Honduras – Day 4 – Travel Day

February 5, 2014

By Lisa Pickering

Well, after the long and emotion day Tuesday at HO330, we had headed back to the hotel.  When I got back to the hotel, I started crying again and fell down to my knees and asked God for his assistance for Cristi, and thanking him for bringing us together.

Tuesday night back at the hotel, it was time to pack and get ready in the morning to leave San Pedro Sula, and head to the capital city of Tegucigalpa. It was about a four hour drive between the two cities.

Market

Before we left San Pedro Sula, we got a chance to go to a “Market” to get souvenirs to bring back with us.   Issac was great help in find a Jersey for my nephew, Dexter, and Brother-in-law, Jimmy.  You see Jimmy is Honduran, and loves soccer, so I wanted to get them matching Jerseys.

Then it was time to try and find something to bring back to the children in Sunday School.

Alexis was great, and he helped me get a really good price on some small coin purses for the girls, and leather bracelets for the boys. (Alexis was wearing one of the bracelets, so I figured if a grown man like him would wear one, the boys at church would like them as well.)   Well, by the time we were all done in the Market, I had found gifts for everyone.  I found a couple of beautiful crosses to bring back to our Sunday School, and a small decorative knife for my husband, Randy.

Travel Day

After going back to the hotel, making sure we had everything, we loaded a van with our suitcases, and we got on the bus to head “down” or is it “up” to Tegucigalpa?  We were heading South (down), but going up in elevation.  Hilary and I sat and talked about our day at HO330 and the fun that we had. It was so much fun, and I figured, that if it was that emotional meeting just one child, what would Friday be like, meeting three?

We drove by the largest  natural lake in Honduras, Lago de Yojoa. (Lake Yojoa). The lake is about half way be San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.  The lake is very pretty, and it seemed like we were going about it on the way to Tegucigalpa.   A little further down the road we stopped for lunch at La Florida Restaurant.  The food was very good, and Alexis told us that they grow all the food organically.  We had plantain chips, with lunch, and it was very good.   At the end of Lunch, Alexis gave us ladies each a rose.  That was so nice.  Everyone bought some Honduran snacks before we left the restaurant.   There was lots of pretty flowers outside the restaurant.

When we got to Tegucigalpa, we got all checked into the hotel, and again Cissi was my roommate.  It was so nice, we went up to our room, and talked again about all the things we have seen and done so far on our trip. This was really the downhill part of the trip.

Reflection and debriefing Time

We meet together for dinner at the hotel, along with time to debrief and reflect on what we had seen and what we have done for the first four days.  Each person had a different outlook on what they had seen and done.

My reflection was meting Cristi and seeing her transform while we were there, from the shocked and speechless, to having fun taking pictures, and talking a lot.  And the possibility that I was bringing out a love of photography in her, and I look forward to seeing if that is something that will develop for her.

Others talked about the love that we received from the children, and how they were not scared or afraid to talk with us.   Or that the last couple of days was just a taste of what Friday will be like.

Afterwards, we went back to our rooms, and it was time to sort out the rest of the items in our suitcases.   Anything left that we had brought for the centers would need to bring with us the next day, and then of course the gifts for our sponsor children were left.

Planning for next day

The next day we were going to visit the Compassion Honduras Country headquarters.   I had brought several gallon ziplock bags from other sponsors to be left for their sponsor children.  There were a dozen or so packages.  I know that there would be a lot of surprised children the next time the letters were delivered to the centers.

I had decided to sponsor another young girl, Genesis from the next center that we would be visiting.  I was so excited, so as I sorted out the last of my gifts, I found a few items that I could give to her family.  I had one more family gift for a home visit, and Grace had informed me that I would get to visit her at her home.  I was so excited.  It is one thing to meet the children at the center or fun day, but to be able to visit them in their home, is really special.  This will give me more of an idea of how and where she lives.  (More about the visit later.)

Wow, It was hard to get go to sleep that night, but I was all so emotionally draining, that once we shut off the lights, it seem like it was morning in a flash.

 

More information in Next Blog Post “Day 5″

 

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