Sunday Dec 3, 2023 

This past P Day we went out to a place on the beach where none of us had ever been before just to get out and do something different together as a district. It was a very pretty rocky point just outside of Tela.  We had a great time being out together. 

It was fun to get out and do something different.  A normal P day is we start laundry then go to Pizza Hut or Wendy's for lunch then come back to our house and turn on a movie while they each take turns talking with their families.  They are each allowed 2 hours to talk with family every Monday.   That is since about July, when they opened the Pizza Hut and the Wendy's here.  It has been nice to have American options for lunch.  This next week is transfers so who knows what we will look like as a district this next week.  I don't expect it will change too much but we shall see.  

President and Hermana Ostler and the AP's came to Tela and interviewed the missionaries on Wednesday so we had a picture with them after getting lunch at Wendy's.  

The next day we were OFF on a little mini vacation.  Vacation for me but Colleen had to keep her phone to talk with the sick missionaries, thank goodness there were not a lot of calls this week. 

Our best friend Marleen came here to Honduras to spend a week with us.  We picked her up on Tuesday of this past week at the San Pedro airport.  Her flight went great because of a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven.  On her flight from the United States there was a gringo couple that she met.  They have lived in San Pedro for three years, he is like a superviser or something high up in the construction project on the San Pedro Temple.  They were returning back here to San Pedro Sula after having been in Utah with family for Thanksgiving.  They were so great to help Marleen get through the airport security and customs etc. as she arrived here in Honduras.  Brother Richards asked if we would like to go to the temple and have a tour.  He and his wife were willing to take us that afternoon.   Of course we were super excited, so we went to take a tour of the temple Tuesday afternoon.  It was so awesome to walk around the grounds, then in the building at the rear of the temple which is a distribution center and an apartment for the temple President and his wife, and a changing room for patrons.  He told us that pictures are not allowed inside the temple grounds, but once we got outside the gate we could take pictures. So he took us inside the temple and showed us around all the areas.  The baptismal font is in place but there are no oxen yet, there are some of the chairs in the ordinance rooms and the celestial room is big and open, but so very pretty.  There is lighting in the ceilings but no chandeliers yet.  Beautiful tile floors and some carpet.  It is all on one level.  I didn't realize it but he said that none of the temples have an angel Moroni on top since the Church announced the new Church logo with the archway and the Christus inside.   

The Richards family, who were on the plane with Marleen were so helpful.  This is a picture at the airport in San Pedro Sula.  It is a very small airport with many many people leaving and arriving,  not a lot of room for as many people as their were that day.  

He also gave us a small piece of stone that is from the marble used on the outside.  It has a stamp picture of the temple on it at it will be a great memento of the temple here.  I don't expect that the open house will happen before we leave, but who knows.  It would be a really great experience if it happens.  

Then on Thursday Marleen and Colleen and I drove out to La Ceiba, got on an airplane and flew a 15 minute flight over to Roatán.  Which is a small island off the north coast of Honduras, and it is a part of our mission.  There are 4 Elders and 2 Sisters out there. We were going to just get a taxi to take us to the resort where we were going to stay but when we found out how much they were going to charge for the taxi we rented a car for less money plus that way we had a car to go exploring.  The resort was called "BananaRama" which was recommended to us by President Ostler.  It wasn't a great room but the restaurant was really good, and it had a beachfront access.  Parking was up the street but it was all good.  The beachfront was so pretty, very small waves, that just lapped the sandy shore, it was so pretty.  The beach faced the west so the sunset every night was right out over the ocean in front of the resort.  It was a great getaway vacation for a couple days.  We flew back to La Ceiba on Saturday then drove back here to Tela. 

The breakfast was included each morning, with several options, this is the fruit pate and the Typical Breakfast that we had on Saturday. 

This afternoon we had all the missionaries over and had Sunday dinner together.  Transfers are this week on Thursday so we had our little testimony meeting after lunch.  Elder Borders helped me translate so everyone understood what was said.  There were a few tears shed, and tender mercies expressed.  These little experiences we have here with the missionaries are so wonderful to be able share with them. 

I can't figure out how to remove a picture once I add it so this one is out of sequence but he called this mangrove trees.  We went out on a "Two hour tour", on a little boat.  We saw the mangrove trees which were very different, dolphins, a lot of the west coast of the island and we went snorkeling.  I never thought I would do that but I got brave and decided that I would put on the mask and look down in the water.  WOW, it was so very interesting.  There is a large coral reef around the island and lots of fish all around.  It was like nothing I have ever done before.  

We had such a great time this week!  Thank you Marleen for coming clear out here to Honduras to spend this week with us in this far away place.  It really has been a good break for us to have family and English in our lives again. 😀