CASTING OUR SEEDS OUT A LITTLE FURTHER

In May of this year we received a letter from Elder Kevin Duncan of the Quorum of the Seventy asking us if we would be willing to travel to some of the other missions here in Latin America and to teach them the things that we were doing in the office that had benefited our mission.  Of course, we were willing to do whatever was asked of us.  This week we made the first of those training trips.  We visited the two missions in Tegucigalpa - the Tegucigalpa and the Comayaguela Missions.  It was a wonderful experience and very productive.  We shared what we knew and learned a lot from them at the same time.  Some of the changes that we initiated in our mission are now being implemented in three other missions.  The seeds of our efforts are spreading out a little further.  It is really quite an honor.

This was the view from our room on the 11th floor of the Marriot Hotel where we stayed the night.  It was conveniently located near the offices of these two missions and it was extremely comfortable.  We both commented in the morning that we felt more rested than any other day of our mission.  That's what a king sized bed and good air conditioning can do for you.



Tegucigalpa is just a huge city built on mountains.  Thousands and thousands of red roofed homes continue to build ever higher on the mountains that form this land. We drove down into the city center, but didn't like it very much.

While we were there we were blessed to be able to spend time with both President Fortuna of the Comayaguela Mission and President Hernandez of the Tegucigalpa Mission and with their office staffs. President Fortuna was from Santa Domingo: President Hernandez was from El Salvador.  Both were extremely gracious and appreciative for what we were trying to do.  Our experience was very positive.  We hope that the reports we send to these missions and to Elder Duncan will reflect adequately what we observed and propose.

After we were finished we took the opportunity to do a bit of sight seeing on the way home.  This is the Basilica of Suyapa and is, perhaps, the most famous building in Honduras.  It was extremely beautiful. 

One of many altars in the basilica, a stained glass window of the coronation of Mary, and the great hall.

This basilica is famous for its stain glass windows that line both sides of the massive general hall.  Each window was, at least 30 feet tall by 15 feet wide. The Virgen de Suyapa, who is believed by many to have performed hundreds of miracles, is a tiny wooden statue, measuring only 2 1/2 inches tall. She is brought to the large basilica on holidays, especially for the annual Feria de la Virgen de Suyapa beginning in February.  People from all over Latin America come to worship here in hopes of obtaining miracles.  Except for these special occasions, the wooden statue is kept in the much more simple Church of Suyapa which is only 50 yards behind this basilica.

The Cathedral of Suyapa directly behind the Basilica. 

Most Hondurans believe the statue was miraculously discovered in 1747 by a common laborer by the name of Alejandro Colindres.  After spending the day clearing some corn fields east of Tegucigalpa he grew tired and stopped in a field to spend the night.  Colindres was awakened in the night by a sharp pain in his side and discovered that he was sleeping on something.  The next morning he discovered that he had been sleeping on a tiny statue of this virgin.  He took it home and put it on his family's altar.  Sometime later miracles began to occur.  It was then that this church was constructed to honor her.


Candles burning for requested miracles, Suyapa, and the altar where the tiny statue is placed.  It is in the gold circle.

We couldn't stay much later in Tegucigalpa because we wanted to stop in a city named Comayagua (which means land of abundant water). They are famous for having the world's second oldest working clock.  It was built in 1100 AD and has worked continuously since.  It was brought over to Honduras from Spain in 1756.

The Cathedral of Comayagua.  The clock is the second oldest working clock in the world.

We paid a fellow a few dollars to take us inside the cathedral and up into the bell and clock tower.  By Comayagua law there cannot be any building in town that is taller than this cathedral, so we had a great view of the city. 

Comayagua was the first capital of Honduras and remains today a very lovely city.  The cathedral was beautiful.  As is typical there are three separate altars in this cathedral.  The one shown in the picture is the center of the three, but all are gold covered, massive and ornate.  After this brief tour the same man walked with us through several blocks of the city showing us the first Treasury Building, the first Presidential Palace, the first University and more.  We saw the house where one of their presidents was assassinated in 1865, an ancient water system, a guarded statue of President Morazán - the man who put Honduras on the map and a lot more.  It was a lovely, historically important city. 

Us in front of the first Presidential Palace

 

This mission has enriched our lives in so many ways.  We've had opportunities that few retired couples will ever have.  We've lived among and learned to love another people and culture.  We've seen great wonders of historical value.  We've learned new skills and had the privilege of spending our days together.  A mission as a senior couple is a wonderful way to spend your golden years.