Merrill & Colleen's Honduran Adventure

 Sunday Feb 26, 2023 This great week began on Monday which is our P Day when we have lunch with all the other missionaries in our area.  We went to a place called "Casa del Chef". It was pretty good but it ended up being more expensive that any other place we have been so far.  It is interesting how many restaurants we are finding here.  It is always the Elders who have picked out a new place to go try.  They have all been good, each one slightly different but good.  This one is a more of a tourist place right on the beach.  You can't see it from the picture but directly behind us is the ocean, not more than 50 feet away.  Most all these places and in fruit stands along the streets they have several types of fresh fruit juice or smoothies.  They are all really good.  A bit watered down sometimes but still really good.  That is what we are all drinking are juice combinations.  I tried the pineapple mango, it was awesome.  C...

Tuesday Feb 21, 2023 I would like to make this post about Whatsapp.  That is an app that anyone can download on their mobile phone for free and this app allows users to call, text, or video chat for free with any user in any country.  It is super convenient for communication with family and friends who are currently in another country.  It is totally free and works well on wifi or cell data.  We have used it extensively since arriving here in Honduras.  It is what we use between all the missionaries here in the mission.  It is also what the locals use to communicate with each other and us.  Whatsapp also works great with communicating with family and friends back home in the USA.  We have also used it for texts and calls and video calls with Elder Dr. and Hermana Chappell who are in Peru.  We have been able to video call our children and grandchildren and several of our family members back home in Utah, California, and Washington.  In re...

Sunday Feb 19, 2023 We had a wonderful visit with this family on Friday.  Elder Wixom, our new District Leader as of last Tuesday is on the left,  Elder Pineda has been transferred to a calling to work in the mission office for now.  It was so great to get to know him in the short time we were here with him.  Sister Doris who is the grandma lives here with I don't know how many children and grandchildren.  They kind of combine families and make tough situations the best they can.  Three of the four kids there, the two boys and the smaller girl are Doris's grandchildren. their dad is a baptized not active member but the three kids have never been baptized.  The smaller girl is not yet eight but we have great potential of teaching the two boys and hopefully getting them baptized.  Here in Honduras, and perhaps throughout the world, I am not sure, but the rule is that for children under 18 years of age they need permission from both their mom and the...

 Sunday Feb. 12, 2023 There is a member of the Church who lives in San Pedro Sula who has a business of making cloth bags, backpacks, scripture covers etc.  He uses colorful material with colors and patterns that are considered "Typical" of the region.  Many of the missionaries have bags made by him and it makes carrying everything around much easier.  Before we came here we spent a fair amount of time trying to find a backpack or bag that we could use for that purpose but we decided that we would wait until we were in Honduras to see how much we would have to carry around and what we would need to take with us as we go about our work here.  I am glad we did because we now have two new "Mochilas Tipicas" with our names and the US flag and the Honduras flag on them.  We are so happy to have them.  We also got a scripture cover for the spanish scriptures we brought and for the Hymn book.  We got to pick the pattern from a big list of materials that ...

 Sunday, February 8, 2023     President and Hermana Ostler introduced us to Honduras and were so good to let us stay with them for a week until our house was ready in Tela.  They helped us find groceries and other essential items before they brought us here to Tela. We are grateful for their love and help, they have both made this transition easier. Hermana Ostler told us that it was not glamorous, and she is right, but we are so very blessed to live in a safe area. Thanks to Presidente Ostler we are doing great in this little corner of the San Pedro Sula East mission. We love them so much!!! We are about 2 hours away from the mission office in time but not distance. It takes 3 times longer to go anywhere, all roads are just 2 lane roads and anything goes! IT IS WILD!!  Yes I  used all capitals!! Pot holes, large and small, speed bumps, people walking, on bicycles, motorcycles, semi's, buses and cars in 2 lanes going any speed at all.   I have not...

 Sunday Feb 5, 2023 I feel like we are kind of getting into a groove, 😇.     We have been here in Tela long enough that we are finally getting to church,  and to the grocery store and back, and we can get to the beach, all without google maps!   I remember not too long ago that I finally got a little more comfortable driving in Provo and sort of knowing where I needed to go. It is a bit of a comfortable feeling when you at least can get where you need to go and getting back home is important too.  We have had to use that to get us back home quite often.  I don't know how they did it without google maps!  We are spoiled.  We did get out to the beach finally this past week.   We walked from our house, it really isn't too far away.  There is a more public beach just down the road that is packed with people on Sundays but we have never stopped there yet.   We went out to meet people in the area with both sets o...