by Pamela Haines
Today is Sunday, the 4th day of our pilgrimage, our TWM Mission Trip. First on the agenda, church services at San Miguel de Archangel in Ojo de Agua where all our Honduran Directors, Marlene Barahona (Health & Hygiene), Hector Zuniga (Pump Repair) and Francisco Torres (Drilling and Maintenance), reside.
The people who belong to this church are kind, gracious and al-ways welcoming - they are my friends, so many cheeks to kiss! In my fifty-plus trips to Honduras in the last 12 years I have always felt that this was my home. The music with guitars and full voices is beautiful in a boisterous though ethereal way. It draws you in and makes you feel surrounded by a happy cocoon.
The Presider is Reverendo Dagoberto, Dean of this area and also a farmer. He is a true pastoral padre. In the beginning of his ministry, he traveled by mule across rivers to his many churches each Sun-day. He greets me with a smile and warm hug. Today his Homily speaks to me and helps me sort out a problem I am having.
Marlene, my Goddaughter, and the Directora for our Health & Hygiene program, is the lay Pastora. She handles all the dailyactivities of the church, whether it be organizing a “Happening” for the teens, or presiding over prayer meetings. After communion, healing prayers and individual birthday blessings, the Ameri-can Deacon Kathy exits with her very large white fluffy poodle by her side to end the services.
After a bathroom stop at the gas station (Puma), we head out to Valle de Angeles which is an artist colony in the mountains. The vistas are exceptionally beautiful. We stop for lunch at a won-derful restaurant which caters to upper middle class Hondurans. Families eat at extra-long tables and there are great amenities for their children. There are no other “gringos.” In the center of town is a Catholic Church, surrounded by many shops selling items from Guatemala and Honduras, which allowed the shopa-holic gentlemen of the group to get their fix. The narrow streets give one the feeling of old world charm. Wonderful smells waft from grills and food booths which look like those at state fairs. We finish our day late that evening in Zamarano tired and happy and plan for the rest of the trip.