Friday, August 22, 2008

Show & Tell {Honduras - La Gruta - Part Two}

Oh man... has anybody had this happen before?? I put in my entry, viewed it, linked it at CanadaGirl's blog - because its my Show & Tell for this week - and I even had somebody comment already - and then it DISAPPEARED!!!! Argh!!!!!! So now I am trying to recreate it.  Boo hoo... 



First I need to back up a little and show a map explaining where we were.  We flew into the city of San Pedro Sula, in the northwest corner of the country, near Guatamala.  Then we drove about three hours to the city of La Esperanza, in Intibuca province.  La Esperanza is about a mile above sea level, in a forested mountain setting.  it has the coolest climate in Honduras, so it is very pleasant there in summer.  While we were there, the daytime highs were in the high 70s most days and the humidity was really not a problem.  In the evening it was cool enough to need a light jacket.





My last entry left off after the church service...  We had lunch reservations at a very nice restaurant in town called Pollo Indio.  It was a beautiful place.  We climbed up four flights of stairs to a private dining area in a room with wide open windows, so it was almost like dining on a patio.  There was a great view of the city all around, so I took several pictures there.




Here's a closer view of the Gran Hotel sign.  (I loved seeing the Coca-Cola signs - it was a big relief to see them because in San Pedro Sula all I saw were Pepsi signs and I was getting very worried! LOL)



Lunch was delicious.  Included on the menu:  tortilla chips with black beans and cheese (appetizer); grilled chicken, vegetables, fries, fresh tortillas.  I brought home the Coke bottles! LOL  After lunch we went to see the apartment where Danielle (young lady from our church that taught in La Esperanza during 2007-2008) had lived the previous year.  It was a cute place, and very interesting to see the place she had called home.  From there we walked to a Catholic shrine set high up in a hillside, known as La Gruta (the Grotto).







It is a lovely white "churchfront" shrine, with steep, uneven, and high steps leading up to it.  It definitely was a challenge to walk up those steps! 



Once we had all arrived in front of La Gruta, we took a couple of group pictures:









Behind the iron bars was a statue of Mary:







There were also steps (thought the last ones were steep - these were enormous!) on each side of the shrine, so that you could climb up to the hill above it.  Several of us, myself included, did that climb as well.  It was a challenge, and believe me I felt it in my thighs for several days afterwards!  But what  view!

















When we'd finished taking pictures and were all in front of the shrine itself again, Bob spoke to us about the idolatry, sorcery, witchcraft, and other evil influences that were so strong in the city, and were being mixed into the Catholic traditions as well.  Alcoholism is a big problem there.  Satan has a stronghold here, but Jesus Christ has the power to free people from those bonds!  We gathered on those steps and prayed over the city - for the people in bondage, for the missionaries and local pastors, for the mission team, and for those who are already free in Christ and are living out their witness to family and neighbors.



Back at the church again, many of the local young people had gathered to play soccer and have a birthday party for one of the girls.  Many of our young people joined in.  After a dinner of cold cut sandwiches, popcorn, carrots, bananas, and cookies, we were all about ready to turn in for the night!  We would be getting up early in the morning, and were all tired from the long travel days, so after a brief meeting to plan a bit for the upcoming days, we headed for our rooms.  I wrote in my journal, "I'm about to go shower, then it's time for bed -- and it's only 7:40pm!"  I can't remember the last time I went to bed that early!



More Honduras journal and pictures to come! Thanks for visiting today - and I sure hope THIS version of my entry stays up! =8~D

11 comments:

SuzyScribbles said...

Looks just like Costa Rica. Go figure! LOL

It's the rainy season there right now, isn't it? But still...rainy there and rainy here in the PNW are two different things.

And I heard the same thing about all the sorcery, the witchcraft, the mix up between the Catholic religion and satanism. VEry sad. Very scary. There is a work to be done there.

Great pic!

Canadagirl said...

I am soooooooo glad you persisted and re-did your post ! I would have been sad if you didn't.


What a AMAZING trip. That sounds very much like what my friends came across in Brazil. Yes, we for sure NEED to pray for the light to shine again in these countries and those who are there for His kingdom.


Hee he on the Coka-Cola signs


Blessings and ((HUGS)) my SSiC

In Him<><

-Mary

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to hear more, looks like it was a great trip!--Tamatha

Anonymous said...

WOW! You did a great job talking about that! I can never get my mission experiences into words that do it justice! It looks so wonderful and makes me want to do another one! I guess DH did ask about going back to Jamaica, but it's in Feb, and we've already shelled out hte money for the Disney trip.........

andijeane said...

I am really enjoying these posts! It amazes me that the weather could be so different from where we were, which isn't really too far east! It was very hot and humid (late June of 2005). I remember that the farther up we went in altitude, the hotter and more humid it was, which struck me as odd.


The mixture of witchcraft, idolatry and other pagan influences with the Catholic church is pretty prevalent in many Latin American countries; all of the areas we have been to, in fact. My husband, two sons and I went on a missions trip to Tijuana in July, and the situation was similar there.


I'm so glad you persevered and posted this - I can't wait to read about your other experiences!


~Andrea

kimalita said...

Awesome pictures! Reminds me of the time I spent in Mexico City for 4 months.......


So you don't like Pepsi, is that it? :o)


Can't wait to see more!!

blessedwith2angels said...

I was hoping that you would post about Honduras for S & T. Those are beautiful photos. It's sad about the evil and witchcraft that seems to be intrenched into the local cultures. It is an eye opening experience to visit countries like this.

Pam

Anonymous said...

Awesome 2nd installment! LOL about the Coke signs.. you are too funny about that. Hope there are some close up pictures of YOU in the next excerpt!!


Joanne

Haflingerhorses said...

That sounds like a really exciting and once in a lifetime trip. It is wonderful that you were able to be a part of that.

Antoinette

mojmommy said...

Looks like a wonderful trip. I just returned a couple of weeks ago from Ecuador. Some of your pics look simular to part of the areas we were in.

Be blessed,

Chasity

DanielleW said...

Awesome pictures. I think my favorite is the stair climbing one. I love the stream of light

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