Sunday August 20, 2023

Whattt???  You went on a trip in an airplane?  Well, yes,  short notice and back and forth in one day.  What a day.  We got a call from President Ostler last week on Saturday night that there was an Hermana that was not doing well emotionally and that she needed to go home and she would need escorts to go with her.  They were in the process of getting the flight plans and would let us know if it was going to be Monday or Tuesday.   So Monday morning they said that it would be Tuesday morning, with the flight leaving here at 8:15, we were going to Guatemala so that is an international flight even though it is a 35 minute flight, so for customs and everything we were to be at the airport by 6:15.  So we got up at 3:30 Tuesday morning to drive to La Lima to the mission office where we were to meet up with the Hermana as well as President and Hermana Ostler.  The Assistants drove us out to the airport and we had a while to get to know this wonderful young woman who was returning home early from her mission.  She seemed mentally stable even though she had had some very difficult days earlier.  Hermana Ortega who had been here with us was her new companion and had helped her through this very difficult time.  Hermana Ortega is so understanding and has a happy disposition that I think was helpful at this time.  This next picture is of us and Hermana Ortega. 

Hermana Ortega was here in Tela for 12 weeks and we became very close, she is such a sweet happy young lady from Mexico.  Even though this Hermana had to go home, she was ready mentally and wanted to return home to work out some things in her life and hopefully she will soon be in a better place mentally.  It was great to be able to spend time in the airport with her talking about her family and her experience as a missionary here in Honduras.  Then when we landed in Guatemala City her mom and dad were there to meet her and her other brothers and sisters were on their way, we did not get to meet them but we did spend some time with her mom and dad and felt so grateful to have been a part of that experience.  She was such a sweet young lady, who just had things to work out.  I know that the Lord appreciates effort and as I told her that she accomplished so much good here in the time she was a missionary and that she will be blessed and she will be able to receive the needed peace in her life.  It was a great experience for us to be able to help in this way.  After saying our goodbyes we had until 4:00 that afternoon to catch our return flight.   We probably would have had time to get in a taxi and go somewhere or do something but not knowing what or where to go, we stayed in the airport.  The airport in Guatemala City is a lot bigger than the one in San Pedro Sula but still it is nothing compared to SLC,  but that is OK.  We got lunch, mom had a hamburger and fries at McDonalds, and a diet coke. She was so happy.  

I had nachos from another place there,   it is rather a challenge sometimes finding anything that is Gluten Free but, they were good. Mom said,  "That was the best hamburger I've had in 8 months!"  I think it is the only hamburger she has had in 8 months 😂.  There are lots of little "Tipica shops" at the airport so we went shopping.  Hermana Chappell found a nativity that she liked so she got that as well as a pillow cover that is quite beautiful.  I got a tie and a bookmark, both the tipica fabric that they have in Guatemala.  

We had the Zone leaders here in Tela and Telamar on Thursday night and one of them is from Guatemala so I asked him about the tipica attire that they have there and he said that he didn't know anything about that until one time his family went on vacation to another part of the country and he say women dressed in their tipica skirts and he asked him mom what that was all about,  according to him it is a thing from years ago, a tradition that is dying out.  That made me feel a little sad,  some traditions probably should go away but that is one that I think is a beautiful part of their cultural history.  As I understand from Todd, each district or area or state, whatever it is that they call their areas, have their own distinct color pattern that they use only in that area.  They are very colorful some of them and it is uniquely theirs.  They have mainly dresses or skirts for the women and girls but they also have ties, and a few other objects that they use that material for.  I like the ties that some of the missionaries wear that is from their region in Guatemala.  The Hermana Seb that is here now in our area is going home at the end of this next transfer as she has completed her mission and she mentioned once that she has a skirt that is this fabric from her region of the country and is thinking about maybe wearing that when she travels home.  That is one thing that we remember from the short time we got to know a little about the country when we spent a week with Todd at the end of his mission there.  

We had a zone conference in La Lima the next day and these are all the Hermana's that were at the conference that day.  They all love Hermana Ostler and Hermana Chappell.  We have one Hermana here in the mission now that is from the USA.  I bet you can't tell which one it is 😂

We also had another 8 year old baptism here in Tela on Saturday.  Jared Emmanuel Quintanilla Montano, was baptized and I had the privilege of helping out with another baptism here.  His father is a member but is not attending at this time so they asked me if I would do that.  Of course it is always a blessing to be able to help in any way.  This family has the two boys, Jared who is 8 and his brother who is 13.  It was a good baptism service, the branch members really do support each other so that helps a lot.  Hermana Chappell gave her talk in sacrament meeting today in spanish, she did really well!!!  She read the whole thing but she did very well.  She does a lot better than she thinks she does.  6 months ago she couldn't have read it like that so I am so very proud of her and I am thankful for this blessing we have to be here at this time in our lives.  It was just a year ago when we were beginning to seriously think about a mission.  And here we are in the middle of this Honduran adventure.