Sunday February 18, 2024

We have had such an awesome week, mostly because Todd, Jayden, and Meggan came here this past Friday.  We picked them up at the airport on Friday, then we drove down to Copán which are some ancient mayan ruins.  It was a long drive but we had so much fun being together again.  Todd made reservations for dinner where we had a great dinner together, it was late, around 8:30 so it was dark, but it was such a pretty place.

We had a typical Honduran style dinner, which was prepared very nicely, then we went over to the hotel which was more in the center of the town, which was called Copán.  Here we are in the hotel room after a very long day of travels for all of us but especially for Todd, Jayden and Meggan.  

The room had air conditioning, hot water and was very comfortable.  We all slept very well that night but because we had a big day planned on Saturday we got up early.  Todd and Jayden got up at 6:30 and went to the pool, then when they got back to the room the rest of us got up.  

Thank you Todd for getting such a nice place for us to spend the night, it was really nice.  Breakfast was included and it was pretty good too.  Do we have a picture of breakfast you ask?  Well, yes we do, several in fact.  

It was a beautiful morning, cloudy and cooler weather than Tela, but so very nice.  We had a great breakfast, then we went over to the ruins.  They are say that the people lived there around 400 AD.  There were several temples,  stelas, (Statue type things), places where they played their ball games, which they say after the games they sacrificed the best player and sent him to heaven to be a sacrifice to the Gods.  They have found a place nearby where they found skeletons buried with their rubber balls that they used to play their games, so they were buried all together in a special area, the best players of their times.  Crazy tradition,  I would have never played to try and win, because of the fate of the winner.  

This is their playing field, and somehow they gained points when they hit one of the three Macaw bird head statues on either side of the ball court. 

They have excavated under several of the temples and found evidence of five levels of buildings on top of each other over centuries of residents, Kings etc.  

They have two different areas where there are tunnels excavated under the temples where we were able to go inside and see a small part of the next level underneath.  They have many more that were not open to the public, but it was so very interesting to see the parts that had been buried and built over.  Here we are in two of the cave areas that we went into.  

Around the outside there were figures carved in the stone and Colleen was imitating the figure behind her,  she looks just like it right?  Look closely above her left outstretched arm.  

The king called 18 Rabbits had several large stelas carved of him,  he apparently thought very highly of himself.  

There were trees growing in on and around all the temples.  They have been rebuilt and put back together like a huge jigsaw puzzle.  I can't imagine how they can do what they do to recreate something that has gotten so overgrown and after so many years of nothing but jungle taking over the area.  In this picture the big tree on the top they say is around 200 years old, with roots growing in and around the temple. 

There was another one that they said was a 600 year old tree on the top of the temple.  Here is the picture but it is hard to see the old tree on the top, but the huge roots growing along the ground was very interesting.  

We had the missionaries over for lunch today after church, it was a houseful but it was great.  

We had a wonderful day together, It was so much fun to be together again and to spend the day in this beautiful area together.  We had a 6 hour car ride after the Copán ruins site to get home to Tela.  That was a long time to sit in a car, but we were together again after so long of ever spending that much time together so I thought it was wonderful.  They are here with us until Tuesday when they have to fly back home.  That is going to hard to see them leave but it has been so wonderful to have them here for a few days,  I didn't think that they would ever really come here to visit us, but here they are.  It has been so fun to have Jayden here as well, he is such a fun young man and it has been wonderful to be together.  In fact, the topic in sacrament meeting was "Families".   It was a great meeting in several ways.  The Branch President spoke last and shared how important families are.  He and his wife are 29 years old and they just lost their 3rd unsuccessful pregnancy.  They are so emotionally spent,  they were so excited because this last pregnancy had gone further than either of the first two. But it has been so devastating for them.  They want a family so bad,  the dream we all have.  We are so blessed to have the family we do.  I am so thankful for Todd, and his family, and for Meggan and Janice.  I am so thankful for each and everyone of them.  Todd helped bless the sacrament today in our sacrament meeting here today and Jayden helped pass the sacrament.  I have such gratitude for our wonderful children and grandchildren.  I am so blessed to have so many wonderful blessings from our Father in Heaven.  First of all, Colleen,  Thanks for your love and support always!!!  

Earlier in this week we had a wonderful experience as well.  On Tuesday we had a baptism in our branch.  Brother German Madrid was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  17 years after being excommunicated from the church.  We were so blessed to have been a part of this wonderful change in his life, and I really feel like a big part of the reason we are here in Tela is to have been a part of their progress in the church.  I feel like he has been so humble and penitent.  Hermana Gloria is happy that her husband is now a worthy member of the church again and is on the covenant path, and once again a worthy priesthood holder in their home.  We are so happy for them, and for the blessing that we have had to have been a small part of their life here and now in this important step in their life.