Honduras - Day 2

Today felt a little like turning a page. Yesterday was airports, luggage, and figuring out where we were supposed to be. Today was church, fellowship, and the first real opportunity to settle into the rhythm of Honduras.

After a leisurely breakfast in Tegucigalpa, we loaded up and headed out. Our friend Milton, our fearless leader and chief keeper-of-the-schedule, somehow managed to get our entire crew moving on time. That’s no small miracle. Along with Milton, we were joined by our drivers, Brian, Renzo and Evelyn, and our translators, Bessie, Leydi and Samantha, who help bridge not only language but friendships as well.

Our first stop was Juan Wesley Methodist Church in Ciudad España, where our friend Rigo serves as pastor. He preached from Matthew 9:9-13, the story of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector. The message was simple and powerful: Jesus saw Matthew, knew exactly who he was, and called him anyway. The same is true today. Jesus still sees us completely, including our failures and shortcomings, and still invites us to follow Him.

During the service, Mark shared a few words expressing our team’s gratitude for the friendship, hospitality, and warm welcome we have received from our Honduran brothers and sisters. One of the sweetest parts of the morning was watching Nora enthusiastically join the dancers during worship. If there is a prize for embracing the local culture, she is already making a strong case for it.

After worship, we enjoyed lunch with sponsored children and their families. The meal was prepared by ladies from the church and was absolutely delicious. More importantly, it gave us another opportunity to sit together, share stories, laugh, and continue building relationships that have grown over many years of partnership and ministry.

From there, we made the drive to Danlí, which will be our home base for the coming days.

Later in the afternoon, most of the team decided that relaxing was overrated and accepted the challenge of hiking up to the large cross overlooking the city. The climb was steep, the afternoon sun was determined to remind us we were in Honduras, and there may have been a few moments of questioning our life choices along the way. But the view from the top made every step worthwhile.

The evening ended with dinner at Paseo Pupusería, where we enjoyed one of Honduras’s most beloved foods: pupusas. Think of a thick, handmade corn tortilla stuffed with melted cheese, then grilled until the outside is lightly crisp and the inside is warm and gooey. Simple, delicious, and very hard to stop at just one.

After dinner, we gathered to prepare for tomorrow, our first full ministry day in El Obraje. In the morning, our team will be helping build pilas, the concrete wash basins that provide families with a cleaner, more convenient place to wash clothes and dishes. In the afternoon, we’ll be leading Vacation Bible School activities with local children. One of the themes we’ve been talking about this week is that we are Christ’s ambassadors. Not celebrities. Not heroes. Just ordinary people representing an extraordinary Savior.

During our first devotion, each team member was given a small “Little Jesus” figure. It has become a cheerful reminder of a simple truth: we’re not bringing Jesus to Honduras. He’s already here. We’re just trying to keep up with Him. ❤️✝️