I'd like to share this video with you all. This was played at FUMC Mabank, the church group I was a part of for my mission trip. It's a short summary of what I learned on this mission trip.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Honduras Days 1-2
Due to the spotty Internet connections here, I'm a bit behind in my blogging! I hope to be caught up within the next few days. Today is Day 4, and things are going well. I've been journaling while the Internet has been down, so here are my thoughts for Days 1 and 2.
Day 1
Today we woke up very (VERY) early to fly to Houston from DFW. We landed, and after a 45 minute delay, we took a two hour flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We then took a three hour van ride to La Ceiba, which was quite an adventure. Driving in Honduras is much different from driving in the States. The only similarity is the fact that we both drive on the right side of the road. The speed limits are never enforced, so everyone drives at whatever speed they fancy. Vans, cars, school buses, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians all share the road, and pass each other frequently, and closely. If you can drive in Honduras, you can drive anywhere.
We stopped in La Ceiba for the night. They have many familiar chain restaurants and other American things. We had dinner at Applebee's and passed Little Caesar's, KFC and Pizza Hut on the way back to the hotel.
Day 2
We woke up very early again to take the 6:00am flight to Puerto Lempira. I haven't flown since before 9/11, but I wasn't worried about the flights on this trip. When we got to the airport in Puerto Lempira, I changed my mind. The plane was a large Cessna-type plane, about 50 feet long. They airport workers stood in the door to the plane, waved the passengers to the front and threw the luggage in the back. Once we took off, it wasn't that bad. I just found it odd that the pilot flew with the cockpit windows open.
We landed on a dirt runway in Puerto Lempira. We got out of the plane and the people from the House of Hope met us under the plane's wings. We walked 1/4 mile on dirt roads back to the House of Hope, which is right next to the runway. We walked in the gate, and the kids shouted, "Gringos, gringos, gringos!" They love seeing white faces in the compound. After unloaded the luggage, we started playing with the kids. I was expecting that they wouldn't be very trusting of us at first, but I was wrong. From the second we walked in, the kids grabbed our legs and hung on. They were climbing up our arms, jumping on our shoulders and following us around. We played with the kids for a few hours before lunch, pushing them on swings, chasing them around the compound and giving piggyback rides.
I was doubting my Spanish skills as I prepared for my mission trip. After three years of high school Spanish and a year off, I knew my vocabulary was rusty. Thankfully, immersion does wonders for rusty skills. My Spanish has come back quicker and more completely than I expected. I can communicate with the kids well enough to know what they're talking about, and to answer them intelligently.
The only downside to this trip so far is that the days feel like weeks. We wake up at 6:00, and the sun's already up. A few hours later, after pushing about 1,000 kids on the swings, chasing 10,000 kids around the yard, and giving 100,000 piggyback rides, I find out it's only 10:30, and there's still two hours till lunch.
The trip has been going very well. Besides being hot and sweaty, we are all happy and healthy, and ready for another day in Honduras!
Day 1
Today we woke up very (VERY) early to fly to Houston from DFW. We landed, and after a 45 minute delay, we took a two hour flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We then took a three hour van ride to La Ceiba, which was quite an adventure. Driving in Honduras is much different from driving in the States. The only similarity is the fact that we both drive on the right side of the road. The speed limits are never enforced, so everyone drives at whatever speed they fancy. Vans, cars, school buses, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians all share the road, and pass each other frequently, and closely. If you can drive in Honduras, you can drive anywhere.
We stopped in La Ceiba for the night. They have many familiar chain restaurants and other American things. We had dinner at Applebee's and passed Little Caesar's, KFC and Pizza Hut on the way back to the hotel.
Day 2
We woke up very early again to take the 6:00am flight to Puerto Lempira. I haven't flown since before 9/11, but I wasn't worried about the flights on this trip. When we got to the airport in Puerto Lempira, I changed my mind. The plane was a large Cessna-type plane, about 50 feet long. They airport workers stood in the door to the plane, waved the passengers to the front and threw the luggage in the back. Once we took off, it wasn't that bad. I just found it odd that the pilot flew with the cockpit windows open.
We landed on a dirt runway in Puerto Lempira. We got out of the plane and the people from the House of Hope met us under the plane's wings. We walked 1/4 mile on dirt roads back to the House of Hope, which is right next to the runway. We walked in the gate, and the kids shouted, "Gringos, gringos, gringos!" They love seeing white faces in the compound. After unloaded the luggage, we started playing with the kids. I was expecting that they wouldn't be very trusting of us at first, but I was wrong. From the second we walked in, the kids grabbed our legs and hung on. They were climbing up our arms, jumping on our shoulders and following us around. We played with the kids for a few hours before lunch, pushing them on swings, chasing them around the compound and giving piggyback rides.
I was doubting my Spanish skills as I prepared for my mission trip. After three years of high school Spanish and a year off, I knew my vocabulary was rusty. Thankfully, immersion does wonders for rusty skills. My Spanish has come back quicker and more completely than I expected. I can communicate with the kids well enough to know what they're talking about, and to answer them intelligently.
The only downside to this trip so far is that the days feel like weeks. We wake up at 6:00, and the sun's already up. A few hours later, after pushing about 1,000 kids on the swings, chasing 10,000 kids around the yard, and giving 100,000 piggyback rides, I find out it's only 10:30, and there's still two hours till lunch.
The trip has been going very well. Besides being hot and sweaty, we are all happy and healthy, and ready for another day in Honduras!
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