Thursday January 19, 2023

This week has been so awesome!  We have been going every day all day.  We are still with President and Hermana Ostler so we are on their schedule but it has been so great to get out and meet with the missionaries and get to know them and their areas where they are living and working.  We are finding out more and more what life is like here for them as well as for the local people here.  So the missionaries all live in apartments where there are either 2 or 4 in the apartment.  They have no hot water, just the tap water temperature which is not cold but for a shower it might be a little cooler that what I am used to.  Most do have running water in their apartments, but not all.  They say that the water is usually pretty clear until it rains then the water comes out of the tap a reddish brown water because somehow the rainwater drainage gets into the water system.  Sounds interesting.  Also they all have a "pensionista", which is a contracted lady that will provide two meals per day for the missionaries.  For the most part they all love the food prepared for them.   They do little to no cooking, so no meal prep time or cleanup time that way or really even grocery shopping is not really a big thing other than snack type food that they would want.  You have to get plastic totes with lids that seal tightly to store food in to keep the insects out.  I have noticed little tiny ants that seem to be able to smell if there is food anywhere.  

Two days this week we have been at ward buildings where President Ostler has interviews with the missionaries.  They meet with him once in the middle between transfers so every 6 weeks or so.  We have been in two different areas this week with them doing their interviews this week.  As well as a Zone Conference on Tuesday.  At the end of the Zone Conference there was a family who provided lunch for us and then shared their experience with us.  They have been here for 3 years, they are from Santaquin Ut, the Blackburns.  Husband and wife and 4 daughters.  He is working here on the temple and  showed us some pictures of in and around the temple and spoke about his experiences here.  It will be a beautiful building when they are finished.  

The missionaries  take turns meeting with President Ostler,  and the rest of us are out in a classroom normally where we all sit around and visit, and talk about the work or where they are from etc.  Sister Ostler likes to meet with them one on one as well where she gives them all a brownie and encourages them in the work.  All the Latino missionaries are encouraged to learn English while serving the mission.  This helps them as they prepare for a career and just for the future in general because of the benefit of knowing English they can usually get a much better job if they speak English.  They are provided with workbooks and an exam every 3 months to track their progress. Some take advantage of the program and others aren't too interested but part of our responsibility is to encourage them to take advantage of this time when they are around us gringos to learn English.   We have met several who speak English very well.  I have been so impressed with the young missionaries here.  They are special individuals who all love the Lord and are so humble and dedicated to be serving here.  The Hermanas are so awesome.  They all just glow.  They are so happy and bubbly, it is so fun to be with them.  

We got our car today and drove it back to the President's home from the mission office which is about a 25 minute drive right through the center of San Pedro Sula.  If you ever google San Pedro Sula it shows a picture of a big yellow building, maybe a cathedral,  I'm not sure, and big letters SAN PEDRO SULA,  We go by that every day as we leave President and sister Ostlers house here to go out anywhere.  Anyway, we picked up the car and drove it back here today.  That was an adventure 😓. The traffic laws, if there were any, do not apply here.  It is who can get in line first and who can go around and who is the fastest.  I am not an aggressive driver and Colleen even though she is a much more aggressive driver than me says that she is not driving here, but we got here and tomorrow we are driving out to our apartment which they say they will have ready for us by tomorrow.  President and Hermana will be driving their car there also so they will be their with us to find the apartment and get settled in.  It is about a 2 hour car ride out to Tela which is where we will be for the duration of our time here.  Unless it changes, nothing is forever.  We have met the 4 missionaries in our area, they are so great!  There are two branches of the church there in the area with two seperate buildings.  We will have hot water, in the shower only so that will be nice! Apparently it is an add on apparatus that plugs into the wall and heats the water as it goes through the shower head.  The heater has three settings, cold, warm or hot.  Sounds really safe doesn't it?  From the pictures it looks like a nice place.  We will update with pictures later.  They also say the apartment is very close to the beach which they also say is the cleanest and prettiest beach in Honduras except for Roatán which is on a seperate island where cruise ships stop.  We have been talking about the area and the members there and their needs and ways we may be of help to them.  It will be great to get there and meet with them and see what we can do to be of service there in Tela, Honduras  We will be in the Progresso Zone, these are the missionaries currently serving in our zone.  

 Progresso Zone 1-18-2023 

Missionaries we delivered to their area after interviews with Presidente Ostler

Outside church in Sarrosa, All the Churches have fences and locked gates, and usually a basketball court which doubles a parking space.  They are beautiful buildings inside and out.  

Honduran Mountains, beautiful & green

Traffic on the 2 lane roads is constant and wild at times, including pedestrians, people on bicycles motorcycles,  trucks, moto taxi, and horse drawn wagons.