helped to cure the early morning blahs! Included in our departure prayer was a request that God would reveal gifts “as yet unseen.”  That comment made me begin to wonder, “What will God reveal to us this week?” “What gifts will we discover and then be able to give?”

De-icing delays and two full, bumpy flights landed us safely in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras without incident.  Unfortunately, two team members’ bags, two crates of vitamins, and the crate of orthotics did not make it to Tegucigalpa when we did. We are hopeful they will be delivered to us tomorrow.

This is my third time to work in this area of central Honduras.  As I stepped out of the airport, there was a sense of the familiar that was surprisingly calming and comforting.  The diesel fumes, the crazy traffic patterns, and a plethora of Spanish language billboards didn’t seem quite so foreign to me as they once did.  I’m not sure if that’s good or bad…I guess time will tell.

The Cascades Mall was our first stop for a late lunch on our way to the mountains.  Though there is much poverty in Honduras, there are signs of the middle class, too.  The mall has many “American” stores, including a Polo, a Sperry’s and even a Wal-Mart SuperStore!  The food court made us all feel at home with offerings of Wendy’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Popeye’s Chicken, Subway, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks (a favorite spot for much of team!)

After lunch, we headed to the church camp compound in Cofradia were we will stay this week.  The contrast of God’s beauty in the mountains and the man-made hillside shacks brought back into focus the reason we are here: to share God’s love to His children through medical clinics and to teach pastors how to shepherd their people.

It didn’t take long for folks to unload the bus and settle into our dormitory-style rooms, unpack, and gather for dinner (Honduran spaghetti with carrots in the scrumptious sauce!) and then discussed the plans for the week.  We will be conduct five clinics this week.  It will be a physically demanding week, but we are ready.  Tomorrow’s clinic will be here on the Cofradia compound so we will not have to travel via bus to our work.

For now though, I’m going to bed.  The Nashville snow and 2:15 a.m. were a long time ago.  Thanks for your prayers this week!