A Day Off

The team poses in Santa Lucia in front of the altar.

Fr. Doug concelebrates Mass.

This morning we rose earlier than usual because departure time to Santa Lucia was 7 p.m. Everyone had to get their passport holders from me so they could get their shopping money. Hopefully, the students did not spend all their money so they will have a little money on their return trip.

We had time to tour Santa Lucia before 9 a.m. (actually began at 9:12) Mass. The church was built from 1519-1520. The altar was sent from Spain and was placed in the church in 1572. They also have artifacts in the sacristy, like original Mass missalettes and lectionaries with dates from the 1700s. The priest was very welcoming and praised the group before and during the Mass.

After Mass we walked a few blocks (1/2 mile) downhill from the church to the oasis. Those who wished walked the trails through all the trees and shrubbery. Some of us visited. Bruce took a nap in the hammock. Marta had brought lunch, which she served along with her children. We had delicious bakery bread, ham, cheese, and chicken sandwiches; watermelon, and plantain chips.

We surprised Dave with a birthday cake. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him in both English and Spanish. He was a good sport, even donning a sombrero while we sang to him. The cake was delicious - a combination of chocolate and vanilla.

Unfortunately, we had to walk uphill to get back to the buses, and they weren't parked as close as the church. I believer that trek was more like a mile. Of course, Francis will disagree, but he stayed with the buses so he did not get to experience the difficult breathing that some of us experienced. Some of us are hoping that all this exercise will fire us up to continue doing it at home.

We shopped in groups, but kept seeing each other anyway. The shops are basically two blocks and a city square. From what I heard at tonight's junta, everyone is pleased with their purchases.

The rest of the evening was spent playing soccer with the Hondurans, visiting, playing with the children that showed up in the compound, especially Victor, Daisy, Wendy, Paola, and Javier. Some of the missioners painted the Honduras girls' fingernails, and they showed them off. Now I know why I saw Daisy and Wendy jumping up and down and smiling when the bus pulled into the compound. Who knows how long they had been waiting for the missioners to return so they could spend time with them.

Tomorrow we are back at work. The houses and bunks must be finished so the roof can go on, the painting can be done, and the wiring must be installed. The students will finish teaching the classes they have not yet seen. And we begin distributing gift bags tomorrow morning. That should be an eye opener for all.

There was no time for the missioner's to blog tonight. We had a little internet trouble early. I will let them try again tomorrow.