I Have Arrived!

I am hot, sweaty, but oh so happy to finally be in La Ceiba, Honduras. After a round-about ride to and through Newark, NJ with Brother Will, a quick flight to Atlanta, an almost sleepless night on a pay-as-you go massage chair in Atlanta next to a dinosaur, a packed flight to San Pedro Sula, and a 3 hour drive along the northern coast of Honduras, I have finally arrived at my home for the next 10 months.

I was greeted at the airport by Mike, the principle of Holy Trinity Episcopal School and Javier, my friend from my last mission trip to Honduras and the new father of a 3 month old baby girl. Javier guided us through the moving maze that is Honduran traffic all the way to my new apartment right in the center of the city where Betty, Mike’s wife and a teacher at Holy Trinity was waiting. What a spectacular place. It is a two room apartment with lots of windows, a bed with leopard print sheets, very little water pressure, and a built-in breakfast counter. Paradise! I am about seven blocks from school and two blocks from the mall where I can shop in the comfort of air conditioning. Mike and Betty spent a ton of time finding the place for me, which will covered by Holy Trinity as part of my stay. Muchas gracias a ellos.

Mike and Betty took me out to dinner (Chinese food) and we got to talking about the school year and living in La Ceiba. Betty counseled me to ask every question that comes to me because if I do, I will probably get what I need and if I don’t, I probably won’t. It made me remember the plane ride I took this morning.

I of course skipped breakfast, forgetting in my sleep deprived haze that Delta did not serve complementary lunch on the planes anymore. So when it came time for the free drinks and snacks, I pleaded for some extra pretzels. When the flight attendant asked why, I explained my predicament and the he laughed and gave me some extra bags. He asked if I was allergic to peanuts then walked to the back of the plane. Puzzled, I expected I had scored a couple bags of peanuts as well. However, when he came back, he had a huge peanut butter and jelly sandwich, his plane ration that he didn’t want to eat. It absolutely made my day.

I hope that this mission trip is full of these exchanges and I can be on the other side, providing what I have to offer to those who need it. I just have to figure out what they need, which I don't think will always be as easy as a PB&J sandwich. With God's Help. Off to bed. Meetings all day tomorrow with the other teachers. Thanks for all your support and prayers!