Well, we made it! It was a long and tiring travel day, but after a red-eye flight from SFO, a 4 hour layover in Houston from 3:30am - 7:30am, to a 4+ hour drive across Honduras with one of the greatest drivers I've ever been in a car with, we made it! Overall, it was a really smooth journey; however, I don't think anyone of us expected it to take roughly 21+ straight hours of travel time. The first thing that we all noticed about Honduras is that it is stinking hot and humid! Waiting in line at immigration in a window-less room with roughly 400 of our newest Honduran friends, got stuffy and hot quite quickly. After passing through immigration with our bags, we finally got a glimpse at the absolute beauty of the country!
We loaded in a van with our driver Herman and off we went on the long drive to Siguatepeque, where we will be staying the majority of the week. The first half of the drive (1.5 hours) we drove through stretches of highway that rivaled the beauty of Hawaii. The lush vegetation and towering mountain ranges created an incredible backdrop that distracted us enough to not fully notice the insane driving tactics of the country and our driver. Herman, had no problem passing drivers and coming within inches of clipping cars or people. It truly was an impressive drive. We then stopped for lunch in the rain forest by a large lake. We all ordered a local favorite dish of fried fish. Literally, a gutted whole fish dropped in a fryer, head, eyes and all! Despite my hesitations, it was delicious. Although for some, looking at our meal while the meal looked back was a bit unnerving. After stretching the legs, and gathering a bit more energy for the final push before arriving at our hotel, we loaded back in the van and off we went. The roads suddenly changed to steep, winding dirt roads and we were now right in the heart of the Honduran Mountains. Our two-wheel drive van, with Herman at the wheel, weaved through the mountains hugging corners and dodging chickens, cows, and children. Once again I was taken back by the beauty of it all. It makes me wonder how big God is. Beyond the fact that he created it all, but that he has the ability and creative power to think of it all. It becomes so simple to ignore the beauty around us when we see it everyday, but being in a different part of the world refreshes my eyes to see the depth of care that God took when created this place. We get blinded by routines, tasks, and drywall that we forget to see the world around us. It's almost like God is trying to get our attention. Like he is saying, "I'm here, I'm big, and I care for you!" It is just unfortunate that it took me traveling to Honduras to listen!
Prayers for rest and rejuvenation as we begin our ministry in the villages tomorrow would be appreciated. Thanks all!