Journeys

Much has happened in the last few days. Late Monday night I arrived in the San Pedro Sula Airport. I did not notice the cameraman and reporter as I exited into the waiting area, but moments later a man who had been across the aisle from me on the plane, was greeted by the crowd and the camera. I have yet to figure out who he was but apparently someone at least slightly famous.

Wes and Cindy Williamson picked me up and took me to a hotel which is actually small apartments that can be rented for long periods of time. The location would be a possibility for me once I move to San Pedro. Breakfast was included and when I went there the next morning, I decided to be more outgoing than usual and I asked to sit with a group who looked like a mission team from the US. They were all from Tennessee and come to Honduras to dig wells while the women teach soap and papermaking. It was a neat connection.

Around 9:00AM Wes and Cindy came with their children, and we headed to Sears where I began to make my first household purchases (though I still had not seen the house). Later we joined other missionaries for lunch at Wendy’s and afterwards spent hours in the grocery store. I was blessed by the generosity of all the missionaries that I met
because they would look around their house, decide that they were not using something and then pass it on to me. With a mattress tied to the roof of the Patrol, we could not open the back doors so we crawled through the windows. True, entering from the front would have been a possibility but much less exciting.

It was almost 5:30PM till we actually began the journey homeward to the Campamento Manantial de Vida in Pinalejo. I had thought that Costa Rica was dry but here as we drove along, there was evidence of forest fires everywhere. Ashes were falling from the sky in the city – definitely a new experience for me. I saw a few small flames but the day before the flames had apparently been higher than the Montero. My favorite part of the drive was the glorious sunset. The sun was a brilliant pink ball that lowered itself behind the mountain peaks. For me it was a welcome to Honduras, just as the evening before I witnessed a lovely sunset in Costa Rica while driving to the airport. That sunset was more of a close to the last chapter of my life. Tuesday I was beginning a new chapter. A few places along the road to Pinalejo actually reminded me of my drives to Houghton College along Rt. 17 during the winter months when very little was alive. Those of you who know that route, I am sure appreciate the reminder of winter. :)

Tuesday evening I began the work of unpacking but did not get too far. Thankfully I am able to go to sleep without having everything organized immediately or else I would have been without sleep. The house is actually quite spacious but I am trying to figure out where to put books and kitchen stuff without having shelves, counters, or closets. For that reason I still have much to unpack. I hate to wash all of the pots and pans that were in storage when there is no place to put them. I do have a nice fridge and a stove with an oven. The walls are gray cinder blocks and it is a gray cement floor, so I have to figure out how to add color and life. I am not living in the igloo but I can look out of my window and see it. The Williamsons have loaned me many things including a living room chair. Oh, there is a nice porch too on which I would like to put a hammock. I spent most of Wednesday unpacking, washing vegetables, and getting familiar with Pinalejo. I also had the opportunity to drive again – the first time in 4 months. I think it was the first time in 8 months that I had driven standard and thankfully it went pretty well.

Tomorrow I will be going back to San Pedro Sula (about an hour and a half from camp) for a Personal Security Seminar. It should be a good opportunity to meet people and of course learn some important information. I also have some furniture to pick up and who knows what else.

This morning I found my first living thing in my house (other than ants) – a cricket. I was quite excited. I know that the other animals will come over time but it was a gentle breaking in. I have been thankful that for the past two days we have had electric consistently, thereby allowing fans and lights. I have much adjusting to do to the temperatures – the 90’s and humid. But there is beauty all around. Twice I have seen the lovely Motmot bird flying near my cabin. I want to get out in the woods soon and start investigating what is here. And so I am beginning the adjustment to a new life, a new culture.

Well, I am sort of beginning the adjustment. I am adding more to this blog while I wait for the computer to open my blog site. I can see that internet here in the villages is going to be much slower. God may work on patience in me. Wes told me that often things take much longer than expected or unexpected problems arise. I was on my way into town this morning to do internet before he needed the vehicle to go to the bank (I am borrowing their Montero for now) when I remembered seeing a sign yesterday that the Internet Café closes for lunch from noon to 1:00PM. I knew that 20 minutes would not be enough time to download e-mail so I turned around. I may have to resort to having my cousin download my new blogs. Vamos a ver. (We will see.)