Honduran Weddings

We had the privilege of attending the weddings of two Izopo couples at LaVega church today. One couple was a friend - Doris, who lives by the school. The weddings combined a civil ceremony and a church ceremony with traditional giving of coins, exchanging rings, and being wrapped in the lasso. A short reception followed, when we were able to talk with the Izopo friends that came to the ceremony. It was very special to be part of this occasion.

What a joy to visit our friends in Izopo!

Friday morning, we drove up to our favorite place: the mountain of Izopo. Just up the road from the school, we were happy to find some Izopo friends at the building sites for the adobe houses where the youth group will be working. The first part of the building work is being done by ordinary hard-working people from Izopo, men and women, led by Marlon and Emma, the school teacher and his wife. They are excited to have help from the youth group next week!

Half of our group then had an opportunity to visit two homes with Juan, the student-minister to Izopo church. The ladies were so proud to show us their homes, and were happy to show us how they live. The corn grinder and tortilla-maker seen below are an example of the well-used tools in the kitchen, signs of a hard-working woman with a well-organized household, but with different tools than we have at home.

The other half of the group arrived at the school just as the children got out, and had a wonderful time playing games with them: Duck, Duck, Goose, Steal the Bacon, and (or course) Futbol (soccer).  They saw many familiar faces, and had a great time playing with these special kids - always a highlight of the trip!

Baxter and cultural visits.

Yesterday we spent time at Baxter, talking with students and faculty and meeting new people. Next week, the students will spend a week evangelizing in three smaller communities in Honduras for their annual Evangelistic Campaign. The students and staff are busy with preparations for this week of work, and you can feel the excitement on the campus. Since they will be gone, we made an effort to spend more time on campus our first two days here. 

Of course, there was still housekeeping for the team - shopping and organizing for the next week's work. Necessary evils...  

We did get a infusion of culture by visiting the a Museum of National Identity (Honduras culture and history), and visiting the famous Jesus statue with it's incredible views of the city.  Honduras has a rich culture and a difficult story. We have a renewed understanding of the Honduran people and their struggle to bring a good future to their children. We love this city and its people, and look forward to our weeks here.

Today: our first trip to Izopo!

First part of team arrives safely in Honduras!

The first group of 11 people arrived at the airport at 5 am, and were in Tegucigalpa by 11:45 (1:45 Indiana time).  We celebrated our arrival with a lunch at the local mall :), and were soon being greeted by Oscar and the friendly faces at Baxter Institute. The rest of the day was time to rest and settle into our apartments, so we'll be ready to roll tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers!

Honduras Mission team on their way!

Check back regularly for posts and photos from the Honduras Mission Team 2014!