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