Our son Mark and his fiance' Katie were with us for a week prior to Christmas. We had a great time catching up with them, visiting our respective friends (Mark & Katie's from their previous work here with Heart to Honduras and our friends from our work here with MCC), and showing them around our new home area in Tegucigalpa.
We had been anxious for some time to meet
folks that had worked with Katie in her frequent trips to Honduras. We traveled to San Isidro to visit the family of Leo and drop off Mark & Katie for the night.
Kathy got to play abuela (grandma) and Katie became the special tia (aunt) for their little girl.
We dropped by to visit Josh & Maria at the MCC farm at El Cipres. And since the fish ponds made us hungry for fish, we stopped on the road to Tegucigalpa on Lake Yajoa for some fried talapia.
We normally watch from the buses as we pass by here and have always wanted to stop. Since we had a rental car we took advantage of the opportunity. There are probably 30 fish comedors one right after the other along the road. Josh & Maria suggested El Dorado..... a great choice!In Tegucigalpa we spent a day exploring the city center (sorry no photos that day) including the weekly produce market, the central park area, and walked to a local candle shop that produces candles for Ten Thousand Villages - which was unfortunately closed.
We spent a very relaxing day in Valle de Angeles in the mountains beyond Tegucigalpa. It is a quaint quiet village with lots of Honduran artisans' shops. We were particularly looking for table decorations for the wedding reception in June, but also found some nifty gifts (or ideas) for future unspecified events.
We also connected with our grandchildren in Ft. Collins via web cam in the evening. We watched them as they opened their Christmas gifts that Kathy had taken to Colorado in August. We were able to talk to them and them with us as we watched the fun. It was chaotic but wonderful.... just like the real thing. Lara and Steve emailed to say that later that evening Evan climbed up to look at the computer screen and ask for Grandma & Grandpa again. Very cute.... but I hope he doesn't grow up thinking we are just some virtual electronic version of grandparents. We will be certain to dispell that next June when we get to hold those two precious kids and talk to them face-to-face.
On the final day, we visited Nueva Suyapa, a barrio on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa where Kathy will be working with Stewardship of Christian Ministries. SCM is a multi-disciplined ministry to this very poor neighborhood. Sarah Lawrence (on the left) works with the ministry and has become a great friend, not only in helping Kathy to find her way into the ministry, but also in helping us find our way around the Tegucigalpa area. She is one of our main sources of information from housing options to bus lines to the best place to buy pupusas.
While we were in the office, Kathy started chatting with a women's micro-enterprise group that is starting up a cooperative baking business. Before you know it she is invited to their next meeting and they are all excited about having her be a part of the project. I think she is going to fit in just fine here..... problem will be keeping the scope of her involvement "focused". (That's my current most often used word in conversations with my dear wife). Who am I kidding, Kathy is excited, Sarah is excited, the women are excited - I'm outnumbered!
One option that interests both Sarah and Kathy is creating a demonstration composting and raised-bed garden project on this plot of ground below the school on the edge of the village. The cows will need to go first.For more pictures from Nueva Suyapa, see our Mark & Katie visit album.
It was a wonderful time with Mark & Katie here. And although we thoroughly missed being with the rest of you, we look forward to similar visits from you all during the next three years.
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