Saint Mark's Church

We made it!  Fifteen individuals – from all walks of life – converged safely at the airport in San Pedro Sula this afternoon.  Our group was split in two, and aside from the stress and predictable delays with moving and coordinating a group this size, the journey was largely uneventful.  A certain Continental ticketing agent was especially helpful in making sure our suitcases full of medications and medical supplies got on the aircraft cost-effectively.  And the best part was that we moved those suitcases through customs in Honduras without incident. 

Upon our arrival we were greeted by representatives from the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras.  We then met up with some of Brad’s old friends and ate a spectacular lunch – a truly warm welcome to this grateful country.  From there we traveled to Santa Barbara and checked into our hotel.  Tomorrow we will rise early, attend mass at the church in Concepcion del Norte, and then begin the process of rearranging pews and setting up our clinic. 

Arriving in Honduras I was reminded of two striking features of the landscape.  The first is the land seems unusually fertile – it is green and lush, with evidence of successful farming all around.  And the second is the presence of mountains in nearly all directions.  This is a fecund country, but one that is constantly facing obstacles.  The largest obstacle – and the most obvious when traveling here – is the striking poverty.  Poverty that far exceeds anything we have in the States.  As we begin our mission tomorrow, and as we try to bring what help we can this week, we will be facing plenty of mountains in all directions.   And we are ready.