A Unique Perspective

We don't usually enjoy our visits to Tegucigalpa much. We just come here and make a mad dash to get all our shopping done before heading back out to El Sembrador. But this weekend, we've decided to come into Teguc to visit with some fellow missionaries and friends who will be heading back to the states soon. They have lived in the city for a couple of years now and we're able to show us around a little today. First we went to the AFE church, where we were blessed to have the sermon translated into English for a change. It was like a drink of cold refreshing water after being in a desert for three months! One of our former El Sembrador students is from AFE and we were hoping to see him this morning, but were disappointed. Hopefully, we'll see him tomorrow when we visit the AFE school.

After church, we went to downtown Teguc into the markets for lunch. We were led down some very narrow passages...like a maze of lunch counters and junk shops. We finally stopped at a crowded little counter where we ordered our lunch of baleadas and natural fruit drinks. Baleadas are my new favorite food lately. I could eat them every day. They are large flour tortillas (homemade of course) smeared with refried beans, a little bit of Honduran cheese and crema, which is kind of like sour cream only a hundred times better. The tortilla is folded in half with its contents and briefly fried on a griddle (usually a flat piece of metal over an open flame). One variation includes scrambled eggs, which is also fantastic. I had the mora (blackberry) drink which is like a dessert in a cup. We were able to get 2 baleadas and a drink for under 20 limps (about $1) each. It was the perfect Honduran experience.

After lunch we went up the mountain to a large national park. The park can be seen from all over teguc because of it's large statue of Christ looking down over the city. The views were spectacular and we enjoyed the garden walk.

We ended our day at our friends' home, where we played cards while the kids played in the sudden downpour outside. It is rainy season afterall! The best part of the entire day was dinner where we got to partake in the family tradition of "root, hoard or die Sunday", which basically means everyone roots through the kitchen for their favorite foods and we serve whatever is around even if they don't go together. So, we had sandwiches, popcorn, fruit (including some fresh mangos), leftover cake and a fruit smoothie made with watermelon. It was the best meal and so much fun!

We were blessed with a great day with fantastic adventures and amazing friends. Even in this dirty, chaotic, crazy city we found a little piece of joy and we can now look at Tegucigalpa with fond memories and a little less dread.