A. Honduras

 
            At 6am Friday morning we left DC. Flying into Tegucigalpa, Honduras I could see shacks between rolling hills and mountains. Maybe it was not as monumental as it was the first time I left the US because I had been exposed to this before. But that doesn’t sound right. It almost always breaks my heart all over again every time I see this destitute lifestyle.
            We were picked up at the airport by our ministry contact, Tony, and taken to Zion’s Gate on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa in the town of Tizatillo. This is the ministry that Tony leads and with which we will be working and living. We had time to set up our tents inside or outside. My team decided on inside – a great choice since it gets pretty cold at night and has rained several times.
            Tony then spoke to us about how he got to Honduras and the ministry he does. He and his wife have 11 boys and 6 girls living with them that they have unofficially adopted off the street. Their ages range from 2 to 24 years old. Most of them were living at the city trash dump before coming to Zion’s Gate. There are incredible stories of redemption from the depths of darkness. It broke my heart to hear them.
            Tony and Zion’s Gate are somewhat of a facilitator for mission work. He works with the kids, but Tony also has many contacts that he sets up with missionary groups like the World Race. Over the next month we may be working at the women’s prison, the Men’s Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, with Honduras Hope at the city trash dump and an orphanage, with Shechinah Ministries serving the poor, with Heart of Christ serving the forgotten woman and children, with the Loyalty Bilingual School, and with Iglesia Tabernaculo de Sion.
            I can only imagine the things that are yet to come…
 

 
A few random notes about Honduras:
 
1. There are no traffic lanes or traffic laws (I am sure we will find this true for a lot of countries)
2. You cannot flush toilet paper (also true for other places)
3. Eggs, refried beans, and tortilla shells are a staple at meals
4. Showers are very cold – and become less important with time
5. Most of the time hand motions will suffice when there is a language barrier
6. Honduran mud/cow poop does not come out of clothes
7. It’s hard for 45 people to wash clothes when there is only one scrubbing stone
8. Clothes do not line dry when it is 63 degrees F outside
9. You [have to] get used to one unisex bathroom (3 toilets and 2 showers)
10. Schedules are just guidelines