After seeing Katie and Mark off at the San Pedro airport, we went back to the MCC farm to spend our first Honduran Christmas eve and day. Josh and Marie (back row) live on the farm and are (sigh) finishing up their term in a few weeks. They have been wonderful hosts and have offered us a welcome retreat on the farm a number of times. Andrew and Amanda (front), the MCC Connecting Peoples couple from San Pedro, joined us on Christmas day.
We had a great time together sharing meals, stories, theological discussions (yeah - really), shooting off fireworks with some boys from the village, and even got in some serious birding time. Andrew has become quite the birding fanatico. Bryan Butler, a development worker and birder from nearby Santa Cruz joined us as well. Altogether for the three days: 37 species with one new lifer for me - all seen on or from the farm property!
A special time was the Christmas eve mass we attended in Santa Cruz with Josh & Marie, Bruce, and the fireworks boys. Santa Cruz is a moderately sized town with a Catholic Church that was packed out for the mass. There was good music, a very worshipful atmosphere, and a meaningful message. There was one particularly poignant moment when the priest was talking about Christmas being a time of sharing together and caring for each other. He was acknowledging that they had family members who were not present, who were in other countries, or in places unknown. I had noticed the woman sitting beside Kathy was crying. The girl sitting next to me was wiping tears. And then I realized that all around us people in the congregation were just sobbing as the priest assured them they could pray for and care for those persons. It was a heartbreaking moment. We had been feeling melancholy about not being with our families, but at least we know where they are and that they are safe. We can even web-cam via Skype to watch our grandchildren open presents. But for many families here who have husbands, brothers, mothers, or children that left for the north at some time, this is not their reality. The choice they made is not an easy one for this family oriented culture and those left behind miss them with an agony we may not understand. No matter what your political view may be on immigration - this would have been a sobering moment. It gave to me an added understanding and love for the people of Honduras and Central America.
With that said - special greetings to all our family and friends, wherever you may be and with whomever you may be spending the holidays. Appreciate those around you and remember those far away. We wish you God's richest blessings in the New Year.
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