HONDURAS
Our trip was full of beautiful sights and totally new experiences.
We are so grateful to Tamara & Elisa for bringing us along to visit the places and friends they know so well
from their 16 years of missionary service there.
It was a joy to meet the dear brothers and sisters and to see firsthand what life is like for them.
They graciously welcomed us into their homes and shared their remarkable stories,
which we won't soon forget.
Enjoy the photos!
Flying over the Gulf of Mexico
Population: 1.1 million.
This is a view of the city from the mountains.
Look closely for the hummingbird
Bananas, which are referred to as "minimos"
Trying pastelitos
Jehovah's name is commonly used in Honduras, especially on vehicles like this taxi
"Licuados con leche"- one of our favorite treats
Catholic Church in Santa Lucia
Coffee is usually served with a sweet bread
A "plato tipico," with beans, meat, rice, platanos, queso & avocado
This is the former branch office in Tegucigalpa.
It is currently used for translation work.
The brother & sister who care for it happened to be repainting the sign as we drove past.
Tegucigalpa at sunset
Meat vendor
After a few days in Tegucigalpa, we spent two weeks in Catacamas at the Castro's home.
Maria & Israel Castro
They were extraordinary hosts, and we grew to love them.
Israel spent a lot of time helping Addison with his Spanish.
They were always in the dictionary!
Heading out to a little village named San Carlos
We went everywhere in pickup trucks
The family we visited in San Carlos prepared a big lunch for us
Tamara & Elisa preached in this village & others like it.
They studied with some of the members of this family, who are now in the truth.
This little girl, Kritsia, quickly became my buddy
Jicara- they use these to make bowls and cups
Laundry
Clothes are typically washed on a "pila" . . .
then hung out to dry
Trying zapote, a fruit that is considered a delicacy.
Israel Castro makes his living selling fruits and vegetables, and would often come home in the evenings
with special things for us to enjoy.
This little boy, Alejandro, loves cars.
He & Addison spent a lot of time looking at photos of cars together.
Alejandro & his cousin Astrid
The Baquedano sisters;
Gilma, Damaris and Linett
Isaias Baquedano & his family
His wife, Jaqui, is an English teacher, so we spent a lot of time talking with her and her sweet daughters.
Elisa with Elisa Baquedano, who was named after her
The children loved to look at photos and especially videos
The coconut tree in the Castro's yard
Israel expertly opened up the coconuts with his machete so that we could enjoy the coconut water inside
Playing futbol
Noni, which also grew in the Castro's yard
A meal at Delma's
Oscar, Erica and their baby Reinansito.
Erica is one of the Castro's seven children.
Honduran women make their own tortillas, and they serve them with every meal.
Maria was nice enough to show me how to make them.
This couple were 2 of the first 5 publishers in Catacamas.
When Tamara & Elisa arrived, there were roughly 30 in the congregation.
Now, there are 3 large congregations!
Working in the ministry with Elisa Baquedano and Daniela,
who has been pioneering since the age of ten!
We spent an evening at Ruben's home (bottom right).
We got to meet the circuit overseer (next to Ruben),
as well as the three brothers in the back row who were visiting Honduras on a "pioneer route."
One was from Guatemala, one from El Salvador, and the other from Mexico.
Their stories were amazing and so encouraging.
We stopped alongside the road to watch some men making mud bricks and tiles
The process was so interesting to watch
Two men working together make 700 or more tiles each day.
Watching the workers made us feel as though we'd stepped back in time.
My favorite little girl, Thanayray.
She was exceptionally patient with my Spanish and didn't mind repeating herself.
One afternoon we had lunch at the Flores' home
Fredito, age 8, was pleased to show us his Counsel Form in his Ministry School book
He also wanted to show us his chicken!
Fredito and his little brother, playing with a kite they had made out of sticks and plastic
Little Tatiana, who worked with us in the ministry
With her family
Inside the hammock was Tatiana's baby sister.
Only 16 days old!
Playing Bananagrams
The Castros' daughter Gilma and two of her children
One morning, we headed out with a group to the Caves of Talgua
Remains found in the cave
Squeezed into a taxi
The Kingdom Hall in South Catacamas
My buddy Thanayray wanted to learn some English after the meeting
Elisa & Tamara were such fun traveling companions!
At the missionary home
We saw a lot of these huts alongside the road,
where women would sell their cooked maize or tamales.
Relaxing at the Aplicano family's home
Enjoying "arroz con leche," a hot rice pudding
Chatting with Damaris as she cleans coffee beans
The Coffee Plantation
During our last day in Catacamas, we had a crazy adventure visiting
the Baquedano family's coffee plantation.
Brother Baquedano, who is 65, has run the plantation for 33 years.
To get there, we spent hours traveling up the mountain on a road of mud!
Putting chains on the tires of the pickup.
There were 11 of us piled in, plus food and equipment.
This is actually the road!
The truck got stuck many times, so the workers would jump out and dig up
the road until it was easier to drive on.
They often had to push the truck and dig it out of the mud.
Little coffee trees
Finally, it got to the point where we had to get out and walk the rest of the way
Part of our hike was through the rainforest!
Brother Baquedano went ahead and hacked away at the vines with his machete to clear our path.
When we finally made it to the plantation on the top of the mountain, the family began making us a meal
Whole fish!
Addison loved it
Coffee berries
The Baquedanos and their niece,
in front of their home on the top of the mountain.
It was a memorable end to our time in Catacamas!
Marisela and her husband Fausto met us at the airport to say goodbye.
They serve in the Honduran Sign Language congregation in Tegucigalpa.
We had such a wonderful trip.
There were times when the difficulties of visiting a third world country felt overwhelming,
but it definitely gave us a new, more appreciative perspective.
Most importantly, feeling the love of the brothers & sisters in another land,
even though we couldn't speak the same language, made a deep impression on us.
We're so glad we went!