THERE ARE THINGS ABOUT HONDURAS THAT WE JUST LOVE!

This beautiful country isn't our home.  It's traditions and culture often seem strange to us.  We frequently speak of ways this country could be improved if only they would let us "Americanize" them.  But, there are other times that we realize we have so much we can learn from them.  Honestly, there are some things about Honduras that we simply love.

This car repair service isn't the sanitized, spotlessly clean station where we would normally take a car to be repaired, but this is where our car has been for the past 12 days.  The floor is a composite of dirt and oil from hundreds of cars that have spent their days here waiting their turn to be fixed up. Screwdrivers and ratchet sets litter the ground; frequently they are barely serviceable. There are no walls to prevent the dust from the cars to affect the painting of the car.  And yet in this circumstance our car was repaired to look just like new. Our Toyota Corolla had been on the losing end of so many bumps and bashes.  Seven different places had to be repaired.  The front bumper was ripped off with a hole the size of a softball torn from its center.  But, not one single piece was replaced. Everything was patched up, molded together, and put back into shape.  The entire car was painted from head to toe. The final bill - $925.00.  We love that about Honduras.

We love the fact that when you pull into a gas station you still get full service.  We haven't pumped our own gasoline for nine months and won't do so for another 14 months or so.  Full time attendants stand by each individual pump. Windows are washed, the tank is filled and off you go.  Gasoline is more expensive here than in the states by about $1.00 per gallon, but we sit comfortably in our car while all is being done.  We love this about Honduras.

So much time is wasted at intersections.  Traffic congestion causes long lines and often tempers flare.  However, there is always entertainment to help pass the time.  Young boys juggle three green oranges for twenty seconds and then quickly walk down the line of cars hoping for a Lempira or two.  Others, pass by with an old pop bottle of soapy water in one hand and a Squeegie in the other who will happily wash your windows as you wait.  Again, all they ask is a "Lemp" or two.  When darkness falls upon the city a few of the more advanced entertainers come out on the streets.  One juggles sticks which burn brightly with fire.  Another swallows a mouthful of gasoline and blows out a huge fireball to the delight of all.  Of course, not everyone pays for such entertainment, but we typically do. We love this about Honduras.

Fruit stands display their colorful offerings as you drive past.  For a few cents they offer the bounties of this incredible land.  All year around they offer bananas, watermelons,  oranges, pineapples and more.  Almost every night we drag in from a day of service and grind up a smoothie of frozen papaya, pineapple, bananas and orange juice. Its refreshing taste is the perfect end to a day of challenge and stress.  We love this about Honduras.

We woke up this morning to a temperature of 78 degrees.  Of course, we miss the cool nights of our former home, but we haven't shoveled snow once, nor scraped the ice off of our car windows.  We love that about Honduras.

Many odd little things bring a smile to our face.  They don't refrigerate their eggs down here.  Apparently until they are refrigerated for the first time they are fine to sit out for awhile.  We like the extra room that gives us in our fridge. The banks have a special line dedicated to those of the "tercera edad." (Last third of your life).  If you're over 60 you get to butt into the front of the line and often the lines in the banks are unbearably long.  The other secretaries love to take Wayne to the bank with them.  That way they are able to get through the lines faster. We really like that about Honduras.  Even though the TV shows may be in English all of the commercials will be in Spanish.  That makes them so much easier to ignore.  We love that about Honduras.

We miss our family so much, but there is something very real about the value of distance. We write letters and read again and again the responses.  Very often things are said in these letters that we would have left unsaid had we been home.  These little expressions of our love mean so very much to us.  We love that about Honduras.

Aurora Maria Larenzo and the women of El Carmen branch

We love watching people change their lives after they learn the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Habits are discarded, covenants made, and a new family is forged.  To be a part - admittedly a very small part - of this process brings such joy.  People who forego this kind of an experience often miss out on this.  We have been privileged to watch this process over and over again during the past nine months.  Aurora is the mother of five children.  Four of them live in the USA and all are active in the Church.  Basically all that she lacked was having someone invite her to join with them.  She was baptized today - March 9, 2013.  Other people will follow in the weeks to come.  We really love this part of Honduras.

It's not all perfect, but we thought you ought to know that there are some things about Honduras that we simply love.