Shop Til You Drop

I am running a bit late tonight. We returned to Esquias from Valley of the Angels at four thirty. Then I had a few items to take care of before I could blog. It is now five thirty here, six thirty in Iowa.

All the missioners had a great time on our tourist day. We have chosen Valley of the Angels for our shopping day because of a few reasons. It is a beautiful drive, it is much easier to get around in that village instead of the huge city of Tegucigalpa, and it is much safer for all. They have lots of shops with items made by local artisans. The students were given two hours to shop. Some of the male chaperones were not too excited about that, but afterwards stated that it was not too bad. I saw lots of t+shirts, beaded items, machetes, etc.

At noon we ate a lunch of pizza at a local place. Everyone agreed that it was delicious. Then many went next door to purchase ice cream. The weather was pleasant, so it was great for all.

On the was to Valley of the Angels we made a quick stop in El Guante. For those of you who do not know, the mission teams originally stayed in El Guante. We also have a clinic there which was built by Mission Honduras LeMars. We walked down to the clinic and I explained the background of it to everyone.

At this time most of us are doing a little relaxing or writing in our junta booklets, which are our journals. Supper will be served soon. Mass tonight is at seven. Fr. Cosgrove will say some in English and have Miguel translate. Five of our guys will have their feet washed.

Tomorrow we will participate in the Stations of the Cross. It is a very unique celebration that I will describe in detail tomorrow.  We also p´lan to put together our gift bags and ´play a little soccer. There is not much time left on our mission.

Oh yes, I wanted to let you know that our hour and twenty minute drive to La Florida is approximately sixteen miles in length. That lets you know the type of roads we travel and the speed at which we drive.

As Seivert told you, the money that Heelan started has grown. Today we met with our friend Marny, who met us in Valley of the Angels. Francis asked her to price high chairs for the malnutrition center and to prepare to buy food for Montaña de la Flor. They will take care of everything next week. Thank you to those who have added money to our small amount. It is going to make a big difference in some very desperate lives.

We feel your prayers as we continue our mission. Though we took a break today, we have not lost sight of our real purpose in being here.

Stay tuned for further updates.